Solutions to global challenges are often born out of serendipitous encounters between visionaries with a shared passion and drive to change the world. 

 

Having spent the last 10+ years taking technologies from concept through product development to commercialization in high-tech industries such as the medical device and biotech industries, Moody Soliman and Steve Hulteng were on a mission to look for the next "big thing." Driven by a deep passion for delivering products that ultimately improve people’s health, safety and quality of life, they were looking to apply their technical knowhow, product development expertise and ability to commercialize disruptive technologies with the potential for major world impact. 

 

Through a serendipitous encounter at an industry conference in Dubai, they met Zhafri Zainudin, a young inventor and entrepreneur who grew up in a rural community an hour south of Kuala Lumpur. Zhafri had a simple yet ambitious, and potentially disruptive idea - fresh produce losses are a huge problem for local growers and producers in his hometown. Fruit stickers were already being widely used on almost every fruit sold. So, why not develop an all-natural substance that you can apply to those very same stickers, which you can then simply peel and apply to fresh produce to extend its

shelf-life? 

 

Having a developed a proof-of-concept, with a shared vision to positively affect people’s lives and solve global challenges, the team partnered up, and Ryp Labs was born, with the mission to bring their first product StixFresh to the world of fresh produce. 

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Today, Moody and Steve are working with Zhafri and the rest of the highly talented team at Ryp Labs to bring this food-saving innovation to businesses and households everywhere.