summit program - rethink · the nextgen tech practice represents clients at the ... identifying...
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Partners:
Summit Program
futurefoodtechnyc.com
BrightFarms is the nation’s first brand of local produce, providing forward-thinking supermarket
chains with an exclusive, steady supply of local produce at scale, year-round. By designing, financing,
building, and operating local greenhouse farms, BrightFarms brings the freshest, tastiest produce
possible, using 80% less water, 90% less land, and 95% less shipping fuel than conventional farms.
BrightFarms currently operates three greenhouses in the Midwest and East Coast, including more
than 50,000 square feet in Pennsylvania, 150,000 square feet in Chicago, and 150,000 square feet in
the Washington DC region.
BrightFarms
Farmers Edge is a global leader in precision agriculture and independent data management solutions.
Combining hardware and software innovation with advisors on the ground, Farmers Edge gives
growers the data needed to make informed decisions on the farm. President & CEO Wade Barnes will
address the Future Food-Tech audience this year on technology-driven approaches to agriculture,
and how the Farmers Edge network of customers is leading the global ag supply chain towards
sustainable productivity.
Farmers Edge
Food-X
Food-X is the #1 Food Innovation Accelerator, backed by venture capital fund, SOSV and located in
NYC. Food-X mentors and invests in 20 food startups each year from around the world, helping them
bring their products and services to market at super speed.
Davis Wright Tremaine LLP is an international law firm with 500+ attorneys who counsel many of
the largest technology companies in the world. The NextGen Tech Practice represents clients at the
convergence of emerging technologies and established industry sectors in which DWT has a national
reputation and deep domain expertise. DWT’s Food, Agribusiness and Tech lawyers collaborate
across multiple disciplines to support Food-Tech and Ag-Tech innovators and investors at every stage
of venture growth.
Davis Wright Tremaine LLP
Ocean Optics is the inventor of the world’s first miniature spectrometer and a global leader in
photonics for research, life sciences, food and agriculture, education and OEM applications. Ocean
Optics’ extensive line of complementary technologies includes spectrometers, chemical sensors,
metrology instrumentation, optical fibres, thin film coatings and optics. Ocean Optics is focused
on helping the food and beverage industry leverarge spectroscopy to measure quality, ensure
consistency and authenticate real vs. fraudulent products. Recognized as an industry innovator,
Ocean Optics has specified and delivered more than 250,000 modular miniature spectrometers and
systems throughout the world and has enabled thousands of different applications in a diverse range
of industries.
Ocean Optics
With more than 400 brands focused on health and wellbeing, no company touches so many people’s
lives in so many different ways. The Unilever portfolio ranges from nutritionally balanced foods to
indulgent ice creams, affordable soaps, luxurious shampoos and everyday household care products.
Unilever produces world-leading brands including Lipton, Knorr, Hellmann’s, Ben & Jerry’s and
Breyers.
Unilever
With Thanks to Our Partners:
Welcome to Future Food-Tech NYC
The challenge is on to feed the world in a sustainable, safe and healthy way, and this summit takes place at an exciting
time for innovation throughout the food supply chain.
Technologies that meet demand for food safety and transparency, create a sustainable source of protein, or deliver
bespoke nutritional solutions are seeing a surge in investment from both major food manufacturers and the VC
community.
Our mission at Future Food-Tech is to bring together active investors, entrepreneurs and leading food brands to
showcase solutions, share ideas and forge new partnerships and alliances which will shape the future of food.
Alongside expert panel debates and technology pitching sessions, the focus is on networking, so please join us for
our drinks reception at the end of the first day, where we will enjoy some innovative new foods, as well as for coffees
and lunches in our exhibitor area throughout the summit. I would like to thank all our partners for their support and
encourage you to connect with them during the breaks.
Please also take advantage of our one-to-one meeting system to message other delegates and make sure you meet
face to face with your most important contacts during the summit.
As we look ahead to our upcoming summit in London and to next year’s summit in New York, please take the time to
share with us your feedback and suggestions, so that we can continue to build the summit year on year as the meeting
place for the food-tech industry.
I wish you all a fruitful and enjoyable summit.
Jennie Moss
Managing Director
One-to-One MeetingsMaximise your networking potential at Future Food-Tech
by taking advantage of our one-to-one meeting software.
Prearrange meetings with your most important contacts
and form new business partnerships at the summit by
logging in and viewing the profiles of other key delegates,
then get in touch with those that you would like to meet.
fftnyc.meeting-mojo.com
For help in managing your schedule, please contact the
registration desk.
Media Partners:
Agenda
Registration8:30
Welcome Remarks
Jennie Moss, Founder and Managing Director, Rethink Events
9:00
Networking Coffee10:30
Day One – Tuesday May 24, 2016
Keynote Welcome Address: Building a Food Industry that is Fit for the Future
• Understanding the rapid evolution of data in the food industry and envisioning the next five years and
beyond
• Identifying transformative technology trends and how they are redefining our relationship with food
• Defining how the latest science can be harnessed to drive innovation and solutions across the food system
• Case-study examples of innovation in food and the potential of uncommon collaborations to create market
disruptions
• Challenges and opportunities in going from invention in the lab to success in the market place
Speaker:
Robert Sutor, VP, Mobile Solutions & Mathematical Sciences, IBM
9:05
Keynote Address: Food @ Work
• The role of food at Google: Why is food so important for Google
as an employer of top talent?
• What is the function of food? Is it truly just about individual
nutrients?
• Enabling individuals to make the best food choices: What do
individuals need and want?
• Affecting changes in food behaviour: How to get individuals to
eat well
• The future of sustainable food experiences: Will technology be
the solution?
Speaker:
Michiel Bakker, Director, Google Food
9:25
Innovation in Technology and Product Development in Response to
Evolving Consumer Demand
• How equipped is the food industry to keep pace with changing consumer trends? Considering the gap
between what consumers are demanding and what the system has been set up to produce
• What new solutions are required to meet the needs of this rapidly evolving market?
