THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS

 
 

Branch venture group

Branch Venture Group is a Boston-based investment network that provides funding and advice to early-stage food companies. We focus on investments in the food and beverage CPG, foodtech, and agtech spaces. Primary sector focuses include food and beverage products, digital content and media, e-commerce and marketplace platforms, direct to consumer, agriculture technology, industry robotics, restaurant technology, and related life sciences.

For more information, visit www.branchventuregroup.com

 
 
 

Forager

Forager is a mission-based technology company, started in 2015 with the goal of making locally-sourced food more widely available to all, in order to create a more sustainable and resilient food system. The company’s web-based platform reduces the cost and friction of local procurement by managing all the day-to-day activities associated with direct, local buying and centralizes activities between suppliers and buyers, such as communication, browsing product lists, placing orders, and approving and paying invoices out of a single system. In addition, the Forager Marketplace helps connect retailers with new, pre-vetted suppliers to expand their local programs.

For more information, visit www.goforager.com

 
 

FrESH COMMUNICATIONS

FRESH Communications is an award-winning agency specializing in public relations and marketing for food and lifestyle brands. Founded by registered dietitians, our credibility and expertise break stigmas, debunk myths, and inspire media and consumers. FRESH’s capabilities include social and digital marketing, nutrition marketing, public relations, influencer engagement and strategy, content development and brand development. Learn more at FRESHCommunications.com.

For more information, visit www.freshcommunications.com

 
 
 

INCREDIBLE FOODS

Incredible Foods has built a powerful food technology platform out of a simple idea: to create a better kind of food, based oon how Nature has designed its own food. We can turn any food that you know and love – hummus, yogurt, ice cream, fruit puree – into a FoodBerry™, with the same basic form as a berry of fruit. With a protective, plant-based coating wrapped around a nutritive and delectable core, our product platform delivers a healthier and more convenient food form, in-line with the megatrends of changing consumer eating habits. The platform is patent-protected, supported by a proprietary manufacturing process and operation, and has been commercialized on-shelf in several categories. There is unlimited potential to deliver innovation to traditional consumer goods categories, and to effect transformational change in how we eat nutrition on a global scale.

For more information, visit www.incrediblefoods.com

 
 
 

KALSEC

Kalsec provides natural Taste & Sensory Solutions, Colors, Food Protection and Advanced Hop Products to the food and beverage industries. We capture the best nature has to offer and utilize over 60 years of experience and industry leading innovation to make food and beverage products look better, taste better and last longer. Family owned and headquartered in Kalamazoo, Michigan since 1958, Kalsec has regional offices, laboratories and sales teams locations in North America, Europe and Asia. As a certified B Corp, Kalsec makes ethical and sustainable decisions that serve our customers, employees, communities and the environment. We are proud to be using our business as a force for good.

For more information, visit www.kalsec.com

 
 
 

MOTIF FOOD WORKS

Motif FoodWorks is an ingredients innovation company working to make plant-based foods better tasting, more nutritious and so desirable that people actually crave them. The company's mission is to unleash the promise of plant-based foods by taking a new, holistic approach to ingredient development that combines science and technology — merged with sensory fundamentals — to reveal totally new answers. By changing our understanding of plant-based food, Motif will enable crave-worthy products that exceed taste and experience expectations, unlocking benefits for everyone and our planet.

For more information, visit www.madewithmotif.com

 
 
 

NUTTER UNCOMMON LAW

Nutter is a full-service Boston-based law firm. At Nutter, we have a dedicated Food and Beverage team that understands the unique challenges of this industry and has advised a variety of stakeholders in the food and beverage space.  Our food and beverage brand clients represent every stage of growth, from startups, angel, venture and private equity-backed growth-stage brands, as well as large nationally-recognized brands.

For more information, visit www.nutter.com

 
 
 

PROPELLER INDUSTRIES

Propeller Industries is the leading strategic finance and accounting partner for venture-stage companies. We leverage our fractional team model, deep industry pattern-recognition, scalable technology stack, and global operating platform to deliver an unfair advantage to founders trying to navigate the challenges of growth. We deliver real-time reporting and data access to management teams, helping them build, shape, and scale their businesses.

For more information, visit www.propellerindustries.com

 
 
 

PROTIS GLOBAL

For over 25 years, Protis Global People Solutions has been recognized as a leading global search firm in the Consumer Goods industry. Our years spent understanding the professional, personal, and financial motivators for candidates allows us to deliver against the needs of Fortune 500s and start-ups alike. Our mission is to be the most strategic, forward-thinking, and value-added authority on human capital in the world; Building Companies + Changing Lives. We are your People Partner, and we believe that people are the difference. That means, wherever you are within the talent cycle, Protis Global evaluates the business implications of access to, development for, and transition from your teams.

For more information, visit www.protisglobal.com

 

 
 
 

WHIPSTITCH CAPTIAL

Whipstitch Capital is a specialized investment bank that provides mergers & acquisitions and private placement advisory services to consumer products companies. With over 30 years of executing corporate transactions for companies, investment funds and entrepreneurs on both sides of the table, Whipstitch provides unmatched experience, industry knowledge, relationships and ability to execute optimal transaction outcomes. Our deep expertise in the healthy and active-living subsectors can’t be matched. We know how to make deals happen in the innovative product space. We consume it. We breathe it. We live it. We know what’s hot, what’s not, what’s next. It is our privilege to reward your risk, your brand’s passions, and to represent your life’s work with investors who share the ability to see the value in what you’ve built.

For more information, visit www.whipstitchcapital.com