May 4 + 6, 2022
VIRTUAL SUMMIT 

LEADING THE EDGE OF FOOD INNOVATION

 
 

 

AGENDA

Tuesday, May 3rd

Pathway to a Sustainable Food System
Fostering collaboration for a resilient food system
Controlled Environment Agriculture
Aquaculture to increase food production
Proteins of the future
Investing in the future of food
Creating the Brands of the Future

In Person Happy Hour at the Sam Adams Boston Taproom, MA

Wednesday, May 4th

Alternative food: where next?
Food for the planet and the people
Food culture, media, and innovation
Creating value across the supply chain
Collaboration at the heart of Boston
Sustainable packaging
Supply chain of the future

All-day, In Person Watch Party at Silicon Valley Bank in Boston, MA

 
 

Thursday, May 5th

Precision nutrition
Functional food and personalized nutrition
Nutrition communication in times of innovation
Investing in Nutrition Innovation
Sustainable retailing
State of CPG and consumer trends
Food waste and circular economy


THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS

 
 
 

COMMUNITY PARTNERS

 
 
 

SCHEDULE

Day 1: Tuesday, May 3
10 AM - 6PM EST

Welcome to Food Edge and Opening Remarks - 10:00 AM - 10:05 AM
Lauren Abda, Founder at Branchfood and Co-Founder at Branch Venture Group

Pathway to a Sustainable Food System - 10:05 AM - 11:00 AM

  • Mary Shelman, Founder at Shelman Group

  • Stephanie Goodwin, Senior Manager, Government & Industry Affairs, Danone

From Agriculture to the End Consumer: Fostering Collaboration for a More Resilient Food System - 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM

  • Moderator: Evi Steyer, Co-Founder, Ponderosa Ventures

  • Karen Carr, Partner at ArentFox Schiff and co-lead of AgTech Industry Group

  • Phil Taylor, Global Open Innovation Lead at Bayer

  • Tracy Raines, Chief Innovation Officer at AgBiome

Virtual breakout session for attendees to reflect and exchange their insights - 12:00 PM - 12:30 PM

BREAK - 12:30 - 1:00 PM

Aquaculture: Producing Food in a Changing Environment - 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM

  • Moderator: Julianne Stelmaszyk, Director of Food Strategy at Rhode Island Commerce

  • Sam Garwin, Market Innovation Strategist at GreenWave

  • Duong Nguyen, Associate Dir. Research & Process Innovation at Bluu Seafood

  • Chip Terry, Founder & CEO at BlueTrace

Controlling the Environment for Sustained Food Production - 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM

  • Moderator: Henry Gordon-Smith, Founder & CEO at Agritecture

  • Tim Cunniff, Co-Founder & EVP Sales, Little Leaf Farms

  • Marcia Hooper, Co-Founder, Branch Venture Group

  • Craig Ratajczyk, CEO at Crop One Holdings (FreshBox Farms)

Virtual breakout session for attendees to reflect and exchange their insights - 3:00 PM - 3:30 PM

Investing in the Proteins of the Future to Feed the Growing Population - 3:30 PM - 4:00 PM
Stephanie von Stein, Senior Associate Director of International Engagement at the Good Food Institute

Proteins of the Future: Sustainably Feeding the Growing Population - 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM

  • Moderator: Megan Poinsky, Senior Food Dive Reporter at Industry Dive

  • Gastón Paladini, Co-Founder & CEO at Moolec Science

  • Derek Klaehn, EVP of Strategy & New Ventures, Kerry

  • Eric Schulze, VP of Product and Regulation at Upside Foods

Creating the Brands of the Future - 5:00 PM - 5:30 PM

  • Moderator: Tara Levine, Senior Advisor at Branchfood

  • Ravi Jhala, Global head of Commercial at Perfect Day

  • Lizanne Falsetto, Founder, CEO & Chairman, betterland foods™

Virtual breakout session for attendees to reflect and exchange their insights - 5:30 PM - 6:00 PM

Happy Hour at the Sam Adams Boston Taproom - 6:00 PM - 8:30 PM
Join us for a celebratory evening of networking and fun!

Day 2: Wednesday, May 4
10 AM - 6 PM EST

Alternative Protein: Where Next? - 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM

  • Moderator: Christine Hall, Reporter at TechCrunch

  • James Petrie, CEO at Nourish Ingredients

  • Paul Shapiro, CEO at The Better Meat Co.

