About Us
AGREKA BUILD aims to decarbonise the construction and agricultural industries.
We transform waste wheat straw into an innovative insulating material to address the construction industry’s demand for net-zero materials free from petrochemicals and support farmers transitioning to circular agriculture.
Our Mission
AGREKA BUILD's mission is to revolutionise the construction industry by developing high-performance, sustainable building materials made from agricultural waste. By repurposing waste into valuable resources, we aim to reduce environmental impact, support rural economies, and lead the transition towards a net-zero, circular economy in agriculture and construction.
Meet The Team
My Linh Nguyen
Co-Founder & COO
A social entrepreneur with experience in empowering farmers and manufacturing sustainable construction materials. She previously led an innovation incubator that won national and regional awards in the Asia-Pacific region, worked as a social innovation consultant for UNDP Asia-Pacific supporting agricultural communities, and grew up in her family’s 40-year-old brick manufacturing business.
MASc in Interdisciplinary Problems & Methods, London Interdisciplinary School
Antoinette Vandy
Co-Founder & CEO
An award-winning architectural & regenerative designer with a love for bio-based materials. She's won multiple awards for climate-resilient architectural designs including the LVMH Greentrail Prize, MullenLowe NOVA Award, E.On Foundation VISIT Award, RIBA Norman Foster Prize First-Place Commendation and many others.
RIBA II, MA in Architecture,
Central Saint Martins UAL
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Dr. John Collins
Non-Executive Director
A technologist and long-standing expert in metrology and standards, Dr. John brings over 35 years of experience across a broad range of science, technology, and industry sectors. His career highlights include inventing the processes for lab-grown diamonds, teaching intellectual property to entrepreneurs at Cambridge Judge Business School, and leading the world’s oldest technology networking club, the Real Time Club (est. 1967)—alongside many other fun-filled ventures in science, technology, and business.
PhD in Nuclear Physics, Aston University
Han Ming Lai
Co-Founder &
Technical Lead
A civil engineer who has innovated with a low-carbon cement formula using rice husk ash, winning first place in the 2020 International Concrete Competition. He has previous experience in coastal and marine-related construction projects and geotechnical consulting, and is currently pursuing a PhD specialising in nuclear waste repositories.
PhD in Civil & Environmental Engineering,
Imperial College London
Dr. Vu Viet Dung
Co- Founder &
Technical Advisor
A materials & mechanical engineer specialising in sustainable fiber acoustic material, and inventor of the wheat straw composite. He currently leads the Institute of Development and Application for Sound Materials (DASM), established by the Ministry of Science and Technology in Vietnam, and develops application of other natural fibre materials in civil and industrial engineering.
PhD in Mechanical Engineering, Universite de Sherbrooke
Dr. Ha Phan
R&D Lead
An environmental chemical engineer specialising in biomass-derived carbon and carbon nanostructures. He has previously published research on the valorisation of sewage sludge through thermochemical conversion, the production of cellulose aerogel polymers from agricultural waste, the use of biomass-derived carbon in vanadium redox flow batteries, and other green sciences.
PhD in Chemical Engineering,
Newcastle University
Christopher Ball
Production Lead
A mechanical engineer with a background in CAD/CAM, he has dedicated the past several years to tackling complex production challenges. With hands-on experience in real-world manufacturing environments, he has worked on optimising material usage and streamlining sustainable production practices.
MSc in Advanced Engineering Management (Construction),
University of Birmingham
Beside our technical expertise, the majority of the team were raised by farmers and our connection to the land and its resources are deeply embedded in who we are. We want to bring back balance to the built environment through material innovation and stewarding our resources more sustainably.
Agreka Build is a winner of Futurebuild's Big Innovation Pitch Award 2025, awarded Innovate UK Smart Grant 2024, winner of the Founder 50 Award 2024 by Central Saint Martins UAL, and 1st prize winner of Imperial College London's Climate Entrepreneur Pre-Accelerator Program 2024.
Our Investors & Funder
Our Supporters
