
The Smart Protein Summit 2020 is curated and convened by The Good Food Institute India
The Covid-19 pandemic has proved that we can’t go on with business as usual. Zoonotic disease, antimicrobial resistance, climate change, food insecurity - these are the inevitable consequences of the old normal. As we navigate the next decade and beyond, we need a more healthy, sustainable, and just food system. We need a Mission for Smart Protein.
All over the world, innovators are producing the future of protein - delicious, nutritious meat, eggs, and dairy, made from plants, cells, and microorganisms. But the story of the smart protein sector in the developing world is still being written. As we build the future of food from the ground up in markets like India, we have the opportunity to harness their unique strengths and tackle their unique challenges.
To work side by side with disadvantaged groups and communities like farmers and the malnourished. In one stroke, we could invest in the industries of the future, stave off climate change, and safeguard our food security and public health for generations.
As we navigate the next decade and beyond, we need a more healthy, sustainable, and just food system - one free from the threats of zoonotic disease, antimicrobial resistance, climate change, and food insecurity. We need to adapt to tectonic shifts in protein technology, supply, and demand, and nurture sunrise industries. Innovators all over the world are already producing the future of protein - delicious, nutritious meat, eggs, and dairy, made from plants, cells, and microorganisms. These foods have all the sensory and cultural resonance of their animal-derived counterparts, but use vastly less land, water, and energy, have vastly lower greenhouse gas emissions, and create vastly less risk to public health.
In India and in other parts of the developing world, the story of the smart protein sector is still being written. And as we grapple with the effects of Covid-19, it’s clear that we can’t afford to settle for anything less than a paradigm shift.
At the Smart Protein Summit, we’re going to articulate our vision for the protein supply of the next decade - one which stewards planetary health, tackles malnutrition, benefits farmers and creates jobs for millions. We’re calling this vision the Mission for Smart Protein, and we invite YOU to design the future with us.
Creating robust R&D, strengthening value chains, and stimulating smart protein entrepreneurship for Indian crops such as pulses, millets, chickpeas to be viable raw materials for plant-based foods. The benefits to biodiversity, farmers’ welfare, and food innovation are immense.
Setting up research, incubation, and commercialization centres in key universities and industry clusters, focused on building talent pools, investigating key research areas, facilitating technology transfer to the market, and nurturing the next generation of Smart Protein Innovators.
Stewarding the health and vitality of our oceans and establishing India as a global epicentre by fostering R&D, commerce, and trade in alternative seafood products and ingredients - a particularly neglected and complex opportunity area within the global alternative protein landscape.
Leveraging and advancing manufacturing expertise in biopharma, industrial fermentation, 3-D printing and other areas to build essential infrastructure for scaling up alternative protein. Establishing India’s position as a supply-chain powerhouse for the next decade, thereby creating jobs and value addition for millions.
Deepening and leveraging bilateral relationships with markets which have strategic advantages complementary to India’s, such as Israel, Singapore, the United States, Canada, and the Netherlands - a major opportunity to boost trade and technology transfer, with a focus on driving down the cost and increasing the quality of products in the smart protein sector.
You’ll hear from industry-leading corporations, trailblazing startups, influential think tanks, major policy and government groups, and other iconic leaders in the smart protein sector about each of these pillars of the new food system.
So mark your calendars and save the date, for the chance to network and collaborate with innovators from across the world!
Going from scarcity to abundance will demand a paradigm shift. To kick off the Summit, we're diving into the past and future of our food system, and why its fate hinges on the developing world.
His company pioneered the mung bean egg, raised hundreds of millions, and is paving the way for smart protein pioneers everywhere. Hear from a global leader in the sector on the journey so far and the future of our food system.
Learn more about smart protein's momentum in India and the world over, with a breathtaking year in 2019 followed by no sign of slowing down in 2020. Pandemic or not, the transformation is underway!
Good ingredients, product development expertise, and manufacturing support - all essential ingredients of a thriving innovation ecosystem. Hear from some of the leaders of the corporate world helping the sector take root.
Collaborate virtually with fellow attendees. Your world-changing alternative protein idea could come to life amidst such inspiring company!
Take a cue from the trailblazers - two pioneers laying the groundwork for entire categories in the country, and one bold venture seeking to make advanced manufacturing simple.
Siddharth Bide
Abhishek Sinha
Abhay Rangan
Akanksha Ghai
Biotechnology in India is a thriving industry, but its applications in the Indian smart protein sector are just getting started. Tune in for updates from startups pioneering meat cultivated from cells and protein produced through fermentation tech.
Shardul Dabir
Ezhil Subbian
Shubhankar Takle
Dr. Siddharth Manvati
Myriad Indian entrepreneurs have benefited from GFI India's support and advisory toolkits. We've spent months packaging these materials into easily digestible forms, so that hundreds more can launch their smart protein dream. Tune in to learn more!
Exciting updates from entrepreneurs in the GFI India community, and pitches from some you haven't heard from before. You're going to love this!
Shardul Dabir
Kevin Parekh
Ashish Korde
Prakarshi Pulkit
Indian and global Parliamentarians, policymakers, and diplomats speak about the importance of the smart protein sector, the need to nurture its growth, and opportunities for collaboration within and across borders.
Indian and global Parliamentarians, policymakers, and diplomats speak about the importance of the smart protein sector, the need to nurture its growth, and opportunities for collaboration within and across borders.
Dr. Renu Swarup
India's proven track record in biopharma and manufacturing is fertile ground for scaling up deep technology. But what will it take to realize that potential? We'll let some of the world's foremost experts paint a picture for you.
Varun Deshpande
Didier Toubia
Dr. Sandhya Sriram
Srinivas Kollipara
Rajesh Krishnamurthy
Indian and global Parliamentarians, policymakers, and diplomats speak about the importance of the smart protein sector, the need to nurture its growth, and opportunities for collaboration within and across borders.
Varun Deshpande
Hon. Suresh Prabhu
Exciting updates from entrepreneurs in the GFI India community, and pitches from some you haven't heard from before. You're going to love this!
Nicole Rocque
Ravali Amba
Simarjeet Singh
Collaborate virtually with fellow attendees. Your world-changing alternative protein idea could come to life amidst such inspiring company!
An ancient tree, catching the eye for its medicinal properties and sustainability implications. A modern business championing its adoption, and benefiting indigenous populations in the process. You're in for a truly fascinating glimpse into the power of biodiversity!
Varun Deshpande
Naveen Sikka
Agriculture is the lifeblood of much of the developing world, and smart protein can be a powerful lever to provide income for millions of farmers. Around the world, emerging models are showing promise to do just that - you're going to see how.
Dr. Anand Bang
Baljit Ghotra
Siddharth Bhide
Sam Lawrence
Aren't Indians mostly vegetarian? Why would they even want to eat plant-based meats? We've sifted through the data and insights and put together our existing and new research to help you understand the opportunities in the Indian market!
Dhruvi Narsaria
Chitresh Sinha
Indian and global Parliamentarians, policymakers, and diplomats speak about the importance of the smart protein sector, the need to nurture its growth, and opportunities for collaboration within and across borders.
Dr. K VijayRaghavan
As the global smart protein sector goes from strength to strength and attracts the attention of mega-funders, India is still taking its first steps. Hear from one of India's most highly respected bankers and business advisors, as he announces his critical support of the budding ecosystem.
Varun Deshpande
Rajeev Chitrabhanu
India may be having its Game Changers moment. When celebrities deploy their brand and social goodwill towards a better food system, magical things can happen!
Varun Deshpande
Genelia Deshmukh
Riteish Deshmukh
Over the last few months, a thousand young innovators took up our Smart Protein Innovation Challenge to learn about the future of food, upgrade their skillset, and enter the 21st century economy. Hear from some of the top young minds at the forefront of food innovation in this fun interview session.
Shardul Dabir
Exciting updates from entrepreneurs in the GFI India community, and pitches from some you haven't heard from before. You're going to love this!
Shardul Dabir
Sandeep Singh
Gaurav Sharma
Indian and global Parliamentarians, policymakers, and diplomats speak about the importance of the smart protein sector, the need to nurture its growth, and opportunities for collaboration within and across borders.
