Best Startup
At Best Startup US we track over 1,000,000 US startups and over 3 million people who hold key positions in these companies. We use this directory of startups to highlight top employees, founders and board members we think deserve more appreciation than they are currently getting.
This list showcases the top United States based CEO’ operating in the Food Processing space. If you think a CEO’ is missing from this list, feel free to contact our editor on editor@beststartup.us.
The individuals on this list have been included because of exceptional performance in one of the following categories:
- Innovation – Operating as a key part in an extremely innovative business or startup.
- Growth – Operating as a key figure in the growth and upscale of a market leading business or startup.
- Management – Showing exceptional management skills.
- Societal impact – Putting their business on the map for their positive societal or environmental impact.
Our Data – We source our data from OSINT (open source intelligence) and public directories such as Crunchbase, SemRush and many more. The data from these sources should be treated with a degree of caution and verified yourself.
Ben Pasternak
Founder, CEO of SIMULATE
Ben Pasternak is an Australian technology entrepreneur. He is the co-founder and CEO of SIMULATE, an American nutrition technology company, that has raised US$57M in investment to date. SIMULATE’s signature product, NUGGS, is a plant-based chicken nugget simulation, that launched in July 2019. Previously Pasternak founded Monkey, a popular social networking app that enabled teenagers to video chat with like-minded people.
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About SIMULATE: SIMULATE’s mission is to upgrade the world to a positive food system.
Todd Siwak
Chief Executive Officer of Ferrara Candy
Todd Siwak is CEO of the Ferrara Candy Company. Prior to joining Ferrara, he was an operating partner at Catterton Partners, one of the largest consumer-focused private equity groups in the United States. He brings to Ferrara a wealth of leadership experience in sales, marketing, operations, and management, with a specific focus on the consumer packaged-goods industry. Todd’s career has been defined by his entrepreneurial spirit, which has led him to build several companies that have experienced quick and dramatic growth. Before joining Catterton, Todd was co-founder of TRG Accessories, an international manufacturer and distributor of travel gear and accessories (global licensee for Swiss Army, Timberland, Callaway Golf); Verimetrix, a developer, manufacturer, and supplier of diagnostic medical equipment; and Mindseye Group, a boutique private equity firm with a focus on consumer and health care companies. He began his career as Executive Vice President of Paramount Headwear, where, under his sales leadership, the company quadrupled in size and became the largest headwear manufacturer in North America. In 2002, Todd was named Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year. He holds a J.D. from St. Louis University School of Law and a B.S. in economics from the University of Missouri- Columbia.
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About Ferrara Candy: Ferrara Candy is virtual tours of the making of Lemonheads, Red Hots, Gummies, Jawbusters, Boston Baked Beans and Atomic Fireballs.
Kandy Anand
President & Chief Executive Officer, Molson Coors International of Molson Coors
Kandy is President of Molson Coors International (MCI) where he is responsible for the growth and expansion of the company’s business and brand portfolio in global markets outside of the US, Canada and the UK. Appointed in 2009, Kandy has helped significantly expand the company’s footprint in Asia, Eastern Europe and Latin America. Previously, he served as Division President of Coca Cola’s Philippines Business Unit. While at Coca Cola, he also served as Vice President of Coca Cola’s Global Revenue Growth Management and Commercial Leadership, as well as the Division Marketing Director for South Latin America. Prior to his time at Coca Cola, Anand served in various senior marketing strategy roles over fifteen years with Unilever in India. Kandy completed his Masters in Business Administration from the Indian Institute of Management.
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About Molson Coors: Molson Coors is a beer company and distributor that brews the world’s favorite beer brands.
Mark Hunter
President & Chief Executive Officer of Molson Coors
Mark is President and CEO of Molson Coors and serves as a member of the Board. He brings more than 20 years of Molson Coors experience and most recently served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Molson Coors Europe. Prior to that, Mark was President and Chief Executive Officer of Molson Coors UK. Before that, he was Chief Commercial Officer for Molson Coors Canada where he responsible for all sales and marketing activities. Earlier in his career Mark managed the export markets and business unit strategy for Bass Brewers and marketing management of the Carling brand. He has also served on the board of Bass Brewers as Marketing Director and the board of Coors Brewers Ltd. Before joining the Bass in 1989, he held a variety of sales positions with Hallmark Cards and Bulmers Drinks. Mark holds a Bachelor Honours degree in Marketing and Business Administration from the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, Scotland.
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About Molson Coors: Molson Coors is a beer company and distributor that brews the world’s favorite beer brands.
Kirk Tanner
CEO PepsiCo Beverages North America of PepsiCo
Kirk Tanner is president and chief operating officer of North America Beverages (NAB). He assumed his current role in March, 2016. A 24-year veteran of PepsiCo with strong leadership experience across beverages, snacks and foodservice, Kirk leads all aspects of PepsiCo’s beverage business in North America. Prior to this role, Kirk was chief operating officer of NAB and president of Global Foodservice. Under his leadership, the division introduced on-trend, transformative innovation including the Pepsi Spire fountain portfolio, STUBBORN Soda, Doritos Loaded and Hello Goodness Vending. In his role as chief operating officer of NAB, he was responsible for expanding partnerships and driving growth across PepsiCo’s foodservice and retail customer base in North America and foodservice operations globally. In his PepsiCo career, Kirk has lived and worked in 11 domestic and international locations and has had numerous positions, including senior vice president, Frito-Lay West Division and vice president of sales of PepsiCo in the UK and Ireland. His vast experience across sales, operations, customer marketing, distribution and channel development has given him a deep understanding of PepsiCo’s go-to-market systems, both in foods and beverages, as well as the varying needs of customers and consumers all over the world. Kirk has led several successful multi-cultural initiatives that resulted in multiple product introductions across the food and beverage portfolio.
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About PepsiCo: PepsiCo operates as a food and beverage company worldwide.
Ramon Laguarta
Chairman & Chief Executive Officer of PepsiCo
Ramon Laguarta is Chief Executive Officer, Europe Sub-Saharan Africa, with responsibility for leading our food and beverages businesses across Europe and our food business in Sub-Saharan Africa. This role was effective in January 2015. Prior to this role, from November 2008, Ramon was President, PepsiCo Eastern Europe Region. Before that, from 2006 to 2008, he served as Commercial Vice President of Europe. From 2002 to 2006, he was General Manager for Iberia Snacks and Juices, and from 1999 to 2001 a General Manager for Greece Snacks and Marketing Vice President for Spain Snacks. Ramon joined PepsiCo in January 1996. Previous to PepsiCo, he worked for Chupa Chups, S.A., a Spanish leading confectionery company, where he held a number of international roles in Europe and the U.S. Ramon holds an MBA from ESADE Business School in Spain and a Master’s in International Management (M&M) from Thunderbird School of Global Management in the U.S.
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About PepsiCo: PepsiCo operates as a food and beverage company worldwide.
Albert Carey
Chief Executive Officer, North America of PepsiCo
Having served in a number of senior executive positions at PepsiCo, Inc., a consumer products company, Mr. Carey enhances our Board’s experience in and oversight of retail, supply chain and marketing matters, as well as contributing to the general management and strategic business development skills of our Board. In 2011, Mr. Carey was named Chief Executive Officer of PepsiCo North America Beverages, assuming responsibilities for all aspects of PepsiCo’s beverages business in the Americas. From 2006 to 2011, he served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Frito-Lay North America, a snack food company and the largest North American business division of PepsiCo. He also served as President of PepsiCo Sales, the sales division of PepsiCo, from 2003 to 2006, in charge of PepsiCo’s sales and customer management for its retail, food service and fountain businesses. Other positions that Mr. Carey has held at PepsiCo, Inc. include Chief Operating Officer of PepsiCo Beverages & Foods North America, Senior Vice President of Sales for Pepsi-Cola North America and Chief Operating Officer of Frito-Lay North America. Prior to his career at PepsiCo, Mr. Carey spent seven years at Procter & Gamble.
