FoodTech 11

Dear Friends and Colleagues:

On May 16 we will host our 11th annual FoodTech Workshop at Bonny Doon, and I expect it will be the best yet! 

This year we are splitting out the Ag and Food Tech Workshops into two separate back to back day-long events. You can choose to attend one or both, with a big discount if you come to both.

As you will see, we are organizing a stellar set of startups and speakers for both days --several top startups and 4 discussion panels each day.  Here is a link to the AgTech Workshop website on May 15, and you will see that we are organizing a set of related and equally compelling sessions on the first day. 

We have already signed up several very cool startups, listed above, and we expect to be announcing the first batch in the next few days. We are still in the hunt for interesting startups so your recommendations are welcome. We are looking for earlier stage companies with some traction or at least technology validation, usually pre-A or just post-A. The companies do not have to come from the areas discussed in the panels below.  

Given the obvious importance of AI for every area of business, we have also decided to add AI sessions for both our AgTech Workshop on May 15 and FoodTech Workshop on May 16. Each one will include domain experts as well as specialists already in the thick of applying AI to a variety of use cases in our industry. Get your questions ready!

Here is the current state of the Discussion Panels:

AI in Food Tech 

Howard Chao, Doon Insights (moderator)

Darwin Ling, Good AI Capital

Matt Schwartz, Afresh

Mary Shelman, Shelman Group  

Will ROIs on Ag and Food Tech Normalize? 

Brian Frank, FTW Ventures (moderator)

Valerie Christy, Astanor

Rob LeClerc, AgFunder 

Sebastien Pascual, Temasek

How should FoodTechs Navigate the changing relationships among CPGs, Retailers and Consumers? 

Rob Dongoski, Kearney (moderator)

Chris Romano, Produce Guru

Dorn Wenninger, UNFI 

[one more coming]

The Future of Legacy Ag/Food Systems: A Mock Debate

Harold Schmitz, March Fund (moderator)

Perry Aulie, Perdue

Laura Zaim, Louis Dreyfus Commodities

[one more coming]

In addition, this year we're adding a twist to the programming. We asking prominent attendees to initiate "Something On My Mind" (SOMM) Mini-Sessions. Here is the concept:

Do you have pressing thoughts on a relevant FoodTech issue? A hypothesis you need to test? A new/exciting technology to share? Each SOMM Discussion Leader is allotted 15 minutes to engage the group in a discussion on the theme. They would have 5-7 minutes to introduce the theme before opening the conversation to the group. 

We will review suggested submissions and will add them to the working program as they are approved, based on fit. Our goal is to create an adaptable agenda where attendees feel empowered to bring their thoughts/issues to the table. 

Interested in proposing a SOMM session? Please respond to this email or reach out to Katie directly (katie@dooninsights.com). We have 4 more SOMM Sessions available. We are offering a 50% discount off the registration fee for those who choose to present. We will be posting updates on the SOMM sessions as we sign them up. Here are the ones that have been confirmed so far:

SOMM Sessions

Alex Kopelyn, IndieBio: Should We Encourage Non-Food Specialists to return to FoodTech?

Celine Schiff-Deb, Givaudan: The Promise of Biomass Fermentation to Nourish the Planet in the Near Future

Joseph Zhou, Bits x Bites:Sustaining Ag/Food Tech Investment amidst Geopolitical and Market Uncertainties

As is always the case in Bonny Doon, the day will be very convivial and social. The venue is my mountain retreat in the Santa Cruz Mountains, a compound in the beautiful redwood forest. After lunch we will do our traditional walk around the gardens and pond.  At the end of the day we will enjoy a fine wine/beer reception, live music, and a hearty dinner together. 

We still have seats left -- Register at the link below. 

Looking forward to seeing everyone in Bonny Doon!

Regards, 

Howard Chao

Doon Insights

The Meadow at Bonny Doon in the Spring