2023 Conference Speakers

Last year, we were joined by a breadth of founders, investors, industry experts, and advocates who shared their experiences of navigating and building in today’s food ecosystem.

Keynote

Heather Marold Thomason

Primal Supply Meats, Founder

Heather left a successful career in graphic design in order to pursue the trade of whole animal butchery and her passion for supporting local, sustainable food systems. She apprenticed at North Mountain Pastures in Newport, PA and learned to raise pastured animals from birth to slaughter. While there, she partnered with local farmers to better understand daily operations and inefficiencies. She furthered her butchery training in Berkeley, CA at The Local Butcher Shop before relocating to Philadelphia in 2014 to serve as the opening Head Butcher and Manager of the butcher shop at Kensington Quarters.

In 2016, Heather founded Primal Supply Meats, a modern butchery committed to whole animal practices. Primal Supply Meats works directly with local, family-owned slaughterhouses and farmers to provide pasture-raised meat to home cooks and professional kitchens in Philadelphia. Today, Prima Supply Meats' operations include two brick and mortar butcher shops, an online store and subscription meat box program, and a wholesale food service program serving some of Philadelphia’s best restaurants.

Panel 1: Building Sustainable Food Ecosystems

How can stakeholders across the food ecosystem partner to build a more sustainable supply chain? What financial systems are required to support regenerative agriculture? How does consumer education and consumers’ lack of knowledge on the true cost of food affect different stakeholders?

Charlie Cummings (Walden Bank, CEO)

Charley is founder and CEO of Walden Mutual Bank, which lends to sustainable food and agriculture businesses in New England and New York, offering impact driven online and mobile deposit accounts to businesses and consumers. He previously founded and ran Walden Local, Inc., now the leading brand of locally produced pasture-based meat in the Northeast. Charley began his career at Monitor Group (now part of Deloitte). He holds a B.A. from Brown University and an MBA from Harvard Business School. He lives with his wife, three children and flock of Kitahdin sheep in Hopkinton, New Hampshire.

Jason Ginsberg (AeroFarms, Chief of Staff & Director of Community Farms)

Jason works closely with AeroFarms’ executive team on strategic initiatives, process improvements, special projects, and day-to-day operations. He also manages AeroFarms’ Community Farm business and oversees engineers & technicians who support operations for a network of small farms in schools & community centers. Prior to joining AeroFarms, Jason worked in Deloitte’s Government & Public Services practice. He is a Fulbright Recipient to the U.K., where he completed an MPhil in International Relations & Politics at the University of Cambridge. He graduated magna cum laude from Brown University.

Jaime Marin (Lipman Family Farms, Business Operations Manager)

Jaime joined Lipman in 2015 as a part of the company’s college internship program. Since then, his time has been spent developing the company’s data collection, analytics, and decision support systems across Lipman’s farming and first handler operations. In addition, Jaime has been a member of Lipman’s Accelerator Team since its inception in 2021, mainly focused on automation and process improvement. He is passionate about data-driven decision making, operational efficiency, and systems thinking models as the tools for success and sustainability.

Katherine Miller (Table 81, Founder & CEO)

Katherine is the founder and CEO of Table 81. She works with organizations to develop strategic programs and communications to achieve their mission & desired impact. Called one of the most innovative women in Food & Beverage by Fortune and Food & Wine magazines, Katherine is the first food policy fellow at American University’s Sine Institute for Policy and Politics and is the Distinguished Terker Fellow at George Washington University. Her book, “At the Table: The Chefs’ Guide to Food Systems Advocacy,” is expected in late 2023.

Panel 2: Food Investing & Entrepreneurship

What are the latest trends in food VC? What are the current challenges entrepreneurs are facing in building food-related products? What is the current scope and size of the food investment ecosystem?

Steven Finn (Siddhi Capital, Co-Founder & GP)

Steven is co-founder and co-managing partner at Siddhi Capital, an operationally focused growth equity firm at the intersection of Food & Bev, Tech, and manufacturing innovation. He has invested in 75+ food companies and sits on the boards of (or is a board observer at) Liberation Labs, Ark Biotech, True Made Foods, and more. Before Siddhi, Steven was an early stage investor at Marstar Investments, a software engineer at Bloomberg, and Cofounder/Co-CEO/CTO of LocalStove (acquired by HUNGRY). He has three degrees from Penn: Wharton Undergrad '08, Engineering Masters '10, WG'16.

Ozi Amanat (K2 Global, Co-Founder & GP)

Ozi is the founder of San-Francisco based K2 Global. In 2015, he launched the venture capital firm to invest in private, high-growth technology companies. As an investor, Ozi was an early backer in notable technology startups including Spotify, Airbnb, Uber, Coinbase, Paytm, Palantir, Oatly, and Impossible Foods. He has recently focused on investing in foodtech start-ups including TurtleTree, Good Catch Foods, and SIMULATE. Ozi earned a BA from Harvard University. He currently lives with his family in Miami.

Jessica Schwabach (Sundial Foods, Co-Founder & CEO)

Jessica is co-founder and CEO of Sundial Foods, a San Francisco-based company developing a processing technology for creating meat-like structures with plant materials. Their first product, Sundial Wings, is making waves for its crispy, crunchy skin and completely clean label. Jessica studied molecular & cell biology at UC-Berkeley and co-founded Sundial Foods with her classmate, Siwen Deng, PhD, in 2019. Jessica holds a Bachelor’s degree in Molecular Biology from the University of California at Berkeley.

