At first glance, the food and logistics industries have little in common. One encompasses the intricacies of agriculture, ingredients, and flavor while the other covers transportation, packaging and warehousing. But just as people need to eat, people require logistics systems to deliver the food they buy at grocery stores and restaurants. And both industries, though different in function, place immense value on creating a more sustainable and efficient future.
On 11.13 and 11.14, 1871 partnered with Accenture and Barrel Ventures to bring together experts and pioneers from the food tech and supply chain industries for the FoodTech & Supply Chain Innovation Summit. This two-day event — a culmination of the respective Innovation Labs programs — hosted over 400 attendees for panels, breakout discussions, pitch showcases and a startup expo, all of which celebrated innovation.
The Summit exhibited the latest in food technology and logistics, from chickpeas to carbon-neutral clothing rentals, and enthusiasm permeated 1871’s dynamic space.
Supply Chain Symposium
On Thursday morning, the summit kicked off with a fireside chat featuring Lior Ron, CEO of Uber Freight. The auditorium was packed with industry members and founders, all eager to hear from the leader of one of the most successful and innovative transportation and logistics companies. “If you’re innovating in this space, thank you,” Ron said. “This is a tough industry to get into, but it’s an industry that needs transformation.”
Ron’s passion for advancing the supply chain field inspired attendees as they entered afternoon breakout sessions. Bob Czechowicz, Senior Director of Innovation at GS1, and Ryan Murphy, Supply Chain Architect at Microsoft, led a conversation about executing innovation and staying ahead of evolving supply chain technologies. Attendees then had the opportunity to participate in sessions including “The Future of Logistics,” “Data Foundations for GenAI,” and “Integrating Innovation Solutions with the Corporate Tech Stack.”
Felipe Capella, co-founder and CEO of Loadsmart, closed out the summit with his fireside chat. Alongside Betsy Ziegler, 1871 CEO, Capella discussed his career journey, from working as an attorney in Washington D.C. to founding his logistics company which took home the CityLIGHTS Award at the 2024 Momentum Awards. He concluded his talk with a piece of advice: “You should not follow anyone because they have a specific title or you deem them to be successful — make your own mistakes.”
The Future of Food
For food technologists and culinary enthusiasts, the FoodTech Innovation Summit offered a lineup of exciting opportunities that highlighted the industry’s brightest minds. Jason Weingarten, CEO of the Alinea Group, took the stage as the day’s keynote speaker and talked about his entrepreneurial journey and passion for food. Audience members marveled as Weingarten recalled his life-changing interaction with the owner of Subway and nodded in appreciation while he explained the magic behind his Chicago restaurant ventures. “I don’t know that I have a passion for a particular industry, I have a passion for solving problems,” he said. “When you’re excited to solve a problem, you’re energized by learning.” Weingarten also encouraged attendees to identify the one thing they do better than anyone else, and to dive headfirst into honing that skill.
Summit guests also had the chance to attend two food-centric morning breakout sessions. EX3 hosted a discussion on “Eating in the Age of AI.” Ferrero and SCO2 hosted a partner panel that detailed their experience at last year’s FoodTech Innovation Summit, where the two companies met and formed a meaningful partnership.
Even lunch was served with a side of innovation. Farmer’s Fridge supplied hundreds of delicious and healthy bowls that kept attendees energized. For dessert, Ferrero provided scores of their most iconic candies.
Pitch Showcase
In addition to the breadth of speakers that participated in the summit, 1871 also hosted a pitch showcase. A group of 31 cohort members from the FoodTech and Supply Chain Innovation Labs presented their solutions to a panel of esteemed judges, made up of venture capitalists, 1871 mentors, and directors from companies like Microsoft, Accenture, and Mars Wrigley.
Five founders from each track were selected to proceed to the final showcase and, to close off the summit, two from each track were awarded a winning title.
Congratulations to the winners:
Supply Chain Peoples’ Choice: Olha Mullyar of mely.ai
Supply Chain Judges’ Choice: Mac Dougherty of InStockRX
FoodTech Peoples’ Choice: Eddy Mejia of Earnest Agriculture
FoodTech Judges’ Choice: Nipun Sharma of Appetronix
A Walk Through Startup Alley
Robot restaurants and regenerative mushrooms — the startup alley had it all. Upstairs at 1871, more than 40 founders set up stations to display their products to investors, corporations, and peers. Attendees sampled everything from pizza made with vegan cheese from Pleese Foods to prebiotic canned drinks from bellie. Each table showcased a unique product and provided the opportunity for founders to connect with interested individuals and demonstrate their innovative solutions.
At one of the tables, Laura Kofoid and Justen Holter stood before a display of leather samples and a custom-made backpack. After four years of iterating a software platform that enables on-demand manufacturing, using Kofoid’s brand Laudi Vidni as a model, they developed their company UnitMOQ through 1871’s Supply Chain Innovation Lab. “Now, we’re going to try to sell that software to other brands who want to reduce their reliance on mass production,” Kofoid said.
Amidst the tables of FoodTech founders, Catalina Castañeda handed out samples of blueberry chamomile prebiotic tea while her co-founder, Oliver Drazsky, shared his personal experience with IBS that inspired their brand bellie. “I didn’t [create] bellie because I wanted to be an entrepreneur,” he shared. “I did it because I was really frustrated with the products.”
In their own ways, every founder in the room was motivated by a passion to solve meaningful problems.
About the Innovation Labs
1871’s FoodTech and Supply Chain Innovation Labs are designed to foster connection, growth, and amplification for early-stage, late-stage, and corporate cohort members in both industries.
Each cohort encompassed a diverse group of founders from 19 different cities, including New York City, Montreal, and Los Angeles, and four different countries, including Canada, Colombia, and the United Kingdom.
This year’s FoodTech cohort contained 19 founders, six of whom are women, and 11 mentors who offered support throughout their journeys. The Supply Chain cohort comprised 36 founders, nine of whom are women, and 14 mentors. In each track, the majority of cohort participants identified as either Black, Hispanic or Latinx, Asian or Pacific Islander, or two or more races, demonstrating 1871’s long-standing commitment to empowering underrepresented founders.
Notable speakers from the FoodTech program included Luke Saunders, founder and CEO of Farmer’s Fridge and Kaitlin Grady, Director of Strategic Partnerships at Clever Carnivore. The Supply Chain cohort heard from Ryan Murphy, Supply Chain Architect at Microsoft, and Bob Czechowicz, Senior Director of Innovation at GS1, among others.
Thank you to our summit partners!
Canadian Consulate, EX3 Labs, Farmer’s Fridge, Ferrero, GS1, Heineken, Levy, Microsoft, Oishii, & WBC.
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