Event description

Join GFI team members at Future Food-Tech’s dedicated Alternative Proteins Summit in Chicago taking place on June 17-18. The conference will include debates, panels, and presentations, focused on innovation in the alternative protein sector. GFI’s senior corporate engagement innovation manager Laine Clark will be speaking on a panel: Creative financing: Powering innovation beyond venture capital. GFI’s director of science and technology Dr. Matt Hotze will be moderating a panel on championing consumer-centric strategies to increase acceptance and adoption of alternative proteins. Register now to join Laine and Matt at the Future Food-Tech Alternative Proteins Summit.

Event location

1 West Upper Wacker Drive
Chicago, Illinois 60601
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GFI speakers

Laine clark

Laine Clark

SENIOR CORPORATE ENGAGEMENT MANAGER, INNOVATION

In addition to founding her own company that she exited through acquisition in 2016, she has worked with numerous startups for more than 20 years. Since 2017, she has been an Entrepreneur in Residence for Georgetown University’s Entrepreneurship Initiative at the McDonough School of Business. Additionally, she has served as an entrepreneurship mentor for George Washington University’s Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, including engagements with the NSF I-Corps Program and the Korean Innovation Center. Laine holds a BA in Communications from Wake Forest University.

Matt hotze square

Matt Hotze, Ph.D.

DIRECTOR OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Matt comes to GFI with more than a decade of experience in research, academic publishing, and leading an engineering research center. He holds a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from the University of Notre Dame, a master’s degree in environmental engineering from Rice University, and a doctorate in environmental engineering from Duke University. He believes that aligning the incentives of better food taste, nutrition, and lower prices with healthier protein for our planet will make a significant dent in our climate change problem.

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