ut food lab - food challenge prize program

FOOD CHALLENGE PRIZE PROGRAM 1

utfoodlab.com

FOOD CHALLENGE PRIZE PROGRAM 2Cover Art: Celeste Byers, Graphic Illustrator

Inside Illustrations: Stacy Weitzner, Graphic Recorder


Welcome to The Food Challenge Prize 2015!Thank you for joining us today to celebrate these enthusiastic and hopeful food entrepreneurs. They represent the best of more than 120 food startups that applied to compete in this year’s Food Challenge Prize competition.

The Food Challenge Prize is our response to the numerous opportunities for innovation within our global food system. We believe that food entrepreneurs should be supported, funded, and connected to the many activities ripe for change. Now is the time to move from awareness to action.

Our startups have spent the last two months with their mentors refining and polishing their presentations and pitches. Our talented and experienced judges will meet with each competitor before narrowing the field to ten who will participate in the Fast Pitch competition. By the end of today, you’ll witness the presentation of $30K in prize money to the winners of the Food Challenge Prize.

The Food Lab at UT thanks our many generous sponsors, volunteers, mentors, and advisors. The University of Texas at Austin has been open and supportive of this entrepreneurial endeavor. And the many other food entrepreneurship program partners indicate that we can build a network of food startups across the country. Thanks to Texas A & M, Babson College, MIT, Rice, and Stanford University for joining our network. We feel that the more connections we can make with other food startups, the more we can leverage our experiences and expertise.

Thanks for your continuing support,

Sincerely,Dr. Robyn Metcalfe | Director, The Food LabUniversity of Texas at Austin | GEA 123, A2700 | Austin, Texas 78712www.foodtracks.net | www.utfoodlab.com | @FoodMiracle


About The Food Lab at UT

The Food Lab at The University of Texas at Austin (TFL) provides awareness of food issues, encourages

and motivates students to engage with innovative food systems research, and provides support to startups that

leverage university research and bridges the divide between academia and private enterprise. Founded in

2012 by Dr. Robyn Metcalfe and based in The School of Human Ecology, College of Natural Sciences at The

University of Texas at Austin, TFL serves as a catalyst for experimentation and innovation in the global food system.

TFL is a project of Foodmakers, a 501c3 non-profit, based in Austin, Texas. It has launched several initiatives including, The Miracle of Feeding Cities documentary film. For more

information, visit utfoodlab.com, visit on Facebook and follow TFL on Twitter @TheFoodLabUT.


Dr. Robyn MetcalfeDirector, The Food LabSchool of Human EcologyThe University of Texas at Austin

Shawna ButlerIbex GroupSingularity University

Ben DyerEntrepreneur in ResidenceCockrell School of EngineeringThe University of Texas at Austin

Shari Wynne ResslerFounder & President, SKU

Manuel Rosso Food on the TableScripps Networks Interactive

Carol ThompsonThe Thompson GroupAdvisory BoardCockrell School of EngineeringThe University of Texas at Austin

Chris ValentineAdeo InterActive

Food Challenge

PrizeCommittee


Vincent AshwillELM Restaurant Group

Michael AtkinsonFood & Technology Entrepreneur

Katie Cleary BenckenAutoimmuneMom.com

Shelly BrenckmanStartup Aggieland, TAMU

James ClardyTechnology Strategist

Juan EstrellaWhole Foods Market

Matt GaseStubb’s Legendary Bar-B-Q

Chef Sam Hellman-MassBarley Swine & Odd Duck

Henry JacksonARAMARK

Sandeep KumarTechRanch and Texas State University

Food Challenge Prize

Aaron LyonsDish Society

Chelsea McCulloughTexans for Economic Progress

Susan NahkunstKeep Austin Fed

Cynthia Walker PeachATI Bioscience Portfolio

Brittany SmithFounding Member, UT Food Lab, JDI

Tom StevensonEncendre, LLC

Eduardo WallachFood Innovation Strategist

Trish WesevichCapital Kitchens

Elizabeth WinslowWinslow + co

mentors


judgesMason ArnoldGreenling Cofounder

Jon BassettSilverton Partners

Martin BersonSnap Kitchen

Molly S. BrayDept. of Nutritional Sciences @ UT-Austin

Joe CanterburyAppconomy

Marissa DuswaltConsumer Food Behavior @ Stanford

Claire EnglandCentral Texas Angel Network

Elise GolanUSDA

Caleb HarperMIT CityFARM

Scott JensenRhythm Superfoods

Robert MetcalfeProfessor of InnovationUT-Austin

Aimee OlsonLe Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts

David PalmerPreMark Health Science, Inc.

