As with the prior seven cohorts of Food-X, we are on the lookout for founders that are innovating in different ways across the entire breadth of the global food chain. The companies that make up our latest cohort represent innovation in a number of areas that we believe are in need of change and we’re proud to support the founders who are making that change.
The eight ventures were selected from a pool of nearly 500 international applicants spanning 6 continents with more than 85 percent of the startups being female-led/co-led. Among them are a venture aiming to provide greater transparency beyond what’s found on the food label; a “food as medicine” offering created to help combat chronic illnesses, like cancer; a startup leveraging the nutraceutical potential of cannabidiol (CBD); and a disrupter seeking to reimagine food recommendation engines.
Without further ado, I present the newest Food-X cohort.
- Appa Life is taking on the challenges of athletes’ ability to manage long-term pain through the use of nutraceuticals that combine cutting-edge science with holistic perspectives.
- Chef Charger is a unique promotional platform for beer/food/sports brands to advertise at bars, cafes, and restaurants: elegant, connected smartphone chargers that patrons get to use for free. AI-driven, developed at MIT.
- Halla I/O (Intelligent Ordering) technology powers real-time recommendations and item-level insights for grocery stores, restaurants, and online ordering platforms.
- Kindly is a customized Meal Delivery Service for patients suffering from chronic illnesses, such as cancer.
- MISK takes dining word-of-mouth online. It allows millennials to instantly know what restaurants, café’s and bars their friends recommend anywhere in the world.
- Naughty Noah’s Vietnamese is on a mission to bring healthy, sustainable and authentic Vietnamese meals to the world.
- Planetarians is an ingredient company revolutionizing the plant-protein landscape through upcycling defatted sunflower seeds.
- TestSharing offers trustworthy and truly independent product information beyond labels, which gives consumers easy access to real lab tests and empowers them to know about harmful chemicals in their food.
Food-X’s mission is to scale change throughout the food system, be it reducing food waste to developing products around alternative proteins, and driving public health and sustainability. The accelerator invests in early-stage entrepreneurs and provides an intensive three-month program in New York City designed to support the next generation of food innovators as they create the future of food.
Food-X’s accelerator program is designed to help these nascent companies grow quickly and reach their full potential by helping them overcome production woes, identify the right marketing messages, improve their user experience, or figure out their retail distribution. It includes both financial and human capital investments that span startup capital, expert mentorship, and access to a global network of food business thought leaders, as well as a growing Food-X Alumni community. The program culminates with a Demo Day: the opportunity to present the company to angel investors, venture capital funds, and media.
“The food accelerator and incubator space is gaining momentum, but what sets Food-X apart is the dedication and intensity of our program for building and guiding the success of food-related ventures. We’re empowering our past and current cohorts, as well as the next generation of entrepreneurs, to solve the biggest global food challenges: addressing global health, sustainable food systems, food safety, advanced manufacturing, connectivity in the developing world, and beyond,” Peter Bodenheimer, Program Director, Food-X. “We look forward to embarking on a growth journey with Cohort 8 and having the opportunity to work with a group of individuals who are just as passionate about the food space as we are.”
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- Appa Life
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- Chef Charger
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- Halla
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- Kindly
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- MIsk
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- Naught Noah’s Vietnamese Pho Noodles
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- Planetarians
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- TestSharing
With the eighth cohort, Food-X has now invested in and worked with 70 different businesses. The accelerator is accepting applications for its ninth cohort, which kicks off in the spring of 2019. Interested food entrepreneurs are encouraged to apply online at www.sosv.com/apply/food-x/.
About Food-X:
Founded in 2014, based in New York and recognized by Fast Company as one of the world’s top 10 most innovative companies in the food category, Food-X is the first and most active food innovation accelerator in the world. With a mission to scale change throughout the food system, the accelerator empowers early stage food companies across the supply chain, from agriculture through consumer packaged goods, bring their products and services to market at speed. Food-X is a backed by SOSV, a global multi-stage venture capital fund with world-class vertical accelerator programs that provides seed, venture and growth stage follow-on investment to startup companies. For more, please visit www.food-x.com. Follow the conversation on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube. #FoodX #FoodX8
Media Contacts:
Ray Yeung | Nancy Zakhary
Relev8
ray@relev8.co | nancy@relev8.co