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About PepsiCo: PepsiCo operates as a food and beverage company worldwide.
Laxman Narasimhan
Chief Executive Officer, Latin America of PepsiCo
Laxman Narasimhan is the chief executive officer of PepsiCo Latin America. PepsiCo is a global food and beverage leader with net revenues of more than $63 billion and a product portfolio that includes 22 brands that generate more than $1 billion each in estimated annual retail sales. PepsiCo’s main businesses – Quaker, Tropicana, Gatorade, Frito-Lay and Pepsi-Cola – make hundreds of enjoyable foods and beverages that are loved throughout the world. Laxman assumed the position in September 2014. He leads PepsiCo’s food and beverage business across Latin America and reports to PepsiCo Chairman and CEO, Indra Nooyi. The business covers PepsiCo’s food and beverage businesses in Mexico, Brazil, Central America, South America and the Caribbean. He previously served as the senior vice president and CFO of PepsiCo Americas Foods based in Purchase, New York, which covered the important businesses of Frito-Lay, Quaker and PepsiCo’s Latin America Foods. Prior to PepsiCo, Laxman was a director and location manager of McKinsey’s New Delhi Office. He worked with McKinsey for 19 years around the world, including rotations in Cleveland, Tokyo, Toronto, San Francisco and New Delhi. He had responsibility for consumer-facing industries in India, co-led the Global Consumer and Shopper Insights Practice and led McKinsey’s research on the emerging market consumer. He has worked across multiple industries, including consumer, retail, energy, manufacturing, technology and healthcare. Previously, Laxman co-led the Global Retail Knowledge Council of McKinsey’s Retail Practice.
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About PepsiCo: PepsiCo operates as a food and beverage company worldwide.
Kimberlie Le
CEO and Co-Founder of Prime Roots
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About Prime Roots: Prime Roots is celebrating the culture of meat by reimagining protein itself.
Eric Foss
President & CEO of Aramark
Eric is the chairman, president and chief executive officer (CEO) of Aramark (NYSE: ARMK), a $15 billion global provider of food, facilities and uniform services. Eric was named president and CEO in 2012 and chairman of the board in 2015. Since his appointment, Aramark has recorded consistent growth in sales, new business and adjusted net income and operating margins. He is also improving profitability by establishing a repeatable business model across the company. He most recently led Aramark’s successful return to the New York Stock Exchange in December 2013. Under Eric’s leadership, Aramark and its 270,000 employees are poised for sustainable growth through new business generation, geographic expansion and more efficient operations. Prior to joining Aramark, Eric served as chairman and CEO of Pepsi Bottling Group (PBG), the world’s largest bottler of Pepsi-Cola. He was named CEO and elected to the PBG Board of Directors in 2006 and elevated to chairman in 2008. He participated in the successful process of taking PBG public in 1999. Eric oversaw the acquisition of PBG by PepsiCo in 2010, which brought outstanding value to PBG shareholders, and then led the integration of the business within the corporation serving as CEO of PepsiCo’s Pepsi Beverages Company. Throughout his career with Aramark, PBG and PepsiCo, Eric Foss has established a strong track record of generating profitable growth through integrated strategies and consistent execution that meets or exceeds financial commitments. He has led global teams to successfully build leading brands through a frontline-first mindset while achieving broad-based productivity gains. Today he serves on the board of directors of Aramark, Cigna, Catalyst and the Kimmel Center for Performing Arts. Eric is also a member of the Business Roundtable and the Wall Street Journal CEO Council. Eric earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing from Ball State University and was honored with the Miller College of Business Award of Distinction in 2005.
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About Aramark: Aramark provides food services, facilities management, and uniform and career apparel to healthcare institutions and more.
Jerry Bello
CEO & Founder of Pasta Chips
Jerry Bello serves as a CEO – Founder at Vintage Italia – Pasta Chips.
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About Advanced Micronutrition, KEEN Growth Capital, Pasta Chips: Vintage Italia, the maker of Pasta Chips brand pasta snacks
Aimee Yang
Founder, CEO of Better Brand
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About Better Brand: Better Brand is a food tech startup marking a new era of nutrition by driving innovation in the multi-trillion-dollar refined carb industry.
Bowie Cheung
Co-founder & CEO of Pepper
Bowie is the co-founder and CEO of Pepper, where he’s partnering with restaurant wholesalers across the country to build a more transparent, technology powered food supply chain. Before co-founding Pepper in 2019, Bowie was the first General Manager for Uber Eats and Director of US & Canada Operations at Uber Technologies, and prior to that a management consultant at Bain & Company. He holds degrees in engineering from the University of Toronto and an MBA from the Kellogg School of Business.
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About Pepper: Building the digital operating system for the food supply chain
Barry Pennypacker
President and Chief Executive Officer, Manitowoc Cranes of The Manitowoc Company
Barry L. Pennypacker, President and Chief Executive Officer since 2015. Prior to assuming his current responsibilities, Mr. Pennypacker served as Founder, President, and Chief Executive Officer of Quantum Lean LLC, a privately held manufacturer and supplier of precision components headquartered in Baltimore, MD. Previously, he was President, Chief Executive Officer, and a Director of Gardner Denver, Inc., a manufacturer and marketer of engineered industrial machinery and related parts and services. Prior to joining Gardner Denver, Mr. Pennypacker served in positions of increasing responsibility at Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies, The Stanley Works, and Danaher Corporation.
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About The Manitowoc Company: Manitowoc Company Inc is an American global company specializing in products for the food service industry.
David DeLorenzo
President and Chief Executive Officer of Dole
Mr. DeLorenzo, 65, stepped down from his positions as Doles President and Chief Executive Officer in February 2013 in connection with the ITOCHU sale transaction, positions he held since June 2007. He is currently President and Chief Executive Officer of Dole International Holdings and Dole Asia Holdings Pte Ltd., direct or indirect subsidiaries of ITOCHU Corporation. Mr. DeLorenzo originally joined Dole in 1970. He was President of Dole Fresh Fruit Company from September 1986 to June 1992, President of Dole from July 1990 to March 1996, President of Dole Food Company-International from September 1993 to March 1996, President and Chief Operating Officer of Dole from March 1996 to February 2001, and Vice Chairman of Dole from February 2001 through December 2001, at which time Mr. DeLorenzo became a consultant for Dole under contract for the period from January 2002 through January 2007. From 2006 to 2007, Mr. DeLorenzo served as Non-Executive Chairman of the Board of Versacold Inc. (formerly listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange: ICE_u.TO). Mr. DeLorenzo serves on the Executive Committee of Doles Board of Directors. In connection with the Merger and at the Effective Time on November 1, 2013 Mr. DeLorenzo resigned as director of the company.
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About : Dole provides fruits, vegetables, and food products.
Sean Connolly
President & CEO of Conagra Brands
Sean M. Connolly joined ConAgra Foods in April 2015 as president and chief executive officer. ConAgra Foods is one of North America’s leading packaged food companies with recognized brands such as Marie Callender’s®, Healthy Choice®, Slim Jim®, Hebrew National®, Orville Redenbacher’s®, Peter Pan®, Reddi-wip®, PAM®, Snack Pack®, Banquet®, Chef Boyardee®, Egg Beaters®, Hunt’s® and many others found in grocery, convenience, mass merchandise and club stores. ConAgra also has a strong business-to-business presence, supplying frozen potato and sweet potato products as well as other vegetable, spice and grain products to a variety of well-known restaurants, foodservice operators and commercial customers. Prior to joining ConAgra Foods, Sean was president and CEO of The Hillshire Brands Company from the time of its formation as an independent company in 2012 to its sale to Tyson Foods in August 2014. Prior to his Hillshire Brands leadership, Connolly was CEO for Sara Lee North American Retail and Foodservice, as well as president, Campbell Soup North America. He also managed numerous brands in the food and beverage division at Procter & Gamble. Sean has used his general management, marketing, and innovation skills to improve business performance across a diverse range of food and beverage categories and channels of trade, with a focus on innovation and disciplined execution. Sean earned his bachelor’s degree in economics from Vanderbilt University, and his Master of Business Administration from the University of Texas at Austin.
