From Che314 to Acquisition

Abstract: Jared Raszewski will discuss his journey from product inception in Che314 (an undergraduate class taught in the Pitt ChemE department) to selling his company, DisSolves, to Big Idea Ventures, a sustainability focused venture fund. Jared developed an all-natural, edible packaging that dissolves in water, and his company DisSolves sells this packaging to food & beverage, personal care, and detergent companies that use it to package individual servings of powdered product in pods, similar to a Tide Pod. He will be describing the challenges he faced during product development, customer acquisition, scaling a physical product, and fundraising. This seminar will be a first-hand account of scaling a company as a solo founder.

Bio: Jared Raszewski is a University of Pittsburgh chemical engineering graduate and the founder of DisSolves. He developed the formula for DisSolves’ patented, water-soluble packaging. Jared is a chemical engineer who has led research exploring bio-based, natural polymers for the use in packaging and has worked in the packaging industry for 7 years, where he focused on the production of thin films, building a network of contract manufacturing partners, and developing new packaging compositions for the food market. Jared’s work with DisSolves has been recognized by the American Chemical Society, FoodBev, the Pittsburgh Business Times, and more.

Host: Chris Wilmer