Michele SkeldingGreater Austin Chamber of Commerce

Lydia SteinmanDept. of Nutritional Sciences @ UT-Austin

Steve WantaWhole Planet Foundation


agenda10:30 am - 1:00 pm

1:00 pm - 2:00 pm

2:00 pm - 2:15 pm

2:15 pm - 2:45 pm

2:45 pm - 3:15 pm

3:15 pm - 3:30pm

3:30 pm - 4:00 pm

JUDGING ROUND 1

SCORING

TOP 10 ANNOUNCED

TOP 10 FAST PITCHES

SCORING

ANNOUNCE AWARDS

CELEBRATION RECEPTION


About the PrizeWe anticipate that our winners will thrive with market-based solutions

that will move our food system closer to affordable, accessible, and nutritious food for a growing global population. Our judges will

evaluate the finalists according to criteria set by The Food Lab Advisors, using a point system. They will adjust the criteria accordingly for both

judging rounds.

Judging Criteria• Team Competence: Skills and temperaments needed for a startup

and for a sustainable business• Marketing Plan: Knowledge of the competition, who the customers

are, barriers to entry, and an articulation of the problem your business will solve

• Financial Plan: A business proposition supported by a solid cost and revenue analysis for at least five years out. General funding sources should be identified

• Regulations: Knowledge of USDA, FDA, EPA and other federal, state, and local regulations that impact your business model

• Unique Value Proposition: Ability to describe why the customer would want the product or service

• Bonus Points - The Sense Test: How well the product/service addresses taste, smell, touch, sight, and hearing. A good technical solution may lose sight of one or several of the senses that make food desirable to consumers.

People’s Choice AwardThe People’s Choice Award invites friends and family to vote online for their favorite team from February 2nd – February 9th. In addition, there

will be an opportunity to cast a written vote between 10:30 am and2:00 pm on Prize Day. All of these votes will be tallied up and the winner

will be announced during the awards ceremony.


ASPIRE FOOD GROUP US Aspire US was formed from the merger of World Ento and Aspire International, with the mutual long term vision to innovate and advance the responsible farming and consumption of insects.

CATEGORYHealthy Eating and

Food Education

WEBSITEAspireFG.com

SMRC has developed a patented technology to create food from 3D-Printer for NASA’s deep space missions. The printed food can be personalized to individual’s needs and taste. The company intends to commercialize this technology via formulating a spin-off corporation, BeeHex, Inc.

CATEGORYProcessing, Packaging

and Safety

WEBSITESystemsAndMaterials.com

Gardens you can eat! BioPod was formed around the idea that the world needs a duplicable, net-positive food production system that could be deployed anywhere and provide a complete diet. BioPod is a spin-off of YardFarm, LLC, an Austin based food-infrastructure construction firm.

CATEGORYInputs and Production

WEBSITEYardFarmAustin.com

BEEHEX, INC.

BIOPOD

CitySprout is an online farmers market connecting local farmers and food makers directly to customers in Central Texas for the freshest and most convenient local food buying experience. CitySprout provides an online marketplace for local food entrepreneurs and helps them reach a much larger customer base.

CATEGORYStorage and Distribution

WEBSITECitySprout.com

CITYSPROUT

finalists


CLEVER CARROT CATERING

Clever Carrot Catering prepares and delivers fresh, nutritious lunches to students attending private preschools. Our wholesome meals promote healthy eating habits in small children and our online ordering process provides convenient service to busy parents.


Food Education

WEBSITEclevercarrotcatering.com

Cramen is committed to fighting world hunger, one spice blend at a time. Composed of a group of engineers, scientists, and businessmen, Cramen delivers revolutionary cricket protein and spirulina algae-based spice blends to third-world countries.

CRAMEN


and Safety

EdiBags is dedicated to changing the future of packaging by using alternative materials including fruits and vegetables to create a sustainable substitute to plastic packaging that is both edible and biodegradable.