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About Conagra Brands: Conagra Brands is a packaged foods company.
Hamdi Ulukaya
Founder & CEO of Chobani
Hamdi Ulukaya is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer at Chobani. After moving to New York from his native Turkey, Hamdi found that in America, yogurt just wasn’t as delicious and widely available as it was back home. Hamdi believed everyone deserved better options, so he set about making delicious, nutritious, natural and accessible Greek yogurt right here in the U.S. The rest, as they say, is history. America’s number one Greek yogurt is made with only natural ingredients. Always has been, always will be. In 2005, Hamdi happened upon an ad for a recently closed yogurt plant. For him, the find was fate, and he knew in his heart he wanted to buy it. The Chobani® dream finally had a home. For the next two years, Hamdi focused on every step of the process. He carefully built his team, which included hiring a master yogurt maker to ensure quality from the ground up. Just nine years after Chobani started, it has become the #1 Greek yogurt brand in the U.S.
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About Chobani, Chobani Food Incubator: Chobani produces and markets Greek yogurt.
Matthew Wadiak
Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Cooks Venture
Matthew Wadiak has been pursuing his passion for food for over 20 years. He began his career by cooking for chefs Charlie Trotter and Paul Bertolli and later spent several years sourcing and importing rare ingredients, such as white truffles, for chefs and food companies around the world. In 2004, Matthew founded Cooks’ Venture, a catering and events company. As Executive Chef, he and his team hosted and cooked for culinary events for a wide array of clientele including Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush. Matthew’s ideals of cooking have always been based on sustainability, local ingredients, and simple yet expertly prepared cuisine. Matthew is a graduate of The Culinary institute of America in Hyde Park, NY and believes that the best food is made at home.
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About Blue Apron, Cooks Venture: Cooks Venture is a vertically integrated agricultural company to operate solely on regenerative agriculture.
Loren Wallis
Co-Founder & CEO of Alpha Foods
Loren Wallis is the CEO and co-founder of Good Karma Foods and Alpha Foods.
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About Alpha Foods: Alpha Foods produces plant-based foods focused on taste, texture, and sustainability.
Matthew Berk
Founder & CEO of Bean Box
Matthew Berk is the Founder & CEO of Bean Box, Inc.
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About Bean Box, Lucky Oyster: Bean Box is a coffee gift and subscription platform that features sample roasts of artisan coffee.
Lawrence Kurzius
Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of McCormick & Company
Lawrence Kurzius is the President and Chief Operating Officer for McCormick. he has responsibility for businesses worldwide. Kurzius continues to lead Global Quality, Supply Chain and R&D Corporate functions and acts as President Global Consumer and President North America, and is a member of McCormick’s Management Committee. Kurzius joined McCormick in 2003 through the acquisition of Zatarain’s, where he was President and CEO. In 2005, he became Vice President and General Manager of Sales and Marketing for McCormick’s U.S. Consumer. He was promoted to President U.S. Consumer Foods in 2005 and, in 2007, became McCormick’s President Europe, Middle East and Africa. In 2008, he was named President International businesses. He was named President Global Consumer and CAO in 2013 and in 2014 was named President Americas and China and Chief Administrative Officer and assumed his current responsibilities in 2015. Prior to McCormick, Kurzius spent 12 years at Zatarain’s and was a marketing executive with the Quaker Oats Company and Mars Inc.’s Uncle Ben’s Company. Kurzius graduated from Princeton University, in Economics, and is a former director of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta’s New Orleans Branch. He is a trustee of Jacksonville University.
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About McCormick & Company, McCormick & Company: McCormick manufactures, markets and distributes spices, seasoning mixes, condiments & other flavorful products to the entire food industry.
Rich Scalise
Co-Founder & CEO of Hearthside Food Solutions
Rich Scalise co-founded Hearthside in 2009, transforming the contract manufacturing industry. Rich brought 37 years’ executive industry experience—including bakery, protein, dairy, and contract manufacturing to this role. His previous roles include President of Ralcorp Frozen Bakery Products, which he grew from $275 million to over $700 million through consistent organic growth and four acquisitions, and ConAgra, where he served for 18 years, culminating in his role as President and Chief Operating Officer of ConAgra’s $3 billion Refrigerated Foods Division. Under his leadership Rich Scalise, Hearthside is now the industry’s largest contract manufacturer and one of the industry’s fastest growing companies. Rich is a previous Chairman of the American Bakers Association and is active in multiple industry boards and associations.
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About Hearthside Food Solutions: Hearthside Food Solutions is the industry’s largest food contract manufacturer, and also the largest private bakery in the US.
Michael Heinrich
CEO and Founder of Garten
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About Founders Pledge, Garten, Helena, Leaders In Tech by CareerTu, Pioneer Fund, Stanford University, YPO: Garten is a food processing company that delivers nutrient-rich catered meals and curated snacks for workplace.
Adam Lowry
Co-Founder & Co-Chief Executive Officer of Ripple Foods
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About Ripple Foods: Ripple Foods specializes in making non-dairy milk with just as much protein as milk and half the sugar.
Mason Sexton
CEO & Founder of Soozy’s
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About Nomad Interactive, Soozy’s: Soozy’s is a food and beverage company that offers healthy and tasty grain-free baked goods.
Eitan Fischer
CEO of Mission Barns
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About Mission Barns: Mission Barns is making the juicy, savory meats they all love in a sustainable, more efficient way.
Thomas Giacomini
President & CEO of JBT Corporation
Thomas Giacomini was appointed JBT Corporation’s President and Chief Executive Officer in September 2013 and was elected as the Chairman of the Board of Directors in May 2014. Prior to joining JBT, he served as Vice President (since February 2008) of Dover Corporation, a diversified global manufacturer, and President and Chief Executive Officer (since November 2011) of Dover Engineered Systems. Prior to serving in these roles, Giacomini served as President (from April 2009 to November 2011) and Chief Executive Officer (from July 2009 to November 2011) of Dover Industrial Products and President (from October 2007 to July 2009) of Dover’s Material Handling Platform. Giacomini joined Dover in 2003 following its acquisition of Warn Industries, an industrial manufacturer specializing in vehicle performance enhancing equipment. During his 12 year tenure at Warn Industries he held a variety of leadership roles including President and Chief Operating Officer. Prior to joining Warn Industries, Giacomini held various roles at TRW, Inc. Giacomini holds an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management and a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from University of Michigan (Dearborn).
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About JBT Corporation: JBT Corporation is a global technology solutions provider to the food processing and air transportation industries.
Brian Deck
Interim President And CEO of JBT Corporation
Brian Deck was appointed as Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of JBT Corporation in February 2014, and became Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer of JBT in May 2014. Prior to joining JBT, Deck served as Chief Financial Officer of National Material L.P., a private diversified industrial holding company (since May 2011). He served as Vice President of Finance and Treasury (from November 2007 to May 2011) and as Director, Corporate Financial Planning and Analysis (from August 2005 to November 2007) of Ryerson Inc., a metals distributor and processor. Prior to his service with Ryerson, Deck had increasing responsibilities with General Electric Capital, Bank One (now JPMorgan Chase & Co.) and Cole Taylor Bank. Deck holds an MBA with a concentration in finance from DePaul University in Chicago, and a Bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Illinois.
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About JBT Corporation: JBT Corporation is a global technology solutions provider to the food processing and air transportation industries.
