Founder Showcase
Meet local founders and try new product tastings
Gain insights from industry veterans through engaging discussions on the key food system topics
Expert Panels
Connect with top-tier professionals and peers in the food and beverage space
Keynote Speakers
Our flagship annual event is the premier gathering for students and industry leaders. We connect the next generation of agribusiness leaders with the global food industry through high-impact networking, expert panels, and immersive product sampling.
FUTURE OF FOOD WEEK
Program Highlights
Speakers Connected
30+
50
Founders Showcased
100+
Attendees Annually
2026 Highlights
Theme: Exploring the future of food, farming & innovation
Programming centered on two forces reshaping the industry at once: how AI is being applied across food and agriculture, and what it actually takes to build a healthy food brand that lasts, from product development to fundraising to earning shelf space
Keynote Speaker
Panel #1: AI's Role in Designing the Future of Food
Panel #2: What Makes a Healthy Food Brand Successful
Founder Sampling Showcase
Plant-based electrolyte mix
Cure Hydration makes a plant-based electrolyte mix designed as a cleaner alternative to conventional sports drinks
Granola
Unruly Nature makes small-batch granola built around bold, unconventional flavors
Henry Sether
Misfits
Founder
Ranveer Chandra
Microsoft
CTO Agri-Food, VP
Lauren Picasso
Cure Hydration
Founder
West African chocolate
Luji's Chocolate produces West African dark chocolate, sourced and made in West Africa
Plant-based brownie bars
The Chaotic Good makes plant-based brownie bars designed to be both indulgent and better-for-you
Shivani Oberoi
Synthesis Capital
Principal / Investor
Lisa Li
Rocana Ventures
Investor
Farm-fresh snacks for kids
Squeaky Clean Snacks makes farm-fresh, kid-friendly snacks with simple ingredients
Eva Borge
Cauldron Ferm
Head of BD
Lauren Hooks
Wharton Food Lab
Senior Associate Director of the Food Innovation Lab
2025 Highlights
Theme: Community & Resilient Food Systems
Focusing on empowering local networks and building infrastructures that can withstand global shifts in agriculture and climate
Keynote Speakers
Panel 1: Empowering Local Communities
Panel 2: Building Sustainable and Resilient Food Systems
Happy Hour Featured Speaker
Founder Sampling Showcase
Driftaway Coffee
Anu Menon · Suyog Mody
Co-Founders
The Spare Food Company
Adam Kaye · Jeremy Kaye
Co-Founder
Ambrosi*
Annabel Buckfire · Rachel Goldman
Co-Founders
Pop Tofu*
Sneha Mokkala
Founder
* Member of Food Innovation Cohort @ Penn Venture Lab
Rachel Drori
Daily Harvest
Founder, Executive Chair & Former CEO
Alexandre Imbot
The Community Grocer
Co-Founder & CEO
Tatiana Garcia-Granados
The Common Market
Co-Founder & Co-CEO
Anu Menon
Driftaway Coffee
Co-Founder
Sarela Herrada
SIMPLi
Co-Founder & Co-CEO
Ila Byrne
Parch
Co-Founder, Chief Marketing & Innovation Officer
SIMPLi
Sarela Herrada · Matt Cohen
Co-Founders
The Rounds
Alex Torrey · Byungwoo Ko
Founder
International Beverage Company*
Daniel Albert · Alexandre Kern · Jose Rivero
Co-Founders
SABE*
Veronica Rivera
Founder
Ariane Daguin
AOOA / D'Artagnan Foods
Foundation Director (AOOA); Founder (D'Artagnan)
Michael Barron
Climate LLC (Bayer Crop Science)
Ecosystem Services Technology Strategy Lead
Christina Roberto
Perelman School of Medicine / PEACH Lab
Presidential Associate Professor of Health Policy; Director, PEACH Lab
Kit Riggs
Sharing Excess
Program & Operations Coordinator
Domenic Vitiello
Stuart Weitzman School of Design, UPenn
Associate Professor of City Planning & Urban Studies
Soom
Amy Zitelman · Shelby Zitelman · Jackie Horvitz
Co-Founders
Zeni
Pataka*
Dhruti Shah · Arjun Setty
Co-Founders
Brand name TBD (mooncakes)*
Feifei Yu
Founder
Jeremy Kaye
The Spare Food Co.
