"While leading NASA's food system for the International Space Station, one of the projects Ryan Dowdy worked on was developing a balanced meal for astronauts that was efficient, convenient, and compact. It was from this project that Dowdy came up with the idea for READYBAR, a bar that serves as an entire meal. But, instead of feeding astronauts, it is marketed to first responders and others who need a quick, balanced meal on the go."
"In January, Dowdy, who lives in Oakland, was ramping up his new venture and found out he'd won a small business grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Two weeks later, Trump paused all federal grants and Dowdy was left without the capital he was counting on to get the business off the ground. Dowdy reached out to NPR, and they picked up his story as an example of how Trump's pause on funding caught people off guard."
""My entire life, I said I'm not going to start a business," Dowdy said. "I always felt like it was too risky. Why would I want to start my own business when I can work someplace and not have to take on that risk.""
Ryan Dowdy developed a compact, balanced meal concept while leading NASA's food system work for the International Space Station and adapted the idea into READYBAR, a meal bar marketed to first responders and busy consumers. He won a small business grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture while ramping up the venture in Oakland, but a federal pause on grants left him without expected capital. NPR coverage of his situation brought attention and increased business. Dowdy had avoided entrepreneurship due to family experience with business failure, but economic shifts and opportunity pushed him into starting his own company.
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