Blue Horizon is accelerating the transition to a New Sustainable Food System that delivers outstanding returns for investors and the planet. The company is a global pioneer of the Future of Food. As a pure play impact investor, Blue Horizon has shaped the growth of the alternative protein and food tech market. The company invests at the intersection of biology, agriculture and technology with the aim to transform the global food industry. Blue Horizon was founded by Roger Lienhard in 2016 and is based in Zurich. To date, the company has raised over USD 850 million and invested in more than 50 companies. Its business model offers an attractive opportunity to invest in the evolution of the global food system while contributing to a healthy and sustainable world.

Cocoon Bioscience is a recombinant protein production company located in Spain. Cocoon has patented, GMO-free technology that is capable of manufacturing recombinant proteins at a fraction of the cost compared to traditional methods such as microbial fermentation.  Our platform takes viruses encoded with a target protein or enzyme and, in an automated approach, inoculates cocooned insects who then produce the target protein/enzyme with high productivities. Leveraging this technology, we have developed a production process for three of the most sought-after growth factors, FGF-1, EGF and PDGF. With these products we help cultivated meat and cellular agriculture companies significantly decrease raw material costs, making their business more profitable and enabling scale-up.

Compusense is a world leader in Consumer and Sensory science, providing user-friendly software that promotes best practices to the consumer and sensory community, and actionable outcomes for our clients. Compusense software is used for product development, quality control and consumer research. 

Cultured Meat Symposium is a conference held in Silicon Valley highlighting top industry insights into the clean meat revolution.

At District 3, we nurture and develop multidisciplinary startup teams that harness emerging tech to create businesses with global impact in bio, healthcare, fintech, high tech and social innovation. We look for the brightest of minds, and we offer the most rigorous training. We bridge the knowledge, skills and resource gap between building a product and building a company.

Eatable Adventures, the leading Foodtech accelerator worldwide, strives to transform the food system prioritizing health, sustainability, and resilience for all. By partnering with startups, corporations, governments, and investors, the company drives innovation from seed to table, embracing cutting-edge technological solutions in the Agrifood sector. With a thriving global presence, Eatable Adventures has achieved significant impact worldwide, boasting a vibrant community of 25,000 changemakers, 12 acceleration and incubation programs, over 50 corporate and government initiatives, and a €30M investment fund to support early-stage projects.

Gelatex Technologies is a Techstars-backed materials company from Estonia that is revolutionizing nanofiber production. Gelatex has patented a novel high-capacity solution-spinning method and device for nanofiber manufacturing to innovate cultured meat, tissue engineering, and many other industries. The material comes in rolls, is easily scalable, and is up to 90% cheaper than current nanofibrous materials.

Getinge provides hospitals and life science institutions with products and solutions that aim to improve clinical results and optimize workflows. Getinge Life Science offers tailored, efficient, and compliant equipment and solutions that meet specialized process needs for upstream bioprocessing and contamination prevention in biomedical research, laboratory applications, biopharmaceutical production, and heat sensitive goods manufacturing.  Getinge Life Science provides systems for cultivation of cells, aseptic transfer, cleaning, sterilization, and isolation technologies.

The Good Food Institute is an international nonprofit building a sustainable, healthy, and just global food system. With unique insight across the scientific, policy, industry, and investment landscapes, GFI uses the power of food innovation and markets to accelerate the transition of the world’s food system toward alternative proteins. With affiliate organizations in India, Israel, Brazil, Asia Pacific, and Europe, GFI is funded entirely by private philanthropic support.

The Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR) builds public-private partnerships to fund bold research addressing big food and agriculture challenges. FFAR was established in the 2014 Farm Bill to increase public agriculture research investments, fill knowledge gaps and complement USDA’s research agenda. FFAR’s model matches federal funding from Congress with private funding, delivering a powerful return on taxpayer investment. Through collaboration and partnerships, FFAR advances actionable science benefiting farmers, consumers and the environment.

The Future Food-Tech summit focuses on how technology, innovation and investment are transforming the dynamics of the food sector. A leading international networking and business focused event, it brings together active investors, entrepreneurs and major food brands to showcase solutions, share ideas and create new alliances. Hosted in New York, San Francisco and London, each event features 100+ game-changing speakers and the most ground-breaking start-ups entering the market.

Lori Rothman is a Food Scientist and experienced professional in the areas of Consumer Science and Sensory Evaluation, specializing in consumer products and packaging. She is known for leveraging consumer and sensory insights to drive product innovation and business growth. Her 35+ years of experience includes strategy development, department creation, staffing and budgeting, sensory facility/infrastructure, cross-functional and cross-geography relationship building, and delivering business relevant results that are clear, concise and compelling. 

Lori is credited with two Packaging Design Patents and a Trade secret, as well as the Charles M. Dudley Medal for ASTM International publications that have impacted their field.  

Lori developed an auditing system to assess the strengths and weaknesses of companies’ Consumer Science and Sensory Evaluation capabilities; she is also an adjunct instructor at Dominican University in River Forest, IL.