• What opportunities and challenges does this present to food manufacturers?
Session chair:
Ben Fishman, Private Equity Investor, Arlon Group
Speakers:
Geoff Smith, Managing Partner, Digitalis Ventures
Simon Barnes, Managing Director, Tate and Lyle Ventures
Bobby Chacko, Global Chief Marketing Officer, Mars Drinks
9:45
Networking Lunch Hosted by: 13:00
The Future of Animal-based and Alternative Protein
• Mapping the market for alternative proteins, now and for the next 5-10 years
• Determining long-term investment value: How great is the potential for mass consumer demand for plant-
based alternatives?
Session chair:
Bernhard van Lengerich, Food System Strategies
Speakers:
Ory Zik, Vice President of Analytics, Lux Research
Erika Smith, Technology Director, General Mills
Bruce Friedrich, Founding Partner, New Crop Capital and Executive Director, The Good Food Institute
11:00
Protein Technology Showcase: Early-Mid Stage Technology Entrepreneurs
Present 7 Minute Snapshots of their Solutions
Speakers:
Arturo Elizondo, CEO, Clara Foods
Perumal Gandhi, Co-Founder, Muufri
Michele Champagne, Director of Nutritional Product
Development, Synthetic Genomics
Larry Feinberg, CEO & Co-Founder, KnipBio
11:40
Using Science and Technology to Achieve
Sustainable Protein Security: Risks and
Opportunities in Alternative Proteins
• Considering the alternatives available: Plant-based, ocean-
based, lab-based
• Overcoming the “uncanny valley”: What is needed to make alternative proteins appealing for consumers?
Speakers:
Ethan Brown, Founder and CEO, Beyond Meat
David Lee, COO and CFO, Impossible Foods
Jim Flatt, Director of Food Safety & Quality, Hampton Creek
12:20
Personalizing Nutrition and Wellness: Trends, Technologies and Innovation
• Clarifying the appetite for personalized nutrition: What is the longevity of this trend and how much further
can it go?
• Scientific advances in understanding the microbiome: Where are the business opportunities?
• Technology’s role in nutrition: Exploring opportunities in wearable technologies, augmented realities, apps,
consumer diagnostics and more
• Opportunities to combine big data with food science and consumer diagnostics to determine individual
health and nutritional requirements
Session chair:
Greg McParland, Senior Investment Manager, DSM Venturing
Speakers:
Drew Taylor, Head of New Ventures, Taylor Farms
Lihi Segal, Founder & CEO, DayTwo
Danielle Gould, Founder & CEO, Food+Tech Connect
Alexis Fox, Chief Empowerment Officer, Lighter
14:00
Networking Drinks Reception:
Enjoy a drink with fellow delegates while sampling
innovative new foods from some of our presenting
companies and local start-ups
17:45
Networking Coffee15:30
Nutrition and Health: Meeting Demand for Fortified, Free-from and Functional Food and Ingredients
• Contextualising the trend for healthy foods that do more: Population growth, health concerns and
sustainability
• Opportunities in supplements and novel ingredients: The role of food in disease prevention
• Analysing the free-from trend: The role of technology and innovation in developing new solutions
• Why aren’t the most popular products always the most science-based? Lessons learned in understanding
what the market wants and how the food industry can respond
Session chair:
Arif Fazal, Co-Founder and Managing Director, Blueberry Ventures
Speakers:
Siobhan Mitchell, Senior Principal Scientist, Global R&D Nutrition Sciences, PepsiCo
Matthew Roberts, Chief Scientific Officer, NBTY
Laura Harkness, Vice President, R&D, Church and Dwight
14:45
Nutrition and Health Technology Showcase: Early-Mid Stage Technology Entrepreneurs
Present 7 Minute Snapshots of their Solutions
Speakers:
Emmet Browne, CEO, Nuritas
Lihi Segal, Founder & CEO, DayTwo
David Woodburn, CEO, Blue Prairie Brands
David Kyle, CEO, Evolve Biosystems
Benny Shoham, CEO, GreenOnyx
16:00
Investor Round up from Day One: Identifying the Most Exciting Trends and Opportunities for
the Industry
• What’s driving today’s unprecedented investment activity in the food-tech space?
• How do today’s leading venture investors view the ideas and solutions presented during today’s summit?
• Which areas of technology could have the greatest potential impact on future food security?
• What are the barriers to scaling solutions? What kinds of business models do successful entrepreneurs
need to develop to address these challenges?
Session chair:
Niccolo Manzoni, Family Office Venture Investor
Speakers:
Ephraim Lindenbaum, Managing Director, Advance
Ventures
Anne Lo, Investor, Horizons Ventures
Alain Bankier, Early Stage Investor, New York Angels
Don Buder, Partner, Davis Wright Tremaine LLP
17:00
Improving Food Safety and Transparency Throughout
the Value Chain
• Why has the issue of food safety become so central in recent years?
• Understanding the impact of the Food Safety Modernization Act
and labelling regulation
• Case study examples of product recalls: What went wrong and
how could it have been prevented?
• How are leading companies using technology to create a robust,
transparent and agile supply chain?
Session chair:
Andrew Ive, Managing Director, FOOD-X
Speakers:
Timothy Fischer, Senior VP Supply Chain, Bumble Bee Foods
Ravinder Reddy, Technology Business Partner, Unilever
David Creasey, Vice President, Ocean Optics
David Rosenberg, Co-Founder and CEO, Aerofarms
9:20
Providing Traceability in Production Processes and to the Consumer
• How are consumer concerns over food fraud and provenance shaping the current market for food
traceability systems?
• How can leading retailers use traceability systems in production processes and beyond to enhance
customer service and communication?