H.E. Marten van den Berg
Ilse van Dilj
The Netherlands boasts some of the foremost cradles of protein innovation in the world, and the industry-academia partnerships to take innovation to market across borders. We'll let two of the world's most prominent smart protein leaders tell you more.
Varun Deshpande
Stacy Pyett
Jeroen Willemsen
Scientific leaders weigh in on what it takes to nurture the next generation of innovators, when GFI India's team checks in with two of our university partners - important hubs for the establishment of the smart protein sector in the country.
Siddharth Bhide
Akshay Vishnu Bhat
Dr. Ashutosh Upadhyay
Dr. Madhusudana Rao
Catalytic capital and early-stage advisory can take India's entrepreneurial ecosystem to the next level. GFI India has been working to build partnerships providing this critical support, and we're finally ready to announce a major development.
Varun Deshpande
Andrew Ive
Chirag Jain
Indian and global Parliamentarians, policymakers, and diplomats speak about the importance of the smart protein sector, the need to nurture its growth, and opportunities for collaboration within and across borders.
Yee Kwang Seck
More climate change than all emissions from all transportation on Earth, combined. Ocean dead zones, deforestation, desertification, ocean acidification - hear from leaders in the Indian climate space about why, if we care about planetary health, enabling the protein transition is of paramount importance.
Varun Deshpande
Rajesh Kasturirangan
Starlene Sharma
Ranjan Kumar Ghosh
Shloka Nath
Exciting updates from entrepreneurs in the GFI India community, and pitches from some you haven't heard from before. You're going to love this!
Nicole Rocque
Anushi Patel
Chirag Sabunani
Unique innovation initiatives at the intersection of government, industry, and academia have positioned Canada to be a leader in the protein supply of the future. At this session, you'll hear from key players in the space and discover opportunities for collaboration.
Varun Deshpande
Bill Greuel
Dr. Lingyun Chen
Dustin Cosgrove
Wayne Goranson
Their implications for sustainability are tremendous, and their promise within the alternative protein sector is just beginning to be explored. Microalgae and seaweed pioneers across academia and industry join us to demystify the treasure in algal proteins.
Siddharth Bhide
Dr. Manish Shukla
Dr. Alexander Mathys
Dr. CRK Reddy
A stalwart organization in marine and agricultural sustainability partners with GFI globally to launch Gold Standards for plant-based seafood. A major milestone in the alternative protein sector, and you'll hear it here first!
Varun Deshpande
Dr. Paolo Bray
Jen Lamy
Indian and global Parliamentarians, policymakers, and diplomats speak about the importance of the smart protein sector, the need to nurture its growth, and opportunities for collaboration within and across borders.
Hon. Pinaki Misra
Exciting updates from entrepreneurs in the GFI India community, and pitches from some you haven't heard from before. You're going to love this!
Shardul Dabir
Ansuman Das
Dr. Kunal Samantaray
Kartik Dixit
Shraddha Bhansali
You've heard from leaders in the entrepreneurial and corporate sphere, and seen the exciting innovation they have in store for the smart protein sector. Now hear key insights on their major pain points, and how we're building platforms to tackle them. Perhaps we'll even make a special announcement!
Shardul Dabir
Dhruvi Narsaria
Varun Deshpande
Dheeraj Talreja
Anirudh Rastogi
2020 has brought global economic, health, and agricultural systems to the brink of collapse, and Covid-19 may not be the last major crisis we face during our lifetimes. Global experts in responsible investing and food systems diagnose how we got here, and where we go next.
Varun Deshpande
Christine Gould
Rosie Wardle
Lisa Sweet
It's an existential question for India and much of the developing world. Will malnutrition hamper our ability to shape our destiny? What can new technologies and smart protein in particular do to tackle what remains one of this decade's major challenges?
Varun Deshpande
Taylor Quinn
Michelle Egger
Jim Laird
Indian and global Parliamentarians, policymakers, and diplomats speak about the importance of the smart protein sector, the need to nurture its growth, and opportunities for collaboration within and across borders.
Varun Deshpande
Indra Nooyi
GFI India's global partners have the bird's eye view on what's happening in smart protein all over the world - and what may happen over the next decade. Get the inside view of the future of protein!
Varun Deshpande
Elaine Siu
Nir Goldstein
Gustavo Guadagnin
Richard Parr MBE
Bruce Friedrich
Over the course of 5 days, you've heard from scientific, business, and policy leaders building the future of food. To close the Summit, we're articulating a vision for the future of our food system, with immense gratitude for your partnership.
Varun Deshpande
As the son of a cancer surgeon from Mumbai, Varun has been deeply immersed in healthcare and technology from a very young age. He spent several formative years studying Chemical and Biomedical Engineering at technology hub Carnegie Mellon University. He then went on to work on implementing digital health in India and the United States, helping vulnerable populations through care coordination, and a systems approach to healthcare. While in the United States, Varun learned about Effective Altruism, a philosophy which seeks to investigate and target the world’s most pressing problems. He came to understand the tremendous impact of industrial animal agriculture on the world, and the imperative need to transition away from it using markets and technology. In dedicating his work to the future of protein and combining his duty to human and planetary health, Varun aims to help build a more healthy, sustainable, and just global food system, starting right here in India.
Josh is the CEO & Co-Founder of Eat Just, Inc., a San Francisco-based company on a mission to build a food system where everyone eats well. Our world-class team of scientists and researchers leverage a one-of-a-kind discovery platform for food ingredient innovation and Michelin starred chefs combine these discoveries with decades of culinary expertise to create delicious, accessible, healthier and more sustainable products. Prior to founding Eat Just, Tetrick led a United Nations business initiative in Kenya and worked for both former President Clinton and Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. As a Fulbright Scholar, Tetrick taught schoolchildren in Nigeria and South Africa and is a graduate of Cornell University and the University of Michigan Law School. Tetrick has been named one of Fast Company’s “Most Creative People in Business,” Inc.’s “35 Under 35” and Fortune’s “40 Under 40.” Eat Just has been recognized as one of Fast Company’s “Most Innovative Companies” in food and social good, Entrepreneur’s “100 Brilliant Companies,” CNBC’s “Disruptor 50” and TIME’s “100 New Scientific Discoveries.” In 2015, the World Economic Forum named Eat Just a technology pioneer.
Siddharth Mangharam brings with him 20+ years of experience across startups, technology, management consulting, and FMCG industries. He is passionate about setting up and scaling up new-to-the-world ideas. Siddharth is the Interim Country General Manager India, for LIVEKINDLY co., a collective of founders, entrepreneurs and global leaders. Its brands include The Fry Family Food Co., LikeMeat, and LIVEKINDLY. LIVEKINDLY co’s mission is to make plant based living the new norm. Siddharth has been an active entrepreneur for over a decade. His first venture, Peek, was a Mobile cloud service offering, that won Time Magazine’s Gadget Of The Year Award. In 2011 he founded Floh, a millennial-focused consumer platform that connects singles in real life at exclusive events. Forbes Magazine recognized Floh as a Top 5 Startup. Siddharth started his career with Coca-Cola India with responsibilities spanning product launches, marketing, and franchise operations. At McKinsey & Co. Chicago, he worked on strategy projects for clients in telecom, services, and healthcare. His time at Microsoft was split between Redmond, where he was the Exchange Global Business Unit Manager and India, where he was Chief of Staff to the Chairman, Ravi Venkatesan. Siddharth has an MBA from The Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan. He is an endurance athlete, Vipassana meditator and amateur mountaineer. He is vegetarian by choice.
Karuna Jayakrishna is the head of innovation at DuPont N&B in South Asia, leading an integrated team of application specialists and technologists; who are focused on creating novel applications of DuPont ingredient technologies and product development innovations and solutions for diverse consumer packaged goods and food service customer base. She has more than 15 years’ rich experience in various techno commercial roles and in people management. She has extensive knowledge of application of proteins and other food ingredients in various food formats. She has authored and published multiple technical articles in leading journals on Plant-Based foods, Food Ingredient applications and Protein Nutrition. Along with leading innovation team, she is also the Regional Product Manager of Functional Systems in DuPont responsible for execution of Systems Business Unit strategy and managing P&L of this product line to maximize regional growth and profitability. She has master’s in food technology from CFTRI, Mysore.
