FoodTech Junkies

Meet Phnam Bagley, a space architect and industrial designer who is changing how we view space travel, food tech, and environmental sustainability on Earth. But, Phnam's achievements don't end there - she is also an accomplished creative director, adjunct professor of industrial design, co-host, educator, and board advisor. In this episode, we'll learn about her latest project, the Space Culinary Lab, which gives astronauts access to various foods, ensuring they can enjoy nutritious, flavorful meals on their deep space journeys. We'll also dive into the possibilities space innovation can provide to our current food system and her views on our current challenges and solutions. About Phnam Bagley Phnam designs the future of everything, on and off planet Earth. She is a French industrial designer, futurist and aerospace architect creating cutting-edge hardware and experiences in Wearables, Healthcare and Wellness, Education, Robotics, Transportation, and Aerospace. She specializes in turning groundbreaking technologies into attainable, intuitive, and beautiful products and experiences that help humans become the best versions of themselves.Her work is exclusively focused on projects that support the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals, and create a positive impact on humanity, the environment and innovation.Phnam works with a variety of companies, from startups to Fortune 500 and government agencies, covering 4 continents. Clients include NASA, Intel, Facebook, Atari, Philips, Alpine, Mistletoe, Halo Neuroscience, and more.She speaks internationally on the subject of “Designing the Future of Everything”, covering stories of sustainability, design, space exploration, education and human flourishing. With her partner Mardis Bagley, she co-hosts an educational video series called Future Future, sharing tools and insights about design and the future of everything.‍ About NonfictionNonfiction is an award-winning creative studio specializing in industrial design, branding, user experience design, space architecture, engineering and strategy.We turn science fiction into reality for a better future.We engage consumers through the design of unique and sophisticated products with rich backstories. Our clients range from Fortune 500 companies to funded startups all over the world. We leverage our relationships with manufacturing partners to execute your ideas on time and on budget.

In this episode, we explored our current food system, the role of technology, policy, and future trends with Sonalie Figueiras. This conversation reminds us that our relationship with food is not just about sustenance but it also encompasses a much wider societal framework. With rapid advancements in technology and increasing awareness around sustainability issues, we are witnessing a massive food system transformation all over the world. It's clear that a bright new era for food tech has dawned. As well as exploring these cutting-edge solutions, however, we also took a more holistic approach to understand what needs to be done on a macro level to ensure sustainability and equity within our current model. Sonalie's journey is a true inspiration for those who strive to make a difference in the world by serving a higher purpose, don't miss this! About Sonalie Figueiras Founder & CEO at Green Queen, Ekowarehouse & Source Green2021 Women of Power, 2019 GEN T Honoree, V Label Global Hero, 2 x TEDx Speaker: Serial social entrepreneur & trends forecaster Sonalie Figueiras is a sustainability expert, food futurist and eco-powerhouse who has been inspiring global audiences for over a decade with practical steps on how to fight climate change. Known as the Green Queen of Asia, she is the founder and Editor in Chief of the award-winning Green Queen - the region’s first impact media platform that educates millions of readers on the connection between health, sustainability and the environment and showcases future solutions. She is also the co-founder and CEO of organic sourcing platform Ekowarehouse and climate tech SaaS Source Green, which helps consumer brands quit plastic packaging thanks to proprietary plastic reduction software In addition, Sonalie is a global keynote speaker and an advisor to multiple mission-driven startups and NGOs, and a venture partner to several VC funds.   About Green Queen Founded by serial social entrepreneur and eco activist Sonalie Figueiras in 2011 and based in Hong Kong with a global outlook and an international audience, Green Queen is an award-winning impact media platform advocating for social & environmental change, the leading sustainability news outlet in the Asian region and a global reference for the alternative protein industry, one of the most important consumer products and investment opportunities of our time.

