LAUREN ABDA, Co-founder at Branch Venture Group, Founder at Branchfood

Lauren Abda is the founder and CEO of Branchfood, the largest community of food entrepreneurs and startups in New England, and the Co-founder of Branch Venture Group, an angel network for investment in high-growth food-related startups. Her work is focused on highlighting local, national, and international food initiatives through events and social media and also aggregates resources for food entrepreneurs to help their businesses launch and grow in Boston. Prior to Branchfood, she consulted for food tech businesses in Boston and San Francisco, worked as an analyst for Salt Venture Partners LLC, a venture capital firm, focused on food startups, targeting content, commerce, and technology, and wrote reports on international food safety development initiatives on behalf of the Agriculture and Commodities division at the World Trade Organization in Geneva, Switzerland. She has a Masters in Food Policy and Applied Nutrition from the Tufts Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy and a Bachelor of Science degree in Nutrition and Food Science from the University of Vermont.

"2021 won't be your average year. This year the food industry is building for an economic rebound. What will that look like for your company? How are others leveraging post-COVID-19 consumer trends? At Food Edge we will explore this and so much more for a better and brighter future of food."