Abhay Rangan has been a champion of animal rights in India since the age of 16. After running a successful non-profit focused on veganism throughout his teen years, he launched Goodmylk in 2016 with a mission of making affordable cruelty-free dairy alternatives. Rangan originally created each Goodmylk product with his mother in their home kitchen, but their plant-based foods now reach thousands of families across the country. Goodmylk is one of India's leading plant based dairy companies. They create delicious, functional and accessible dairy products made from plants, that are designed to replace animal based dairy products at scale.
Kevin is focused on discovering new sources of plant proteins and improving processes to create superior plant protein ingredients. His passion lies in connecting seemingly unrelated dots across sectors to create solutions that make ingredients and food products more joyful and healthy. Kevin has a techno-commercial background with a Master’s degree in Management from Institute of Rural Management, Anand (IRMA) and M.Sc. in Biotechnology. He has an extensive experience in innovation, supply chain setup and new product development in industries like food , beverage and nutraceutical ingredients.
Ashish is passionate about building sustainable solutions in food and agriculture and strongly believes in the huge potential of building businesses which are good for consumers, producers and environment. An alumnus of ISB, Hyderabad and BITS, Pilani , Ashish has over 15 years of experience across pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, and food and beverage industries in international business development, strategy and product development.
Natasa joined Wenger Manufacturing Inc. in 2018 as a Process Technologist. With a background in Chemistry (B.S., Le Moyne College, US) and Chemical Engineering (M.Sc, North-West University, S. Africa) Natasa has worked in various roles within the extrusion industry. The potential impact of extrusion in food security sparked her interest in the technology and its utilization across various industry sectors to improve lives and transform processing. As a result, she has been advising and supporting companies on extrusion processing technologies since 2012.
Dr. Ezhil Subbian co-founded String and currently serves as the CEO. String’s purpose is to commercialize next generation ingredients that enable sustainability and traceability in evolving value chains. String, as one of the world leaders in gas fermentation, has a strong IP protected platform called SIMP (String Integrated Methane Platform) that enables production of high-quality protein ingredients using methane. String’s proprietary platform leverages advances in synthetic biology, fermentation technology, chemistry and process engineering. Ezhil’s work is driven by a passion to deliver sustainable and cost-effective solutions for real world problems. Ezhil has 15+ years of experience in development and scale up of various bio- based products using a fermentation platform. Ezhil was part of early technology development at three different companies in the biobased sector in the US. All three companies have had successful IPOs. Ezhil brings to String first-hand knowledge of solutions that work and bottlenecks that plague biobased product commercialization. Ezhil’s work was most recently recognized with the Women Transforming India Award 2018 from United Nations/NITI Aayog. Ezhil has a B.Tech in Industrial Biotechnology from Anna University, India and a PhD in Molecular Biology & Biochemistry from Oregon Health and Sciences University, Oregon.
Dhruvi majored in Journalism with a degree in Mass Media from Jai Hind College, Mumbai and has been helping brands make connections for the last 4 years. Her experience includes heading Marketing and Partnerships for Wishberry – India’s biggest crowdfunding platform for creative artists with the goal to democratize art. She has also consulted in business and creative development for textile, sports, hospitality, and fashion companies in India. She is interested in social entrepreneurship and building brands that DO good!
Jeroen is Innovation Manager Protein Shift at Foodvalley NL, influencing the future of protein and supporting companies looking to make an impact in – and profit from – the business of sustainable proteins. Many know Jeroen as ‘the green protein commissioner of the Netherlands’. At Wageningen University & Research he developed novel protein extraction and texturing techniques. 2009 saw him co-found Ojah, producer of a revolutionary new generation of meat analogues. In 2016, Jeroen started the Green Protein Alliance and, one year later, Foodvalley’s Innovation and Business Network, The Protein Cluster. Both platforms continue to shape the European plant-protein ecosystem.
As Program Manager Proteins for Life at Wageningen University & Research, Dr. Stacy Pyett is responsible for aligning protein-related research to stakeholder needs. Stacy is committed to making our protein systems more sustainable and equitable, and to maintaining a science-based and nuanced dialogue in what can be a contentious domain.
Naveen Sikka is the founder and CEO of TerViva, a Series-D agriculture technology company that is building the world’s most sustainable supply chain of plant protein and vegetable oil. Utilizing experience in management consulting, technology, natural resources, and agriculture, Naveen established TerViva to understand and extend the benefits of the ancient pongamia tree’s protein and oil-packed beans. Naveen and TerViva have been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Food Navigator, Growing Produce, All About Feed, Food Business News, and Pacific Business News, among other leading publications. He completed his MBA from UC Berkeley where he co-chaired the development of the Berkeley Energy and Resources Collaborative (BERC) in collaboration with Lawrence Berkeley Lab to evaluate its existing portfolio of commercial technologies. Prior to earning his MBA, Naveen worked as a management consultant at Gemini Consulting and TPI. He graduated as a Class Senior Marshal with a BA from Columbia University, during which time he studied and worked in France and West Africa. He is a mentor and member of Environmental Entrepreneurs and the New Innovators Council of the World Resources Institute.
Dr. Sandhya Sriram is the CEO and co-founder of Shiok Meats Pte. Ltd., Singapore. Sandhya is a stem cell scientist with over 10 years of experience working with muscle, adipose, cells, and stem cells. After graduating with a Ph.D. from Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, Sandhya pursued her postdoc at A*STAR in Singapore. Following 4 years of postdoctoral work, she took up business development at a research institute. Alongside this, she co-founded 2 companies, Biotech In Asia and SciGlo. Sandhya has been featured on Forbes Women in Tech for her entrepreneurial ventures, a TEDx speaker, and is an author for the Nature Biotechnology blog. Currently, Sandhya and Dr. Ka Yi Ling, her co-founder and CTO of Shiok Meats, are working on cell-based meat (seafood), based out of Singapore.
Ravali is the founder of Brew51, a precision fermentation-based alternative seafood startup. Prior to founding Brew51 in 2020, Ravali was as a product manager at Fourth Frontier, a biomedical wearables startup, where she spent four years researching the product, developing it, managing its development and finally helping launch it in the US, UK and in India. During her time at Fourth Frontier, she experienced the entire lifecycle of how a world-class consumer product is built and sold, which gave her the confidence to become an entrepreneur. Ravali is an engineer by training having received a B.Tech in electrical engineering and an M.Tech in biomedical engineering from IIT Madras in 2014 and 2015 respectively.
Anushi is a formally trained Industrial Designer with a focus on sustainability, food-systems and functionality. She has spent seven years designing apps, websites and packaging for customers in the FMCG and Consulting Space. She has also trained as a Chef in the fine-dining space. Her experience working in sustainable design and food-service has culminated into the founding of Soft Spot. A company that develops and manufactures plant-based cheeses.
Kartik is the CEO and co-founder at EVO Foods. An environmental vegan since three years and an entrepreneur at heart, Kartik had previously worked on an online grocery delivery platform and India’s first cultivated meat company. He was also featured in YourStory, Forbes, The telegraph etc. Being an ardent proponent of sustainability, traceability and safety in food, he is instrumental in building up the plant-based and cell-based substitutes sector in India and he represented our country at the first european conference on new protein in Berlin. He is also one of the youngest fellows of the startup leadership program, which is a highly selective, world-class training program for outstanding founders, leaders, and innovators and got into MIT Innovation and Entrepreneurship bootcamp 2020.
Shraddha is the COO and co-founder at EVO Foods. A passionate foodie and vegan, she also owns and operates a vegetarian restaurant and bar in Mumbai called Candy & Green. Her entrepreneurial spirit has been recognized by the likes of Forbes who have included her in their 30 under 30 list for 2018. An avid sustainability activist she has given a TEDx talk and serves as the Sustainability and CSR head for the National Restaurant Association of India. Through Evo Foods, Shraddha aims to provide sustainable and cruelty free food options to the end consumer.