Uma Valeti
CEO & Co-founder of Memphis Meats
Uma is laser focused on advancing the commercial viability of real meat farmed directly from animal cells (sometimes called clean or cultured meat). A cardiologist by training, he believes that meat should not only be safe and sustainable but also good for the body and the soul. He has extensive experience in entrepreneurship and business and has invested in a variety of food, medical and tech companies. Uma is an advisory board member at The Good Food Institute, a former Board member of New Harvest and is a leader in the clean meat movement. In addition to his many contributions in the health sciences, he wants his biggest contribution to be leading the development of a profitable and a world positive future food system. Fun fact: Uma has rescued several people in cardiac arrest.
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About Memphis Meats: UPSIDE Foods produces meat directly from animal cells without the need to raise and slaughter animals.
Sheldon Lavin
Chairman and CEO of OSI Group
As the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of OSI Group, LLC, Sheldon Lavin has an extremely high profile in the meat and food processing industry. Sheldon Lavin also currently serves as the President of OSI International Foods Ltd. and remains actively involved in the company’s many operations. Lavin has developed extensive industry knowledge since 1970 when he was involved in the financing of Otto & Sons, which ultimately developed into OSI Group. Under Lavin’s vision and leadership, OSI Group quickly grew from a domestic food processing company to an international industry leader. OSI Group now has more than 60 locations across 17 different countries. In recognition of Sheldon Lavin’s incredible accomplishment of bringing OSI Group onto the international scene and contributing to job growth all over the world, he was presented with a Global Visionary Award by India’s Vision World Academy on February 20, 2016. Lavin said he was honored and humbled to win such a prestigious award and is very proud of his life’s work in helping OSI Group to grow into the international powerhouse that it is today. He has spent his life committed to the overall welfare of the company and its many employees. In addition to expanding the operations of OSI Group around the globe, the company has also received a long list of environmental and sustainability awards under Lavin’s watch. This is something that Lavin hopes the next generations of corporate leaders will continue to prioritize. When asked about his long list of successes, Lavin says that he seeks to inspire the next crop of corporate leaders to dedicate themselves to growing their companies in responsible ways that contribute to the growth of global commerce and opportunities for their employees. While Lavin’s words of wisdom are uplifting, he is not slowing down in the near future. He still finds time to remain very involved in charitable causes, such as Ronald McDonald House Charities. One of the things that Lavin is most proud of his career was that he was able to help raise three children with his wife and give back to the community while growing his company.
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About OSI Group: OSI Group is the premier global supplier of custom value-added food products to the foodservice and retail food brands.
Matias Muchnick
Founder & CEO of NotCo
Matias Muchnick is the CEO and Founder at NotCo.
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About NotCo: NotCo is a food technology company that produces plant-based meat and dairy substitutes.
Phaedra Anestassia Randolph
Founder & CEO of Spero Foods
Phaedra Anestassia Randolph founded Spero Foods with the mission to recreate dairy & eggs from plants, making products that are nutritious, scalable, and delicious.
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About Spero Foods: Spero Foods specializes in the fields of big data, food tech, plant-based products, and predictive modeling.
Ted Tieken
Founder and CEO of Keto and Co
Ted is the Founder and CEO of Keto and Co / Sated. Formerly cofounder and CTO of SittingAround.com
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About Keto and Co, SittingAround: Keto and Co makes a growing line of ultra-low carb, ketogenic foods.
Gustavo Abelenda
EVP and CEO LATAM of Mondelez International
Gustavo Abelenda is , EVP and CEO LATA for Mondelēz International. Abelenda joined the company in 1984 in Argentina as a Cost Analyst and gained extensive international experience in senior Finance, M&A, Strategy, Manufacturing, R&D, Sales, Marketing and general management roles. In 1997, he was appointed General Manager of the Brazilian Beverages and Sugar confectionery business. One year later, he became Food Vice President for the Mercosur area. Between 2000 and 2003, Abelenda was Vice President and Managing Director Brazil, where he played a key role in the integration of Nabisco and Kraft Foods. Abelenda earned his bachelor’s degree in accounting from Morón University in Argentina.
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About Mondelez International: Mondelez International is a branded food and beverage company that specializes in snack foods such as biscuits, chocolate, gum, and candies.
Felipe Chávez Cortés
CEO & Co-Founder of Kiwibot
CEO Kiwibot.com.
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About Kiwibot: Kiwibot offers food delivery with robots for campus colleges.
Josh Tetrick
Co-Founder & CEO of Eat Just
Josh is the CEO & Co-Founder of Eat Just, Inc., a San Francisco-based company on a mission to bring delicious, accessible, healthier and more sustainable food to everyone, everywhere. Prior to founding the company, Tetrick led a United Nations business initiative in Kenya and worked for both former President Clinton and Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. As Fulbright Scholar, Tetrick taught schoolchildren in Nigeria and South Africa and is a graduate of Cornell University and the University of Michigan Law School. Tetrick has been named one of Fast Company’s “Most Creative People in Business,” Inc.’s “35 Under 35” and Fortune’s “40 Under 40.”
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About 33needs, Eat Just: Eat Just offers a plant-based egg substitute intended to provide healthy and nutritional food alternatives.
Matt Czarnecki
Founder and CEO of Verb Energy
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About Verb Energy: Verb Energy makes healthy and delicious energy products for every day. Our flagship product is the Verb Caffeinated Energy Bar.
Allen L. Shiver
President and CEO of Flowers Foods
Allen L. Shiver, 60, has been President and Chief Executive Officer of Flowers Foods since May 2013. In this position, Mr. Shiver oversees the company’s operations and its strategic growth initiatives, and he also leads the company’s national sales and marketing efforts. Mr. Shiver was elected President of the company in January 2010, and previously served as Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer from May 2008 to December 2009. Prior to that Mr. Shiver served as President and Chief Operating Officer of Flowers Foods Specialty Group from April 2003 until May 2008 and as President and Chief Operating Officer of Flowers Snack from July 2002 until April 2003. Prior to that time, Mr. Shiver served successively as bakery president, regional vice president, and executive vice president of operations. Mr. Shiver is an American Bakers Association (ABA) board member and has served as ABA’s Chairman of the Board. He currently serves as co-chair of the Grain Foods Foundation Board of Trustees, and on the Grocery Manufacturers Association’s President’s Advisory Council and Industry Affairs Council.
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About Flowers Foods: Flowers Foods , headquartered in Thomasville, Ga., is a leading producer and marketer of packaged bakery foods in the United States
Adam Behrens
CEO of Mori
Adam Behrens is the Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer at Cambridge Crops.
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About Mori: Mori is a developer of a protective silk coating product that extends the shelf life of perishable foods.
Ryan Pandya
Cofounder/CEO of Perfect Day
Ryan Pandya is the co-founder & CEO at Perfect Day.
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About Perfect Day: Perfect Day produces dairy proteins that are nutritionally identical to proteins from cow’s milk.
Laura D’Asaro
Co-Founder & CEO of Chirps Chips (Six Foods)
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About Chirps Chips (Six Foods): Chirps Chips is a creating edible insect foods for healthyeating and sustainability.
Sri Artham
Founder & CEO of Hooray Foods
Sri Artham is the Founder and CEO of Hooray Foods.
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About Hooray Foods: Hooray Foods produces plant-based meats offering consumers a vegan alternative to meat products.
Roderick de Rode
Founder & CEO of Spinn
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About Spinn: Spinn makes wifi connected coffee machines that brew coffee using patented centrifugal technology.
