7:30 am Check-In & Light Breakfast
8:30 am Chair’s Opening Remarks
Evaluating Shifts in the Private & Public Investment Landscape
8:45 am Securing Private & Public Investment to Support Protein Innovation & Scale-Up
Synopsis
- Overcoming funding challenges and tackling regulatory and legislative hurdles
- Uncovering how food innovators are navigating a changing landscape
- Sharing key lessons learned
9:15 am Panel Discussion: Reflecting on the Investment Changes Since 2022 – What Does the Future Hold?
Synopsis
- Evaluating the trend of smaller check sizes in private investment rounds – can this effectively support industry growth?
- Improving the alignment between investor expectations and the technical feasibility of delivery
- Uncovering how domestic government grants can support commercialization and scale-up
- Aligning on investor expectations: offtake agreements, joint development agreements, letters of intent – what is most attractive?
10:15 am Morning Break & Speed Networking
Fermentation & Ingredient Innovation
Keeping the End in Mind: Ensuring Strain Development Supports Upscaled Fermentation
11:15 am Developing Productive Strains That Withstand Bioprocessing
Synopsis
- Predicting how different strains will react to different manufacturing scales in early R&D
- Ensuring the quality of the protein production is maintained at scale
- Selecting a host organism that can withstand environmental challenges including shear force in bioprocessing
11:45 am Optimizing Target Molecule Selection & Production for Use in Diversified Products
Synopsis
- Ensuring target molecule selection is achievable through fermentation at scale
- Discussing how to predict the functionality of the protein ingredient in R&D
- Evaluating next-generation screening methods to identify modifications to improve protein expression
Product Development & Commercialization
Looking Behind the Curtain of Innovation Scouting to Enhance Collaboration
11:15 am Fireside Chat: Defining Success (& Failure) in a Strategic Partnership to Support Category Growth
Synopsis
- Sharing CPGs’ perceptions of success and failure in strategic partnerships, and how this is defined to lead to SKU growth
- How do they see the scale of a project over time?
- Uncovering what scaling of a partnership looks like
- Establishing effective feedback loops to support ingredient and product optimization
11:45 am Balancing CPG, Consumer & Protein Provider Priorities to Drive Successful Innovative Product Development
Synopsis
- Understanding how to leverage established supply chains while integrating new products
- Aligning on go-to-market strategy within collaborative agreements
- Balancing entering new markets with expanding within existing ones
12:15 pm Networking Lunch Break
Maximizing the Yield of Fermentation Runs Across Scales to Increase End Profit Margins
1:15 pm Technology & Process Optimization to Maximize High Quality Protein Ingredient Yields
Synopsis
- Setting up effective monitoring and feedback loops to adjust the fermentation environment
- Removing waste by-products to ensure the health of the host organism
- Minimizing changes in temperature, shear force, pH, and dissolved oxygen to improve stability at scale
1:45 pm Session Reserved For: Merrick
1:55 pm Roundtable Discussion: Assessing the Viability of Continuous Fermentation & Processing – How & When?
Synopsis
- Brainstorming what continuous fermentation could look like
- Sharing key technical limitations in achieving this milestone
- Evaluating the differences between precision and biomass fermentation
Developing Best-in-Class Product Formulations to Delight Consumers
1:15 pm Marrying Protein Ingredient Selection with End Product Application to Accelerate Commercialization
Synopsis
- Identifying key protein properties that lend themselves to specific applications
- Aligning ingredient value proposition with the target market
- Ensuring cross-functional collaboration between R&D and application teams
- How to position applications to consumers
1:45 pm Technology Spotlight: To Be Revealed
1:55 pm Maintaining the Taste & Functionality of Alternative Protein Ingredients in Product Processing
Synopsis
- Ensuring product manufacturing techniques are mindful of the protein specifications
- Avoiding compromising on the final product quality given protein instability
- Designing workflows to detect and mitigate aberrant proteins
2:30 pm Afternoon Networking Break
Advancing Commercially Successful Strategic Partnerships
3:15 pm Fireside Chat: Innovating the Next Generation – CPG & Ingredient Provider Evaluation of Alternative Proteins
Synopsis
- Articulating how CPGs and ingredient providers view fermentation-derived proteins in their long-term sustainability goals
- Assessing whether the ESG goals revolve around supply chains, energy, and logistics or if alternative proteins are a significant priority
- Uncovering the level of prioritization of alternative proteins for CPGs and ingredient providers
4:00 pm Collaborating with Diverse Customers: Lessons Learned from CPG & Ingredient Provider Partnerships
Synopsis
- Presenting the journey of operating with as B2B innovator and forming long-term joint development agreements
- Collaborating strategically with diverse partners to fulfil the potential of alternative protein ingredients
- Positioning an ingredient to be relevant to CPGs and ingredient providers