• How is consumer demand for local products disrupting the supply chain?
• Opportunities for innovation and investment in more a direct consumer-producer connection
Session chair:
Andre Sharon, Director, Fraunhofer CMI – Center for Manufacturing Innovation and Professor, Mechanical
Engineering, Boston University
Speakers:
Scott Horner, Managing Director, Middleland Capital
Rob Kaplan, Managing Director, Closed Loop Fund
Jonathan Berger, CEO, The Kitchen – FoodTech Hub
Wade Barnes, President & CEO, Farmers Edge
10:00
Day Two – Wednesday May 25, 2016
Registration8:30
Welcome Remarks
Jennie Moss, Founder and Managing Director, Rethink Events
9:00
Keynote Address
Speaker:
Paul Lightfoot, CEO, BrightFarms
9:05
Networking Coffee10:40
Alternative Food and Drink Delivery Methods: Investment and Technologies
• What has made the alternative food delivery market so attractive to investment? How much more can this
sector achieve?
• Determining the long-term commercial viability of food delivery models: Likely winners and losers
• How far can technology go to create further innovation in this market? Autonomous vehicles, drones and
beyond
Session chair:
Brita Rosenheim, Strategist and Advisor, Rosenheim Advisors
Speakers:
Venky Balakrishnan, Global Vice President – Digital Innovation, Diageo
Nick Taranto, Co-Founder & President, Plated
Benzi Ronen, CEO and Co-Founder, Farmigo
Louisa Burwood-Taylor, Editor, Agfunder
12:10
Closing Investor Debate
• What are the main barriers to growth for today’s food-tech industry? How can investors play a part in
overcoming these barriers?
• Which other areas of food-tech are poised for growth? Are there opportunities in new food delivery
models, food waste or packaging technologies?
• What are our panel of investors currently looking for and where will they be investing next, next year and
beyond?
• One to watch: Each panellist is challenged to name one company they believe is set for success in 2016-17
Session chair:
Lila Preston, Partner, Generation Investment Management
Speakers:
Victor Friedberg, Co-Founder and Managing Director, S2G Ventures
Nick Rosa, Managing Director, Cultivian Sandbox Ventures
Vishal Vasishth, Co-Founder, Obvious Ventures
Armand Lavoie, Managing Director, Kirchner Group
12:50
14:00
Networking Lunch and Close of Summit13:30
—14:30
Traceability, Safety and Transparency Technology Showcase: Early-Mid Stage Technology
Entrepreneurs Present 7 Minute Snapshots of their Solutions
Speakers:
Zach Wolff, CEO, Exigence Technologies
Konstantin Zvereff, Co-Founder & CEO, BlueCart
Tom Schultz, President & CEO, FreshSurety
John Hudson, EVP & Chief Intellectual Property Officer, Aseptia
Anthony Zografos, CEO, SafeTraces
Geraldine Hamilton, President and Chief Scientific Officer, Emulate
11:10
Site Tour: Aerofarm’s Indoor Vertical Farm
As part of Future Food-Tech we are offering an optional site visit to Aerofarm’s state-of-the-art indoor
vertical farm at their Global Headquarters. Now part of RBH Group’s Maker’s Village project in the historic
Ironbound district of Newark, the Global Headquarters is the largest indoor vertical farm in the world
based on annual growing capacity.
Michiel Bakker,Director, Google Food
Michiel oversees Google’s Global Food program. Michiel and his
team take pride in fueling the minds and bodies behind Google’s
innovative products, serving over 100,000 delicious, nutritious, responsibly sourced
meals around the world each day.
Venky Balakrishnan, Global Vice President - Digital Innovation,
Diageo
Venky is Global Vice President, Digital Innovation at Diageo,
tasked with spotting and seizing inflections in technology to
unlock new growth. His remit includes Diageo Tech Ventures – Diageo’s vehicle for
partnerships, investments & new ventures in emerging tech. Over the last 12 years,
Venky has held senior positions at Diageo including Global VP of Digital / E-commerce
and Global Marketing Director on Smirnoff.
Alain Bankier,Early Stage Investor,New York Angels
Alain is an active early stage investor and entrepreneur and
invests in a variety of companies in the technology, food-tech
and legal cannabis industries. Alain is also an Operating Partner at Laconia Capital
Partners, a fund focused on exceptional “post seed/pre A round” opportunities.
Simon Barnes, Managing Director, Tate and Lyle Ventures
Simon is Founder and Managing Partner at Tate & Lyle Ventures, a
venture capital fund focused on food science and technology. Tate
& Lyle Ventures was launched in 2006 as an independently managed fund backed by
Tate & Lyle the global food ingredients group, and now consists of two funds totaling
£55 million.
Ethan Brown,CEO, Beyond Meat
Ethan, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Beyond Meat
– a company focused on rebuilding meat from plants– gained
an appreciation for agriculture and the natural world from his father, a professor,
conservationist, and hobby farmer. This interest shaped the direction of his career,
where he sought to make a contribution to climate change through the clean energy
sector.
Emmet Browne, CEO, Nuritas
Emmet holds more than 25 years of experience within some of
the world’s largest Life Science companies. He has held senior
positions including Regional President at Pfizer Nutritionals for Europe, Pacific Rim
& Emerging Markets, Managing Director for Wyeth Pharmaceuticals in Ireland and
President of Transition and Integration for Nestle. With his vast experience, Emmet
recognized the great potential of Nuritas™ to develop into a thriving commercial
success.
Wade Barnes,President & Founder, Farmers Edge
Wade founded Farmers Edge in 2005 and over the last decade
has expanded both the company and the range of grower-based
solutions Farmers Edge offers to encompass four continents and five countries.
Leading a team of dedicated agronomists, technology innovators, and sustainability
experts, Wade is focused on increasing sustainable farm yields to feed the world’s 9B
by 2050.
