TerraSafe Holdings, Inc., the technology engine powering the next generation of plastic-free barrier packaging, announces the appointment of Dr. Julie Crowe Willoughby as Chief Executive Officer.
Dr. Willoughby, who joined TerraSafe in 2024 as CTO, steps into the CEO role to lead the company’s next phase of growth—scaling its portfolio of bio-based packaging materials into global commercial markets. Under her leadership, TerraSafe will redefine how packaging protects products, people, and the planet.
“Julie has a unique combination of deep technical mastery, entrepreneurial vision, and creative leadership that this industry needs,” said Thomas Mastrobuoni, Chair of the TerraSafe Board, and Chief Investment Officer at Big Idea Ventures’ Generation Food Rural Partners Fund. “Her appointment marks an inflection point in TerraSafe’s trajectory—and a decisive step toward making plastic pollution obsolete.”
Reimagining the Future of Packaging
As regulators, brands, and consumers demand plastic-free solutions, TerraSafe is developing packaging designed to protect rather than pollute—a critical evolution for a $400B global market.
By integrating a defensible IP portfolio of coatings, films, containers, and surface treatments, TerraSafe layers natural barriers to match the performance of plastics—using only green and clean chemistry.
Since its founding by Big Idea Ventures’ Generation Food Rural Partners Fund (GFRP) in 2023, TerraSafe has rapidly advanced under Dr. Willoughby’s technical leadership:
- Established a 60,000-sq-ft R&D and manufacturing facility in Youngsville, NC
- Developed 10+ patent families of high-performance bio-based materials
- Launched two commercial products leveraging TerraSafe’s polysaccharide film technology
- Raised $13.3M to date, including a new $2M Series A lead investment from GFRP
A Visionary at the Intersection of Science and Design
Dr. Willoughby is a chemical and biomolecular engineer, polymer scientist, and serial entrepreneur with over 30 years of experience across the chemicals, coatings, pulp & paper, packaging, textiles, life sciences, and fashion industries. Her cross-disciplinary expertise bridges hard science with market-ready innovation—a pillar of TerraSafe’s strategy.
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