FOOD FUNDED

Name

FOOD FUNDED

Legal name

FOOD FUNDED

Website

https://foodfunded.us

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Food & Agriculture Investor Events

NAICS

Convention and Trade Show Organizers (56192), Convention and Trade Show Organizers (561920)

akta.pro primary industry

Agriculture, Farming & AgriTech Shows Organizers (THAHABAM)

akta.pro secondary industry

Food, Beverage & Hospitality Trade Shows Organizers (THAHABAI)

Keywords

• Food investor fairs
• Entrepreneur showcase events
• Impact capital convening
• Regenerative agriculture workshops
• Food systems networking

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Event Sponsorships and Partnerships: FOOD FUNDED generates revenue through corporate sponsorships and partnerships with food industry organizations. Sponsoring partners (TIG Brands, Whole Foods Market, BPM, Regenerative Organic Alliance, and others) support events in exchange for brand visibility among the food entrepreneur and investor community.
2. Event Registration and Entrepreneur Showcase Fees: Revenue is generated from food entrepreneurs applying and paying to present at the investor fair, and from attendees paying to participate in the event programming.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

FOOD FUNDED organizes annual and themed food and agriculture investor fairs that bring together food entrepreneurs, impact investors, and ecosystem builders for educational sessions, curated enterprise showcases, and networking. Programming is structured around the Entrepreneur Lab (practitioner-led workshops), the Food Entrepreneur Showcase (curated company pitches with investor feedback), and a Connections Marketplace for deal exploration, with thematic event series covering JEDI, Climate, and Regenerative tracks. The convening is co-presented with Slow Money Northern California and operates as a private, for-profit event organization rather than a software or marketplace platform.

Product overview

FOOD FUNDED is an entrepreneurship and investor fair company that organizes food and agriculture-focused events connecting entrepreneurs with investors. The core product is the FOOD FUNDED Entrepreneurship & Investor Fair, an annual event featuring the Entrepreneur Lab (hands-on workshops), Food Entrepreneur Showcase (curated enterprise presentations), and Connections Marketplace (networking). The company also runs themed events including FOOD FUNDED Regenerate and regional events in Berkeley, New York City, and other locations. All products center on catalyzing capital flow in the food and ag system through education, networking, and live investment presentations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• FOOD FUNDED Entrepreneurship & Investor Fair Annual food investor fair connecting food and agriculture entrepreneurs with impact investors through the Entrepreneur Lab, Food Entrepreneur Showcase, and Connections Marketplace programming. Held in Bay Area venues (Berkeley, San Francisco) and New York City, the event features curated pitches, themed roundtables, and networking to catalyze capital flow in the food and agriculture system.
• FOOD FUNDED Regenerate Themed event series focusing on regenerative food and agriculture topics, featuring themed entrepreneur showcases, themed roundtable discussions, and practitioner-led sessions. Locations include Berkeley and (planned) New York City, with programming centered on regenerative organic supply chains and systemic funding for resilient food systems.
• Entrepreneur Lab Hands-on practitioner-led workshop program running within the annual investor fair, providing food entrepreneurs with practical guidance on funding strategy, marketing, and business development through small-group, themed roundtable sessions.
• Food Entrepreneur Showcase Curated annual showcase at the investor fair in which food and agriculture enterprises present to investors with live feedback, highlighting companies focused on regenerative practices, local food systems, cultural authenticity, and women's health.
• FOOD FUNDED Connections Marketplace In-event networking marketplace facilitating collaboration and authentic conversations between food entrepreneurs and investors, enabling participants to explore ideas and opportunities to follow up on.

Quantifiable outcome

• 222 attendees, 22 speakers (2019)
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