Co-Founder & CEO
2024 Highlights
Theme: Sustainable Systems & Food as Medicine
Addressing the critical intersection of environmental resilience and the therapeutic power of nutritious food in the modern world
Keynote Speakers
Panel 1: Sustainable Food Systems
Panel 2: Food as Medicine
Founder Sampling Showcase
Bored Cow
Ben Berman
Founder
RIND by Dina & Joshua
Dina DiCenso · Joshua Katcher
Co-Founders
ʸeast*
Chelsea Cheng · Annabel Chang
Co-Founders
mahu mashu*
Lillian Xue
Founder
Brudders Ice Cream*
Nate White
Founder
Amber Meadows*
Thomas Startz
Founder
* Member of Food Innovation Cohort @ Penn Venture Lab
Jody Macedonio
Meati, Chobani, Nutrabolt, Organic Valley, Advantage Solutions
Former CFO (Chobani, Meati), Independent Board Director (Nutrabolt, Advantage Solutions)
Anna Hammond
Matriark Foods
CEO & Founder
Lauren Sweeney
DeliverZero
CEO & Co-Founder
Michel Nischan
Wholesome Wave
CEO & Founder
Taylor Leet-Otley
The Good Food Institute Consumer Research Lead
Matriark
Anna Hammond
Founder
SIMPLi
Sarela Herrada · Matt Cohen
Co-Founders
Emmos*
Emily Chin
Founder
Brainfood*
Megan Burton
Founder
MamCham*
Sabrina Chin
Founder
Project Yolk*
Victoria Liu
Founder
Witold Henisz
The Wharton School
Vice Dean & Faculty Director, ESG Initiative; Deloitte & Touche Professor of Management
Julia Kurnik
World Wildlife Fund
Senior Director of Innovation Start-Ups
Paul Bergman
Advancing Eco Agriculture
Executive Chairman
Sue Daugherty
MANNA
CEO
William Duffy
Penn Medicine
Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine
Milk Jawn
Amy Wilson
Founder
The Rounds
Alex Torrey · Byungwoo “BK” Ko
Co-Founders
Gusto Foods*
Idris Gettani
Founder
Oatmail*
Mack Radin
Founder
Veggie Vice*
Riddhima Kapoor
Founder
Ohty*
Wendy Li
Founder
2023 Highlights
Theme: Community & Resilient Food Systems
Focusing on empowering local networks and building infrastructures that can withstand global shifts in agriculture and climate
Keynote Speaker
Panel 1: Building Sustainable Food Ecosystems
Panel 2: Food Investing & Entrepreneurship
Founder Sampling Showcase
Dimi
Jeff Azikou
Founder
Aaji's
Rajus Korde · Poorva Korde
Co-Founders
Ento*
Sofia Gutierrez Boker
Founder
Rooted.*
Lily Rivkin
Founder
* Member of Food Innovation Cohort @ Penn Venture Lab
Heather Marold Thomason
Primal Supply Meats
Founder
Charlie Cummings
Walden Mutual Bank
CEO
Jaime Marin
Lipman Family Farms
Business Operations Manager
Steven Finn
Siddhi Capital
Co-Founder & GP
Ozi Amanat
K2 Global
Co-Founder & GP
470 Baking Company
Melissa Twain
Founder
Smooch
Matt Peterson
Founder
Orble*
Sophia Takahashi · Sarah Tadlock · Esther Amao · Lada Korotaeva · Nasstassja Kuznetsova
Co-Founders
Tip of the Spoon*
Rose Katz
Founder
Jason Ginsberg
AeroFarms
Chief of Staff & Director of Community Farms
Katherine Miller
Table 81
Founder & CEO
Ben Berman
Tomorrow Farms
Co-Founder & CEO
Jessica Schwabach
Sundial Foods
Co-Founder & CEO
AWSM Sauce
Carl Stakey
Co-Founders
Pac Pac Snacks
Michael Rosenzweig
Co-Founders
Nepri*
Jessica Ramses
Founder