The Feed

Karthik Shekar is the Head of Data Science at Climax Foods, a producer of specialty dairy-free cheeses currently being used by Michelin-starred chefs. In this episode, we’ll talk about how the startup leverages AI to speed up its R&D cycle, the advantages of natural plant-based alternatives over precision fermentation, and the potential for AI to create new foods we’ve never even dreamed of.

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Marc Washington is the Founder & CEO of Supergut, a line of shakes, snack bars, and powders focused on gut health through prebiotic fiber. In this episode we’ll talk about the misconceptions behind probiotics, the role of the gut in moderating everything from our mood to our metabolism, and the future of clinically-validated health and wellness products like Supergut.

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Brad McNamara is the founder & CEO of Morrissey Market, an online grocery platform built on top of the existing restaurant distributor infrastructure. In this episode we’ll talk about Brad’s roots in vertical farming, how Morrissey is building online grocery as a service for food as medicine and nonprofit organizations, and the economics behind his asset-light approach.

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Shawn Walchef is the owner of Cali BBQ and Cali BBQ Media, a 15-year-old BBQ chain located in San Diego, California that also creates B2B content for operators. In this episode, we’ll discuss how Cali BBQ is leveraging smaller-format locations like ghost kitchens and stadium concessions to build the “Amazon Prime of BBQ,” the current state of restaurant technology, and how restaurant operators can leverage the full potential of social media.

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Morley Ivers is the Co-Founder & CEO of Cookin, a Toronto-based food delivery marketplace enabling a new crop of  creators to sell hot food from their homes or commissary kitchens. In this episode, we’ll talk about the regulatory hurdles facing Cookin and similar platforms, how Cookin is developing its own chef certification program, and the behavioral shift in how consumers will order food over the next five to ten years.

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Dmitry Shevelenko is the former head of Uber’s mobility partnerships and founder of Tortoise, a startup that built slow-moving robotic vending machines for stadiums, parking lots, and other public spaces. In this episode, Dmitry talks about lessons learned from his startup, the current landscape of autonomous delivery bots, and the challenges for hardware startups to become commercially viable businesses.

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Elliot Roth is the Founder of Spira, a startup growing algae to be used in protein, pharmaceuticals, plastics, and pigments. In this episode, we’ll talk about Elliot’s personal journey of growing his own spirulina algae while he was food insecure, how algae can replace harmful petrochemicals found in our clothes and food, and the future of hyperlocal, distributed food systems.

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Jeffrey Dietrich is the founder and CEO of Rarebird, a modern coffee company building a new replacement to caffeine without the jitters. In this episode, we’ll talk about the 60% of the population who are slow caffeine metabolizers, how Rarebird is leveraging a metabolite called Paraxanthine, and the various adaptogens that it's infusing into its portfolio of coffees to support long-term cognitive health.

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Steph Chen is the founder of Anyday, a modern cookware brand designed specifically for microwave cooking. In this episode we’ll talk about some of the biggest misconceptions around the health and safety of the home microwave, how culinary influencers like Dave Chang and Kenji Lopez-Alt have become proponents of this way of cooking, and the next generation of CPG brands rethinking your freezer and pantry.

Justin Mares is an entrepreneur behind better-for-you CPG brands like Kettle & Fire, Perfect Keto, & Surely and co-founder in TrueMed, a payment integration that allows health-promoting merchants to accept pre-tax HSA and FSA funds. In this episode, we’ll talk about designing decentralized, local economies around food, uncover some of the perverse incentives of Big Food lobbying that impacts our health, and look at the potential for personalized nutrition and wearables to improve preventative healthcare.