The Vegpreneur Future of Food event in Santa Monica showcased a fantastic group of food entrepreneurs. The focus was on innovation in the plant-based food marketplace, showcasing a wonderful variety of vegan offerings. The enthusiastic founders from many Los Angeles based businesses certainly created a buzz with their delicious foods, from Boba teas to plant-based fish to superfood waffles.
Plant-based Expo: Tasty Innovations
It was a treat for me to attend an event where I could eat anything – not usually the case for me as a vegan! Maison Macha, a plant-based patisserie, presented their savory pastries along with decadent strawberry shortcakes. The outstanding buffet also included Thai delicacies from Satdha and hand-crafted cheeses from doublebatch. I also enjoyed a taster of the salmon sushi from Fysh Foods followed by a chocolate superfood drink from earthy energy. Finally, I stuffed into a couple of pancakes from Living Prana. With the double dose of Lion’s Mane mushrooms, my cognitive function was super focused!
Founders Panel: Journeys to Success
Vegpreneur hosted the event to showcase their community of plant-based entrepreneurs. They are the leading global network of investors and founders focused on plant-based, sustainable businesses. Their own Founder, Noah Hyams, moderated the intriguing panel of successful entrepreneurs.
First up, Maya French, the Co-Founder of Koia plant-based protein drinks. She told us how she spent many hours in her own kitchen experimenting with ingredients to create a healthy low-sugar protein drink. She and her co-founder bootstrapped the company and then reached out to local companies to create a base of distributors. Their strategy was to build up sales before asking for outside investment in their seed funding round of 7.5M. After 9 years, their annual sales have reached $60M and their new funding aims to ramp up production and distribution. Not content with one successful startup, Maya is about to launch a new beverage, Happy Pop sparkling juice.
Oliver Zahn took an entirely different route to his startup Climax Foods. As a former astrophysicist, he worked in data science at Google and Impossible Foods. He had a vision to create a plant-based cheese that tasted as good as dairy but was healthier and more sustainable. To this end, he has harnessed the power of AI and his powerbase of high profile connections to launch a Blue Cheese. It’s now available in high-end vegan restaurants such as Crossroads and Plant Food + Wine.
Finally, Zoya Biglary spoke of her first job distributing hearing aids to deaf children across the world. Her personal health led her to eliminate raw fish from her diet – and she decided to create a plant-based alternative. She explained that just 2% of VC funding goes to women-led startups, only 1% to black women, and less than 0.5% to LGBTQ+ women – and she is all three! Instead, she has focused on her success as a food influencer, with half a million followers, to support her company Fysh Foods. I’d also suggest she looks into a startup accelerator such as Cleantech Open. They’re committed to a diverse cohort and welcome all technologies that help the environment.
Foodie Brits in LA
I was chuffed (pleased) to bump into two fellow Brits. We had a good old chinwag (chat) and almost started an orderly queue for the buffet! Alex Jackson is the Founder of Open Late, a media production company that focuses on sustainable food brands. Henry Sutton has a background in food and beverage management, and is looking to start a boutique brewery or bakery. Good to meet you, chaps!
Finally, a shout out to Vegpreneur for organizing such an exciting plant-based foodie event – and Silicon Valley Bank for hosting in their fab meeting venue.
