David Ortega

David Ortega is an accomplished innovator and entrepreneur specializing in industrial biotechnology and bioenergy. As the founder of Phase Biolabs since May 2020, David leads efforts to create carbon-negative chemicals and electro-fuels from carbon dioxide through fermentation. In addition to this role, David serves as an Innovator Fellow at Breakthrough Energy and previously held positions including QTEC BioDesign Enterprise and Innovation Fellow at the University of Bristol and LD13 Cohort Member at Entrepreneur First. David’s research experience includes roles at Caltech, Eurofins Biopharma, Universidad de Málaga, and St. Joseph's Health Care London, focusing on areas such as cell-free protein expression systems, biotherapeutic analysis, and cancer research. David earned a PhD in Industrial Biotechnology and Bioenergy from the University of Nottingham and a Bachelor of Medical Science in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from Western University.