After working for 6 years in some of the top hotel speciality restaurants, Prakarshi left the comfortable chaos of the kitchen job to find a deeper meaning. He wanted to use his work experience to create a significant social impact which led him to working as the Chief of Innovations at PlantMade. PlantMade, founded with a noble idea of creating a sustainable business by providing products that lead humans and the planet towards a better health. Backed by research from some of the most ambitious and creative minds of IIT-D; Business Expertise of one of the most successful software company’s founder and his team. Food and Flavour Expertise from some of the most passionate and driven Chefs.
Sandeep is a food-tech investor involved with multiple sustainable food source startups Internationally. Sandeep is currently the MD & Promoter of Alkem Labs (Revenues of $1 B, Market cap of 30k cr). He has been working with Alkem for the last 16 years in multiple business leadership.
Kunal is trained in biotechnology but has developed a strong background in experimental biophysics and colloidal sciences over the course of his PhD thesis investigations to uncover 'Physical Insights into Biological and Non-Biological Self- Organization'. He has previously collaborated with partner labs in India (Dr. Suresh Bhat, NCL, Pune and Dr. Surajit Dhara, Central University, Hyderabad) and abroad (Prof. Junpei Yamanaka, Nagoya City University, Japan).
Ansuman is a trained Electronics and Management student. Over time he has developed strong prototyping and analytic skills which placed him as Chief Technology Officer at FemtoFarad Private Limited. Throughout his career, he has been in continuous exposure to startup culture which made him curious about solving challenges in real-time. He has strong competency in Electronics, management and algal culture and purification.
Starlene is co-founder and managing partner at Green Artha, a climate-focused innovation firm and investment fund that creates virtuous cycles between capital and opportunities to scale. She is also the founder of Cleantech Women’s Innovation Network (CleantechWIN), Climate Editor for Business India and mentor for Climate Launch Pad, Sangam Ventures and the Powered Accelerator. Prior to Green Artha, Starlene led early stage cleantech investments at Sangam Ventures and was simultaneously the founding CEO of AIC Sangam Innovation Foundation where she established India’s first dedicated cleantech incubator and accelerator, resulting in an 80% funding rate. Starlene has been part of the founding leadership of two tech-for-development startups in India and scaled Orphans International/Better Future International to seven countries, receiving awards from UNDP and several national governments. She started her career at Landmark Advisors, a New York hedge fund that she helped grow from $80mn to $880mn
Paolo Bray has been engaged for the last 30 years in protecting endangered species and in environmental conservation activities. He is currently Director of International Programs – Dolphin-Safe project / Earth Island Institute and Founder and Director of World Sustainability Organization and the Friend of the Sea certification programme. Over his almost 30 years of experience in conservation, Bray has helped start and develop several certification projects. The Dolphin-Safe project has been the pioneer of all certifications of products from sustainable fisheries. Dolphin-Safe helped save millions of dolphins from being killed by tuna fisheries deliberately targeting also dolphins. In 2008, Bray created Friend of the Sea, currently the major international sustainability certification programme for seafood, aquaculture, Omega3, shipping, whale and dolphin-watching, and other products and services to act on potential impacts on the marine habitat. It is the only independent certification, nationally and CE accredited, covering both fisheries and aquaculture. In 2016, Bray created Friend of the Earth, a major international certification programme for products from Sustainable Agriculture and Farming. Dozens of companies from all continents obtained the Friend of the Earth certification, including producers of rice, eggs, wine, oil, dairy products, quinoa, coffee, etc. Paolo Bray studied at the International Sevenoaks School of Kent, UK, and graduated in International Politics at Bocconi Economics University of Milan. Bray lived and travelled all over the world and his international and pragmatic approach to sustainability, and his dedication to conservation projects, helped to establish organisations aimed to achieve important and tangible environmental protection results. He is often invited as speaker at the major FAO meetings and other institutes conferences.
Rajesh Kasturirangan is the co-founder of Socratus, which seeks to be the midwife of collective wisdom. Socratus is particularly interested in solutions that combine moral and material complexity. In addressing these wicked problems, Socratus brings our expertise in cognitive science, data and design to create spaces in which communities align and commit to solutions. These spaces are new learning and problem solving environments that make complex problems more viscerally salient to participants, whether area experts or learners. Rajesh is a mathematician and cognitive scientist, where he brings an interdisciplinary approach to his work, combining mathematical theory, philosophy and experimentation. He has worked on theoretical questions in consciousness and cognition as well as cross-species research on animal minds. Writing for a popular audience, he has applied these ideas to analyse phenomena in Indian society such as corruption. He has a Phd in Cognitive Science from MIT.
Baljit Ghotra is the Vice President of food research at ADM. In this role, he oversees research planning and its execution to support ADM’s strategy to accelerate innovation and growth. Based in Decatur, Illinois, he leads and works closely with teams of researchers and scientists exploring new ways to make food delicious and nutritious. In this effort, he supports the company’s goals of becoming a leading solutions provider for customers and consumers who are seeking new products based on proteins, carbohydrates, oils and lipids, and other specialty ingredients that are applied in food, beverage, personal care, pet foods, animal nutrition and pharmaceutical industries. Baljit Ghotra joined ADM in 2016 and has led strategic efforts of building high performing research teams and strengthening food science and technology platform to carry out end-to-end Ingredient and product innovation. Prior to ADM, he spent 20+ years in industry at various positions in research and manufacturing, including most recent position at Cargill texturizing solutions, and prior experiences at Ingredion and Mondelez International. He had also received a distinguished award from Alberta Ingenuity, Canada to fund a technology commercialization of cereal beta-glucans, that he also co-patented (acquired, Naturex 2008). He holds a PhD degree focused on grain science and technology from University of Alberta, Canada.
Rajesh Krishnamurthy has spent more than 23 years of his professional career building businesses in US and in India. His career spans across biotech, pharma, and other technology industries. He has a MS in Environmental Engineering from Texas Tech University and an MBA from ISB Currently as Chief Business Officer at Richcore Lifesciences, he heads global business development, strategic partnerships, and marketing. He also leads a dedicated team within Richcore to innovate products and services to enable fast growing novel cell & fermentation based protein industry.
With GREENEST, Gaurav is on a mission to bring about a mammoth change in the way people consume protein and wants to contribute in building the plant-based food space in India by creating the next generation of [plant-based meals to improve tge butrition, taste abd environmental footprint of our food.
Dr CRK Reddy is currently CEO at the Indian Centre for Climate and Societal Impact Research (ICCSIR), Shri Vivekanand Research and Training Institute (VRTI), Mandvi,Kutchchh, Gujarat. Before this, he held a post of DBT Energy Biosciences Chair Professor at DBT-ICT Centre for Energy Biosciences, Institute of Chemical Technology, Mumbai and the post of Chief Scientist at CSIR-CSMCRI, Bhavnagar, Gujarat, wherein he had spent more than two decades working exclusively on marine macroalgae (seaweeds) for their cultivation, utilisation, downstream process, etc. Also spearheaded the outreach programmes for the benefit of society. His core expertise is in cellular biotechnology of seaweeds for genetic improvement and micro-propagation of economically important seaweeds. His research contributions on cellular biotechnology of seaweeds have brought worldwide recognition and a distinct standing in the field. He has further expanded his research interests encompassing the valorisation of seaweed biomass for food, feed, chemicals and fuel applications in biorefinery model. The biorefinery models demonstrated at lab scale for all three major groups of seaweeds also fetched him the domain expertise. He had a very long successful career and the research outputs got him several recognitions including awards, fellowships and served various advisory committees. Also serving the Journal of Applied Phycology, Springer Nature and Algal Research, Elsevier as an editorial board member and handled several national and international collaborative projects, delivered several invited talks at national and international conferences and symposia besides organizing few workshops and conferences. He had also led active academic activities teaching course work for PhD students and supervised more than 10 students for PhD in addition to guiding several postgraduate students in their dissertation studies. He holds a distinguished record with established scientific credentials in S&T authoring 90 publications in SCI journals of high repute, 18 book chapters, 3 patents, and 4 books (some are edited). His research works have undoubtedly contributed to the advancement of phycological research at national and international level.