WEBSITEEdiBags.com

EDIBAGS

At “Go Fresh” Products, we have but one goal; “Save Food, Save Lives”. We are a band of hunger warriors that create & innovate so that our children & grandchildren inherit a world that is healthy, happy and full.


WEBSITEGoFreshProducts.com

“GO FRESH!” PRODUCTS


HOPPER FOODS, LLC

Hopper Food’s mission is to normalize eating insects by creating great tasting, nutritious and healthy products. Insects are a highly sustainable source of complete protein which we must re-embrace if we are to feed 9 billion people.


WEBSITEHopperATX.com

PHW Green Food labs is a company that specializes in food safety testing services and food testing product development. Our testing lab offers a number of services such as ELISA and lateral flow test strip testing.


Food Education

WEBSITEGreenFoodlab.com

Prodrax is a Texas start-up that will provide verification services for restaurants and food retailers. We analyze customer samples using laboratory techniques and provide an opinion on the authenticity of the food to thwart counterfeiting.


and Safety

WEBSITEProdrax.com

PHW GREEN FOOD LAB, LLC

PRODRAX, LLC

Revive Foods is a San Francisco-based social enterprise that makes healthier preserves from fruits that would otherwise go to waste. Our mission is to reduce food waste, as well as create and promote healthier food products for all.


WEBSITEReviveFoods.co

REVIVE FOODS


SAFELAIN

Safelain is a true food quality indicator developed at UT. We use betalains, which allow an oxidation-based enhancement of expiration dates. Betalains are potent antioxidants, changing from a variety of vivid colors to brown when a product is spoiled.


and Safety

WEBSITESafelain.com

Sereneti Kitchen aims to automate cooking in the consumer household kitchen. Think of a Keurig for food using robotics. Several trays of fresh food ingredients are placed into a machine with a robotic arm that emulates humanistic cooking movements.

SERENETI KITCHEN


and Safety

WEBSITESereneti.com

Sproot makes kids love real food. We prepare and deliver lunches fresh daily to schools, run cooking classes with kids, and educate parents and school communities about real food. Based in Somerville MA, we were founded in February 2013.


Food Education

WEBSITESproot.co

SPROOT

StitZii is dedicated to sustainability, with regards to the environment as well as consumerism. Our flagship product and our company namesake, StitZii liners are paper products that can be used in a variety of facets, including for grease absorptive fast food packaging.


and Safety

WEBSITEStitZii.com

STITZII


STRETCH RECIPES, INC

Stretch Recipes is an early stage Austin based food and tech company on a mission to help tight budgeted and busy consumers eat better and save more!


Food Education

WEBSITEStretchRecipes.com

Ten Acre Organics is creating the most sustainable and productive ten-acre farm in the world, as a model that we will replicate around cities everywhere, to provide communities with the freshest, healthiest, most local, and most sustainable foods possible.


WEBSITETenAcreOrganics.com

TEN ACRE ORGANICS

Our mission is to increase produce purchases and lower processed fatty food consumption by including fruit and vegetable processing stations and training workers to provide healthy meal ideas for customers in major grocery stores.


Food Education

WASHCUTPREP

Azul Mobile is a marketplace where we enable real-time variable pricing of products and services. Our first vehicle is the food & beverages industry, where we dynamically price food based on supply-and-demand and time-of-day.


WEBSITETryTasteBud.com

TASTE BUD


academic partners

The Norman Borlaug Institute for International Agriculture is a university-based organization of the Texas A&M University System. The Borlaug Institute designs and implements sustainable programs of international development that integrate research, extension training and education to benefit the peoples of developing countries across the globe. The Borlaug also assists other organizations to implement programs through partnerships with governmental, academic and private organizations the world over. www.borlaug.tamu.edu

Officially opened in January 2013 at Texas A&M University, Startup Aggieland is a student business accelerator that provides qualified students of all majors with a peer-led startup community that helps students to leverage public and private resources while launching early stage ventures. Startup Aggieland is among the nation’s first student-designed, student-operated business accelerators to serve student startups. Startup Aggieland is open to all qualified Texas A&M University students enrolled at the College Station campus. www.startupaggieland.com

