Conference Day One
Wednesday, February 14, 2024
7:30 am Check-In & Light Refreshments
8:30 am Chair’s Opening Remarks
Winning Investment & Balancing the Cost & Quality of Alternative Proteins to Unlock Full Market Potential
8:45 am Balancing the Cost & Quality of Alternative Protein Products for Consumer Satisfaction to Drive Profitability
Synopsis
- Determining when good is good enough – what is the critical level where consumers will be satisfied with the cost and taste of alternative protein products
- Aligning across the industry to drive costs down to access the full market potential
- Exploring an example of how a commercialized product balances cost and quality from R&D to manufacturing
9:15 am Panel Discussion: Crunching the Money: Demonstrating a Path to Profitability to Overcome a Challenging Macroeconomic Environment Across All Stages of Investment
Synopsis
- Sharing investors' honest perspectives: the "funding crunch", survival of food tech companies in the current climate, and defining commercial proof-of-concept
- Exploring the tension between B2B and B2C, and the role of strategics in the context of commercial success
- An ask-us-anything style Q&A to seek advice for your most pressing investment challenges
10:15 am GEA: Your Premier Industry Partner for Accelerating the Commercialization of Alternative Proteins
Synopsis
- Overviewing how GEA supports start ups and established players when scaling processes and commercializing products
- Combining food and pharma expertise to improve bioprocessing and all relevant scalable process technologies
- Sharing engineering case studies from industry on process optimization, digital scaling, and validating assumptions through testing and piloting
10:45 am Morning Break & Speed Networking
Synopsis
Our speed networking is the ideal opportunity to get face-to-face time with many of the brightest minds working in alternative proteins and introduce yourself to the attendees you would like to have more in-depth conversations with. Benchmark against industry leaders and establish meaningful business relationships to pursue for the rest of the conference and beyond.
Chair: Adam Leman, Lead Fermentation Scientist, The Good Food Institute
Delving Into Strain Engineering Case Studies to Improve
Host Organism & Protein Productivity
11.45 Maximizing Strain Yield Through Genetic Improvements to Reduce COGS
- Protein selection for targeted nutritional profiles
- Strain modifications for improved productivity
- Balancing growth and metabolism for optimal expression of target proteins
Patrick Westfall, Vice President Research &
Development, Bond Pet Foods
12.15 Optimizing Host Organism & Process to Scale Alternative Protein Production
- Combining AI and high-throughput foundry capabilities for organism engineering towards economic production
- Optimizing strain performance through non-GM approaches
- Developing a process, DSP SOP for successful tech transfer and scale-up
Sneha Srikrishnan, Senior Director of Business Development, Gingko Bioworks
12:45 pm Networking Lunch Break
Chair: Adam Leman, Lead Fermentation Scientist, The Good Food Institute
Using Well-Informed R&D Strategies for Effective Scale-Up & Formulation
13.45 Selecting Appropriate Host Organisms to Prepare for Large-Scale Fermentation & Tech Transfer
- Predicting how different strains will behave beyond laboratory scale in fermenters due to shear force and additional pressure
- Developing robust strains that are resistant to environmental heterogenicity in large-scale fermenters
- Characterizing the feasibility of different strains in the context
of financial viability
Chris Landowski, Chief Technology Officer, Onego Bio
14.15 Multiparameter Sensors and Dissolved Oxygen (DO) Sensor Pills for Shake Flasks
- Get to know new shake flask technologies: Multiparameter Sensors and DO Sensor Pills
- Learn about the process optimization of protein production in Pichia pastoris
- Deep dive into new shake flask opportunities: Fluorescence monitoring, closed loop control, and more!
Jared Trefz, Technical Sales Specialist, Scientific Bioprocessing
14.30 Optimizing End Product Functionality Through
Targeted Strain Development to Simplify Formulation
- Determining the critical physical and chemical properties that
denote molecular functionality and mimic the real protein - Engineering strains to replicate these characteristics
- Complementing rational design with artificial intelligence to
accelerate development
Tamir Tuller, Chief Scientific Officer, Imagindairy
3:00 pm Afternoon Networking Break
Exploring the Technical & Commercial Dynamics of Strategic Partnerships
4:00 pm Understanding the Technical & Commercial Requirements of B2B Companies for Successful Partnerships in Alternative Proteins
Synopsis
- Delving into the driving reasons behind partnerships between B2B and alternative protein companies
- Shedding light on the technical and commercial characteristics that B2B companies seek
- Visualizing the future of cross-business collaboration
4:30 pm Flavors & Proteins: Unlocking Consumer Acceptance
Synopsis
- Overview of the global market potential and different stages, evaluating consumer perception/acceptance and drivers in the market
- Fermented proteins and their potential in flavor, challenges when developing and working with these proteins
- How Edlong supports companies in this field
5:00 pm Igniting & Scaling a New Industry: B2B and B2C Strategies to Drive Forward R&D & Reach Customers
Synopsis
- Uncovering how B2C can ignite B2B strategic activities and generate initial demand and proof-of-concept
- Identifying strategic partners who want to use an ingredient when exploring B2B
- Estimating the speed-to-market of B2B vs B2C and which model will drive R&D forward most effectively
5:30 pm Chair’s Closing Remarks
5:45 pm Networking Drinks Reception & Poster Session
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