Patrick Brown
Co-Founder & CEO of Impossible Foods
Patrick O. Brown is CEO and founder of Impossible Foods, a company at the forefront of making nutritious, delicious meat and dairy products from plants to satisfy meat lovers and address the environmental impact of animal farming. The idea for Impossible Foods came to Pat while he was on sabbatical from his position as an HHMI investigator and professor of biochemistry at the Stanford University School of Medicine. In reflecting on how he could use his training and experience to make the largest positive impact on the world, he realized there was a way to make delicious, affordable meat and dairy products, directly from plants – that would be better for the environment and for consumers. In 2011, Pat chose to devote himself full time to Impossible Foods. After receiving his BA, MD and PhD (in Biochemistry) at the University of Chicago, Pat completed a residency in pediatrics at Chicago’s Children’s Memorial Hospital. As a fellow with Mike Bishop and Harold Varmus, he defined the mechanism by which HIV and other retroviruses incorporate their genes into the genomes of the cells they infect. At Stanford, Pat and colleagues developed DNA microarrays – a new technology that made it possible to monitor the activity of all the genes in a genome – along with the first methods for analyzing, visualizing and interpreting global gene expression programs. He pioneered the use of gene expression patterns to classify cancers and improve prediction of their clinical course. He has also been a leader in making scientific and medical research results freely available to scientists, physicians and the public. With Harold Varmus, then Director of the National Institutes of Health, and Berkeley professor Michael Eisen, he founded the Public Library of Science, a nonprofit scientific publisher that has transformed the publishing industry by making scientific and medical research results freely available to the public. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and the Institute of Medicine and recipient of the American Cancer Society Medal of Honor. He is also the co-founder of Lyrical Foods, Inc., maker of Kite Hill artisanal nut-milk-based cheeses and yogurts.
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About Impossible Foods: Impossible Foods focuses on developing plant-based substitutes for meat, dairy, and fish products.
Monte Casino
Co-Founder & CEO of Impossible Foods
Whether from behind the stove or behind the lectern, Monte has dedicated himself to the creation of fine foods for over two decades. A graduate of Johnson and Wales University, Monte has worked in the kitchens of esteemed chefs like Lydia Shire, Jodi Adams, and Wolfgang Puck. Most recently, he dedicated himself to teaching his passion for blending classical culinary technique with scientific innovation. He worked as an instructor at the Cambridge School of Culinary Arts, then at Le Cordon Bleu in Boston where he taught artisan cheese-making, bread baking, and molecular gastronomy.
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About Impossible Foods: Impossible Foods focuses on developing plant-based substitutes for meat, dairy, and fish products.
Nick Wernimont
CEO/Founder & Chief Health & Wellness Strategist of Factor_
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About Factor_, Factor_: Factor is a subscription-based prepared meal delivery service that delivers dietitian-designed, chef-crafted meals.
Thomas Jonas
Co-Founder & CEO of Nature’s Fynd
Thomas Jonas is a Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer at Nature’s Fynd.
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About Nature’s Fynd: Nature’s Fynd is a food company that makes nutritional vegan protein from a microbe.
Bruce Friedrich
Founder and CEO of The Good Food Institute
Bruce Friedrich is co-founder and executive director of The Good Food Institute, a 501(c)(3) that promotes innovative alternatives to industrial animal agriculture, and co-founder of New Crop Capital, a $25 million venture fund that invests in companies that are using food technology to create products that will outcompete the products of factory farming. USA Today, the Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, and many other publications spotlight his work. Bruce has presented repeatedly at most of the nation’s top universities, including Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Stanford, and MIT. Bruce graduated magna cum laude from Georgetown Law and Phi Beta Kappa from Grinnell College. He also holds degrees from Johns Hopkins University and the London School of Economics.
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About Clear Current Capital, New Crop Capital, The Good Food Institute: The Good Food Institute focuses on developing sustainable and secure protein supply and supports innovators, investors, and companies.
Bret D. Scholtes
CEO of Omega Protein Corporation
BRET D. SCHOLTES has served as the Company’s President and Chief Executive Officer since January 1, 2012 and as a director since February 28, 2013. Prior thereto, Mr. Scholtes served as the Company’s Senior Vice President—Corporate Development from April 2010 to December 2010 and as the Company’s Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer from January 2011 to December 2011. From 2006 to April 2010, Mr. Scholtes served as a Vice President at GE Energy Financial Services, a global energy investment firm. Prior to that, Mr. Scholtes held positions with two publicly traded energy companies. Mr. Scholtes also has five years of public accounting experience.
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About Omega Protein Corporation: Omega Protein develops, produces, and delivers essential nutrients
Jason Mann
CEO of Farm Burger
His goal is to create a more sustainable and just agriculture system in the state of Georgia and beyond by building dynamic local markets that connect consumers with the source of their meat. He is also co-owner of Farm 255 in Athens, Georgia. Jason owns and operates the farms that produce Farm Burger and Farm 255’s meat and vegetables: Full Moon Farms, the vegetable row crop side of the operation, and Moonshine Meats, an innovative and highly diversified meat production enterprise that connects all the dots from pasture to plate.
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About Farm Burger: An Atlanta-based burger chain with locations in Georgia, North Carolina, Alabama, Tennessee and California.
James D White
CEO of Jamba Juice
Mr. James D. White is Chairman of the Board, President, Chief Executive Officer of Jamba Inc. He was appointed Chairman in May 2010. Previously, Mr. White was Senior Vice President of Consumer Brands for Safeway, Inc. with responsibility for brand strategy, innovation, manufacturing and commercial sales from 2005 to 2008. Prior to Safeway, Mr. White was Senior Vice President of Business Development, North America at the Gillette Company, where his responsibilities included centralized marketing, sales, retail execution, marketing planning and Canadian operations from 2002 to 2005. Mr. White also held executive and management roles with Nestlé Purina from 1987 to 2005, including Vice President, Customer Interface Group from 1999 to 2002, and Vice President, Customer Development East from 1997 to 1999. Mr. White has been a Director of Hillshire Brands Company since October 2012.
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About Jamba Juice: Jamba Juice is a healthy lifestyle brand that inspires and simplifies healthful living through freshly blended whole fruit and juices.
Clare Reichenbach
CEO of James Beard Foundation
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About James Beard Foundation: The James Beard Foundation promotes the culinary arts by honoring chefs, wine professionals, journalists, and cookbook authors.
Travis Grillo
Co-Founder and CEO of Grillo’s Pickles
Travis Grillo is the CEO and founder of Grillo’s Pickles, an all-natural pickle company based in Cambridge, MA. He started Grillo’s in 2008 by taking the 100 year old family pickle recipe and packing jars to sell out of the trunk of his car. In just five short years, Travis has grown the business from a pickle cart in Boston Common to a fully distributed pickled food company that is stocked in over 50 whole foods stores and its own specialty retail space in Cambridge, MA.
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About Grillo’s Pickles: Grillo’s Pickles is a pickle store.
Eugene Kang
CEO / co-Founder of Country Archer Jerky
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About Country Archer Jerky: Country Archer Jerky is a producer of delicious real ingredient jerky and meat sticks.
Frank Pica
CEO & Co-Founder of Native
Frank is the president and co-founder of Native AgTech. Previously, Frank was the vice president at ADYOULIKE for over one year.
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About Native: A platform using A.I. to understand consumer preferences and helping companies create products that people love!
Jeremy O’Sullivan
CEO of Frobot
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About Frobot: Frobot manufactures robots that produce frozen confections made to order.
David Denholm
CEO of Kashi
David Denholm is CEO at Kashi.
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About Kashi: Healthy living starts with healthy eating.
Joe Heitzeberg
Co-Founder & CEO of Crowd Cow
Joe Heitzeberg previously founded [SnapVine](http://www.crunchbase.com/organization/snapvine), a pioneering mobile voice applications startup. Heitzeberg began his career at Paul Allen’s Starwave Corporation where he built some of the earliest interactive, paid internet services for ESPN.com and ABCNEWS.com. In 1998 he incubated and sold a hosted ecommerce startup, JoeMart, to Infoseek.com that subsequently became the basis for GO.com’s Auctions and Stores services. Between 2001 and founding SnapVine, Heitzeberg has worked at a leading mobile software company, Openwave Systems, as principal product manager of client software. Heitzeberg holds a B.S. in Computer Science from the University of Washington and an M.B.A. from the MIT Sloan School of Management.