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Alexander Mathys, a food technologist, received a doctoral degree in food processing in 2008. Since 2015, he has been Assistant Professor (Tenure Track) in Sustainable Food Processing at ETH Zurich, Switzerland, where he is focusing on more efficiency and sustainability of value chains in food and feed. His current research focuses on material and energetic utilization of plant based side streams, micro process engineering and extrusion for tailored structure formation and synthesis, innovative multi hurdle technologies for gentle preservation of healthy and high quality food, novel protein sources from algae and insects to improve food security as well as multi indicator sustainability assessment as basic analysis in food processing. Dr. Mathys was Head of the Bioeconomy Department at German Institute of Food Technologies DIL with 10 direct report in 2012-2015. He was expert in non-thermal preservation and sterilization technologies at the Nestlé Research Centre Lausanne in 2009-2012. Dr . Mathys is the author of more than 80 publications (60 peer review articles, 10 patent applications, 9 book chapters, 1 book, >30 conference papers) and he has attended more than 100 international conferences. He has won several prestigious research awards from the International Union of Food Science and Technology ((IUFoST); International Congress on Engineering and Food (ICEF); Institute of Food Technologists (IFT); and European High Pressure Research Group (EHPRG). Furthermore Dr. Mathys was selected IFT W.K. Kellogg International Food Security Award Winner 2020; Young Researcher of the 60th Meeting of Nobel Laureates 2010; Einstein Young Scholar 2010; and A.T. Kearney Scholar 2011/2012 at the Falling Walls conferences.
Bill Greuel is Protein Industry Canada’s CEO.Bill’s combined passions for agriculture and innovation were the driving forces behind his career. Initially, this led him to private sector jobs at a biotech start-up, in the canola industry and at a large multi-national agriculture company. Bill then transitioned to the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture, where he worked as a Provincial Oilseed Specialist, Research and Development Manager and Executive Director of Crops and Irrigation Branch before accepting the role of Assistant Deputy Minister, Regulatory and Innovation. While growing up on a farm and throughout his career, Bill saw first-hand the opportunity for growth in Canada’s agriculture industry. As CEO of Protein Industry Canada, Bill helps Canada’s plant-protein sector realize this potential by leading the development of Protein Industry Canada’s programs, resources and initiatives. His efforts have also helped make the supercluster an instrumental player in the plant-protein landscape.
Dr. Lingyun Chen is a Full Professor in the Dept. of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science at the University of Alberta and Canada Research Chair (Tier 2) in Plant Protein Structure Function. She has significantly advanced the understanding of plant protein structure underlying their functionality, and the generated knowledge has been applied to develop protein ingredients of improved physicochemical, nutritional, sensory, and functional properties towards health food applications. Another area of interest is to develop biodegradable materials from agricultural residues for packaging, composites and other industrial applications. Dr. Chen’s research program, together with its state-of-the-art equipment has become a center of expert to support growth of protein industries in western Canada by providing analytical service of protein structure and functionality characterizations, and assist in technology innovations and protein value-added product development. Dr. Chen has been awarded 2020-21 Killam Annual Professors at the University of Alberta. She has 150 refereed journal publications and more than 100 conference presentations in food and biodegradable materials areas, and holds several patent and patent applications in plant protein food application area.. She is also leading and chairing protein symposiums/sessions in international conferences including AOCS, ACS and IFT.
Chirag is the Founder of Supplant Foods, where he is all about customer and end-user focused product development. He spends a lot of time with formulators and customers, to understand their needs and desires and then works with the team at Supplant to develop alliances and in-house solutions to these challenges. He has a background in formulating for the bakery and meat analog industry, and is well connected in the food industry both in India and globally. At Supplant Foods, the company has developed a highly functional and completely flavorless chickpea flour which addresses the trinity of needs of the plant-based space: Better taste, better nutrition and affordability. The company’s ingredients have been well received in applications including plant-based dairy, plant-based egg, bakery and ready snacks. Chirag and his team plan to use this same approach of nutrition, good taste and affordability to the new ingredients they will be laughing in 2021. Chirag has a degree in Materials Science from Northwestern University, and completed a Management program at the Kellogg School of Management.
Didier Toubia is the Co-Founder and CEO of Aleph Farms, a cultivated meat company that is shaping the future of food by growing slaughter-free beef steaks directly from cow cells, preserving natural resources, and avoiding the use of antibiotics. Prior to Aleph Farms, Didier co-founded and led IceCure, which went public in 2010, and served as the CEO of NLT Spine, which was acquired by SeaSpine in 2016. Didier was trained as a Food Engineer and Biologist and holds a joint executive MBA from Kellogg and Recanati. He is also co-Founder of BlueTree and Yeap.
CEO and co-founder 3F BIO Ltd - passionately excited by the opportunity for ABUNDA® mycoprotein to address a growing market need. 3F BIO’s purpose is “to make protein sustainable” and the company address this by growing mycoprotein, an existing advantaged ingredient with an established market role, more sustainably and at a lower cost than all other protein options Jim has 30 years’ experience in food with roles for Unilever, PepsiCo and Premier Foods and is motivated by the combination of innovation, biotechnology and collaboration to create sustainable large-scale food solutions. Jim is a reducitarian who celebrates the potential for the food industry to work together to firstly reduce reliance and then remove the need for animal-based products.
Manish Shukla, is leading, efforts in Reliance on synthetic biology-based innovation to develop & commercialize Algal protein & ingredients as a sustainable alternate for business & society. Previously in Reliance R&D he has established platforms to develop robust understandings on the metabolomics and proteomics of Algae, to optimize their productivity for commercial use. He has over 17 years of experience in leading various research and commercial areas of Biotechnology such as understanding radiation resistance with applications to extraterrestrial life, using cross functional platforms and technologies for understanding and improving Algal physiology for productivity. He has a PhD from M.S.U. Baroda in Microbiology and a Post Doc from L.S.U. Batonrouge and TIFR, Mumbai.
Prior to joining IIMA in 2017, Ranjan Ghosh worked and taught at the Department of Economics and Business Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) Uppsala, Sweden. He holds a PhD in Resource Economics from Humboldt University Berlin, Germany and has been an affiliated researcher with the Elinor Ostrom Workshop, Indiana University Bloomington. He is currently the country lead of United Nations-Sustainable Development Solutions Network (UN-SDSN) and IIASA led Food, Agriculture, Biodiversity, Land and Energy (FABLE) consortium under the global Food and Land Use (FOLU) Coalition. He has worked as an advisor/consultant with The Nature Conservancy, Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF), United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), MS Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF), German Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and Swedish Research Council (FORMAS). He has published his research in reputed international journals such as Global Food Security, Journal of Agricultural Economics, Land Use Policy, Energy Policy, Journal of Development Studies, Journal of Cleaner Production and Resources Conservation and Recycling. He is an Associate Editor of the journal Frontiers in Environmental Science. His interests lie in the interface of sustainable food systems transformation and natural resource management.
Michelle Egger is the Co-Founder and CEO of BIOMILQ, a biotechnology startup creating human breast milk outside the body. She recently earned her MBA from Duke University and has an bachelor of science in Food Science from Purdue University. As a diversely experienced food scientist focused on dairy, she was driven to solve global food security and malnutrition from a young age. During her time with General Mills, she worked on dairy fermentation, formulation, and processing. She was involved in finding ways to improve dairy products globally, everywhere from US school cafeterias to processing plants in Ethiopia. Michelle had the opportunity to join the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation on their Global Nutrition Team shortly thereafter and explored strategies to create affordable plant-based protein sources for low-and-middle-income-countries by collaborating with start-ups and suppliers to work upstream in preventing stunting in babies through higher nutritional ROI food products. Michelle believes that providing all infants with optimal nutrition in their first 1,000 days of life should be a human right for every parent, and BIOMILQ is on a mission to do just that. As female entrepreneurs, Michelle and her co-founder Leila aim to set an example for other women leaders to harness their scientific talents in pursuing missions vital to our world. Michelle lives in North Carolina, where she is building the BIOMILQ team.
