Professor Robert Lustig

Elysabeth Alfano

Elysabeth Alfano is the CEO of VegTech™ Invest, the advisor to the VegTech™ Plant-based Innovation & Climate ETF.  The VegTech™ ETF has created a completely new impact asset class: plant-based innovation and alternative in the capital markets.   The company has also launched the industry benchmark index, VegTech™ Plant-based Innovation & Alternative Proteins Index.

Elysabeth is a plant-based industry expert and speaks globally on the intersection of sustainability and our global food supply system, including recently at the U.N. Global Leaders Compact Summit. 

She is the CEO of Plant Powered Consulting and hosts the Plantbased Business Hour, which features the CEOs and thought leaders in the industry.  The Plantbased Business Hour is considered, “The Gold Standard” for those who want to understand, participate in, and capitalize on this secular trend. Linkedin here.

Ari Tulla

Ari Tulla is a San Francisco-based entrepreneur and the co-founder & CEO of the smart nutrition service, Elo, whose mission is to transform food from the leading cause of disease to medicine. Ari is also an active angel investor and advisor with a portfolio of 40 startups, including Virta Health, Good Eggs, and Ōura. 
 
Previously, Ari was the CEO of Quest Analytics, the market leader in doctor data and network management. Ari led the company through a pivotal growth stage from $15M to $40M in revenue. Before joining Quest Analytics, Ari was co-founder and CEO of BetterDoctor, a doctor search engine. 
 
BetterDoctor raised $30M from first-tier investors, including NEA and Uncork Capital. In June 2018, BetterDoctor was acquired by private equity firm Vestar Capital. Before BetterDoctor, Ari led Nokia’s game and application studios. 
 
When not working or co-parenting his two young children with his wife, Ari spends his time on the steep cliffs, powdery slopes, and big cold waves that only Northern California can offer.

Tyler Mayoras

Gregory McParland

Michelle Wolf

Michelle Wolf co-founded New Wave Foods shortly after graduating from Carnegie Mellon with a master’s degree in biomedical engineering. She is a talented engineer with consumer packaged goods experience, who lead the initial development of New Wave Shrimp as a product "from the sea for the sea." In 2021 she was recognized by Forbes as one of the "30 under 30 Food & Drink" based on her accomplishments co-founding a company that promotes sustainable eating.  Her goal is to build a portfolio of sustainable plant-based seafood products embraced by both the operator and the consumer. 

Vincent Kitirattragarn

Vincent Kitirattragarn is the founder and CEO of Dang Foods, the largest healthy Asian snack company. Dang’s coconut chips, rice chips, and nutrition bars are found in over 10,000 grocery stores and have earned many industry awards including the coveted SOFI “best snack” award multiple times.

A Cornell Graduate, Vincent is a Forbes 30 Under 30 awardee, and Gold List A100 awardee. His journey was featured on NPR’s “How I Built This” podcast in 2022.

Vincent and has been an active member of the Asian-American community for decades, organizing an annual Thai-American youth camp, supporting local organizations advancing justice for underrepresented ethnic communities, and supporting Bay Area food banks.

In the natural food industry, Vincent advocates for Asian issues like the recognition of lunar new year and AAPI heritage month. He is also a board member to JEDI Collective, an industry group promoting justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion.

Noah Voreades

Noah is Managing Director of GenBiome Consulting.  GenBiome Consulting specializes in the intersection between VMS, digital health, personalization, genetic testing and microbiome (testing, probiotics, prebiotics) across clinical + lifestyle + wellness.  Recently, Noah served as Head of External Innovation for Seed Health, the leading microbial sciences consumer health company.  Noah’s understanding of the microbiome and personalized health sectors stems from engagements ranging from supporting launch of Nutrisystem’s genetic testing platform DNA Body Blueprint to R&D development with OLIPOP, the leader in functional soda.  Additionally, GenBiome has supported digital health companies such as Docbot & Perigon Health 360.

Noah’s insights have been featured in podcasts, Profile by Sanford Health Hacking Health Summit, New Hope’s NBJ Personalized Nutrition Report, SupplySide webinars and company sponsored thought leadership summits.

Noah’s graduate school research focused on the intersection of nutrition, microbiome & metabolomics for biomarker and novel assay development.

Jim Lalrd

CEO and co-founder of ENOUGH, a food-tech company whose purpose is “to make protein sustainable”. ENOUGH address this by growing mycoprotein, an advantaged food ingredient, more sustainably and at lower cost than all other protein options.

ENOUGH are building the World’s largest new protein facility.  Located in the Netherlands, this will initially produce the equivalent of 5 cows worth of protein every hour, with plans to make a cow equivalent every 2 minutes by the end of the decade.

Demand for non-animal protein is forecast to grow by +15k tonnes every day for the next 5000 days. ENOUGH’s current plans are not enough to meet a relevant share of this but with collaboration, we embrace the opportunity to go further.