The Role of Venture Capital in Agricultural and Food Systems: Creating Opportunities and Scaling Up Science-Based Innovations
Join us on the first day of the International Agrobiodiversity Congress for the Innovation Forum. Numerous biodiversity-sensitive research products and data already exist, but better coordination and funding could radically disrupt the status quo and deliver long-term impacts in agriculture and food systems. Venture capital firms take daring approaches to transform food systems. Venture funds have generated an innovation ecosystem. Agri-food tech investment continues to break records, reaching a staggering $5 billion in 2020, more than six fold from 2012. This rapid change in the investment landscape also affects how innovation addresses complex social and environmental problems.
Participants will learn how leading global food companies, startups, and venture funds are transforming the way capital is raised and deployed in research and development, and what this means for agrobiodiversity.
The aim of the session is to foster a supportive ecosystem for innovation and collaboration and to raise awareness of the need to support pioneering research.
Objectives
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Feature and discuss emerging innovation models, and transformative technologies using recent experiences.
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Share lessons learned on how to foster and scale up agricultural/food system innovation that helps to promote sustainable agriculture and healthy human diets.
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Raise awareness of the impacts of innovation and digitalization on socio-economic growth, social inclusion, nutrition security, and resilience building.
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Opening Remarks:
Graziella Romito - Director of International Relations; Chair of the Agriculture Deputies of the G20 @ Ministry of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policies of Italy
Andrew Jarvis - Associate Director General, Research Strategy & Innovation @ Alliance/CGIAR
Thouraya Triki - Director, Sustainable Production, Markets and Institutions Division @ IFAD
Moderator:
Young Wha Lee - Breeding Informatics Lead, Excellence in Breeding, CGIAR
Key-Note Speaker:
Roberto Vitón - Founder and Managing Director @ Valoral Advisors
Speakers:
Mark Durno – Managing Partner AgriFood @ Rockstart
Edward Perrello – Associate Director of Agriculture @ Deep Science Ventures
Athanassia Athanassiou – Senior Researcher GreenTech @ Italian Institute of Technology
Alisee De Tonnac – CEO & Co-founder @ Seedstars
Bruno Basso – Co-Founder @ CiBO Technologies
Dorothy Shaver, Global Marketing Food Sustainability Lead @ Unilever
Gianpiero Menza – Senior Partnerships and Innovative Finance Officer @ Alliance/CGIAR
Ammad Bahalim - Senior Program Officer, Global Policy & Multilaterals - Agricultural Development @ The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Liana Logiurato – ex-Partner, Head of Chemicals EMEIA, Strategy & Transactions @ Ernst & Young
Ennis Olson - Global innovation Portfolio Manager @ Food@Google
Barry Goldman, PhD - Founder and CSO @ Pluton Bio
Closing Remarks:
Dominik Ziller - Vice President @International Fund for Agricultural Development
Jennifer Lappin – Director, New Technologies and Production Methods Division @ Foreign Agricultural Service, USDA
Juan Lucas Restrepo - Director General, Alliance of Bioversity international and CIAT; Global Director of Partnerships and Advocacy @ CGIAR