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About Crowd Cow: Crowd Cow works with small family farms to let users choose their cow and their cut.
Wayne Wolf
CEO, Owner of Old Hickory Smokehouse
Wayne is an investor in Old Hickory Smokehouse, and serves in the capacity of CEO. Wayne is responsible for stewarding business strategy, regulatory practices, resource development and capital investment activities. Prior to investing in OHS, Wayne served at McDonald’s Corporation as a corporate office for the world’s largest restaurant company. During his 30+ tenure at McDonald’s, Wayne held responsibilities that encompassed Restaurant Operations, Supply Chain and Corporate Strategy assignments spanning the USA and international markets. He also served as President of an international software and technology services firm that was funded through the venture capital community. Wayne has served on the boards of Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSC), McDonald’s System Capital Corporation and Supplier Acceptance Corporation, EFS Network (a technology services company), Zerospace Solutions (a health care consultancy), and ESG, a security services contracting firm. Wayne is married to Patti, and has the joy of working with his three sons at Old Hickory Smokehouse. He has 11 grandchildren, and would rather spend time with them than be at the office.
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About Old Hickory Smokehouse: Old Hickory Smokehouse is a maker of branded and private-label smoked meat products sold into the retail grocery and foodservice channels
Brett Schulman
CEO of Cava Group
Brett Schulman is the founder and CEO of Rockville, Maryland-based Cava, a Mediterranean restaurant chain.
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About Cava Group: Cava Group is a Mediterranean culinary brand that offers chef-crafted dips and spreads.
Tom Klaff
Co-Founder & CEO of Hyperwave Technologies
Tom Klaff is a passionate entrepreneur and angel investor who has started, led and sold six technology startups in six unrelated markets spanning a 25 year career. His experience in diverse markets, such as healthcare, automotive, cyber security, streaming media, financial services and education, has been invaluable in bringing fresh, new ideas and business models (B2C, B2B, B2G, and B2B2C) to tired industries that are ripe for innovation. He partners with industry, investor groups and teams to commercialize ideas, technology and intellectual property by creating easy-to-use, inherently simple products and solutions that solve painful market problems. Mr. Klaff’s particular expertise is marketing, sales and product management and he is passionate about building and leading world-class teams. Mr. Klaff has a B.A in English Literature from Brown University and an MS in Industrial Administration from Carnegie Mellon University (now the Tepper School of Business). He is a member of Vistage. Mr. Klaff is married with 4 kids and lives in Bethesda, Maryland.
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About Hyperwave Technologies, Revolution Cooking: Develops disruptive cooking technology and licenses its patent-protected technology to brands and manufacturers of home cooking appliances.
Lori Gitomer
Co-Founder & CEO of Whipnotic
Lori Gitomer is the Co-Founder & CEO at Whip & Whimsy.
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About Whipnotic: Revolutionizing Whipped Cream. Whipnotic is a whipped cream company that aims to disrupt and modernize through flavor, color, and health.
Philip Maung
CEO & Founder of Hissho Sushi
Hissho Sushi CEO Philip Maung arrived in America with just $13 in his pocket and a dream of making a new life. He found his calling in the emerging supermarket sushi industry and spent years learning every facet of the sushi business. In 1998, Philip and his wife Kristina pooled their finances to form Hissho Sushi and founded the company in the family dining room. The company began providing fresh sushi daily to supermarkets and cafes.
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About Hissho Sushi: Hissho Sushi’s mission is to provide the highest quality sushi and unparalleled customer service to consumers.
Ooshma Garg
Founder & CEO of Gobble
Ooshma Garg already has started two successful businesses – one that she recently sold and another that has attracted over one million dollars in venture capital. In 2008, she created Anapata, an online site that matches students looking for jobs with potential employers, mostly in the legal field. After three years of sleepless nights, bootstrapping (keeping the business self-sustained without raising any outside money) and developing Anapata, Garg sold it to the legal company LawWerx. Garg says she feels she’s finally found her niche and true passion with Gobble, a dinner delivery service that creates 10-minute 1-pan fresh dinner kits for busy professionals looking for a healthy and quick alternative to takeout. The idea came from Garg’s own struggles to eat well while running Anapata. With a demanding schedule that often left her eating in her car, Garg says she was looking for a way to get home-cooked meals at a reasonable price. She started by delivering prepared meals from local chefs and eventually progressed to hiring cooks and chefs in her own Gobble commercial kitchen. With the hiring of Executive Chef Thomas Ricci, Garg invented Gobble’s now flagship product, the 10-minute 1-pan dinner kit, providing her customers with both the speed of takeout and the satisfaction of cooking at home. The strategy paid off with Garg scoring some top investors in Silicon Valley – including LinkedIn Co-founder Reid Hoffman – raising over $1.2 million in seed capital for her business.
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About Gobble, XFactor Ventures: Gobble is a weekly dinner kit delivery service that helps busy people cook dinner in just 15 minutes thanks to already prepped ingredients.
Aylon Steinhart
Founder & CEO of Eclipse Foods
Aylon is an expert in the alternative protein industry and has spoken regularly on food innovation at conferences and top schools such as Harvard, MIT, Yale, Berkeley, and Stanford. In his work at the Good Food Institute, Aylon advised dozens of startups, investors, and strategic partners on the protein alternative space. Aylon has co-founded two startups and has worked with companies such as Kraft Heinz, Nestle, and Kellogg’s.
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About Eclipse Foods: Eclipse Foods is a plant-based dairy products that are indistinguishable from animal dairy products.
Denis Koci
President & CEO of The Box Brands
Denis Koci is the CEO & Co-Founder at The Box Brands Inc. Denis Koci is an entrepreneur with a track record of innovation, having created Burritobox, the world’s first automated fast food machine and brand.
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About The Box Brands: The Box Brands creates automated machines and brands.
Graham Fortgang
Co-Founder and CEO of MatchaBar
CEO, Co-founder, and younger brother, Graham comes from a long history of entrepreneurial endeavors – from throwing concerts at a young age, a stint in real estate, to being one of Central Park’s legendary caretakers, Graham has always had a desire TO DO. Graham studied briefly at NYU, concentrating in Marketing & Branding and ultimately bringing his experience to the table to create the MatchaBar brand!
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About MatchaBar: MatchaBar is a family-owned business run by two brothers committed to going above and beyond to bring the world a quality matcha product.
Paul Foster
CEO of SpinFry
Prior to joining SpinFry, Mr. Foster was general counsel of HealthSpin. He served in the US Army as Captain of the 101st Airborne during the Vietnam War. Paul’s legal and engineering background coupled with his in-depth knowledge of the deep fryer industry have proven to be invaluable resources.
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About SpinFry: SpinFry provides cooking solutions that create nutrition choices.
Sisun Lee
Founder and CEO of More Labs
Sisun Lee is CEO at 82 Labs.
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About More Labs: More Labs is a dietary supplement that helps the body’s natural detoxification process after a crazy night out.
Anthony Zografos
Founder & CEO of Akorn Technology
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About Akorn Technology: Akorn uses upcycled, non-GMO corn by-products to manufacture edible coatings that makes the shelf life of fresh produce last.
Riana Lynn
Founder and CEO of Journey Foods
Riana Lynn is a leader in food innovation, technology, and venture strategy. As a serial entrepreneur, she develops high-growth, nationally recognized technology and food businesses. Scaling a family juice company inspired her to develop FoodTrace, supply chain software that impacts thousands of food businesses across the US and beyond. Riana’s development strategies are pivotal to some of the world’s most innovative food and agriculture startups. She also works with Fortune 500 companies on new innovations. Her accomplishments have been featured on CNBC, Forbes, USA Today, Wired, TechCrunch, INC, Entrepreneur Magazine, Crain’s “20 in their 20s”, among others.