Food waste is a global challenge that is not going away any time soon, but there are solutions out there that can help us reduce its impact on our communities and the environment. This is where Tessa's work with Olio comes in. By providing locals with an accessible way to share food goods that would otherwise go to waste, Olio is making a tangible impact on the world one share at a time. It's inspiring to see the positive numbers speak for themselves, but the real impact is felt by those empowered to make a difference. Together, we can create a more sustainable future and reduce our impact on the planet for future generations. About Tessa Clarke & OLIO Tessa’s childhood was spent on her parents’ farm in the UK. As a result of this rural upbringing she developed a keen appreciation for the value of hard work, the power of nature, and the preciousness of food. Having no idea what she wanted to do when she grew up, she studied Social & Political Sciences at Cambridge University, before taking on a variety of leadership positions in digital businesses. Tessa then had a life changing experience when moving country which led her to co-found Olio, an app that connects people with their local community so that surplus food and other household items can be given away, rather than thrown away; and everyday things can be lent and borrowed, instead of bought brand new. Olio exists to combat the throwaway culture at scale, and has grown its community to over 7 million people so far. It also has over 80,000 trained volunteers who collect unsold food from local businesses, and redistribute it to the local community via the Olio app. In parallel to growing Olio into a global movement, Tessa and her family have been on a personal journey to live more sustainably. As a result of this Tessa firmly believes that sustainable living is about being healthier, wealthier and happier, not sacrifice. She is also passionate about the sharing economy as a solution for a sustainable world, and about ‘profit with purpose’ as the next business paradigm.

In a world where traditional production methods dominate the value chain for cocoa, coffee, and tea, alternative start-ups like WNWN are working hard to change the game. Through traditional fermentation techniques and a focus on regenerative farming, they are leading the charge toward a more sustainable future. It was an absolute pleasure to chat with them on the Foodtech Junkies podcast and hear about their inspiring vision for disrupting the industry. As FoodTech Junkies, we love nothing more than hearing about innovative companies pushing the boundaries and challenging the status quo. WNWN is one to keep an eye on! About The Founders Ahrum Pak is the CEO of WNWN (win-win) and a former investment banker and management consultant who worked in the U.S., Europe and Asia to bring IPOs to life. She’s also a fermentation enthusiast raised in a home where the refrigerator was stocked with traditionally home-fermented Korean foods. After earning her MBA, her growing ambition to address food waste and sustainability, and a fortuitous Instagram message, led her to her cofounder Dr. Johnny Drain. Ahrum has been named one of 12 women building sustainable food systems by Green Business magazine and one of 20 Food Heroes by international food standards organization V-Label. Dr. Johnny Drain, the CTO of WNWN (win-win), is a leading global expert on fermentation who grew up a stone’s throw from the world-famous Cadbury chocolate factory in Birmingham. Johnny has brought scientific insights to some of the world’s finest restaurants and bars. His R&D work on behalf of top brands includes setting up in-house fermentation labs, creating novel ingredients, and working with the world’s first zero-waste restaurant. He earned a PhD in Materials Science from the University of Oxford. About WNWN WNWN (win-win) Food Labs was the first in the growing alt-chocolate space to bring cocoa-free chocolate to market. The London startup developed a proprietary fermentation process that transforms sustainable, widely available ingredients like cereals and legumes into premium dark chocolate that looks, smells, tastes, melts, snaps, and bakes like the real thing. In 2022, WNWN was awarded "Best Finished Product" at the World Confectionery Conference in Brussels and this year was named one of the 50 Most Impactful Companies to work for by Impact Fifty.  LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/wnwn-food-labs 