  • Lance Lively, VP Strategy & Business Operations at EVERY™

Mutually Beneficial Food: for the Planet and the People - 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM

  • Moderator: Elizabeth Crawford, Deputy Editor at FoodNavigator-USA

  • Laurie Demeritt, Owner & CEO at Hartman Group

  • Paul Evers, Co-Founder & CEO at Riff

  • Sasikanth Chemalamudi, Co-Founder & COO at The Live Green Co

Virtual breakout session for attendees to reflect and exchange their insights - 12:00 PM - 12:30 PM

BREAK - 12:30 PM - 1:00 PM

Food Culture, Media & Innovation - 1:00 PM - 1:30 PM

  • Moderator: Tara Levine, Senior Advisor at Branchfood

  • Toni Tipton Martin, Editor In Chief at America's Test Kitchen, Award-Winning Cookbook Author

Creating Value Across the Food Supply Chain - 1:30 PM - 2:30 PM

  • Moderator: Shen Tong, Founder & Managing Partner, FoodFutureCo

  • Troy Pearley, EVP, General Manager, North America at Divine Chocolate

  • Jyoti Shankar, Principal Data Scientist at Indigo

  • Nicole Burke, Project Manager/Technology Scout at Kalsec

Innovation and Collaboration: Key Ingredients to Food System Sustainability - 2:30 PM - 3:00 PM

  • Moderator: Lauren Abda, Founder at Branchfood

  • Katie Stebbins, Executive Director at Tufts Friedman’s Food & Nutrition Innovation Institute

Virtual breakout session for attendees to reflect and exchange their insights - 3:00 PM - 3:30 PM

Sustainable Packaging Solutions for a Greener Food System - 3:30 PM - 4:30 PM

  • Moderator: Jennifer Bartashus, Senior Equity Research Analyst, Consumer Staples & Retail at Bloomberg Intelligence

  • Kate Flynn, Co-founder and CEO at Sun & Swell

  • Ryan Fox, Corrugated Packaging Market Analyst at Green Markets

  • Luna Yu, Founder & CEO, Genecis

Supply Chain Technologies of the Future - 4:30 PM - 5:30 PM

  • Moderator: Tom Ryden, Executive Director, MassRobotics

  • Elise Kern, SVP Data & Insights at Aromyx

  • Ellen Jorgensen, Co-Founder & CSO at Aanika Biosciences

  • Sam Hseng-Hung Hsu, Executive Vice President, Strategic Planning at Ecolab

Virtual breakout session for attendees to reflect and exchange their insights - 5:30 PM - 6:00 PM

Day 3: Thursday, May 5
10 AM - 4:40 PM EST

Look Inside One of the Century’s Most Promising Areas of Discovery: Precision Nutrition - 10:00 AM - 10:30 AM

  • Moderator: Elaine Watson, Editor at FoodNavigator-USA

  • Dariush Mozaffarian, Dean at the Tufts Friedman School of Nutrition

Functional Food and Personalized Nutrition for Better Health Outcomes - 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM

  • Moderator: Gretchen VanEsselstyn, Director of Education at the Specialty Food Association

  • Trey Lockerbie, Co-Founder & CEO at Better Booch

  • Lauren Abda, Co-Founder at Branch Venture Group

  • Ian Miller, Chief Development Officer at Pairwise

Nutrition Communications in Times of Rapid Innovation - 11:30 AM - 12:00 PM

  • Moderator: Stephanie Ferrari, Co-Founder & President at Fresh Communications

  • Emily Josephson, Marketing / Brand Management Noosa at Sovos Brands

  • Ralph Simmons, Regulatory Attorney at Foster Garvey

Investing in Nutrition Innovation - 12:00PM - 12:30 PM

  • Moderator: Larissa Zimberoff, Journalist and Author

  • Luda Kopeikina, Investment Director at DSM Venturing

Virtual breakout session for attendees to reflect and exchange their insights - 12:30 PM - 1:00 PM

BREAK: virtual networking - 1:00 PM - 1:30 PM

Sustainable Retailing for the People and the Planet - 1:30 PM - 2:30 PM

  • Moderator: Tina Adolfsson, Head of Communications at Simera

  • Peter Twomey, Co-Founder at EcoCart

  • Justin King, Chief Evangelist at Salsify

The State of Industry Report: CPG Trends and M+A - 2:30 PM - 3:00 PM
Nick McCoy, Managing Director & Co-Founder, Whipstitch Capital

Virtual breakout session for attendees to reflect and exchange their insights - 3:00 PM - 3:30 PM

Food Waste and Circular Economy: A Holistic Overview - 3:30 PM - 4:00 PM
Samantha Goerger, Policy Analyst at ReFED

Sustainability: The New Consumer Currency - 4:00 PM - 4:30 PM
Kymberly Graham, VP, Head of Diversity Initiative, NielsenIQ

Closing remarks - 4:30 PM - 4:40 PM
Lauren Abda, Founder at Branchfood and Co-Founder at Branch Venture Group


Branchfood is a launchpad for food innovation. By bringing together all corners of the industry through curated events, investments, shared workspaces, and advisory support, Branchfood connects innovators and fosters growth to transform the food industry.

If you have any questions about Food Edge 2022 Summit, please send us an email at info@branchfood.com.