The ProVeg Incubator attended the 2019 Seeds & Chips Global Food Innovation Summitfrom 6 to 9 May in Milan, Italy. Focusing on food innovation, the four-day summit brought together actors from different industries and backgrounds, with a strong emphasis on collaboration. It was the Incubator’s first time participating at the summit, connecting with other leaders in food innovation to create the future of food together.
We took advantage of this key event to showcase six of the startups from our first two cohorts. Participating startups included Better Nature, who are looking to make tempeh a mainstream product, Greenwise, who are making plant-based meat alternatives that fully imitate meat flavours and textures, Mondarella, who specialise in plant-based, typical Italian dairy products, Plantcraft, a protein innovator that is developing a deli-slice range free from soy, gluten, and artificial additives, Vly, who are developing plant-based protein dairy products, and Youpeas, who produce a breakfast range of deliciously healthy, protein-packed cookies and soft cakes made from chickpeas.
Each startup took advantage of the diverse audience to present their products and validate their ideas. Additionally, they had the opportunity to meet key industry players, connect with other international startups, and expand their network in the food innovation scene. A few of our startups also had the opportunity to participate in various panels, meetings, and pitch competitions.
CEO and co-founder of Better Nature, Chris Kong, shared his company mission and thoughts on the future of fermentation, as a speaker on the Culture Clash: The New Art of Fermentation panel. Youpeas co-founder Camille Tomat competed in the Deloitte FoodTech Accelerator Pitch Competition, laying out her project and vision for a panel of judges.
Lastly, Mondarella’s co-founder, Piero Brunetti, along with Greenwise’s co-founder, Julia Marsel, participated in the Give Me 5 event, an opportunity they used to discuss their ambitious plans with Michele Emiliano, President of the Puglia region in Italy, and Maria Helena Semedo, Deputy Director-General of Climate and Natural Resources at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, respectively.
Representing six different countries, our startups highlighted the ProVeg Incubator’s international reach. More importantly, they helped give ProVeg a seat at the food-innovation table and consolidated the notion that the future of food lies in disrupting the animal-based food system. Overall, the incubator and keynote speaker Verena Wiederkehr, International Head of Food Industry and Retail, impressively conveyed this message from ProVeg International at Seeds and Chips in Milan.
Source: https://provegincubator.com/2019-seeds-chips-global-food-innovation-summit/