Ben Berman (Tomorrow Farms, Co-Founder & CEO)

Ben is co-founder and CEO of Tomorrow Farms, a food tech company commercializing novel ingredients to build the future of food. Tomorrow Farms recently launched Bored Cow, the world’s first animal-free dairy milk. He is previously the founder of Mainely Burgers (a food truck company) and Good Pizza (a nonprofit initiative founded out of Ben’s apartment). Good Pizza was featured on the Ellen Show, Barstool Sports, and NBC News. Previously, Ben was a management consultant with Deloitte, and a Senior Product Manager at Amazon. Ben holds an MBA from The Wharton School (WG’21).

Featured Founders

Jeff Azikou (Dimi)

Philadelphia-based, black-owned, dessert company making cake in a jar. Dimi - short for (dimi)nishing portion size - focuses on delicious refrigerated, ready-to-eat, cakes. The company aims to make dessert more convenient, accessible, and fun. Dimis are baked directly into glass jars, which are reusable, recyclable, and plastic-free. Prior to founding Dimi, Jeff worked in grocery retail management, cocoa trading, management consulting, and technology. He is a Wharton and Lauder alum (WG’17).

Carl Stakey (AWSM Sauce)
Carl is the shorter co-founder of AWSM Sauce, a Philly-based company run by two dad-treprenuers on a mission to make the world more sustainable. AWSM Sauce’s line of powder-based sauces, when mixed with water, reconstitute to make all of the sauce that you know & love. Since launching in May, AWSM has been in the MN Twins stadium, premiered on Billion Dollar Idea TV Show, and delighted consumers at Urban Outfitters, REI and Ace Hardware! Prior to AWSM, Carl worked at Comcast and served as head lacrosse coach at Westtown School where he met Paul, the taller cofounder.

Michael Rosenzweig (Pac Pac Snacks)

Michael is co-founder & CEO of Pac Pac Snacks, a plant-based jelly snack brand making unique, delicious snacks with wholesome ingredients and sophisticated flavors. Pac Pac’s jelly is konjac-based, sweetened by beet sugar, and only 20 calories per serving. The company works with a manufacturer in Gunma, Japan to cater their recipe to match the nutritional profile that health-conscious consumers seek. Prior to starting Pac Pac, Michael worked in consulting and as the COO of a seed-stage startup. He is a Wharton and Lauder alum (WG’19).

Rajus Korde and Poorva Korde (Aaji's)

Aaji’s is a family venture based in Philadelphia centered on Rajus and Poorva’s Aajis’ (grandmothers’) Coastal Indian recipes. The company’s mission is to demonstrate love through the food they serve and the good they do. Aaji’s initial focus is on Coastal Indian dishes that can integrate and help elevate daily meals by adding flavor, color, and warmth. Their first dish, Aaji’s Tomato Lonsa, adds love and zest to any meal!

Matt Peterson (Smootch)

Matt is the founder of Smootch, an oat-powered functional beverage enhanced with fruit juice, electrolytes and immune support. Sourced from a regenerative farm in Northern Maine, the oats provide sustained energy and soluble fiber to support active lifestyles. Matt’s goal is to develop sustainable products made with regenerative ingredients and circular packaging. Matt holds a B.S. in Chemical Engineering and M.S. in Sustainable Engineering from Villanova University; he also has professional experience in environmental remediation.

Melissa Twain (470 Baking Co.)

Melissa is the founder of 470 Baking Company and is part of the Strategy team at Bimbo Bakeries USA. 470 Baking Company makes sourdough crisps with a tart yet endlessly craveable sourdough flavor; Melissa’s Sourdough Crisps are only 6 ingredients, all-natural, vegan, whole grain and made by hand. Melissa's Sourdough Crisps come in 3 distinct flavors: Flaky Salt and Black Pepper, Fresh Rosemary, and Sumac. Melissa previously worked at Blue Bottle Coffee, Constellation Brands and General Mills. Melissa is a Wharton and Lauder alum (WG '22).

Sophia Takahashi, Sarah Tadlock, Esther Amao, Lada Korotaeva, and Nasstassja Kuznetsova (Orble)*

Orble is building a commercial automated bubble tea machine to create a variety of boba beverage options with the tap of a finger.

Sofia Gutierrez Boker (Ento)*

Ento is creating a high protein pasta that aims to help promote a more sustainable food system. Our not so secret ingredient is insects!

Lily Rivkin (Rooted.)*

Rooted. is a fast-casual chain that combines the transparency of RX Bars with the whole, organic nature of Sweetgreen and Dig-In to create a new genre of fast-casual that is rooted in simplicity.

Rose Katz (Tip of the Spoon)*

Tip of the Spoon is a blended, flavored chia pudding packed with a berry granola aimed for consumers to grab & go.

Jessica Ramses (Nepri)*

Nepri’s freekeh-based pasta redefines comfort food by preserving taste while boosting nutrition.

* Member of Food Innovation Cohort @ Penn Venture Lab

Wharton Agribusiness, Food, and Beverage Club (WAFAB)

Future of Food Conference

2023 Conference Speakers

Keynote

Panel 1: Building Sustainable Food Ecosystems

Panel 2: Food Investing & Entrepreneurship

Featured Founders