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About Journey Foods: Journey Foods solves food science and supply chain inefficiencies with enterprise software to help companies feed 8 billion people better.
Oliver Zahn
CEO and Founder of Climax Foods
Oliver Zahn, PhD, is an astrophysicist interested in making Earth a better place. After directing UC Berkeley’s Center for Cosmological Physics together with two Nobel laureates, Oliver led Data Science at Google and Impossible Foods. His lifelong love of food is complemented by a passion for outdoor adventures.
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About Climax Foods, Finistere Ventures: Climax Foods Climax Foods develops machine intelligence tools to create plant-based foods that will out-compete animal-based predecessors.
Francisco Saraiva Gomes
Chief Executive Officer of Pontos Aqua Holdings
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About Pontos Aqua Holdings: A new private equity platform focused on the aquaculture and seafood industry
Michael Lippold
Founder & CEO of FreshRealm
Michael R. Lippold, also known as Mike, CFA, serves as the Chief Executive Officer of FreshRealm, LLC. Michael Lippold undertakes a wide range of responsibilities that include identifying potential mergers and acquisitions, valuations, new product identification and assessment, and capital-markets outreach, among other duties. He is a food-industry Securities Analyst. Michael Lippold served as the Director of Strategic Development of Calavo Growers Inc., Michael Lippold joined Calavo from Craig-Hallum Capital Group LLC, where he served as a Senior Research Analyst in the Consumer Sector since 2007. He also served as an Equity Analyst of Craig-Hallum Capital Group, Research Division. Michael Lippold spent seven years in the investment-management business before joining Craig-Hallum. Prior to that, he served as a Quantitative Portfolio Manager of Telluride Asset Management LLC, where he had oversight and traded a fundamental equity portfolio for two years. He served first as a Research Analyst and subsequently co-managed a small-cap stock portfolio with Rocket Capital Management LLC. He holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation. Michael Lippold earned his B.A. degree in Financial Economics from Gustavus Adolphus College, Saint Peter, Minn.
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About FreshRealm: FreshRealm partners with grocery, convenience, and omni channel retailers to provide meal destination solutions.
Sherry Lei
Founder and CEO of Nextdish
Sherry Lei is the Founder and CEO of Nextdish.
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About Nextdish: Nextdish is cooks and delivers the ready-to-eat food at dinner time.
Alec Lee
CEO and Co-Founder of Endless West
CEO at Endless West.
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About Endless West: Endless West is a beverage startup using scientific production methods to create its own original blend of wines and spirits.
Caitlin Hayes
Chief Executive Officer of Vegan Fast, Inc
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About Etheralabs, Vegan Fast, Inc: Agriculture Harvesting & Distribution to Wholesale, Commercial & Direct to Consumer
Beth Ford
President and CEO of Land O’ Lakes
Beth is the group executive vice president and chief operating officer for Land O’Lakes, Inc., holding responsibility for the Purina Animal Nutrition and U.S. Dairy Foods businesses. As well, Beth has accountability for all supply chain, operations, IT and R&D functions across the Land O’Lakes enterprise. In her 30 years in business, Beth has held senior and line leadership positions in seven companies in six different industry sectors including Energy (Mobil Oil), Consumer Packaged Goods (Pepsi/Pepsi Bottling Group), QSR (Perseco), Publishing (Scholastic and Hachette), Chemicals (International Flavors and Fragrances) and now Food Production and Agribusiness (Land O’Lakes). A native of Sioux City, Iowa, Beth earned an MBA from Columbia University Business School and a BBA from Iowa State University. She remains involved in both universities, sitting on the Deming Center Board of Advisors for Columbia Business School and the Dean’s Advisory Committee for the College of Business at Iowa State. Beth also sits on multiple non-profit and industry boards including Greater Twin Cities United Way, The Children’s Theater of Minneapolis and SCM World. She is the 2016 Chair of the Go Red for Women event for the American Heart Association in Minneapolis. Beth sits on the Board of Directors for Clearwater Papers, Inc. and PACCAR, Inc.
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About Land O’ Lakes: Land O’Lakes is a member-owned, idea-driven agricultural cooperative that markets our products under a well known family of brands.
Ben Mand
CEO of Harmless Harvest
Ben Mand is the CEO at Harmless Harvest.
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About Harmless Harvest: Harmless Harvest is a progressive food & beverage initiative set to demonstrate that ecosystem-based businesses.
Connor Young
Founder & CEO of Ample Foods
Connor Young is the Founder & CEO at Ample Foods.
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About Ample Foods: Ample Foods creates optimally nutritious meal replacements for busy, health-conscious people.
Cole Glass
Founder & CEO of Hero Bread
Cole Glass currently works as the Founder and CEO for Hero Bread.
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About Hero Bread: Hero Bread is a food product company that specializes in providing nutritious foods.
Alexandra Damsker
Founder and CEO of Kiras Kiss
A former corporate and securities attorney, as well as an accomplished baker, Alexandra Damsker has a sizable personal repertoire built In 2006, Alexandra lost more than 50 lbs. by revamping her diet and focusing on an all-natural, portion-controlled eating style. In the process, she lost weight, but kept her sweet tooth and love of baking. It was during this period that she began developing a healthier alternative to traditional gourmet treats, resulting in the Kira’s Kiss™ line of desserts. Alexandra maintains a tradition of baking entirely without chemicals or preservatives, using only the finest quality ingredients. And, although Alexandra’s technique is based on European and Latin methodologies, she prides herself on constant improvisation and innovation. Her novel creations are the basis for the Kira’s Kiss line of desserts, including the current no sugar added line and a vegan line to be added soon. Alexandra also partnered with her husband, Dr. Keith Damsker, a physician and nutrition specialist, to create their daughter Kira. An official taster of every Kira’s Kiss product offering, Kira shares the product qualities of being all-natural, additive- and preservativefree, gorgeous to look at and naturally delicious!
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About Kiras Kiss: Kira’s Kiss Desserts – Just Better ™ – a premium line of decadent desserts brought to you by DASKK Premium Goods, LLC.
Joe Sanderson
Chief Executive Officer of Sanderson Farms
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About Sanderson Farms: Sanderson Farms is the third largest poultry producer in the United States
Gabriel Perez Krieb
Chairman of the Board of Directors & CEO of Chosen Foods
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About Chosen Foods, YPO: Chosen Foods supports true nourishment through the rediscovery and accessibility of real food.
Amy Ludlum
Co-founder and CEO of California Dreamin
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About California Dreamin, University of Oxford: California Dreamin is a food and beverage start up that manufactures all natural cannabis infused sodas for a light social high.
Mateo Marietti
CEO & Co-founder of CookUnity
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About CookUnity: CookUnity is a meal subscription and delivery platform that connects private chefs with consumers.
Ben Van Leeuwen
Founder/CEO of Van Leeuwen Ice Cream
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About Van Leeuwen Ice Cream: Van Leeuwen Ice Cream is a maker of ice cream made from natural ingredients.
Robbie Rech
CEO and Co-Founder of Hope Foods
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About Hope Foods: Hope Foods specializes in producing organic food products intended to provide organic hummus and dips.
Steve Platt
CEO of BrightFarms
Steve Platt is the CEO at BrightFarms.
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About BrightFarms: BrightFarms is an indoor farming company that specializes in providing locally grown packaged salads.
