Discussion Panels

Reinventing the Upstream Infrastructure of Food (Watch preview video)

　　Noel Kullavanijaya, Equilibrium (Moderator)

　　Himanshu Gupta, ClimateAI

　　Nicholas Maderas, Agnetix

　　Allison Kopf, Artemis

Why the Global Cold Chain is Heating Up (Watch preview video)

　　Manik Suri, Therma (Moderator)

　　Dr. Philipp Trotter, Oxford Future of Cooling Program

　　Brian Niven, Karis Cold Storage

　　Sofia Ramirez, AgFunder

　　Seana Day, Better Food Ventures

Food as Medicine (Watch preview video)

　　Darren Streiler, Archer Daniels Midland (Moderator)

　　Ashlie L Burkart, Germin8 Ventures

　　Michelle Davenport, Advisor to Startups and Entrepreneur

　　Steve Sanger, Evolv Ventures

How Quickly are we moving away from Animal Products? (Watch preview video)

　　Ron Meeusen, Cultivian Sandbox (Moderator)

　　Gareth Asten, Acre Ventures

　　Scott May, MISTA

　　Laura Zaim, Louis Dreyfus Commodities

　　Phil Erlanger, Pontifax

Today's Financing and Exit Environment for Ag and Food Tech (Watch preview video)

　　Josh Hofheimer, Sidley (Moderator)

　　Ilanit Kabessa, Novozymes SOA

　　Chris Lai, March Fund

　　Gil Horsky, Mondelez

Prepared Food in a Post-Covid World: Exploring the Future of Dining (Watch preview video)

　　Jennifer Place, Finistere (Moderator)

　　Luke Saunders, Farmer Fridge

　　Ellis McCue, Territory Foods

　　Hanson Li, Salt Partners Group

The State of Ag|Food Tech in India and SE Asia (Watch preview video)

　　Howard Chao, Doon Insights (Moderator)

　　Mark Kahn, Omnivore

　　Dan Pathomvanich, NR Instant Produce

　　Anand Prasanna, Iron Pillar

Digitalization of the Food Supply Chain in China (Watch preview video)

　　Xavier Naville, Vision Management Consultants (Moderator)

　　Howard Cai, Meicai.cn

　　Matilda Ho, Bits x Bites

　　Xinyi Lim, Pinduoduo

　　Dear Friends and Colleagues,

I am pleased that this will be our 8th Ag|Food Tech Workshop, and it does feel like it has become a bit of an institution. There are regulars who have attended for all seven prior events, and I hope they will make it eight. However, this year is different in that we are hosting the Workshop through our new events company, Doon Insights, and we are opening registration up to the public. We decided that if Covid has forced us online, we might as well make the best of it by providing access to more attendees and speakers in more places.  

The content of our Workshops has always reflected the shifts and advances in technology and the marketplace. It was only a few years ago that we were focused on precision agriculture, and then we started seeing AI/ML everywhere, and next the flood of alternative protein and sugar substitute companies began, and then the syn bio wave hit us. These trends are still with us, even as we continue to search out the next new thing in the sector. Of course, Covid is the elephant in the room in Ag and Food Tech as it is with most sectors. 

As you will see above, we have already set the discussion panel agenda for this Workshop. This year we have decided to emphasize the industry's infrastructure and supply chain. We will have a panels on the global cold chain (a giant but underreported industry), a panel on indoor ag, and another panel on the food supply chain in China (one of the key markets for US agriculture products).  We have 5 other terrific panels, and we have recruited some of the leading experts and investors in the sector to speak.

As always, startups are the core of our program, which provide a window onto the next generation of technologies.