IFTNEXT Virtual Event: Funding Disruption in Today’s Food Industry

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Description

Join us for an exciting conversation about trends and disruptive innovations in the food industry, providing an overview of disruptive start-ups throughout the food value chain highlighting the rationale for why these companies have received funding and what type of multiples we are seeing for such companies.

The format will be a virtual event that starts with a panel discussion/fireside chat followed by three breakout rooms for participants to meet the panelists, ask questions, and network. This is an opportunity to make a personal connection with experts and peers alike. Toward the end of the panel discussion IFT will announce a Food Disruption Challenge start-up competition that is kicking off in January. Panelists represent diverse perspectives and funding options for start up companies:

Lou Cooperhouse, Executive Director of Rutgers Food Innovation Center
Jagruti Bhikha, Angel Investor
Steve DeBretto, Executive Director of the Industrial Council of Nearwest Chicago
Ryan Alberts, Finance Director at Bias and Blind Spots
Andrew Ive is the Managing Director and Partner of Food-X
Garry Golden, futurist (moderator)

IFTNEXT is made possible through the generous support of Ingredion Incorporated, IFT’s Platinum Innovation Sponsor.

Contributors

Lou Cooperhouse

President and CEO of BlueNalu

Lou Cooperhouse is recognized as a leading global authority in food business innovation and technology commercialization, with extensive leadership experiences throughout his 35-year career in the food industry. Lou has considerable expertise in food safety and quality assurance systems, and has provide leadership at numerous FDA and USDA-inspected operations throughout his career, and has conducted third-party audits of dozens of food companies throughout the nation. He received a MS in Food Science and BS in Microbiology, both from Rutgers University, and has served as an Adjunct Professor at the Rutgers Business School.
Jagruti Bhikha

Jagruti Bhikha is an angel investor and co-founder of Wingpact, global community of investors and entrepreneurs whose vision is to create a more gender inclusive world. She is also co-author of Impact With Wings: Stories to Inspire and Mobilize Women Angel Investors and Entrepreneurs.
Steve DeBretto

Steve DeBretto is Executive Director of the Industrial Council of Nearwest Chicago, founding partner company of The Hatchery Chicago. The Hatchery is a food incubator that will provide dedicated production facilities to growth-stage food and beverage companies, as well as advising, mentorship, and connections to capital and corporate partnerships.
Ryan Alberts

Ryan Alberts is the Finance Director at Bias and Blind Spots, a venture capital group that nurtures dominant independent food & beverage brands. By aligning capital, resources, and leverage via equity line sponsorship, founders earn out investors as risk profiles and capital is reallocated over time.
Andrew Ive

Founder and GP of Big Idea Ventures and New Protein Fund

Andrew founded Big Idea Ventures created to solve the world’s biggest challenges by supporting the world’s best entrepreneurs. Our first fund is New Protein I, focused on investing globally in alternative protein and plant-based foods to impact climate change, animal welfare and personal health. We leverage the acceleration process in NYC and Singapore to undertake due diligence in the best seeds stage companies and invest larger amounts in our top performing companies coming through our acceleration process. Andrew has invested in more early stage / pre-seed food companies than any other investor worldwide. Investors in New Protein Fund I include a variety of investors such as Tyson Foods & Temasek

Andrew serves on the Advisory Board for Tufts Nutrition Council, is a Friedman School Entrepreneurship Advisor, served on the Small Business Council Board of the Department of Trade and Industry advising the UK Government on entrepreneurship and high growth companies. A Harvard Business School graduate and Procter & Gamble brand management trained.

Reach out if you have a plant based or alternative protein early stage company. https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewive/
Garry Golden

Moderator Garry Golden is a professionally trained Futurist who works across broad range of industries and is currently serving on the Institute of Food Technologists’ Think Tank.

Thank you

Description

Contributors

Lou Cooperhouse

Jagruti Bhikha

Steve DeBretto

Ryan Alberts

Andrew Ive

Garry Golden