The Lemelson-MIT Program celebrates outstanding inventors and inspires young people to pursue creative lives and careers through invention. We recognize emerging collegiate inventors whose inventions could impact important sectors of the global economy and honor mid-career inventors with a prestigious cash prize. We also encourage youth to invent and develop their hands-on skills in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) through two national grants initiatives for grades 9-12.www.lemelson.mit.edu

The School of Human Ecology at UT-Austin consist of Human Development and Family Services, Nutritional Sciences, Textiles and Apparel. We are passionate about training the next generation of ‘science based, human focused’ Longhorns at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.www.he.utexas.edu


The Herb Kelleher Center for Entrepreneurship Growth and Renewal is not just about new ventures; it’s about business enterprise. The entrepreneurial research done at McCombs, by both McCombs faculty and faculty around the university enables companies in Texas and the nation to improve their course of action, advance company growth with more effective preparation and initiate renewal in mature companies that would otherwise fail.www.mccombs.utexas.edu/centers/kelleher-center

The Stanford Food Summit is a Stanford University campus-wide initiative aimed at shaping the national conversation about food production, distribution and consumption. Target audience: Stanford researchers, scholars, and students as well as community food activists (including foundations and government representatives). www.foodsummit.stanford.edu

At Food Sol, we think and act the same way we eat: in bite-sized pieces. Our action tank creates spaces where eater-entrepreneurs can discover and articulate what food issues they care most about. We then help them pinpoint the practical actions they can take right now to achieve food-system innovation. www.babson.edu/academics/centers/the-lewis-institute/food-sol/pages/home.aspx

Austin is defined, in part, by both its technology prowess and its entrepreneurial spirit. It has become one of the fastest growing and most desirable American cities since the 90′s because inventors, investors, business leaders, boots trappers, programmers, and passionate people have made it so. Rice Alliance – Austin Chapter seeks to further shape Austin by being an engine to educate and connect various entities in this entrepreneurial ecosystem. www.austinricealliance.org/rice

As one of the nation’s premier public research institutions, The University of Texas at Austin is the originator of many novel and useful discoveries each year. The OfficeofTechnologyCommercialization (OTC) helps university employees protect and commercialize new and useful inventions that are potentially patentable or copyrightable. www.otc.utexas.edu


TheOfficeofSustainability,CityofAustin believes sustainable food system is a local one. In a sustainable food system, much of the food consumed is produced locally, which preserves urban farmland, supports the local economy, and results in greater self-reliance and resiliencewww.austintexas.gov/food

thank yousponsors

Capital Factory’s mission is to be the center of gravity for tech startups and entrepreneurs in Austin, Texas. Entrepreneurs, programmers and designers gather day and night for meet-ups, classes and coworking. www.capitalfactory.com

Greenling is dedicated to Local agriculture and Sustainable farming and ordering online is the most environmentally friendly grocery shopping possible.www.greenling.com/centex/home

Texans for Economic Progress (TEP) is a statewide non-profit advocacy group driven by a core belief that greater access to technology is critical to job creation, innovation and prosperity for the State of Texas.www.texasprogress.com

Whole Foods seek out the finest natural and organic foods available, maintain the strictest quality standards in the industry, and have an unshakeable commitment to sustainable agriculture. Add to that the excitement and fun they bring to shopping for groceries, and you start to get a sense of what we’re all about.www.wholefoodsmarket.com


Easy Tiger Bake Shop & Beer Garden features artisan bread (including baguettes, croissants, pretzels), locally roasted coffee, house-made meats (sausages, corned beef, pastrami), a full bar and more than 30 local and boutique draft beers. The shop was named one of the best beer gardens in the nation by Food & Wine and one of America’s best new bakeries by Details and has been featured in Garden & Gun, Bon Appétit, USA Today, Southern Living, Travel + Leisure, and more.www.easytigeraustin.com

Snap Kitchen is the fast, convenient way to pick up a fresh, healthy, delicious meal or snack any time of day. We’re focused on helping you energize a healthy lifestyle with chef-prepared menus made from the freshest ingredients, whether you’re aiming for a more ideal weight or a better finish time in an upcoming race. www.snapkitchen.com