Srinivas is President of Global Entrepreneurship Network (GEN) India. With over 25 years of international experience in product strategy, product management & BD, his true passion is helping startups to scale and creating thriving powerful communities. He is best known as the Co-Founder of T-Hub, India’s best known startup engine in Hyderabad, that currently runs India's largest incubator; a leading Corporate Innovation division that runs programs for the likes of Boeing, Facebook, United Technologies, HSBC etc; and international Market Access programs that help startups go global. A thought-leader with in-depth knowledge of the startup ecosystem, Srinivas has successfully built a strong global community that includes startups, incubators & accelerators, investors, corporates, Govt organizations and others. Srinivas is a Member of the CII National Startup Council, Board Member of GEN Space, on the S. Asia Advisory Board for the Dalai Lama Center for Ethics at MIT, advisor to several governments & organizations on building startup ecosystems, and an angel investor.
Dr. N. Madhusudhana Rao is the CEO of Atal Incubation Centre – Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology at Hyderabad. A PhD in Biochemistry from National Institute of Nutrition, Hyderabad, Dr Rao also holds a Master’ in Agriculture from Punjab. His has rich career in protein engineering and cell biology of gene delivery. Rao during his tenure as a Chief Scientist at CCMB, coordinated several multi-institutional projects involving various Indian and international institutes including Purdue, Deakin, Kumamoto, National Institute Standards and Technology, Roswell Park Cancer Institute etc. Rao holds 12 US patents and is keen on developing processes for technology transfers.
Dreamer, Entrepreneur, Nature lover, Mother, Passionate Foodie – these are the many facets that come together to define Akanksha. A deep and abiding interest in healthy living, nutrition and diets led her to pursue a degree in Nutrition and Dietics. The ill effects of animal proteins on health are subjects that are of particular interest to her. As co-founder of BVEG Foods, a company specializing in plant-based proteins, she is pursuing her vision of good health for all including the planet, by creating products that are high on the nutrition, wholesomeness, health and taste quotient. She is committed to the cause of a greener planet by embracing practices that are more humane, ecologically benign and socially responsible.
Andrew founded Big Idea Ventures and invests and builds companies in the alternative protein and plant based sectors as part of their first fund - the New Protein Fund. Andrew has invested in more early stage / pre-seed food companies than most other investors worldwide, and is about climate change, animal welfare and sustainability. Andrew is focused on innovation, developing high-growth businesses opportunities and as a business advisor in multiple verticals. Andrew serves on the Tufts Nutrition Council advisory board, is a Friedman School Entrepreneurship Advisor. A Harvard Business School graduate and Procter & Gamble brand management trained. Andrew is also an author and currently has a bestselling book, ‘Choose Your Startup: Funding Your Company’ in the startups and entrepreneurial categories on Amazon. His first product design, the X-IT Ladder, is in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.
Chirag Jain is an entrepreneur and the CEO of Ashika Capital Lmited (ACL), part of the larger Ashika Group, a 26 year old financial services firm based in Mumbai. ACL is a future focused Investment Bank working to help companies raise money through debt or equity. As an Investment Banker, he and his team have been responsible for closing transactions worth more than USD 250mn in a short span of 3 years. Chirag is passionate about the startup ecosystem in India and has invested in multiple businesses, including the likes of Jugnoo, House of Masaba, Drivezy, Arata, etc. He is the founding Managing Trustee of Gyanada Foundation, an NGO that works towards providing better access to education to the underprivileged girl children in India. Till date, Gyanada has supported more than 130 girls across 5 cities in India. Gyanada is also pioneering computer coding curriculum for schools for students of low income families. He is also a part of the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Global Shapers Community and an active member of YPO. He is an All India Rank holder Chartered Accountant from ICAI and is a Bachelor’s in Commerce (Hons) from St. Xavier’s College, Kolkata.
Christine Gould is the Founder and CEO of Thought For Food®️, the world’s next-generation innovation engine for food system transformation. To date, Thought For Food®️ have helped launch 60+ startups that collectively raised $200M+, accelerated 5K+ new deep-tech ventures and built a global community of 20K+ Millennial and GenZ innovators from 170+ countries across the globe. Christine is a visionary leader and community builder, who is known for injecting energy, creativity and diverse perspectives into how we solve our food system’s most important challenges. She has spent her career in the agriculture industry, including a role as the former Head of Next-Gen Innovation at Syngenta, and leadership positions in Market Development, Sustainability, External Affairs at multi-billion global companies and startup unicorns around the world. Christine has been awarded as a UN Global Champion and Ashoka Changemaker and serves as a board member of reNature Foundation, Association for Vertical Farming, and Young Professionals in Ag Development.
Marten van den Berg is the Ambassador of the Netherlands to India, Nepal and Bhutan. Prior to his appointment as Ambassador, he served as the Director General, Foreign Economic Relations at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Netherlands from 2015-2018. Ambassador Berg studied Economics at the Erasmus University in Rotterdam and was part of a Programme for Public Management at the University of Maryland, US and the Programme for Senior Executives of State and Local Government, John F. Kennedy School, Harvard University, USA. His first entry into public life was as the Senior Policy Advisor of General Technology Policy, Ministry of Economic Affairs. His subsequent posts included, Deputy Chairman of the Working Group Technology Transfer at the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), Adjunct Secretary General at the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Deputy Director Spatial Economic Policy. In 2001, he was appointed Economic Minister at the Netherlands Embassy in Washington; and returned to the Ministry of Economic Affairs as Deputy Director General of Foreign Economic Relations in 2004. In 2008, he was also appointed as the Director of Economic Diplomacy at the Ministry. In 2012, Ambassador Berg was appointed as the Deputy Director General Foreign Economic Relations and then as the Director General Foreign Economic Relations in 2015
Ilse van Dijl is the acting agricultural counsellor at the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in New Delhi, where she focuses on topics such as agtech collaboration, climate smart agriculture, food losses and specific sectors such as horticulture, poultry and plant-based protein. Before coming to India, Ilse worked in Brussels and at the Netherlands Ministry of Agriculture on agricultural policy, quality standards, trade policy and innovation. An agricultural economist by training, Ilse studied in Wageningen, Belgium, Germany and the United States.
Dr Anand Bang is a Physician trained in Johns Hopkins University in Public Health as a Sommers Scholar. He is the Advisor to the Chief Minister of Maharashtra for Social policies, project and partnerships; Advisor Health to the Tata Trusts and Member of the Executive Commitee of Society for Education, Action and Research in Community Health, an NGO working in teh Gadchiroli district of Maharashtra for past 33 years provoding health care and conducting research.
Indra Nooyi is the former Chairperson and CEO of PepsiCo (2006-2019); a Fortune 50 company with operations in over 180 countries. In this role, she was the chief architect of Performance with Purpose, PepsiCo’s pledge to do what’s right for the business by being responsive to the needs of the world around us. Currently, Mrs. Nooyi is a member of the board of Amazon and sits on the Audit Committee. She serves on the Global Leadership Board at edX, the world’s leading nonprofit online education platform. She is a member of the International Advisory Council of Temasek, an independent director of the International Cricket Council and is a member of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences. She is also a Dean’s Advisory Council member at MIT’s School of Engineering and a member of the MIT Corporation. Additionally, she is the Class of 1951 Chair for the Study of Leadership at West Point where she helps enhance the ability of both the Department of Behavioral Sciences and Leadership and the U.S. Military Academy to fulfill the mission of developing leaders of character. Lastly, she co- chaired the Reopen Connecticut Task Force in 2020.
Dustin is the VP of Sales at Merit Functional Foods, a new Plant-based protein start-up that is launching its high purity, Non-GMO Pea & Canola Protein ingredients into the market later this year. Merit has licensed patented extraction and purification technology, and is in the final stages of building a new, state of the art 94,000 square foot facility in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada to commercialize these new/ novel proteins. With over 12 years of sales leadership experience within the industry, Dustin has primarily specialized in protein ingredient solutions (both dairy & Plant-based) for food, beverage and nutrition companies globally. With his experience in proteins, Dustin will be leading the commercial efforts for Merit, and is excited to bring new innovation opportunities to formulators and brands looking to expand their offerings to consumers in the Plant-based space.
