The Business of Alt Protein: 2024 alternative protein investment outlook
Webinar description
Join GFI and leading investors (who are also GFI mentors) for an insightful panel discussion about what’s on the horizon in the world of alternative protein investments. We’ll discuss the current funding environment and what we might expect to see change in 2024. Panelists will also share how startups can set themselves up for fundraising success. The seminar will leave ample time for audience Q&A.
Meet the speakers
Steve Molino, GFI Mentor
PRINCIPAL AT CLEAR CURRENT CAPITAL
Steve Molino is a Principal at Clear Current Capital, an early-stage venture capital firm focused on catalyzing sustainable change in the food system. With CCC, Steve is responsible for leading new investment and diligence activities, portfolio company support, and internal portfolio management and operational needs. Steve has prior experience at leading mission-driven VC firms, as well as in the alternative investments and strategy consulting spaces. He is a Board Member at Sundial Foods and is a mentor for various organizations, including The Good Food Institute and ProVeg Incubator. He received his BS in Finance from The College of New Jersey (magna cum laude) and an MBA from Columbia Business School (Dean’s List).
Nate Crosser, GFI Mentor
PRINCIPAL, BLUE HORIZON
Nate is a Principal at Blue Horizon, a global food and agriculture impact investment firm based in Zurich. To date, they have deployed over $850 million in over 70 companies across 6 continents. Nate focuses on seed-stage venture capital investments and on the alternative protein industry. Nate also writes the environmental biotechnology newsletter, Fifth Industrial, and previously worked at the Good Food Institute, a biotechnology incubator, and as a lawyer.
Shally Shanker, GFI Mentor
FOUNDER AND MANAGING PARTNER, AIIM PARTNERS
Shally Shanker is the founder and managing partner of AiiM Partners, which invests in businesses leveraging technology to address climate change and generate measurable social, environmental, and financial returns. A Chartered Financial Analyst®, Shally has over 22 years of investment management experience structuring and stewarding global portfolios. She has been involved with the boards of 16 portfolio investments, actively engaged in supporting emerging solutions ranging from using data for advocacy to using technology to scale innovations, and, over the last decade, mentoring women entrepreneurs in more than half of her portfolio.
Matt Spence
MANAGING DIRECTOR AND HEAD OF VENTURE CAPITAL BANKING, BARCLAYS
Matt Spence is a Managing Director and Head of Venture Capital Banking at Barclays. He was previously a partner at Andreessen Horowitz. He focuses on emerging technology companies, including food technology and alternative proteins. Before entering the private sector, Matt spent seven years in senior national security positions in the U.S. government. He served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Middle East Policy, and at the National Security Council at the White House Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for International Economic Affairs and as Senior Advisor to two National Security Advisors.
Amira Khatib
VICE PRESIDENT, BLUESTEIN VENTURES
Amira is a Vice President at Bluestein Ventures. She is responsible for identifying and evaluating new investment opportunities, developing investment theses and supporting Bluestein’s portfolio companies on their path to growth. While getting her MBA Candidate at Chicago Booth, she was an investor at early-stage venture capital firms including Listen Ventures and Harlem Capital. Previously, Amira held roles across the food ecosystem, working in Marketing at Whole Foods Market and a natural beverage startup. She started her career at a marketing agency in New York City. Amira received her MBA Candidate at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and graduated from the Greenlee School of Journalism at Iowa State University with a B.S. in Public Relations, summa cum laude.
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