LP & Associates, LLC is a sensory and consumer research consulting firm that helps food and beverage companies create and maintain great tasting products. Led by Linda Papadopoulos, LP & Associates uses strategic application of sensory and consumer testing methods to provide valuable sensory and consumer-driven insights in order to accelerate the product development process and maximize consumer satisfaction. Linda has extensive experience in providing guidance for new product development initiatives, product optimization/reformulation, process/package changes and sensory QA/QC programs.

Matū believes in the potential for science-led start-ups to produce financial returns alongside an outsized positive impact on the world. Our Honohono advisory arm brings our expertise in deep tech investment to support companies at the beginning of their journey.

New Harvest is a nonprofit research institute that funds and conducts open, public cultured meat research. Established in 2004, New Harvest is the world's oldest research institute dedicated exclusively to cellular agriculture. Its targeted, people-focused funding is designed to foster technical leadership, build scientific infrastructure, and address knowledge gaps. New Harvest's mission to maximize the positive impact of cellular agriculture, ensuring that the burgeoning industry delivers on its promises to reduce our dependence on animal agriculture and the heavy toll of protein production on the environment and public health.

Palate was founded to create a net zero, animal-friendly world.

Many people are excited by the potential of sustainable foods to slow climate change and end factory farming. Despite this, slowing industry growth clearly indicates that inspiring consumers to change their eating habits would require better products.

The food industry has been stuck with the same product feedback tools that have existed since 1980 - think white rooms, two-way mirrors, and a burger patty served through a slot. Not only are these methods inauthentic to how people experience food, they’re expensive and slow-moving. Many brands have been priced out entirely and resorted to testing primarily with small, biased samples of friends or employees.

Palate is different. We’re revolutionizing product feedback with authentic, agile approaches that help sustainable food brands build better products faster.

Perkins Coie is a leading international law firm that is known for providing high-value, strategic solutions and extraordinary client service on matters vital to our clients’ success. With more than 1,200 lawyers in offices across the United States and Asia, we provide a full array of corporate, commercial litigation, intellectual property and regulatory legal advice to a broad range of clients, including many of the world’s most innovative companies and industry leaders as well as public and not-for-profit organizations. 

ProVeg International is a food awareness organization working to transform the global food system by replacing animal-based products with plant-based and cultured alternatives. ProVeg works with decision-making bodies, companies, investors, the media, and the general public to help the world transition to a society and economy that is less reliant on animal agriculture and more sustainable for all humans, animals, and our planet.

Seeker’s core pillars—space, technology and innovation, health, and the environment—each represent substantial issues that matter to a generation looking to take charge of their world. Curious audiences turn to Seeker to learn about the issues that matter to them most, to break down complex subjects, and to make scientific information both relatable and actionable. By turning aspiration into action, our viewers are empowered to understand the science shaping our world and equipped with the information and inspiration needed to shape it.

SVG Ventures | THRIVE is a leading AgriFood Innovation and Investment platform headquartered in Silicon Valley, and comprised of top agriculture, food & technology corporations, universities and investors. With a community of over 8,500 startups from over 100 countries, SVG invests, accelerates and creates unparalleled access for entrepreneurs to scale globally to solve the biggest challenges facing the food and agriculture industries. SVG’s Corporate innovation program works with Fortune 1000 corporations transforming their businesses, accelerating their growth and driving their innovation priorities. SVG’s global partners include leading government, agriculture, and technology corporations such as Alberta Government, Old’s College, Calgary Economic Development, Corteva, Driscoll’s, FCC, BASF, Kubota, Land O’Lakes, Shell, Trimble, Taylor Farms, Bayer, ICL, Nutrien, Intel, Valmont, UFA, Yamaha Motor Ventures and Wilbur-Ellis. Learn more at www.thriveagrifood.com.

Founded in 2010 by Chef José Andrés, World Central Kitchen (WCK) uses the power of food to nourish communities and strengthen economies in times of crisis and beyond. WCK has created a new model for disaster response through its work helping devastated communities recover and establish resilient food systems. Through its relief efforts, the organization has served more than 50 million fresh meals to people impacted by natural disasters and other crises around the world in countries including The Bahamas, Indonesia, Lebanon, Mozambique, Venezuela, and the United States. Additionally, WCK’s Resilience Programs in the Caribbean and Central America have trained hundreds of chefs and school cooks, advanced clean cooking practices, and awarded grants to farms, fisheries and small food businesses while also providing training and networking opportunities.

WSP USA is the U.S. operating company of WSP, one of the world’s leading engineering, environment and professional services firms. Recognized in 2023 on TIME’s list of the world’s best companies and Fortune’s Change the World list, WSP is driving social impact and commitment to ESG. WSP in the U.S. brings together engineers, planners, technical experts, strategic advisors and construction management professionals who are dedicated to collaborate in the best interests of serving local communities. WSP designs lasting solutions in the buildings, transportation, energy, water and environment markets. With approximately 14,000 employees in 300 offices across the U.S., WSP partners with its clients to help communities prosper.