Rice Alliance – Austin Chapter aids entrepreneurs and investors alike, principally through educational events and workshops but also through mentoring, funding, partnership, and networking. The Austin Chapter was formed in 2003 as the successful Rice Alliance for Technology & Entrepreneurship initiative at Rice University in Houston expanded its footprint. www.austinricealliance.org/rice

Honest Tea seeks to create and promote great-tasting, healthier, organic beverages. We strive to grow our business with the same honesty and integrity we use to craft our products, with sustainability and great taste for all.www.honesttea.com

At Rhythm Superfoods, we believe a positive mind, eating right, and staying active are the keys to health and happiness. Superfoods are our passion, and all-good snacking is our mission. We’re here to help you find your rhythm so you never miss a beat! www.rhythmsuperfoods.com

BeatBox Beverages was founded with the belief that boxed wine doesn’t have to be boring. We were tired of all those standard boxed wines, and we knew there was an opportunity to create a better mixed drink experience for people who know what perfection in a box should look and taste like. shop.beatboxbeverages.com


Austin Beerworks is an owner-operated Texas brewery hell-bent on excellence. Our beers are canned for quality. We brew for two reasons: to make consistently exceptional craft beer, and to build community in the town we love.www.austinbeerworks.com

East Side King was created by Paul Qui and Moto Utsunomiya as a side project when they were working at Uchi and Uchiko. It provided a space for creative freedom and fun with food, and it has grown to include talent like Yoshi Okai; locations like Hole In The Wall, Grackle, Liberty Bar and Shangri-La, and menus that range from Curry Buns to Sapporo Beer Bacon Miso Ramen. www.eskaustin.com

TCC_Logo_FinalFinalized Jan 12, 2011

note:Layer “Positive Space” containsvector information for the “black”only, meaning the “white” spaceswill be clear.

Third Coast Coffee started in Austin, Texas, in 1994. Years later, they’re a team of eight, dedicated to producing exceptional coffee. Their immaculately roasted coffees pair perfectly with breakfast tacos, ice cream, laughter, social justice, sandals, and formal wear.www.thirdcoastcoffee.com

The philosophy behind the Noble Sandwich Co. is grounded in culinary experiences that range from trattoria fare to fine dining, as well as a love for scratch cooking. And yet, it’s a philosophy that can be summed up simply: Make it, and make it better than the guy down the street. www.noblesandwiches.com

Our namesake H-E-B® brand products are made for the love of Texans and deliver uncompromising quality. Only here can you find products specifically created for Texas tastes, like H-E-B Fully Cooked Brisket, H-E-B Seasoned Fajitas, and H-E-B Cafe© Olé coffee. Most importantly, our H-E-B brand products are approved by folks like you. All of them are tasted, tested, and approved by Texans before they ever get to our shelves. Over the years, more than half a million Texans have approved our products. We guarantee you’ll love ‘em.www.hebshopping.com


partnersBarnraisers is a social and funding community that allows its members to influence and scale the food movement by connecting to innovators of sustainable food and farming, celebrating their stories, and collectively backing projects that shape how we farm and eat, locally and globally.www.barnraiser.us

BevNET.com is the leading beverage-oriented media company, producing web sites, a print magazine, an educational program (BevNET FBU) and a live conference series. The company was founded in 1996 by John Craven. Its mission is to offer, through products in a variety of media, the best, most comprehensive forum for news coverage, expertise, partnership and support for all members of the beverage community. www.bevnet.com

Food+Tech Connect is the platform for good food innovation. Through our news and analysis, online food business courses and events, we’re making it easier for food and agriculture entrepreneurs to create a better future for food. www.foodtechconnect.com

Bon Appétech is the premiere conference launching the Good Food Innovation Movement. Taking place April 10-12, 2015 in San Francisco, the conference will bring together 1,500 attendees including entrepreneurs, investors, global brands, thought-leaders and national media. With insightful keynotes, interactive panels, hands-on demos, and a Startup Expo and Pitch Competition, it’s the leading platform uniting food innovators and startups. www.bonappetech.com


thank youvolunteers

On behalf of the Food Lab at UT, we would like to thank you for extending your helping hand to us during our first Food Challenge Prize event. We appreciate your support and assistance; the event couldn’t have been a success without you. We hope you enjoyed the event and will consider volunteering or attending again next year!


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ut food lab - food challenge prize program

Documents

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hopeful food entrepreneurs

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