In this episode of FoodTech Junkies, we chat with Jeff Binczyk Chief Marketing Officer of precision health startup Inside Tracker. With 25yrs experience in large corporations like Kellogs and an insatiable need for learning, Jeff is currently researching his dissertation on "how to successfully fail in your small food company Product launch". We’ll hear his thoughts on this topic and more about the startup he joined last year. About Jeff Binczyk Binczyk has been an industry-recognized global marketing executive for over 25 years and has held CMO or equivalent roles at Kellogg's, American Greetings, and Flavorseal. As a Doctoral candidate in Business Administration with a passion for nutrition and health, he arrives at InsideTracker with a proven track record for successfully developing and implementing growth strategies and evolving marketing teams. In his new role,  Binczyk will lead through integrated creative and financial skills, drive department innovation within desired KPIs, and enhance InsideTracker's test-learn-optimize approach to profitable growth. About Inside Tracker Founded in 2009 and created by experts in the fields of aging, genetics, and biometric data, InsideTracker provides a personal health analysis and data-driven wellness guide designed to help you live healthier and longer. By analyzing your body's biomarkers, InsideTracker objectively assesses the current state of your well-being. Then, our A.I.-powered platform uses findings from thousands of scientific peer-reviewed publications and over ten billion biomarker data points to generate a custom set of actionable recommendations and insights. Integrated within an intuitive mobile app, InsideTracker reveals your personalized path to improving your health and longevity from the inside out. Read InsideTracker's peer-reviewed papers in Scientific Reports and Current Developments in Nutrition.

With over 15 years of experience in the food industry and a deep familiarity with the local and global agrifood industry, today Noga Sela Shalev is the CEO of Fesh Start FoodTech Incubator, an early-stage melting pot of technologies collaborating towards some of the most significant challenges of the food value chain. In this episode, we’ll discuss her journey, and discover her views on food tech, her wishes, and her 2023 predictions. About Noga Noga has 15 years of experience in product management, marketing, and business development in the food and foodtech industry, closely acquainted with the local and global foodtech scene, supporting early-stage start-ups from vision to scale. She is experienced in the business evaluation of innovative technologies with a high emphasis on applicable innovation. She has initiated and led industry and startups joint development as well as implementation processes according to the industry’s needs and requirements. Beyond her extensive marketing background, as formerly the chief of staff and head of the innovation unit in Tnuva, Israel’s biggest food company, she initiated and led corporate-level strategic projects in various fields, from operational excellence to corporate strategy, and established the Tnuva group corporate innovation unit and work processes. Noga holds an MBA degree from Tel Aviv University. About Fresh Start Fresh-Start FoodTech Incubator is part of the IIA incubators program and the evolving AgriFoodtech cluster in the north of Israel. Incubator's partners form a unique balanced syndicate of strong industrial players and track record financial partners: Tnuva is Israel's leading dairy and food company, Tempo is a leading beverage company, OurCrowd is one of the largest crowdfunding vehicles in the world, and Finistere Ventures is a specialized agrifood tech VC fund. Supported by the partners' added values, Fresh Start is seeking to grow Impact FoodTech Companies from Vision to Scale. Fresh-start offers Strong Industry Orientation, Access to a Full Funding Cycle (from bridging period to round A and further), Leveraged by its Partner’s Global Network, Integration in the Northern FoodTech Cluster Initiative, and Inception Specialization of both Food technologies and cross-vertical technologies, tailor-made for strategic partners’ needs.

