# Kathleen Alexander

> Kathleen Alexander is co-founder and CEO of Savor, a San Jose-based food-tech startup that makes butter, palm oil, and cocoa butter alternatives from carbon dioxide, hydrogen, and oxygen - no animals, no plants, no farmland. Backed by Bill Gates' Breakthrough Energy Ventures and Synthesis Capital with $33 million raised, Savor commercially launched its carbon-synthesized butter in March 2025 and was recognized in TIME's Best Inventions of 2025. Alexander holds a PhD in Materials Science & Engineering from MIT and is a 2013 Hertz Fellow who grew up in Corvallis, Oregon - famously starting college at 16, dropping out, attending community college, and ultimately earning her doctorate at MIT.

- **Role:** Co-Founder & CEO at Savor
- **Organizations:** Savor, Orca Sciences, Hertz Foundation, Breakthrough Energy Ventures (portfolio company), Synthesis Capital (portfolio company)
- **From:** Corvallis, Oregon, United States
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** PhD, Materials Science & Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Undergraduate, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Attended (dropped out), University of San Francisco, Math and science prerequisites, Community College
- **Known for:** Co-founder and CEO of Savor, a pioneering food-tech company making fats without agriculture, Received $33M in funding from Bill Gates' Breakthrough Energy Ventures and Synthesis Capital, Achieved US regulatory approval (GRAS status) for Savor's carbon-synthesized fats in November 2024

## Career timeline

- **~2006** — Started at University of San Francisco at age 16, studying policy/advocacy
- **~2007** — Dropped out of USF, attended community college to build math and science foundations
- **2013** — Received Hertz Fellowship; earned PhD in Materials Science & Engineering from MIT
- **2013-2021** — Worked in climate tech spanning alternative fuels, cements, steels, energy generation and storage at various organizations
- **2017** — Met future co-founder Ian McKay through the Hertz Fellowship community
- **2020-2021** — Served as Project Director at Orca Sciences, a philanthropist-backed R&D organization focused on energy and climate
- **2022** — Co-founded Savor in March with Ian McKay and Henrik Bennetsen
- **2023** — Secured Series A funding; raised $33M total from Breakthrough Energy Ventures and Synthesis Capital
- **2024-02** — Latest funding round (Series A, $23M)
- **2024-11** — Savor received self-affirmed GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) regulatory approval in the US
- **2025-03** — Savor commercially launched its carbon-synthesized butter; named Fast Company Most Innovative Company 2025
- **2025-10** — Featured in TIME Magazine Best Inventions of 2025; CNBC profile published
- **2026** — Planning Series B fundraise; targeting 10,000-ton commercial production facility

## Achievements

- Co-founder and CEO of Savor, a pioneering food-tech company making fats without agriculture
- Received $33M in funding from Bill Gates' Breakthrough Energy Ventures and Synthesis Capital
- Achieved US regulatory approval (GRAS status) for Savor's carbon-synthesized fats in November 2024
- Commercially launched the world's first carbon-synthesized butter in March 2025
- Named in TIME Magazine's Best Inventions of 2025
- Named Fast Company Most Innovative Company 2025
- Co-authored 'Food Without Agriculture' paper in Nature Sustainability
- 2013 Hertz Fellow in Materials Science & Engineering
- Partnered with Michelin-starred restaurants including SingleThread, Atelier Crenn, and Dirt Candy
- Operating pilot production facility near Chicago, with plans for a 10,000-ton commercial facility

## Latest updates

- **2026-05** — Savor planning Series B fundraise to build first commercial-scale 10,000-ton production facility in North America
- **2025-10** — Featured in TIME Magazine Best Inventions of 2025; CNBC published major profile on Savor and its ambitions
- **2025-03** — Savor commercially launched its carbon-synthesized butter in Michelin-starred restaurants; named Fast Company Most Innovative Company 2025
- **2024-11** — Savor received self-affirmed GRAS regulatory approval in the US, clearing the way for commercial sales
- **2024-02** — Savor secured $23M in latest funding round (Series A) from Breakthrough Energy Ventures and Synthesis Capital

## Links

- Website: https://savor.it
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathleen-c-alexander-a38051204/
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kyAaFbE3BEg

---

Profile page: https://yespress.io/kathleen-alexander
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-05-12