Jonathan Berger, CEO, The Kitchen - FoodTech Hub
Jonathan brings to The Kitchen a unique combination of
experience in Cleantech, Agtech and Foodtech investments.
He also possesses vast experience in international business development, general
management in the food industry and in high-tech. He holds a BSc in Industrial
Engineering & Management and an MBA, both from Tel-Aviv University.
Don Buder,Partner,
Davis Wright Tremaine LLP
Don is a partner in the San Francisco office of Davis Wright
Tremaine LLP, a 500+ attorney international law firm. He is a
strategic legal advisor to emerging-growth and middle-market Food & Beverage, Food
Tech and Ag Tech innovators and investors. Don leads DWT’s NextGen Tech practice,
which counsels clients at the convergence of established industries and emerging
technologies.
Louisa Burwood-Taylor, Editor, AgFunder
Louisa has been a financial journalist for nearly 10 years covering
a variety of markets across Asia, Europe and the US for the
Financial Times, Euromoney and Private Equity International. She turned her attention
to agriculture two years ago as the sector started to gather pace as an investment
asset class.
Bobby Chacko, Global Chief Marketing Officer, Mars Drinks
Bobby is the Global VP, Chief Marketing Officer for Mars Drinks,
a segment of Mars Incorporated based in West Chester, PA. He
is responsible for the strategic marketing of Mars Drinks as a brand, its portfolio
of technologies and consumable products globally. His responsibilities include
innovation, strategy, integrated marketing communications, customer engagement
and sustainability.
Michele Champagne, Director of Nutritional Product Development, Synthetic Genomics
Michele joined the SGI team in November, 2010 as Principal
Scientist, Foods Program. She is currently the Director of
Nutritional Product Development, leading the technical conception and execution for
novel food ingredients sourced from fermentation. Previously, she was Head of R&D
at KAS Hawaii, developing microalgae for aquaculture and novel genetic engineering
technology for algae and plants.
David Creasey, Vice President, Ocean Optics
David has acted as OEM sales manager for EMEA and Director of
the global OEM business, and is now responsible for the global
sales and marketing activities for Ocean Optics, including the OEM business unit. His
strong technical background and applications knowledge allows him to quickly assess
and identify targeted solutions for customers that balance both business and technical
needs while pushing the envelope of innovation using Ocean Optics’ technologies.
Arturo Elizondo, CEO, Clara Foods
Arturo is CEO of Clara Foods, a sustainable ingredients company
developing performance protein products and designer
egg whites. Prior to joining Clara Foods, Arturo served under Supreme Court
Justice, Sonia Sotomayor, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the investment
bank Credit Suisse. Arturo holds a degree in Government and Comparative Politics
from Harvard University.
Speakers:
Victor Friedberg, Co-Founder & Managing Director, S2G Ventures
Victor has been at the forefront of innovation, global development
and sustainability for over 20 years. As Co-Founder and Managing
Director of S2G Ventures he has been a principal force in developing the S2G mission,
culture, strategy and team. Victor looks for mission-aligned innovative companies
that have a big idea, passionate founders/management, and tailwinds. He helps to
capitalize and guide those companies to achieve scale and success.
Bruce Friedrich, Founding Partner, New Crop Capital
Bruce is Executive Director of The Good Food Institute (GFI), a
nonprofit organization that promotes plant and culture-based
alternatives to animal agriculture, and founding partner of New Crop Capital (NCC),
a $25 million venture capital firm that provides angel, seed, and Series A funding to
companies that are producing plant-based and cultured alternatives to conventionally
produced meat, dairy, and eggs, as well to tech startups that are focused on
promoting alternatives to animal agriculture.
Alexis Fox,CEO,
Lighter
Alexis is the CEO (Chief Empowerment Officer) at Lighter, a
powerful platform that helps the world eat better. Lighter tells
people what food to buy and how to throw great meals together based on the
recommendations of food leaders. Alexis has dedicated her life to fixing our broken
food system and has worked in the movement as an attorney, political leader and
entrepreneur.
Jim Flatt, Chief of R&D, Hampton Creek
Jim joined Hampton Creek as Chief of R&D and Chief Science
Officer in 2015. He previously served as Chief Technology Officer
and later as the President of Genovia Bio, a renewable products division of Synthetic
Genomics Inc., leading the development and commercialisation of several microalgal-
based products and execution of several major product and technology partnerships.
Ben Fishman,Private Equity Investor, Arlon Group
Ben is a Managing Principal at Arlon Group LLC, which he helped
establish in 2007. From 1998-2000, he served as a Strategic and
Financial Analyst for Continental Grain Company (CGC). Ben left CGC in 2000 to co-
found The Grow Network, which was sold to the McGraw-Hill companies in 2004. In
2005, he was a National Finalist for the White House Fellowship.
Timothy Fischer, Senior Vice President of Supply Chain, Bumble Bee Foods
Timothy is the Senior Vice President of Bumble Bee Foods. He has
over 30 years’ experience as a supply chain professional working
primarily in the CPG industry. He is currently responsible for the Logistics, Customer
Service and Global Planning of Bumble Bee Foods. He received his BGS from the
University of Michigan and has a MS in General Administration from Central Michigan
and an Executive Masters Degree in International Logistics and Supply Chain Strategy
from Georgia Tech.
Larry Feinberg, Industrial Biotechnologist, CEO, Co-Founder, KnipBio
An entrepreneurial industrial biotechnologist, Larry co-founded
KnipBio in 2013. He has deep expertise in early-stage technology
ventures, bioproduct discovery and large-scale commercialization initiatives. With
the advanced biofuel technology firm Mascoma Corporation, Larry held leadership
responsibilities in scientific discovery and business development roles responsible for
advancing multiple commercial initiatives including a cellulosic ethanol biorefinery in
Alberta, Canada.
