We are so excited to introduce our amazing Cohort 8! This Cohort brings a variety of CPG based companies, from sustainable seafood to plant based snacks and we are so excited to have them on board!
Food tech is a vast and integrative industry and the use of patents and formulated technology can be essential in allowing food and technology to continue to evolve together. When developing and perfecting CPGs, patented technology can help companies compete in their market while also creating a product that is innovative and unique. Bo Perry is the co-founder and CEO of Pizootz, a company producing flavor-Infused peanuts that were invented utilizing a patented, unique infusion process that uses just water, pressure, and steam to put flavors inside the nut. Bo and Pizootz are currently part of Cohort 7 of our
We’re so excited to highlight Chris Rawley of Harvest Returns! “These experiences led me to decide to invest in farming; however, there weren’t many avenues to do so at the time. We decided to create Harvest Returns to help average investors put their money to work in innovative companies who were helping to create more sustainable and resilient forms of agriculture.” Chris Rawley is CEO and Founder of Harvest Returns, an online equity crowdfunding platform designed specifically for investing in the agriculture industry. They are dedicated to facilitating capital raises for small to
We are so excited to highlight Michael Conway, Investment Manager at Food Future Co! “Working at FFC has helped humanize my experience with food. It’s helped show me the hard work and sweat equity behind businesses and brands. It’s too easy to walk into a supermarket these days and forget about the thousands of hours of labor from harvest to delivery that goes into producing food” Michael Conway is a recent graduate of Bard College's MBA in Sustainability program and has over ten years of experience in business development, education, and entrepreneurship. His entrepreneurial journey began in
We are excited to introduce FoodFutureCo’s EIR or Executive in Residence, Steve Charlton. Steve is a veteran of the corporate world, who now focuses on working with innovative founders and owners as a mentor, advisor and investor. Towards the end of my corporate career I started working with start-ups, advising them on key consumer trends and basically ensuring they had a sustainable business to back up their great idea. I was blown away by their passion and drive and realised I wanted more of that inspiration! Where are you from and what did you do prior to FFC? I was born in London, spent
FoodFutureCo held a successful Un-Demo Day in June! The Cohort 6 graduates — Joy4Greens, Ouma Foods, Sons & Daughters Farm and Winery, Hire My Farmer, and MamaGaia — are already generating revenue and scaling fast. The silver lining of the virtual environment was a packed Zoom Room with investors from across the globe. The event kicked off with a fireside chat with food industry expert Marion Nestle and private equity expert Diana Propper de Callejon. You can find the recording here. Diana Propper de Callejon, Managing Director of Cranemere, a holding company for outstanding businesses in the US and Europe, is a
We interviewed Zoë Geller of Fire Ox Foods to hear how she is rethinking the way that sustainable and eco-friendly foods are marketed, packaged, and shared with the world. Zoë Geller is in charge of sales, marketing, and fundraising at Fire Ox Foods. Before creating Fire Ox, she was the third employee at a local food distributor startup called Common Market MidAtlantic where she helped grow sales of local food significantly. She has an MBA and Masters of Environmental Management from Yale University. Your path to Fire Ox foods involved a bit of a personal revelation—tell us about that. Initially, I
At our most recent Demo Day, we had the fabulous opportunity to sit down with Jeff Furman, who, up until recently, was the board chairman of Ben & Jerry's—a role he occupied since 1992. He has been with the groundbreaking ice cream company since its inception, and he shares with us some insights at to what has made the Ben & Jerry’s brand, and his journey, so unique in the industry. Below is a copy of founder Shen Tong’s conversation with Jeff. This conversation has been edited for clarity and length. Shen Tong: For over 40 years, Jeff has helped to build what is probably one of the best known, and certainly one of
Kenny Rufino is the EVP / Creative Director of REQ, an award-winning digital marketing agency that works with brands like Sweetgreen, CHOPT, Cava, and a range of other businesses and non-profits. Kenny works with the creative team to deliver imaginative solutions across all media. He practices user-centric communicative design and strongly believes that good design is more than how something looks or works—it's also very much about how it makes people feel. Kenny Rufino Creative Director, REQ What are some successful visual motifs or design strategies for food brands right now? We are
Wendy Nunnelley is a beverage industry executive and an angel investor in more than 20 early-stage companies, primarily in consumer goods and services. She is a Senior Vice President at Diageo and was previously a Vice President at The Coca-Cola Company, with experience in strategy, planning, operations, business development, and revenue management, including pricing/promotion. She is on the board of Naturally Austin and advises several early-stage companies. Most of her investments are in minority and women-founded companies, and she often works with emerging brands that serve underserved consumers or are oriented