2023 virtual summit on ag & Food tech

The 2023 Virtual Summit on Ag & Food Tech brought together attendees virtually from around the world over three days to watch, learn, and discuss the latest topics on food and agriculture.

On day 1, we learned about how precision fermentation can create nutritious and sustainable food products, strategies for scaling regenerative agriculture, and the intersection of food and medicine. On day 2, we learned about how global challenges have impacted supply chains, the benefits to implementing progressive labor practices, and the challenges and benefits to creating a premium brand. On day 3, we explored topics like the circular economy, sustainability measurement and reporting, and gene editing technology.

Lastly, we had three budding entrepreneurs pitch live at the finals of our startup competition.

300+

Total attendees

32

Countries

represented

rewatch

$1,600

Raised for out charity partner.

Tuesday, April 25

Looking BACKwards: OLD TEchnology SOlving Modern Problems

Wednesday, April 26

Looking at 2023: supply Chain, Employee Culture, and Brand Building

Thursday, April 27

Looking Forwards: Solving Tomorrow's challenges today

Tuesday, April 25
Looking BackWards

Times and speakers subject to change. Times in EST.

11:45 pm - 12:00 pm

12:00 pm - 12:45 pm

01:00 pm - 01:45 pm

02:00 pm - 02:45 pm

03:00 pm - 03:45 pm

05:00 pm - 05:45 pm

Opening Remarks by the Tuck Food & Ag Club Co-chairs (Class of 2023)

Fireside Chat: Entrepreneurship and Building a Better Food System through Machine Learning with Jasmin Hume (CEO & Founder, Shiru)

Panel: Cultivating Change - Precision Fermentation and the Future of Food

Ariel Blumovich (T'10) (CEO, YD Labs)
Laura Katz (Founder and CEO, Helaina)
Irina Gerry (Chief Momentum Officer, Change Foods)

Panel: How Can We Scale Regenerative Agriculture?

Deirdre Heekin, (Winegrower and Author, La garagista)
Mark Lewis (Managing Partner, Trailhead Capital)
Casey Peck (Senior Associate, Agriculture Capital)

Panel: Food as Medicine - Investors, Companies, and Policies Changing Human Health

Mike Wise (VP, S2G Ventures)
Kendall Singleton (VP of Partnerships and Compliance, Nourished RX)
Robyn O'brien (Founder, Sirona Ventures)

Fireside Chat: Creating Winning New Food Products with Mike Adair (T'09) (CEO and Co-Founder of Red's All Natural) and Adam Melonas (CEO and Founder of Chew Innovation and FastFood)

WEdnesday, April 26
Looking at 2023

Times and speakers subject to change. Times in EST.

01:00 pm - 01:45 pm

02:00 pm - 02:45 pm

03:00 pm - 03:45 pm

Panel: Supply Chain Vulnerability

Ayodeji Balogun (CEO, AFEX Commodities Exchange)
Ferdi van Heerden (CEO, Cooko)
Linda Ihuthia (Managing Director, Catapult Africa)

Fireside Chat: Building a Distinctive Employee Culture with John Pepper (T'97) (Co-Founder and Chief Worker Advocate of Boloco) and Professor Scott Anthony (D'96) (Tuck School of Business)

Panel: De-commodification and Premiumization - Brand, Scale and Consumer Education

Bill Tine (T'02) (Chief Marketing Officer, King Arthur Baking Company)
Jesse LaFlamme (Former CEO, Pete & Gerry's)

Thursday, April 27
Looking FOrwards

Times and speakers subject to change. Times in EST.

12:00 pm - 12:45 pm

01:00 pm - 01:45 pm

02:00 pm - 02:45 pm

03:00 pm - 03:45 pm

04:00 pm - 04:45 pm

05:00 pm - 06:00pm

06:00 pm - 06:15pm

Fireside Chat: Supercharging Plants with Dan Jacques (T'93) (Vice President Of Business Development, Sound Agriculture)

Panel: Circular economy and upcycling food waste

Blythe Chorn (T'13) (Managing Director, KPMG US)
Daniel Kurzrock (CEO and Co-Founder, ReGrained)

Panel: Sustainability measurement and reporting

Christina Lampert (Director of Growth & Innovation, HowGood)
Jed Davis (Director of Sustainability, Cabot Creamery)
Matthew Banks (Associate Director of Sustainability, Guidehouse)

Fireside Chat: Net Zero with Harry Morrison (Partner, Sustainability & Responsibility Practice, Bain & Company)

Keynote: Gene-editing Technology for Healthier Produce with Haven Baker (Co-Founder, Chief Business Officer, Pairwise)

Start-up competition: Final

Closing remarks by the incoming Tuck Food & Ag co-chairs (Class of 2024)

2023 Conference
speakers

We are excited to host the following speakers for the 2023 conference.

Jesse LaFlamme

Former CEO

Pete & Gerry's

Dan Jacques (T'93)

VP of Business Development

Sound Agriculture

Jasmin Hume

CEO & Founder

Shiru

Irina Gerry

Chief Momentum Officer

Change Foods

Mark Lewis

Managing Partner

Trailhead Capital

Robyn O'brien

Founder

Sirona Ventures

Laura Katz

CEO

Helaina

Harry Morrison

Partner, Sustainability & Responsibility Practice

Bain & Company

Daniel Kurzrock

CEO & Founder

ReGrained

Christina Lampert

Director of Growth & Innovation

HowGood

Mike Wise

S2G Ventures

Deirdre Heekin

Winegrower and Author

La garagista farm + winery

Haven Baker

Co-Founder

Pairwise

Ariel Blumovich (T'10)

Founder & CEO

YDLabs

Jed Davis

VP, Strategic Engagement and Sustainability

Cabot Creamery

Blythe Chorn

Managing Director

KPMG US

John Pepper

Co-Founder and Chief Worker Advocate

Boloco

Matthew Banks

Associate Director of Sustainability

Guidehouse

Mike Adair (T'09)

CEO

Red's All Natural

Bill Tine

Chief Marketing Officer

King Arthur Baking

Ferdi van Heerden

CEO

Cooko

Ayodeji Balogun

CEO

AFEX Commodities Exchange

Kendall Singleton

VP of Partnerships and Compliance

Nourished Rx

Adam Melonas

CEO and Founder

Chew Innovation + Fastfood

2023 conference
charity partner

We are excited to have Willing Hands as our 2023 charity partner! Willing Hands recovers fresh food from farms, grocery stores, restaurants, and wholesalers to deliver it year-round, for free, to 80 social service organizations across the Upper Valley of Vermont and New Hampshire.

All proceeds from registration fees will go towards Willing Hands. Please visit their website to learn more!

2023 vsaFt
pitch competition

The 2023 VSAFT Startup Competition featured exciting startups in the agriculture, food, and technology space

2023 VSAFT Pitch Competition Winner

Congratulations to Hunter Craft, CEO of Puebla on winning this year’s Start-Up Pitch Competition! The conference is thrilled to have seen so many great startups apply to present during the event. The judges were particularly impressed with Puebla’s vision for changing the way tropical agriculture is distributed across the world and Hunter’s responses during the Q&A portion.

We’d also like to extend a thank you to all our participants and judges, without whom this wouldn’t have been possible! Thank you again to our amazing judges: Natalie Cira from BHP Ventures, Schuyler Dalton from the World Wildlife Fund, and Monica Pani from the Louis Dreyfus Company!

Learn more about Puebla here: https://www.puebla.io/