Five Years of Food-X; Redefining the Future of our Food System with Cohort 10 Open Call
As part of the Food-X team, I can tell you that helping run the original and most far-reaching food-focused startup accelerators in the world is exhilarating. My time here has given me the unique vista to what has to be one of the most pivotal and critical times in our food system as evidenced by the explosion of investment in the sector and recent IPOs. Innovation is no longer a nice-to-have, but a fundamental necessity.
Here at Food-X, we believe that food tech startups aiming to improve and disrupt the system are at the center of that innovation.
In that light, I can hardly believe that in September, we’ll see five years of Food-X manifest in what will be the 10th cohort of the program. At the end of a tight but rigorous selection process, 8–10 lucky companies will filter through the 400+ anticipated applications that we’ve received in every wave of the program’s existence. While the team is old hat at this process, we know ourselves enough by now to know that come July, we’ll have our decision-making caps on for nearly two months. With startup fever pouring into the world of food and food tech, our job is to cull through and vet 800–1,000 early stage ventures per year to identify the truly innovative companies that we can help the most. While these decisions are rarely simple, they are deeply rewarding—especially as we look towards the next five years of Food-X.
Based in NYC, an always churning hub of commerce, marketing, and creativity, we constantly ask ourselves what kind of startups within the food system can we serve best in a three and a half month program in our own co-working space. Running a time-tested, in-person accelerator has the major upside of countless unplanned opportunities of connection and collaboration of an organically formed entrepreneurial community of mentors, alumni, and founders — not to mention investors and food and beverage companies.
With our expertise and entrenched network, Food-X is intent on shaping and accelerating young companies that operate within these three burgeoning areas, which we believe are poised for significant growth:
- The Transformation of Food Commerce: As more services — such as grocery delivery, direct-to-consumer (D2C) businesses, and curated food and wellness purchasing platforms — develop, food and retail commerce continue to evolve at a rapid pace. But, more than anything, Food-X believes that companies using AI, conversational commerce, and other advanced automation technologies will reimagine how we discover, buy and sell food.
- Modernizing the Supply Chain: The transfer of goods globally is in need of a radical overhaul. This is not just to improve upon inefficiency, traceability, accountability, and transparency, but to address the stark reality of our climate crisis. Food-X asserts that blockchain has the potential to solve important provenance challenges. Moreover, we are bullish on the role the sciences will continue to play in regard to sustainable agriculture, the reduction of food waste, and improved ingredient technologies.
- The Intersection of Food & Medicine: Poor diets are linked to 20% of all deaths worldwide. Proper nutrition — and access to food — plays an important role in prevention, treatment, and recovery for many health conditions. We believe that the principle of “eating your medicine” is taking shape in the form of harnessing adaptogenic ingredients to manage stress and balance, and manipulating the microbiome, through the use of prebiotics and probiotics, to have an influence on digestion, cognition, and physical and emotional wellbeing.
Even as we near the close of our spring program for Cohort 9, we’re already excited about the fall. We’ve begun to ponder what innovative companies we will be fortunate enough to meet for this milestone 10th cohort.
How can we help your startup create meaningful change in the food system?
The best way to find out is to simply apply. Our small but passionate Food-X team (we operate as a lean startup ourselves) reviews applications on a rolling basis throughout the year. Once we’ve passed the final July 7th deadline, applicants get a general update. Soon after, we begin the selection process by interviewing the companies we can serve best.
Food-X believes that within five years of connecting with hundreds of founders and helping move the needle for nearly 80 companies, we have even more to offer a world hungry for the transformation of our food systems.
Are you ready to be part of that transformation?
If so, Food-X looks forward to seeing your application in the coming weeks!
— Terry Romero, Food-X Program Manager
