# Michele Stansfield

> Michele Stansfield is the Borenore-based co-founder and CEO of Cauldron Ferm, which develops continuous fermentation technology for industrial biomanufacturing. A scientist and former Agritechnology general manager, she led the management acquisition behind Cauldron and is working to bring bio-based food ingredients, materials and chemicals to commercial scale at competitive costs.

- **Role:** Co-founder and CEO at Cauldron Ferm
- **Organizations:** Cauldron Ferm, Agritechnology, Pfizer
- **Education:** BSc (Honours), Biomedical Science, Cellular and Molecular Biology, University of Western Sydney, PhD, Veterinary Science, University of Sydney
- **Known for:** Led the management acquisition of Agritechnology that underpins Cauldron Ferm., Co-founded a company demonstrating continuous fermentation for synthetic biology strains at 10,000-litre scale., Led Cauldron through its 2023 seed, 2024 Series A and 2026 Series A2 funding announcements.

## Career timeline

- **—** — Began her career at Pfizer.
- **Before 2022** — Worked for more than a decade at Agritechnology, including as general manager; helped develop and commercialize its fermentation work.
- **2022** — Participated in an industry meeting convened by Phil Morle in February; co-founded Cauldron Ferm with David Kestenbaum and joined UNSW Founders 10x.
- **2023** — Cauldron announced A$10.5 million seed funding and acquired Agritechnology intellectual property and infrastructure.
- **2024** — Cauldron announced A$9.5 million Series A funding; Stansfield appeared on the SynBioBeta main stage with CSIRO’s Robert Speight.
- **2025** — Cauldron selected as a World Economic Forum Technology Pioneer.
- **2026** — Cauldron announced US$13.25 million Series A2 funding in March; Stansfield delivered the July UNSW Female Founders Showcase keynote.

## Achievements

- Led the management acquisition of Agritechnology that underpins Cauldron Ferm.
- Co-founded a company demonstrating continuous fermentation for synthetic biology strains at 10,000-litre scale.
- Led Cauldron through its 2023 seed, 2024 Series A and 2026 Series A2 funding announcements.
- Cauldron was named a 2025 World Economic Forum Technology Pioneer and included on Fast Company’s 2026 Most Innovative Companies list.

## Latest updates

- **2026-07** — Delivered the UNSW Founders Female Founders Showcase keynote on leadership, self-awareness and building complementary teams.
- **2026-03** — Cauldron announced US$13.25 million (approximately A$19 million) Series A2 funding led by Main Sequence, with Horizons Ventures, SOSV and NGS Super; total funding reported as US$26 million.
- **2026-03** — Cauldron included in Fast Company’s 2026 Most Innovative Companies list.

## Links

- Website: https://www.cauldronferm.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michele-stansfield-microbes/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/michele-stansfield
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-07