Arif Fazal, Co-Founder & Managing Director, Blueberry Ventures
Arif is Co-Founder and Managing Director of Blueberry Ventures.
Blueberry Ventures - launched in July 2015 - is a venture capital
fund investing in innovative brands and innovative business models across food and
beverage. Blueberry Ventures partners with inspiring and passionate entrepreneurs
building next generation food and beverage companies by providing early stage
capital and operational support to help empower growth.
Speakers:
Perumal Gandhi, Co-Founder, Muufri
Perumal has a BSc. in Biotechnology and a Masters in Bio-medical
Engineering from State University of New York, Stonybrook. He
is currently a Co-Founder & CTO of Muufri, a food technology company based out of
San Francisco, CA where they’re creating a future where milk comes from breweries
instead of dairy farms. It’s a cleaner, healthier, and more sustainable future, without
any compromises.
Danielle Gould, Founder & CEO, Food+Tech Connect
Danielle is the Founder and CEO of Food+Tech Connect. Since
2010, Danielle has been the leading voice for helping companies
understand how to harness new tech, investment and business models to create a
better food future. She is also a founding member of the Culinary Institute of America’s
Business Leadership Council, a member of the Google Innovation Lab For Food
Experiences and a mentor for Accel Foods and Food-X.
Geraldine Hamilton, President & Chief Scientific Officer, Emulate
Geraldine works at the intersection of design, biology and
engineering. She led development of the human “Organs-on-
Chips” technology during her residency within the Wyss at Harvard University. Today,
Geraldine is the President and Chief Scientific Officer at Emulate, Inc. The company’s
new living system emulates human biology and predicts human response with greater
precision and detail than today’s cell culture or animal-based testing approaches.
Laura Harkness, VP R&D, Church & Dwight
Laura is the Global R&D Vice President of Product Development
for Health and Wellness at Church & Dwight, leading the Global
Nutritional Products, Global Oral Care, and Canadian OTC/ Pharma R&D teams. Prior to
joining Church & Dwight, Laura was a Senior Director in Global R&D Nutrition Sciences
at PepsiCo. Preceding PepsiCo, she worked at Nestlé with a focus on innovation and
research program development and clinical trial management for the chilled and
frozen foods businesses.
Scott Horner, Managing Director, Middleland Capital
Scott is a Managing Director at Middleland Capital and is
responsible for portfolio management and evaluating investment
opportunities in agriculture and biotechnology. Scott currently sits on the Board of
Directors of Mycotechnology Inc., Plant Response Biotech, Benson Hill Biosystems,
and Blue Prairie Brands, and is a Board observer on Advanced Animal Diagnostics,
Vive Crop Protection, ZeaKal, and Virgin Plants Inc.
John Hudson, EVP & Chief Intellectual Property Officer, Aseptia
John joined Aseptia’s executive management team during the
first quarter of 2016, continuing his accomplished 18-year career
focused on intellectual property (IP). John began his professional career at Peterson
Consulting, serving as Manager of Intellectual Property Services. He then continued
his IP work with InteCap, Inc. in the role of Director before moving to Intellectual
Property Asset Corporation. Prior to Aseptia, John worked with Deloitte for eight
years.
Ephraim Lindenbaum, Managing Director, Advance Ventures
Ephraim is the Founder and Managing Director of Advance
Ventures, a Silicon Valley-based venture investment fund and
venture accelerator that invests in seed and early-stage start-ups in Sustainability
(AgTech, CleanTech, FoodTech) Communications (Mobility, IoT, Security) and
Information Technology (Enterprise & Verticals DigitalHealth, FinTech). Founded in
1999, Advance Ventures has consistently achieved meaningful exits with its portfolio
companies across its core market sectors.
Anne Lo, Investor, Horizons Ventures
Anne joined Horizons Ventures in January 2015. With a focus
on science and healthcare, Anne serves as a Board Member for
several Horizons funded companies including Evolve Biosystems, MeMed and Medial
EarlySign. Prior to Horizons, she was a veterinary surgeon before joining Bain & Co.
She holds BSc and BVM&S degrees from the University of Edinburgh and a PhD from
the University of Cambridge.
David Lee, COO & CFO, Impossible Foods
David is the Chief Operations Officer and Chief Financial Officer
of Impossible Foods where he leads the company’s marketing,
finance, human resources, IT, facilities and supply chain functions. Prior to Impossible
Foods, David was the Chief Financial Officer of Zynga, a $2 billion public company
(Ticker ZNGA), where he led the company’s finance, accounting, and corporate
development and human resources organizations.
Paul Lightfoot, CEO, BrightFarms
Paul leads BrightFarms on its mission to revolutionize the U.S.
produce supply chain by creating the first national brand of local
produce. He joined the company as CEO in 2011. A healthy and sustainable food
zealot, Lightfoot has delivered keynote speeches at a myriad of conferences, including
Agriculture 2.0, Canadian Grocers Association, Food Industry Sustainability Summit,
and the Toronto Urban Agriculture Summit.
David Kyle,CEO, Evolve Biosystems
David is an acclaimed scientist and inventor (over 70 publications,
and 80 patents) who, in 2009, was inducted into the Space
Technology Hall of Fame for his national contributions to Science and Industry. In 1985
he co-founded Martek Biosciences. US Director of the Mother and Child Foundation,
David joined Evolve Biosystems in 2013, and in 2015 became Evolve’s CEO.
Armand Lavoie, Managing Director, Kirchner Group
Armand has worked closely with companies from start-up,
development, expansion stages and ultimately to exits. He is
currently Managing Director of Kirchner Group (KPCG) and was Managing Director for
Foragen Technologies Management Inc. He heads the Agriculture and Food practice
at KPCG providing Transaction Management, Assessments, Transition Management,
Portfolio Management and Lifecycle Partnership.