Today, we travel to the UK to chat with sustainability entrepreneur and advocate Klaus Mitchell. Klaus shares his inspiring journey, including how he lived on a canal boat in London to drastically cut costs and scale up his media platform, Plant Based News, where he serves as Founder and CEO.Klaus dives into his work on environmental documentaries, including his role as script editor for the Netflix phenomenon Seaspiracy. He highlights the devastating ecological impact of fishing on our oceans, emphasizing how bottom trawling destroys 3 billion acres of underwater ecosystems annually—far surpassing the 25 million acres of deforestation occurring on land each year. Klaus also discusses his partnership with the documentary Eating Our Way to Extinction, where he supported its marketing efforts. The film, narrated by Kate Winslet, featured prominent global figures and delivered a powerful environmental message about the deleterious environmental effects of our food system. Klaus reflects on his various initiatives, such as the free cooking classes he organized in North London to teach underserved communities how to prepare healthy meals from scratch. He also shares his critique of the COP27 conference, where he was a speaker, pointing out the lack of focus on food systems despite their role in addressing climate change. Klaus reflects on his academic background and how traditional medical models often fail to account for the importance of nutrition. He credits his shift to a plant-based lifestyle to reading The China Study during a bike tour across South America. This experience eventually led to the creation of Plant Based News, an award-winning platform with nearly 4 million followers on social media and 80 million monthly impressions. Klaus reflects the challenges and rewards of building a platform that has become a global voice for sustainability. About Klaus Mitchell Klaus Mitchell has always had a passion for health and nutrition, initially coming top of his year for Human Biosciences BSc from the University of Exeter, and then doing a masters in The Genetics of Human Disease MSc on a full scholarship at University College London. Upon graduating in 2015, Klaus launched Plant Based News to raise awareness around the health and environmental benefits of a plant-based diet, which now boasts over 4million followers on social media. In 2021, Plant Based News raised over £1 million via the investment platform SeedRS to scale up and expand its reach. Klaus has been an author of an article published in the journal of Public Health Nutrition, which explored the effect of diet on various health markers; was script editor on the groundbreaking Netflix documentary Seaspiracy; and directs an annual documentary series on Plant Based News, showcasing the developments in the sustainability and alternative protein sector. About Plant Based News Plant Based News is a mission-led impact media platform focused on elevating the plant-based diet and its benefit to human health, the planet, and animals.

Today we talk to Alon Chen, co-founder, and CEO of Tastewise, the data platform the food & beverage industry uses to innovate faster, market better, and grow sales. Alon started young. He was a Developer at 12yo, a business owner at 15yo, Google's CMO in Israel and Greece, a Founder of Google Partners, and social activist for LGBTQ issues to date, and a global leader for the World Economic Forum. In this episode, we will dive into tastewise’s platform and learn how this is just the beginning of how to democratize data toward a food system right for consumers.

Today we talk to Deniz Ficicoglu, a food blogger turned entrepreneur. Today she is co-founder and CEO of Bettaf!sh, a fast-rising, plant-based-tuna startup with a regenerative twist. We’ll talk about how she’s building a whole new industry while saving our oceans by turning seaweed mainstream.  This German-based startup has rapidly grown in 5 countries in a year and is part of an expanding fish-free category that grabbed over $100 m in funding last year. In this episode, we will learn how they went from an idea to market and also how through their impact-driven approach, are helping coastal communities and building a whole new supply chain for the industry.

In this episode, we talk to Carolina Puzo, founder and President of Muze a company that is aiming to transform the country's cocoa value chain through the circular economy and social impact. We will travel to Ecuador and learn more about Carolina's journey and purpose. We'll dive into the nutritional properties of chocolate, its potential circular applications, and the impact on both people and the planet that this ingredient can generate. About Carolina Pozo From the moment she founded the non-profit AVANTI, Carolina has tried to improve the socio-economic conditions of the cacao farmers in rural Ecuador.  To achieve this goal and generate a sustainable and fair supply chain, she then founded Muze, a new business that aimed to create social impact while disrupting the global chocolate market with a new and innovative brand. Prior to Muze, she co-founded several other impact-driven organizations, was an associate For Time Berners Lee’s ODI-Open Data Institute in London, a global shaper and Director of LINQ Quito´s Innovation Lab, where she led the open government and open innovation policies and projects for the city.  About Muze Muze is a women & Latinx-owned, vegan, gluten-free, no-lecithin, and non-GMO chocolate company based in Ecuador & NYC, producing premium chocolate made from the world’s best bean, Ecuadorian fine aroma cacao. Their award-winning, bean-to-bar chocolates are all vegan and made from single-origin organic cacao from the coastal province of Manabi, giving great importance to sustainability, traceability, and practicing direct trade with cacao farmers. They promote the circular economy of cacao by implementing social impact projects such as Cacao EcoVillage through the non-profit AVANTI. With carbon-neutral products and compostable packaging, Muze is working to become the most sustainable and functional chocolate on the market.