Patrick Bowe
President & CEO of The Andersons
Pat Bowe is President and Chief Executive Officer of The Andersons, Inc. Pat joined The Andersons in November 2015 with more than 35 years of experience in the agricultural sector. Prior to joining the company, Pat served as Corporate Vice President of Cargill, Inc. and as one of the leaders of the company’s Food Ingredients and Systems Platform since 2007. Pat was the President of Cargill’s Corn Wet Milling Business from 1999-2007. Prior to becoming the division president he held various senior management positions including VP/GM for the Blair, Neb., Corn Milling facility and VP/GM for the Corn Milling business in Brazil. Prior to joining the Corn Milling Division in 1998, Pat managed the copper trading desk for Cargill Metals Division and worked as a trader and analyst for Cargill Investor Services at the Chicago Board of Trade. In addition to his Cargill experience, Pat also worked as a cash grain merchant for Louis Dreyfus Corp. in Springfield, Ill., and Phil O’Connel Grain Co., in Stockton, Calif. early in his career. Pat graduated from Stanford University, Palo Alto, Calif., in 1980 with a bachelor’s degree in political science. He went on to earn a master’s degree from Stanford’s Food Research Institute in 1983. Pat has served on the Board of Directors for Schwan’s Home Service, Inc. where he was chair of the Risk Committee and on the Finance Committee. He also has served as Chairman of the Board for Fabcon, Inc. and also served on the HR Committee. Pat also served on the Board of the Minnesota Orchestra where he was the Chair of the Finance Committee.
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About The Andersons: The Andersons is an agricultural products development and marketing company.
Mark Ramadan
Chief Executive Officer of Hu Kitchen
Mark Ramadan is the CEO at Hu Kitchen.
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About Hu Kitchen: Paleo-inspired, high quality, low processed, clean food restaurants.
Mitchell Koulouris
CEO, Founder & Chief Chocolatier of Imagine Chocolate
Mitchell Koulouris is the creative force behind Imagine Chocolate. Mitch has been involved in the music industry since he was a teenager. He’s combined his two passions — chocolate and music — to create Imagine Chocolate, “Gourmet Chocolate That Rocks!” Mitch began making chocolate in the early 2000’s while he was CEO of Digital Music Group, then the world’s largest independent distributor of digital music tracks to iTunes and hundreds of other digital stores.People were so impressed wit the chocolate — in both quality as well as creativity of flavors — that friends encouraged Mitch to sell his chocolate as a retail product. Mitch resisted the urge to market and sell a new chocolate product. But after years of urging by his friends he decided to go ahead. But Mitch didn’t want to create “just another chocolate product in a brown and gold box”. He wanted to come up with something cool that chocolate lovers would get excited about. That’s when he came up with Imagine Chocolate, a musically themed individual serving assortment where each truffle is named after and inspired by a song. The rest is, as they say, history. And Imagine Chocolate was born. Before founding Imagine Chocolate, Mitch has had an illustrious career in music and technology. In 2004 he founded Digital Music Group, Inc. Through his vision and leadership as CEO, Mitch quickly grew DMGI to become the world’s largest digital music distributor, exclusively controlling over 2 million tracks of music — approximately 20-25% of the music content on iTunes at the time. He took DMGI to a NASDAQ IPO in early 2006. Mitch is a respected figure in the music industry. He is a GRAMMY Voting member and served on the GRAMMY Board of Governors twice. He continues to be involved in the music industry. Mitch has also made albums with such Classic Rock stars such as Todd Rundgren, Micky Dolenz (The Monkees), Eddie Money, and Mickey Thomas (Starship). Prior to founding DMGI, Mitch was Founder and CEO of Informant Communications Group, a leading publisher of advanced-topic software development magazines for Microsoft, Borland, and Oracle technologies among others. Mitch began his career in music as a teenager, landing a coveted job at Tower Records. Mitch spent 13 years with Tower, the latter of which where he was Director of Store Services. Mitch is a music nut and an avid runner. He also is a Presidential history buff and chocolate lover.
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About Imagine Chocolate: Imagine Chocolate produces musically-themed assortments of gourmet chocolate.
Gregory Belt
Founder, CEO of EverGrain Ingredients
Gregory Belt is the Founder and CEO at EverGrain Ingredients.
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About EverGrain Ingredients: EverGrain Ingredients is a sustainable ingredient company providing food and beverage-based protein and fiber barley ingredients.
Gerard Jara
Co-Founder & CEO of Candor-AGS
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About Bellucci Premium, Candor-AGS, Caro Nut, Certified Origins, Inc, Cynara artichokes, Universitat Rovira i Virgili: The Candor-AGS mission is to become the recognized industry specialist in each of their businesses.
Kerry Song
CEO & Founder of Abbot’s Butcher
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About Abbot’s Butcher: The Abbot’s Butcher crafts premium plant-based meats.
Marissa Cuevas Flores
CEO and Founder of microTERRA
Marissa Cuevas Flores is the Founder & CEO at MicroTERRA.
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About microTERRA: Sustainable, scalable and affordable plant-based protein
Kurt Beecher Dammeier
Founder and CEO of Beecher’s Handmade Cheese
A fourth generation Puget Sound native and nascent New Yorker, Kurt has always felt passionately about authentic, full-flavored foods, free of artificial additives and preservatives. Through his company, Sugar Mountain, Kurt is the owner and chef of a number of food destinations and brands, including Beecher’s Handmade Cheese, Bennett’s, Maximus / Minimus, Pasta & Co, Mishima Reserve, and The Butcher’s Table. With each operation, Kurt’s goal is to demonstrate how quality ingredients make for delicious meals, without added food colorings, flavor enhancers, or preservatives. Beyond the retail world, Kurt is effecting change in people’s eating habits through his new book, Pure Food, released in July 2016, and through the Beecher’s Pure Food Kids Foundation (501c3), founded in 2004. Each year, the Foundation’s Pure Food Kids Workshop empowers more than 15,000 fourth and fifth grade students in the Seattle Metro area and in New York City to make healthy food choices for life.
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About Beecher’s Handmade Cheese, Sugar Mountain: A cheese lover since childhood, Kurt Beecher Dammeier remembers encouraging his mother to buy premium cheese.
Robin Liss
CEO & Co-Founder of Suvie
As Co-Founder and CEO of Suvie, Robin brings her deep experience from covering the appliance industry, reviewing appliances, and analyzing smart home products. Robin is the founder and former CEO of Reviewed.com, a leading consumer technology and home appliance review publication. She led Reviewed.com as a startup and sold it to USA TODAY in 2011 where she expanded Reviewed.com to the largest home appliance review site on the web.
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About Suvie: Suvie builds a multi-zone cool to cook kitchen robot that makes 5 star meals with zero effort.
Daniel Kurzrock
Co-Founder and Chief Grain Officer (CEO) of ReGrained
Dan Kurzrock is the Co-Founder and Chief Grain Officer of ReGrained, a mission-driven ingredient platform that leverages technology and culinary science to transform beer waste into food. Dan is an entrepreneurial systems thinker and loves tackling seemingly intractable problems through creative entrepreneurship and cross-sectoral collaboration. Through ReGrained, he has become a thought-leader about food waste business models, “edible upcycling” and the circular economy for food.
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About ReGrained: ReGrained is a producer of snacks intended to upcycle crunchy puffs from nutritious food.
Pietro Satriano
Chairman and CEO of US Foods
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About US Foods: US Foods is a foodservice distributor that provides its customers with innovative food offerings and a suite of business solutions.
Chris Cooper
CEO & Founder of Black Medicine
Black Medicine Iced Coffee started as a hobby in 2010. My original goal was simply to find a reliable way to serve a great cup of coffee. There are so many ways you can mess it up. Each step along the way, from farm to cup, offers multiple opportunities to make mistakes. I thought that if I could get every step right in the process that I could come up with a product that people would appreciate for being great tasting as well as easy to consume. For more insight into how we roast, bottle, and brew our coffee, check out the description on the FAQ page. Coming up with a good recipe is a start, but the next difficulty is designing a process that will scale up to high volumes. I ended up having to design custom equipment to make it efficient. Although most bottlers of beverages use co-packers to handle high volumes, this is not possible with coffee that has a limited shelf life, so we ultimately had to build our own bottling line.
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About Black Medicine, Cooper Ventures, Lucent Botanicals: We like to do things a little differently. We believe quality coffee should be as approachable and available as it is enjoyable.