Andrew Ive, Managing Director, FOOD-X
Andrew is a Managing Director at SOSV and is responsible
for building, innovating and supporting the emerging Food-X
ecosystem. He has focused on innovation, developing high-growth businesses
opportunities and as a business advisor in multiple verticals. Andrew is also an author
and currently has a bestselling book, ‘Choose Your Startup: Funding Your Company’ in
the startups and entrepreneurial categories on Amazon.com.
Rob Kaplan, Managing Director, Closed Loop Fund
Rob is Co-Founder and Managing Director of the Closed Loop
Fund, an innovative platform for impact investing, sustainability,
and the circular economy. Rob oversees strategy and new business model
development, as well as day-to-day operations. The Fund aims to scale recycling
through $100M of below-market loans to cities and investments in waste companies.
Siobhan Mitchell, Senior Principle Scientist, Global R&D Nutrition Sciences, PepsiCo
Siobhan oversees nutrition portfolios for PepsiCo’s global
innovation and renovation projects. In her role as Senior Principal
Scientist, Siobhan provides claims guidance for new beverage concepts and develops
research strategies for ingredient pipelines. In previous positions at Nestle and
Unilever, Siobhan has initiated long-term planning and scope of global programs
testing for functional foods, including communications and regulatory strategies.
Greg McParland, Senior Investment Manager, DSM Venturing
Greg is a Senior Investment Manager for DSM Venturing with
responsibility for health and wellness, nutrition, Ag Tech and
Food Tech investments in North America. He joined DSM in 2011. Prior to joining DSM
Greg was CEO of several private and public companies including KIP Biotech, Avrio
Biopharmaceuticals, and Girindus America. He has held a variety of senior executive
positions at Altergy Fuel Cell Systems, Aerojet Pharmaceutical Fine Chemicals and
Aerojet Rocket Propulsion Company.
Ravinder Reddy, Technology Business Partner, Unilever
Ravinder is a Technology Business Partner at Unilever, directing
food research and leveraging technical expertise to define
business strategy, drive innovation and apply new technologies to consumer benefit
platforms. He is also responsible for sourcing technologies, building partnerships,
and identifying opportunities for investment to deliver innovation for the Foods and
Refreshment categories.
Lila Preston, Partner, Generation Investment Management
Lila joined Generation in 2004 and since 2008 has worked
with the Firm’s Climate Solutions Fund which seeks to invest
in businesses that create value by enhancing resource productivity while reducing
pollution, waste and emissions. She has worked across sectors such as agriculture,
water, forestry, waste, bio-conversion and consumer behaviour change. Before joining
Generation she worked for American Express and Bridges Ventures while studying for
her MBA.
Matthew Roberts, Chief Scientific Officer, NBTY
Matthew is an accomplished innovation executive with more than
25 years of success at Abbott, Nestle, and NBTY. He is focused on
driving growth-phase market opportunities across the food, nutrition, and agricultural
sectors. He learns by doing, which means that in addition to managing he enjoys
riding with the sales force, working a shift in the factory or field, and participating in
the laboratory whenever possible.
Benzi Ronen, Co-Founder & CEO, Farmigo
Benzi is a CEO and Co-Founder of Farmigo, a fast-growing
online farmer’s market that focuses on building a better, more
sustainable food system. Benzi earned a BA from Tel-Aviv University and MBA from the
University of Michigan. After graduating, he spent a decade working with Microsoft,
Netscape and SAP, and launched a successful entrepreneurial endeavor, Octago, a
piece of software that optimized user experience.
Speakers:
Zach Wolff, CEO, Exigence Technologies
Co-Founder and CEO Zach is a materials and processes engineer
who formerly led high-tech development projects in the aerospace
industry. He is also the co-inventor on several of the company’s patent filings and is
a driving force behind innovation in the area of N-chloramine-based antimicrobial
precursors for hard and soft surface coatings.
Vishal Vasishth, Co-Founder, Obvious Ventures
Vishal is the Co-Founder of Obvious Ventures with Evan Williams
and James Joaquin. Obvious Ventures invests in world positive
technology companies across three themes: Sustainable Systems, Healthy Living &
People Power. Most recently Vishal was the founding partner of SONG Investment
Advisors, an India-based fund backed by Soros Economic Development Fund, Omidyar
Network and Google.
Andre Sharon, Director, Fraunhofer USA CMI
Andre is a Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Boston
University and Executive Director of the Fraunhofer USA Center
for Manufacturing Innovation at Boston University. He has accumulated more than 20
years of experience, both academic and industrial, conducting research, developing,
and deploying computer-controlled automation systems, devices and instruments for
several industries.
Lihi Segal, CEO, DayTwo
Lihi is the CEO and Co-Founder of DayTwo. Previously, Lihi was
COO, CFO and VP of multiple companies in BI software, EMR and
public entities including Sisense Ltd., a provider of business intelligence and analytics
software, and dbMotion, where Lihi was CFO, instrumental in building the successful
company up to its acquisition. Lihi is a certified lawyer in Israel and has an MBA from
Northwestern University (Kellogg Recanati, International Executive MBA Program).
Geoff Smith, Managing Partner, Digitalis Ventures
Geoff is the Founder and Managing Partner of Digitalis Ventures,
a venture capital firm focused on building technology-enabled
solutions to complex problems. He is also a Co-Founder and General Partner of Ascent
Biomedical Ventures. Geoff currently serves on the board of directors for Azevan
Pharmaceuticals, BackBeat Medical, Caliber Therapeutics, BlinkBio, and Vivasure
Medical.
Benny Shoham, CEO, GreenOnyx
Benny has vast managing experience in both Fortune 500 and
startup companies. He has raised money and built companies with
sophisticated products from vision to global launch and sales.
Nick Taranto, Co-Founder & President, Plated
Nick is the Co-Founder of Plated.com. Founded in June of 2012
Plated is on a mission to help busy people cook more and
live better. We fervently believe that cooking is essential to a healthy & happy life.