19 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Slow Money Northern CaliforniaflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Slow Money Northern California is the co-presenting organization of FOOD FUNDED. The partnership is foundational — FOOD FUNDED operates as an initiative/vehicle under the Slow Money NorCal umbrella. Slow Money investors and board members (Arno Hesse, Merril Gilbert, Renata Gomez) hold key roles in FOOD FUNDED, and the Slow Money brand and network are central to the event's credibility and reach.
• TIG BrandscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerTIG Brands is a key content partner and sponsor of FOOD FUNDED events. Founder Elliot Begoun is a featured speaker and program contributor. TIG Brands hosts the TIG Talks podcast and supports the food entrepreneur community through FOOD FUNDED's networking and educational programming.
• Whole Foods MarketcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerWhole Foods Market is a sponsoring partner and content contributor. Patrick Wyman (Principal Local Forager, Northern California) participates as a speaker and practitioner at FOOD FUNDED events, providing guidance to vendors on bringing products to market.
• Dr. Bronner's / Purpose PledgecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerDr. Bronner's is a content partner and sponsor. Chief Strategy & Impact Officer Les Szabo leads sessions on the Purpose Pledge at FOOD FUNDED events, and La-Rene Malcolm (Director of Quality & Inclusion Strategist at Dr. Bronner's) participates as a speaker.
• Regenerative Organic AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSenior Advisor Scott Leonard participates as a speaker on regenerative organic supply chain topics. The Regenerative Organic Alliance is a content partner providing expertise on regenerative agriculture standards and supply chain transformation.
• Bi-Rite Family of BusinessesminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSam Mogannam (owner) participates as a speaker on how Bi-Rite Market works with local vendors. Bi-Rite is a values-driven B Corporation and community market that hosts FOOD FUNDED entrepreneurs as potential vendors.
• Esca Bona / New Hope NetworkminorGTM or Marketing PartnerEsca Bona (an initiative of New Hope Network) co-sponsored early FOOD FUNDED events (2018, 2019). New Hope Network is the leading events and information services company for the natural and organic products industry.
• Agricultural Institute of Marin (AIM)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCEO Andy Naja-Riese is a speaker at FOOD FUNDED events. AIM advances equitable food systems in Marin County and is building the Center for Food & Agriculture, a permanent home for the Marin Farmers Market and Food Innovation Hub.
• KitchenTownminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerKitchenTown was a presenting sponsor in 2018 and 2019, providing hands-on workshops on product feedback, packaging, and retail readiness. KitchenTown supports food entrepreneurs in bringing products to market.
• GrowthWays PartnersminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerFounder Michael Bush participates as a speaker on what acquirers pay a premium for and helping founders make better decisions. GrowthWays Partners provides advisory services to food entrepreneurs.
• One Step Closer (OSC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-founder & Exec Director Lara Dickinson is a long-standing speaker and collaborator across multiple FOOD FUNDED events. OSC is a national community of sustainable natural products CEOs and business leaders.
• JEDI CollaborativeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-founded by Lara Dickinson, JEDI Collaborative is a content partner and speaker contributor across multiple FOOD FUNDED JEDI-themed events, focusing on justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion in the food system.
• COYOTE Media CollectiveminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSoleil Ho, Food Writer & Critic and founder of COYOTE Media Collective, is a 2026 content partner for FOOD FUNDED, bringing expertise on cultural authenticity and food criticism.
• Grows Together ConsultingminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerFounder Alisa Knapp is a speaker at FOOD FUNDED 2026 on bringing regenerative ingredients to market. Grows Together Consulting builds markets for diverse food crops and connects regenerative agriculture with commercial demand.
• Growthworks ConsultingminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerFounder Dianna Tremblay is a speaker and program contributor. Growthworks helps underserved entrepreneurs access the right capital at the right time and has helped founders collectively raise over $30 million.
• Curious Futures | FOOD FUNDEDcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMerril Gilbert is Co-Founder & CEO of Curious Futures and Board Member of Slow Money NorCal. Curious Futures helps growth-stage founders get investor-ready and scale with intention, and Merril Gilbert is a central figure in the FOOD FUNDED production team.
• KITC ConsultingminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPrincipal Consultant Cyn Billops is a speaker on community resilience and capital access. KITC Consulting supports under-resourced communities through equity-centered capital access and scalable social impact systems.
• Straus Family CreameryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounder Albert Straus participates as a speaker on systemic funding, regenerative organic dairy, and building resilient food businesses. Straus Family Creamery is cited as a success story in FOOD FUNDED's systemic investing programming.
• BPM (Berry, Petrzelka & Miller)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerBPM is a sponsoring partner of FOOD FUNDED events since 2018, providing accounting and business advisory expertise to the food and agriculture startup ecosystem.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• AgFunder: Leading investment platform and media brand focused on food and agriculture technology, running news, research, and investor events in the same food/agri capital-formation space as FOOD FUNDED. Wider portfolio breadth, but directly overlapping audience of mission-aligned investors.
• Food Tank: Nonprofit focused on building awareness and engagement for sustainable food systems, hosting summits, panels, and food/agriculture convenings. Comparable as a mission-driven event and content platform adjacent to FOOD FUNDED's regenerative, JEDI, and climate programming.
• Sustainable Brands: Convening platform for brand sustainability executives, running flagship conferences, workshops, and digital programming. Operates a broader sustainability audience but overlapping on regenerative agriculture and impact-capital themes addressed by FOOD FUNDED.
• New Hope Network: Operates the Natural Products Expo and Natural Products Expo East, the largest trade shows for the natural and organic food industry. Comparable as a B2B convening platform connecting food/ag brands with buyers and investors, though at substantially greater scale and broader thematic scope than FOOD FUNDED.

Others

• Wefunder: Regulation Crowdfunding platform featuring dedicated content for food entrepreneurs, cited as a FOOD FUNDED speaker partner. A financing-channel peer for the same entrepreneur audience accessing impact-aligned capital via the FOOD FUNDED platform.

Direct peers

• Investors Circle: Long-standing impact-focused angel investor network (cited as a content partner for FOOD FUNDED). Convenes social/environmental impact investors and is a directly overlapping platform for curated deal flow in mission-driven food and agriculture enterprises.
• Slow Money: National nonprofit dedicated to catalyzing investment in sustainable food and agriculture businesses, and the parent umbrella under which FOOD FUNDED is co-presented. Operates complementary local chapters (e.g., Slow Money NorCal) that similarly convene food entrepreneurs with mission-aligned investors.
• KitchenTown: Food entrepreneur incubator and shared production space in the Bay Area, cited as a presenting sponsor and content partner of FOOD FUNDED. Comparable Bay Area infrastructure supporting food entrepreneurs with capital-readiness programming similar to FOOD FUNDED's Entrepreneur Lab.

Emerging players

• FoodBytes! by Rabobank: Rabobank's global food and agri startup competition and pitch platform connecting early-stage ventures with corporate venture and impact capital. Comparable as a curated deal-flow conduit between food/ag entrepreneurs and investors, though corporate-backed rather than community-driven.
• Techstars Farm to Fork Accelerator: Techstars-run accelerator for food and agriculture startups with similar investor demo-day and curated investor matching mechanics. A larger institutional accelerator competing for the same entrepreneur cohort as FOOD FUNDED.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCeRSpDqeRtU68cvfPU5zqqw/videos
• Facebookfacebook.com/foodfunded
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/foodfunded
• Instagraminstagram.com/foodfunded
• Xx.com/FOODFUNDED

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about FOOD FUNDED