Wayne is a Professional Engineer with a degree in agriculture with more than 20 years of international experience working in agriculture and food processing in developing economies. Wayne has extensive experience in leading Mera Food Research and Development. He has successfully patented hydro-dynamic cavitation technology to breakdown protein rich seeds into a full fibre protein paste or beverage. In contrast to existing technologies, the technology developed under Wayne’s leadership, uses whole seeds by eliminating de-hulling stage. There are no by-products or waste and no additives except water are required. Mr. Goranson led the work on designing, obtaining required certification, fabricating Mera plant protein processing unit with capacity of 1000 Liters per hour (SP1000). The SP1000 has been commissioned at Mera facility in the Dominican Republic and used for commercial and humanitarian purposes. Examples of validation of Mera’s technologies and R&D capacity come from research and product co-development with companies as large as Coca-Cola, Rica to prairie producers such as Richardson and some small local producers. Coca-Cola Product Research & Development Team has jointly worked with Mera Food at Mera plant in the Dominican Republic to produce 6,000 Litres of flavored beverages to be distributed in the Coca-Cola network. In addition, Mera Food production facility supported humanitarian initiatives by providing rapid and cost-efficient solutions to alleviate protein deficiency and deliver essential vitamins, fibre and minerals to undernourished people in Dominican Republic and Haiti. Mera Food has successfully delivered over 150,000 servings of plant protein based beverage to Dominican and Haitian schools, and 210,000 servings at five different penitentiaries in Haiti. Mera was the first organization delivering food aid after hurricane Matthew. Mera's efforts have been acknowledged by the Ambassador of Canada in Haiti and the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti.
Hon. Poonam Mahajan is a Member of Parliament elected to the Lok Sabha from Mumbai (North-Central) Maharashtra. She is also the National President of Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha, the Youth Wing of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). She holds important posts such as the Member of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs, and the Consultative Committee on the Ministry of Textiles. She is also the Chairperson of the Indo-Israel FICCI Forum of Parliamentarians, and the Patron of the Mumbai Youth Forum. Smt. Mahajan believes strongly in the Public-Politician Partnership, and has worked with the public on solving problems in her constituency, and the country at large. Her core areas of interest include urban infrastructure, gender equality, nutrition, sanitation, animal welfare, farmer incomes, and environment conservation.
Dr. K VijayRaghavan FRS is a distinguished professor and former director of the National Centre for Biological Sciences. With several laurels to his name, he was appointed as the Principal Scietific Adviser to the Government of India in 2018. In 2012 he was elected a fellow of The Royal Society and in April 2014 he was elected as a foreign associate of the US National Academy of Sciences.He was conferred the Padma Shri on 26 January 2013 and is also a recipient of the Infosys Prize in the life sciences category in 2009.
Dr Renu Swarup is the Secretary, Government of India heading the Department of Biotechnology (DBT). She has served in Department of Biotechnology for nearly 29 years and was holding the position of Senior Advisor/Scientist ‘H’ until her current appointment. In addition, Dr. Swarup also holds the position of Chairperson, Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC), a Public Sector Company incorporated by the Government to nurture and promote innovation research in the Biotech Enterprise with special focus on Start-ups and SMEs. Dr. Swarup earned her PhD in the field of Genetics and Plant Breeding. She did her Post-Doctoral work with the Commonwealth Scholarship in the lab of Professor Roy Davies at the John Innes Centre, Norwich, UK.
Credited with many illustrious achievements in diplomacy and governance, Hon. Suresh Prabhu, has formerly served the Union Power, Railway, Commerce & Industry, and Civil Aviation Ministries. He is currently India’s Respected Emissary to the G20 Summits. On numerous occasions, he has been elected to the Lok Sabha and is an active member of the Rajya Sabha, consistently featured in the list of top five ministers, in terms of performance and accessibility. He is a part of 16 global organizations and 9 strategic dialogues, which include the UN Development Program, UN Committee of Biodiversity and the World Economic Forum to name a few.
Hon. Pinaki Misra is currently serving his fourth term as an elected Member of Parliament to the Lok Sabha from Puri, Odisha. He has been appointed as the leader of the Parliamentary Party in the Lok Sabha by the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), and is also the principal spokesperson for the party, both inside, and outside Parliament. He is a member of the Consultative Committee, Ministry of Electronics and Information & Technology, Ministry of Communication, Lok Sabha, as well as a Member of the Standing Committee on Finance, Lok Sabha, and a Member of the Standing Committee on Estimates, Lok Sabha. Shri Mishra is a designated Senior Advocate who has argued for a number of cases with the Supreme Court of India, High Courts all over India, and other Tribunals. He has been practicing law, primarily in criminal, civil, and commercial litigations as well as domestic, and international commercial arbitrations for the past 35 years.
Taylor Quinn is a social entrepreneur dedicated to designing and implementing nutritious low-cost plant-based food systems. He was JUST's Emerging Markets Director for 5 years, before spinning out his work into a social enterprise, Tailored Food. He moved to Liberia during the Ebola outbreak in 2015, and used his background as a food anthropologist and social entrepreneur to build and launch a Liberian-owned and operated business that produces nutritious low-cost delicious food (flavored cassava-based porridges) targeting consumers living in extreme poverty. Since then, he has taken this nutritious low-cost plant-based food approach to work in 10 countries and into new product categories, ranging from plant-based ground beef in Brazil to banana-leaf wrapped snack bars in the Congo.
Jen manages the expansion of GFI's Sustainable Seafood Initiative to ensure that it proceeds strategically and with the input and involvement of key stakeholders. Her academic background is in environmental economics and sustainable food systems and she most recently worked on federal climate policy advocacy. Jen holds a master’s in environmental management from Duke University’s Nicholas School of the Environment and a bachelor’s in economics and environmental studies from Wellesley College.
Shloka Nath is currently Head, Sustainability and Special Projects, at the Tata Trusts. In this role, Shloka leads the organization’s climate, energy and environment work, implementing and funding sustainable and scalable solutions that help both people and nature thrive through India. Shloka is also the Executive Director, of the India Climate Collaborative, an India-led platform founded in 2018 by a group of philanthropies interested in continuing to accelerate India’s development, while also exceeding its climate goals. Prior to this, Shloka co-founded and was Managing Partner, Sankhya Women Impact Funds India’s first women’s investor funds that focused on early stage enterprises impacting women. She is also the author of a book on Wildlife in India and a Senior Advisor to the World Wilderness Congress. Shloka is an active angel investor in social enterprises and has mentored organisations across sectors. She has spent over a decade in print and broadcast journalism with the BBC in London, New Delhi Television, and Forbes with a special emphasis on sustainability and financial inclusion. In 2010, Shloka was nominated for India's highest awards in journalism for her reportage on microfinance in India. In 2014, Shloka served as Campaign Manager for Meera Sanyal, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Candidate for Mumbai (South), for India's General Elections. Shloka has a Master in Public Policy from Harvard's Kennedy School of Government and a BSc in Government from The London School of Economics and Political Science.
Bruce oversees GFI’s global strategy, working with directors and international managing directors to ensure that GFI is maximally effective at implementing programs that deliver mission-focused results. Bruce is a TED Fellow, Y Combinator alum, and popular speaker on food innovation. He has penned op-eds for the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Los Angeles Times, Wired, and many other publications. He has appeared on The Today Show, NBC Nightly News, CBS Evening News, TED Radio Hour, New Yorker Radio Hour, and a variety of programs on MSNBC, Fox News, and CNN. Bruce's 2019 TED talk has been viewed two million times and translated into dozens of languages. He co-authored two books, contributed chapters to seven more, and has written seven law review articles. He graduated magna cum laude from Georgetown Law and also holds degrees from Johns Hopkins University and the London School of Economics.
Richard Parr MBE is the Managing Director of GFI Europe, based in the UK. He worked as Special Adviser to the UK Prime Minister between 2012 and 2016, and as Special Adviser to the Secretary of State for International Development from 2010-12 and 2016-18. In government, his main focus was on international development policy, and he worked closely on the formation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Nir leads The Good Food Institute’s stellar team in Israel. We are focusing our work on groundbreaking innovation and research, working with Israel’s government, universities, companies, startups and investors. We aim to promote Israel’s status as a global leader in alternative protein research, development and manufacturing. Nir has vast experience in promoting strategic plans in the food and agri fields. Prior to GFI, he worked as a consultant to startups, investors, government agencies, food manufacturers and NGOs at TASC and LEC, focusing on the Agrifood sector. Nir is a Fellow at the Heschel Center for Sustainability and a member of the Israeli Bar, previously worked at the Ministry of Justice and practiced intellectual property law at S. Horowitz. He holds an LLB law degree and an MBA from The Hebrew University in Jerusalem.