However, most busy people don’t have the time, knowledge, or energy to cook on a
regular basis. Plated delivers everything you need to cook a chef-designed dinner at
home in 30 minutes or less.
Erika Smith, Technology Director, General Mills
Erika is Technology Director within the long term research and
development group at General Mills leading a program focused
on Consumer Experience Technology. Her role involves identifying, developing and
acquiring clean label technologies that deliver taste and texture innovation across the
General Mills global portfolio.
Bernhard Van Lengerich, Ex Chief Scientific Officer, General MillsFood System Strategies
Bernhard completed his PhD in Food/Biotechnology at the
Technical University of Berlin, Germany. His work experience
includes Unilever Germany, RJR Nabisco, New Jersey and Buehler AG in Switzerland.
In 1994 Bernhard joined General Mills, Inc. in Minneapolis and was Chief Scientific
Officer and Vice President for Technology Strategy. He led the development of key
enabling technologies resulting in major product innovations.
Drew Taylor, Head of New Ventures, Taylor Farms
Drew is a Venture Partner at Digitalis. He also remains active with
Taylor Ventures, the corporate venture arm of Taylor Farms, the
world’s largest processor of fresh-cut fruit and vegetables. Drew served in a variety of
roles at Taylor Farms, previously launching a brand called Citizen Chef. He also served
on the board of the “Let’s Move Salad Bars to Schools” campaign in partnership with
Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move” initiative.
David Rosenberg, Co-Founder & CEO, Aerofarms
David co-founded and leads AeroFarms, a clean-technology
company that builds and operates advanced vertical farms in
urban environments. AeroFarms won the World Technology Award for most impactful
Environmental Company, was voted Most Innovative Company at the Future of
Agriculture conference, the Best Growth Company to invest in at the Wall Street
Journal’s ECO:nomics conference, and was a finalist for The Circular Awards of The
World Economic Forum.
Nick Rosa, Managing Director, Cultivian Sandbox
Nick is a Managing Director of Cultivian Sandbox and Co-founder
and Managing Director of Sandbox Industries. Prior to forming
Sandbox, Nick led the buyout and served as CEO of The NutraSweet Company, the
first branded food ingredient. As a senior executive at Monsanto, he led the Nutrition
and Consumer Products division, overseeing NutraSweet, the consumer Lawn and
Garden Business, and Kelco food ingredients business.
Tom Schultz, President & CEO, FreshSurety
Over the past 30 years as founder and CEO, Tom has guided
multiple technology companies from concept to liquidity event,
including IPO, NASDAQ listing, and nine-figure exit. He has also served as a partner at
Booz, Allen & Hamilton, was a member of the Boston Consulting Group, and Corporate
Vice President at Dole Foods . He also holds an engineering degree from Johns
Hopkins University and an MBA from Harvard.
Brita Rosenheim, Strategist & Advisor, Rosenheim Advisors
Brita is the Principal of the strategic and financial consulting firm
Rosenheim Advisors. She works with investors, startups and
enterprises in the food-related tech and media sectors. In order to help participants
analyze this quickly evolving landscape, Brita developed the Food Tech & Media
Industry Map, and publishes a corresponding Monthly Report.
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For information on presenting and exhibiting at the
summit please contact Stephan Groves
T. + 44 1273 789912
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Ory Zik, VP of Analytics, Lux Research
Ory is VP of Analytics at Lux Research, assisting research teams
and clients in various areas such as sustainability, resiliency
and resource consumption, especially with respect to distributed generation and
exposure to price volatility of energy and water. Ory has a deep entrepreneurial and
environmental background. In 2010, he founded Zik Energy Points Inc., a leader in
quantitative metrics, data and analytics for environmental impact.
David Woodburn, CEO, Blue Praire Brands
David is CEO of Blue Prairie Brands, an early-stage company
developing proprietary functional foods and ingredients. Earlier,
he developed the business plan and raised over $36 million to grow Chromatin into
a multinational leader in sorghum seed. David honed his financial skills as a sell-side
research analyst for Prudential and ThinkEquity, and his healthcare experience ranges
from product design to corporate strategy at Searle and Baxter.
Konstantin Zvereff, CEO, BlueCart
Konstantin left his native Barcelona at 18, earning his BA
before spending two years with the Peace Corps in northern
Mozambique. On his return to the States, he spent the early part of his career in
investment banking, and earned his MBA from Georgetown University. After grad
school, he returned to Africa to work with Village Enterprise, supporting small
businesses in Uganda and Kenya. In 2014, he and Jag Bansal founded BlueCart, where
Konstantin serves as CEO.
Anthony Zografos, Founder, SafeTraces
Anthony founded SafeTraces in 2013 with the vision of creating a
global food source assurance and safety brand. He was previously
the COO of CPAC, a start-up that developed a highly advanced particle accelerator for
cancer radiotherapy. He holds a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the University
of Massachusetts, and an MBA from the Haas School of Business at the University of
California, Berkeley.
Rethink summits are created by experts in sustainable energy, food and water to address the issues most crucial to
investors and developers in these sectors. Through our global network of industry advisors, we produce highly-focused,
topical summits which gather all the right people together in one room to share ideas, find solutions and identify new
business opportunities. For more information about Rethink, visit www.rethinkevents.com
THE FUTURE FOOD-TECH
SERIES IS PRODUCED BY:
Aseptia was established in 2006 to offer a game-changing technology that brings shelf-stable food to
the table. Packaged food using their advanced preservation methods maintains a superior quality that
stands out in a vast food industry market. Harnessing microwave energy to deliver rapid pasteurization
and sterilization, the team achieved what was considered impossible just a few short years ago. They
created a ground-breaking aseptic process that delivers unprecedented quality and shelf life for
packaged foods while meeting strict FDA standards for food safety.
