Maija Itkonen is a designer, innovator, serial entrepreneur and one of the movers and shakers in the alternative protein field. Currently she’s acting as CEO and Co-Founder of Onego Bio, a company producing animal-free egg white with precision fermentation. The cutting-edge team has developed a safe, sustainable, and cost-effective precision fermentation method for producing ovalbumin, the most abundant egg white protein.
Maija has a passion to new protein sources that are delicious, nutritious and have minimal impact on the environment. Her previous company Gold&Green Foods is one of the pioneers of plant proteins. An international success, Gold&Green launched in many markets around the world and won numerous awards. As a leader in the alt-protein industry, Maija has been featured in Forbes, Food Navigator, Food Technology and Fast Company, to name a few.
Maija has a Master of Art degree from Aalto University (Finland), School of Design and Architecture, department of Industrial and Strategic Design, and another degree from Aalto University School of Business, International Design Business Management program. She is a musician as her second profession, and if not found at the innovation lab or by the saxophone, she’s probably taking care of cucumbers with her kids.