Start-Up Arena

NEW FOR 2023! Start-ups are given pride of place with a whole dedicated floor and side program of pitching, investor match-making and mentoring sessions taking place in the Start-Up Arena.

11:00-11:30am

PITCHING SESSION: Health & Nutrition

Kicking off the content in the start-up arena, six start-ups will pitch their technology that addresses challenges around health & nutrition for the food sector. Innovators have 3 minutes each to give you a snapshot of their solutions.

Presenters: 
Bruno Balen, Chief Genius, ANI BIOME
Sandra Wingaard Thrane, Co-Founder & CSO, BACTOLIFE
Paolo Costa, Founder & CEO, BIOLUMEN
John Chant, CEO, FILTRICINE
Maya Ashkenazi, CEO and Co-Founder, MAOLAC
Chris Rhodes, Co-Founder & CEO, MIMIO HEALTH

11:30am-12:00pm

Fresh Start Presents Its Cohort

Accelerating cell culture, rethinking vegan non-GM functional proteins, developing ground-breaking technologies around fish cell lines, all-natural sugar reduction, potential replacements for antibiotics… all this and more in a panel discussion with Fresh Start, the Israeli FoodTech Incubator. Join them to learn more about the unique structure of the Israel Innovation Authority and how the incubator operates with local giants such as Tnuva, global funds such as Ourcrowd and Finistere Ventures, and how it leverages exceptional innovation in Israel.

Host: 
Noga Sela Shalev, CEO, FRESH START FOODTECH INCUBATOR IL

Presenters:
Michael Gordon, CEO, BLUE TREE TECHNOLOGIES
Jon Rathauser, Co-Founder and CEO, EGGMENTED REALITY
Orna Harel, Co-Founder & CEO, SEA2CELL
Guy Michrowski, CEO, PROFUSE TECHNOLOGY
Shay Cohen, Head of Open Innovation, TNUVA

12:00-12:30pm

PITCHING SESSION: Tackling Food Security & Waste

Food security and food waste are both large challenges for the sector, hear from 6 entrepreneurs as they pitch their technology to help strengthen our food system.

Presenters:
Dan White, CEO, CLEAN CROP TECHNOLOGIES
Ifat Peled Dinstag, CEO & Co-Founder, LIVA
Fei Luo, CEO, LIVEN PROTEINS
Bosco Emparanza, CEO & Founder, MOA FOODTECH
Lars Langhout, CEO, NOPALM INGREDIENTS
Sujala Balaji, CEO & Founder, RAINFED FOODS

12:30-12:45pm

ICL Planet Fireside Chat

ICL Planet takes the stage with their latest investment Arkeon, to share more about their work, exciting plans for the future and Arkeon’s innovative solution that turns CO2 into functional, carbon-negative ingredients for food.

Presenters:
Hadar Sutovsky, VP External Innovation, ICL Group & GM, ICL PLANET
Gregor Tegl, Co-Founder & CEO, ARKEON

12:45-2:00pm: Networking Lunch Break & Roundtable Discussions

2:00-2:30pm

Fireside Chat: Transforming Food Through BioTech

Join in a discussion with innovative start-ups that are transforming the food system through biotechnology – hosted by MISTA, a multidimensional food innovation platform.

Host: 
Céline Schiff-Deb, Head of Biotech, MISTA

Presenters:
Zane Starkewolfe, Co-Founder & CEO, OPTIMIZED FOODS
Julie Post-Smith, Chief Commercial Officer, SUPERBREWED FOOD
Naveen Sikka, Founder & CEO, TERVIVA
Ricky Cassini, CEO & Co-Founder, MICHROMA
Yulin Lu, Co-Founder & CEO, YALI BIO

2:30-3:00pm

PITCHING SESSION: Improving Taste, Texture & Performance

Hear from innovators who are tackling all things taste, texture & performance from different angles to find out more about their individual solutions.

Presenters:
Meir Wachs, Co-Founder & CEO, KYOMEI
Michelle Lee, Co-Founder & CTO, LYPID
Kesha Stickland, Founder & CEO, MUSHROOM MEAT CO.
Ravi Jhala, Global Head, Commercial, NTH BIO

3:00-3:30pm

Leave a Nest: Japan Spotlight

Hear from the team at Leave a Nest about their focus and important work, whilst exploring the exciting innovation and investment ecosystem in Japan.

Ryuta Takeda, Executive Officer, LEAVE A NEST AMERICA
Akitaka Wilhelm Fujii, President, REAL TECH HOLDINGS
Satoshi Umino, CEO, SUSTAINABLE FOOD ASIA

3:30-4:15pm

Natural Products Canada Presents Its Cohort

Join Natural Products Canada and a snapshot of their cohort, to shine a light on innovations for the food space from Canada!

Presenters:
Josh Pollack, Co-Founder, CELL AGTECH
Shaun Richmond, VP, Sales, CRUSHDYNAMICS
Emily Farrar, Co-Founder, GENUINE TASTE
Yves Potvin, Chief Product Officer, KONSCIOUS FOODS
Jennifer Côté, CEO, OPALIA
Chris Bryson, Founder & CEO, NEW SCHOOL FOODS

11:00-11:30am

PITCHING SESSION: Cultivated Future

The cell cultured space is continuously evolving, with new innovative solutions and products emerging. Hear pitches from six forward looking start-ups in the cell-based market.

Presenters:
Sérgio Ricardo Pinto, Founder & CEO, CELLVA
Siddharth Manvati, Co-Founder & CEO, CLEARMEAT
Manny Tamargo, Co-Founder & CEO, EDGE FOODS
Roman Laus, Founder & CEO, MEWERY
Mandy Hon, Managing Director, IMPACFAT
Anne-Sophie Mertgen, CEO, MICRO MEAT

11:30am-12:00pm

ProVeg Incubator Presents Its Cohort

ProVeg and four members of their portfolio take the stage for a high-energy segment of pitches and Q&A.

Host:
Albrecht Wolfmeyer, Head, PROVEG INCUBATOR

Presenters:
Isabella Iglesias-Musachio, CEO & Founder, BOSQUE FOODS
George Zheleznyi, Co-Founder & CEO, CULTIMATE FOODS
Rami Jadaa,Co-Founder, FOTORTEC
Tomas Turner, Co-Founder & CEO, CULTIVATED BIOSCIENCES

12:00-12:30pm

PITCHING SESSION: Breakthrough Biotech
With exciting breakthrough biotech disrupting the food-tech space, hear from 4 biotech leaders on how they’re working to create a more sustainable food system. On stage will be:

Alejandro Barbarini, CEO, ERGO BIOSCIENCE
Kathleen Hefferon, CTO, FORTE PROTEIN
David Singer, Co-Founder & VP Sales, INDEX BIOSYSTEMS
Amos Palfreyman, Co-Founder & CEO, MIRUKU

2:45-3:15pm

Plug and Play Presents Its Cohort

Plug & Play take the stage for a segment of pitching and Q&A with a handful of their cohort and deliver a trend report spotlighting exciting innovation for a sustainable future.

Moderator:
Zach Wise, Senior Corporate Partnerships Manager, PLUG AND PLAY
Alex Davisson, Ventures Associate, PLUG AND PLAY

Presenters:
Vishal Bhuyan, Co-founder & CEO, AANIKA BIO
Riana Lynn, Founder, JOURNEY FOODS
Michelle Wolf, Founder, NEW WAVE FOODS
Ali Wing, CEO, OOBLI