Food Waste Tech, Animal Antibiotic Reduction and Plant-Based Ingenuity Take Center Stage at FoodBytes! NYC

NEW YORK, Sept. 10, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- FoodBytes! by Rabobank, the next-generation food and agriculture pitch competition-meets-networking platform, has unveiled the twenty startups selected for FoodBytes! NYC. The competition returns to NYC for the third time on October 18.

Rabobank scours the globe looking for the world's most cutting-edge food and agriculture innovators. FoodBytes! offers an opportunity for selected entrepreneurs to showcase new products and technologies in front of investors, executives and media, and receive the mentorship, connections, insights and continuous community needed to grow.

The 3.5-minute pitches are:

1. Ingest.ai (Food Tech – New York, NY): Software that integrates all of a restaurant's fractured third-party systems, automating manual finance and operations functions, food ordering and staffing to help restaurants eliminate waste.
2. Afresh Technologies (Food Tech – San Francisco, CA): A Fresh-first supply chain software company that uses cutting-edge technology to massively reduce food waste, increase freshness and multiply the profitability of perishable foods.
3. Dexai Robotics (Food Tech – Boston, MA): Automating activities in commercial kitchens and the food industry using flexible robot arms. "Alfred" automates food assembly by using utensils to scoop and pick ingredients, exceeding human capabilities in speed and precision.
4. Winnow (Food Tech – London, UK): Developer of digital tools to help chefs run more profitable, sustainable kitchens by cutting food waste in half.
5. SomaDetect (Ag Tech – Buffalo, NY): Deep learning and AI dairy company that provides real-time, automated analysis of milk quality without any addition of chemicals or consumables.
6. Pheronym (Ag Tech – Gainesville, FL): Agricultural biotechnology company using pheromones from nematodes (microscopic worms) to provide safe, eco-friendly pest control for farmers.
7. MicroSynbiotiX (Ag Tech – Cork, Ireland): An algal synthetic biology company developing a new drug delivery system to help prevent costly disease outbreaks in the aquaculture industry.
8. Ocean Hugger Foods (CPG – New York, NY): Creates plant-based alternatives to popular seafood proteins, aiming to reduce stress on the world's oceans by giving consumers a sustainable alternative that mimics the taste, appearance and texture of fish.
9. BrainJuice (CPG – Austin, TX): A liquid supplement shot packed with the highest quality brain nutrients that supports focus, clarity, memory and good mood.
10. Sweetie Pie Organics (CPG – Raleigh, NC): Organic functional food products that make pregnancy and motherhood easier.

The 1.5-minute pitches are:

1. Wasteless (Food Tech – New York, NY): Dynamic pricing system that allows supermarkets to price and sell products based on expiration dates, reducing food waste and optimizing shelf management.
2. Agragen (Food Tech – Cincinnati, OH): Maker of plant-derived "fish oil" made from Camelina that will be used in human nutrition and aquaculture, replacing marine-derived fish oil.
3. Spinn (Food Tech – San Francisco, CA): Quality on-demand coffee roasted and brewed at home via their proprietary app technology.
4. water.io (Food Tech – Nes Ziona, Israel): Technology that turns any package into a smart one that generates data.
5. dropnostix GmbH (Ag Tech – Potsdam, Germany): Maker of rumen sensor health monitoring system for dairy farmers, helping them reduce the annual losses caused by diseases of dairy cows.
6. RIND Snacks (CPG – New York, NY): Sustainable, better-for-you snacks focused on the 'power of the peel.' Preserving the peels on USA-grown, non-GMO dried fruit, maximizing nutrition and minimizing waste.
7. Rise Brewing Co. (CPG – New York, NY): Nitro cold-brew coffee kegs and cans for offices, bars, restaurants and cafes. Organic, non-GMO, fair-trade, single-origin, non-dairy, kosher and zero calories.
8. Pulp Pantry (CPG – Los Angeles, CA): Transforms neglected low-cost, high-value resources like juice pulp into nutritious foods that make it easy for everyone to eat fruits and vegetables.
9. OneForNeptune (CPG – San Diego, CA): Sustainable seafood jerky made from undervalued and underutilized white fish that is traceable to clean, small-scale U.S. West Coast fisheries.
10. Finer Flavors (CPG – Geneva, Switzerland): Fresh vegetable nut butters in convenient pouches.

The 3.5-minute pitch companies are in the running to win the Judges' Choice Award (selected by the judges), and the People's Choice Award, voted by the audience. The 1.5-minute pitch companies are in the running to win the Highly Commended Award (selected by the judges).

FoodBytes! NYC is supported by presenting sponsor ADM and official sponsors Polsinelli, The Hain Celestial Group, Land O'Lakes SUSTAIN and Printpack.

Purchase tickets to FoodBytes! NYC here. Sign up to the FoodBytes! newsletter and follow FoodBytes! on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram or via #FoodBytes.

About FoodBytes! By Rabobank
Since launching in 2015, 210 startups have pitched on the FoodBytes! stage, 1,700 startups have applied from 40 countries and more than 3,800 people have attended events in North America, Europe and Australia.

FoodBytes! is part of Rabobank's Startup Innovation initiative and is led by a global team based in New York City and Utrecht, The Netherlands. Rabobank is a leading global food and agriculture bank, providing sector expertise, strategic counsel and tailored financial solutions to clients across the entire food value chain. Rabobank believes that sustainability and innovation are critical in promoting a thriving food and agricultural industry that will feed the increasing global population, a key focus of its Banking for Food vision to grow a better world together by 2050.

SOURCE Rabobank

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