TerraSafe Holdings, which is developing plastic-free packaging, named Julie Crowe Willoughby as CEO. She joined TerraSafe in 2024 as chief technology officer.
“Julie has a unique combination of deep technical mastery, entrepreneurial vision, and creative leadership that this industry needs,” Thomas Mastrobuoni, who chairs TerraSafe’s board, said in a release. “Her appointment marks an inflection point in TerraSafe’s trajectory—and a decisive step toward making plastic pollution obsolete.”
The 15-employee company has raised $13.3 million in venture capital since 2023, led by a $2 million investment from the Generation Food Rural Partners Fund. It has established a 60,000-square-foot plant and R&D site in Youngsville in Wake County, developed several patents of bio-based materials and launched two commercial products used for coatings, films, containers and surface treatments.
Julie Willoughby
Willoughby is a chemical and biomolecular engineer, polymer scientist, and serial entrepreneur with more than 30 years of experience. Before joining TerraSafe, she was chief scientific and commercialization officer at Danville, Virginia-based Circ, which provides textile recycling technology. It was named a Most Innovative Company in 2024 by Fast Company magazine.
Scott Bolin, a veteran of several Triangle startups, was the company’s founding CEO and helped negotiate the company’s initial licensing contracts. He left the company earlier this month.
Willoughby previously was a materials and manufacturing innovation leader at Nike, was a professor at NC State’s Wilson College of Textiles, and held senior R&D roles at Dow Corning (now Dow Silicones) and MeadWestvaco (now Smurfitt WestRock). She has a Ph.D. in chemical and biomolecular engineering from NC State and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Kentucky.
Generation Food Rural Partners is a fund dedicated to driving economic growth in rural areas. It has backing from members of the Farm Credit System and is part of Big Idea Ventures, a New York-based investment firm that promotes in the food, agriculture and materials sector.