Aseptia
Blue Prairie Brands is developing proprietary ingredients and finished products for use in the functional
food and dietary fiber markets. Their prebiotic ingredients help maintain a healthy gut environment for
beneficial bacteria while reducing the need for added sugars. The company contracts production of its
flagship crop, chicory, with growers and processes it into a prebiotic-rich flour. The company offers high-
inulin flour and high-fiber, gluten-free food products under white label arrangements.
Blue Prairie
Launched in 2014, BlueCart’s core product is a free app that lets restaurants, hotels, and food service
operators place all their orders in one click, and then automatically organizes those orders in one
place for the suppliers. BlueCart’s mission is to help support more productive relationships in the food
industry, giving chefs, restaurateurs and their vendors an easy to use, one-stop communication tool
that saves them time, money, and stress.
BlueCart
Clara Foods aims to provide an un-compromised egg by taking the chicken out of the equation. They
are bringing an egg white to the table that is produced completely animal-free, uses less land and
water inputs, while matching the taste, nutritional value, and unique culinary properties of the same
egg whites we know and love.
Clara Foods
People respond very differently to the same food. Despite the variability, people get generalized
dietary guidelines that may induce high blood sugar responses in many cases. DayTwo provides
personal nutrition recommendations, personally tailored based on each person’s unique gut
microbiome, for maintaining lower blood sugar levels and general health. DayTwo benefits the healthy
population, as well as those with obesity, pre-diabetes, diabetes and other metabolic disorders.
DayTwo
Evolve’s mission is to bring to market the next generation of science-driven, microbiotic-based
products to establish a healthy gut microbiome in infants to improve their life-long health trajectory.
The initial focus is in marketing a proprietary, clinical trial-supported home use product to rescue the
natural infant microbiome in formula-fed and C-section delivered babies. The company has deep
management experience and plans to be in the market in the near term.
Evolve Biosystems
Emulate Inc. creates living products for understanding how diseases, medicines, chemicals, and foods
affect human health. Emulate’s Human Emulation System sets a new standard for recreating true-
to-life human biology and is being used to advance product innovation, design, and safety across a
range of applications including drug development, agriculture, cosmetics, food, and chemical-based
consumer products. Emulate develops a wide range of Organ-Chips and disease models through
collaborations with industry partners and internal R&D programs.
Emulate
Technology Showcases Presenters:
Exigence Technologies Inc. is an early stage Canadian technology developer, licensor, and process/
application specialist whose radical advancements in the area of self-disinfecting surface coatings and
liquid disinfection are set to have a significant impact on food processing hygiene across the globe.
Of particular interest are the company’s SymbiCoat™ surface coatings - advanced polymer systems
capable of binding chlorine, within food-safe limits, to hard and soft surfaces for residual efficacy
against bacteria, viruses and fungi.
Exigence Technologies
FreshSurety is a development-stage company with Internet of Things technology that assesses and
reports fresh produce shelf life anywhere in the world for a few cents per case. For the first time in
history producers, shippers, and retailers have the ability to accurately determine the quality (and
therefore value) of fresh produce shipments throughout the supply chain.
FreshSurety
Genovia Bio combines advanced genomics capabilities and tools in conjunction with proprietary microbial
cell lines obtained through worldwide discovery to develop bio-based, consumer friendly products which
are sustainable and economically advantaged. Genovia either licenses the technology to a category leader
capable of manufacturing and marketing the solution or produces it in house depending on which channel
to market is most efficient. Two Genovia products, DHA omega-3 which will be commercialized in early
2015, and astaxanthin, which will be produced by Genovia, provide examples of different paths to market.
Genovia Bio
GreenOnyx
The game-changing technology for providing fresh superfood to all. GreenOnyx has developed an
automated mini-greenhouse, designed for urban settings such as restaurants, food stores or food
companies, which grows an ancient super-vegetable family. It’s a perfect nutrition source and technology
that the food industry needs today; it provides the majority of the health-promoting nutrients customers
seek, while it blends unprocessed and fresh into almost any food without compromising taste.
KnipBio is a green biotechnology company that realizes that we are not only what we eat, but we are
what our food eats too. KnipBio aims to harness the potential of synthetic biology to advance a single
cell protein combining the attributes of protein-packed fish meal and carotenoids into one effective,
affordable replacement to promote digestive health in a wide variety of important animals. KnipBio’s
technological advancements will produce healthier, cleaner fish while reducing the need for over-
fished feeder species leading to sustainable aquaculture.
KnipBio
Muufri is developing a way to make milk in breweries rather than animal farms. This is possible
because they create the exact same proteins found in cow’s milk, and they assemble the complex
structures that give rise to milk’s many functions. Compared to non-dairy alternatives, Muufri boasts
superior nutrition and flavour while achieving new standards of sustainability, safety, and ethics. And
because the critical components are identical to their bovine counterparts, Muufri integrates with the
existing dairy supply chain.
Muufri
Nuritas™ is the first company in the world to use artificial intelligence and DNA analysis to find new
disease-beating molecules in foodstuffs. These molecules are natural and have been found to maintain
blood glucose levels, assist muscle recovery and reduce inflammation, with many more applications in
the pipeline. Nuritas™ was recently named one of the most innovative start-ups in the world and in 2015,
Forbes awarded Nuritas™ as the company most likely to “Reinvent America” through food.
Nuritas
SafeTraces is developing two disruptive solutions for food source assurance and food safety, based
on patent protected DNA barcodes that are non-living, edible, odorless, tasteless and invisible. The
SafeTracers™ are applied directly on food products or mixed in with liquid goods and are used to
verify the product source and detect adulteration in minutes. SafeTracers™ can be also formulated to
“mimic” the behavior of pathogens and validate, verify and monitor wash, sanitation and disinfection
processes in real time.
SafeTraces
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