Gustavo lives and works in São Paulo, Brazil and is focused on developing and promoting Brazil's plant-based food industry. He has experience as a start-up strategist and is involved in the Brazilian entrepreneurship community. Gustavo worked with the Whirlpool Corporation for seven years, and he has a background in project management, product development, and marketing. He holds a bachelors degree in Business from Pontifical Catholic University of São Paulo.
Elaine established and manages The Good Food Institute Asia Pacific. She advises startups, corporates, and investors, from market trend to business model, bringing to the table both the global and Asia perspectives. She leads research projects and publications including industry reports and startup manuals, and works with scientists and policymakers to develop initiatives and partnerships. Elaine first tapped into the alternative protein sector through co-heading Green Monday’s international business development section and building what is now Green Monday Ventures in Hong Kong. Prior to that, Elaine had over a decade of experience in corporate and finance law, from IPO and M&A to structured products and investment funds, at Fidelity Worldwide Investment, Slaughter and May, and Simmons & Simmons. Elaine holds a Master of Science in Entrepreneurship from University of Washington, a Master’s in International Animal Welfare Policies & Laws from University of Edinburgh, and a LLB from King’s College London.
Chitresh Sinha is the CEO and Head of Innovation at chlorophyll innovation lab. He is a specialised design thinking practitioner with over 14 years of experience in solving complex brand, business and societal problems. He has helped create over 20 brands from scratch and has handled the end-to-end brand development for over 30 brands in 4 continents. He’s also founded The Plated Project, a unique social impact initiative that uses art to fight hunger.
Shubhankar Takle is the co-founder of Myoworks, a start-up focused on bridging the gap between lab and factory for the cultivated meat industy. He has experience working with Biomedical instrumentation and has a Bachelors of Science (Mechanical Engineering) Degree from Purdue University. He has been working to create an edible, scalable, and vegan scaffolding solution for the cultivated meat industry for the last two years. Along with this start-up, Shubhankar is deeply involved in operations of his family's retail gold and diamonds business. Shubhankar and his co-founder Mr Nihal Singh have also been involved in the surge of innovations in the so-called "Covid industry", pioneering an innovative face shield design. Along with being commercially viable, the face shields were appreciated by buyers for their ergonomic design and value
Rosie Wardle is Programme Director at the Jeremy Coller Foundation (JCF), heading up the Foundation’s strategic programmes to end factory farming. In December 2015, JCF launched the FAIRR (Farm Animal Investment Risk & Return) Initiative, which is working with major investors globally to put factory farming on the ESG agenda. FAIRR is currently backed by an investor group with combined assets of over $12 trillion, which is engaging on the financial risks linked to intensive livestock production from antibiotic resistance to greenhouse gas emissions and food safety. Rosie also acts as an Investment Associate at CPT Capital, the venture arm of Jeremy Coller’s private family office which invests in the food technology space. Investments include Memphis Meats, Impossible Foods, Perfect Day and Good Catch. Rosie holds a BA (Hons) and MA from the University of Oxford, and an MA from the Courtauld Institute.
Abhishek Sinha is the Co-Founder & CEO of GoodDot. A chemical engineer and an ex-senior taxation bureaucrat, he has wide expertise in strategic alignment, product development, process engineering and regulatory landscape. The ethical benefits of a plant-based lifestyle are the major driving force behind GoodDot's activities. With a focus on taste, price and shelf life of its products at room temperature, GoodDot has a unique and distinct approach to mainstream meat alternatives across the globe.
Rajeev Chitrabhanu is one of India's most well-respected CEOs, Investment Bankers & Investors. He served for many years at the C-level of financial services leader JM Financial (earlier JM Morgan Stanley). Rajeev has served on the advisory board of venture capital firms TPG, Bessemer Venture, Kae Capital for several years and helped take over 30 companies public. Personally, he has one of the strongest investment track records in consumer, tech and health-oriented companies - all of whom have gone on to raise Institutional capital and attain massive scale. Rajeev recently left as CEO of JM Financial Services (having helped build, a multi- billion-dollar market cap company) to set up an advisory lead investment firm called Magnetic. The firm helps founders achieve scale sustainably by focusing on go to market. Its areas of focus is consumer and tech -focused businesses. Rajeev has spent a significant amount of time diving into and establishing a network in the food tech and alternative protein ecosystem. As a mission-aligned business leader, Rajeev's skills, network, and goals are naturally applied in the business world to help transition away from animals in the food supply chain and other areas.
Varun Deshpande is the Managing Director for India at the Good Food Institute (GFI), where he is focused on building the future of food by working with scientists, foundations, governments, entrepreneurs, and corporations to advance the plant-based and cultivated protein sector. As the son of a cancer surgeon from Mumbai, Varun has been deeply immersed in healthcare and technology from a very young age. He spent several formative years studying Chemical and Biomedical Engineering at technology hub Carnegie Mellon University. He then went on to work on implementing digital health in India and the United States, helping vulnerable populations through care coordination, and a systems approach to healthcare. While in the United States, Varun learned about Effective Altruism, a philosophy which seeks to investigate and target the world's most pressing problems. He came to understand the tremendous impact of industrial animal agriculture on the world, and the imperative need to transition away from it using markets and technology. In dedicating his work to the future of protein and combining his duty to human and planetary health, Varun aims to help build a more healthy, sustainable, and just global food system, starting right here in India.
Siddharth holds a Master’s degree in Food Science from Rutgers University, USA and a Bachelor’s degree in Food Technology from Osmania University, India. Prior to joining GFI, Siddharth worked as a Food Scientist at JUST in San Francisco, and was a key contributor to formulating & manufacturing the JUST Egg (plant protein based egg). In addition, Siddharth has been a part of multiple Research & Development and Food Safety Internships with General Mills USA, Rutgers Food Incubation Center USA, and Nestlé India. At GFI India, Siddharth’s role as a science and technology specialist aligns well with his passion to leverage food science to create a nutritious, just, and sustainable food supply.
Shardul is fascinated by all things food! Over the past 8 years, he has studied food through the fields of Engineering, Applied Sciences, R&D, Entrepreneurship, Management and a highly complementary Liberal Arts. He is a Young India Fellow (YIF) from Ashoka University and has a Bachelors in Food Technology and Management from NIFTEM, MoFPI, Govt. of India. He has spent time as a researcher at Rutgers University (USA) and University of Saskatchewan (Canada). Shardul loves travelling & entrepreneurship and has been a Jagriti-Yatri in the past. At GFI India, Shardul works as an Innovation Specialist to accelerate early-stage innovation ecosystem for the smart protein sector and enable GFI's team of experts in shaping the future of food - efficiently, effectively and sustainably!
Nicole studied Economics at the University of Warwick, UK. Prior to joining GFI India, Nicole worked at Invest India, the National Investment Promotion and Facilitation Agency of the Government of India, as a primary advisor to lifesciences groups' looking to set-up or expand their presence in India. As a special project nomination via Invest India, she worked directly under the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India to launch the national innovation commercialization initiative AGNIi as an in-roads to greater cooperation between industry, government labs and academic institutions. Nicole brings experience in pharmaceuticals, biotechnology and technology commercialization to promote innovation in the plant-based, cultivated meat, eggs and dairy industry in India. Nicole is passionate about climate action and public health, which has led her to GFI India, in the hope to shape an Indian response to the biggest challenges of our lifetime.
With a deeply scientific background, Akshay holds a BSc in Biotechnology, from Bangalore University, a Masters in Medical Biochemistry, and a PhD in Cancer & Muscle Biology from the National University of Singapore. He was most recently a founder of FalconBio, a cancer drug delivery and services platform based out of Singapore. Akshay is an accomplished scientist and an entrepreneur with 7 years of experience in translational and cross-functional R&D projects with a focus on commercialization.