
The Smart Protein Summit 2021 is curated and convened by The Good Food Institute India.
All over the world, innovators are producing the future of protein — delicious, nutritious meat, eggs, and dairy, made from plants, cells, and microorganisms. It’s become clear that we need a more secure, sustainable, and just food system — and the smart protein sector is building exactly that. But the story of the smart protein sector in the developing world, in countries like India, is just beginning to unfold and pick up steam.
Today, we’re at a critical juncture within India’s smart protein story. Over the last year, even as the Covid-19 pandemic raged on, we’ve seen multiple smart protein startups launch and go to market, interest from corporates increase manifold, and awareness around these foods mature.
We’re witnessing movement within the Indian smart protein ecosystem like never before, with 40+ alt protein startups up and running, a host of prominent corporates venturing into the sector, consortia formed to advance dialogue and discourse around regulatory and policy matters, and increased coverage from mainstream media.
As we build the future of food from the ground up, we have the opportunity to work side by side with climate experts, public health advocates, and other stakeholders working on challenges like strengthening indigenous crops and tackling malnutrition. In one stroke, we could invest in the industries of the future, stave off climate change, and safeguard food security and public health for our growing population, for generations.
If we’re going to feed 10 billion people by 2050, we need to reimagine the way we make our food. At the Smart Protein Summit 2021, we show you how.
As we navigate the next decade and beyond, we need to build a food system free from the threats of zoonotic disease, antimicrobial resistance, climate change, and food insecurity — and we can’t settle for anything less than a paradigm shift.
We need to adapt to tectonic shifts in protein technology, supply, and demand, and nurture sunrise industries. Smart protein products have all the sensory and cultural resonance of their animal-derived counterparts, but use vastly less land, water, and energy, have vastly lower greenhouse gas emissions, and create vastly less risk to public health.
At the Smart Protein Summit 2021, we’re going to dive deep into the science, business, policy, and technology behind smart protein. We bring together the most important stakeholders within the ecosystem: businesses, venture capital firms, entrepreneurs, scientists, students, researchers, and policymakers.
The Summit is poised to be the most impactful event for the smart protein ecosystem in India and we invite you to design the future of food with us — one that stewards planetary health, tackles malnutrition, benefits farmers, and creates jobs for millions.
Mr. Narayanan has over 36 years of experience in the FMCG Industry & has held Senior Management & Leadership roles in leading global companies. He is on the Board of Nestlé India Ltd since August 2015. Under his leadership in 2020, Business Standard Awarded Nestlé India "MNC of the year", Business World awarded Nestlé India "Best Financial Performance" & the "Purpose & Resilience Award". In 2021 Nestlé India was awarded Outstanding Company of the year by CNBC TV18 India Business Leader Awards
Varun Deshpande is Managing Director, Good Food Institute Asia, where he works with scientists, foundations, governments, and businesses to build the alternative protein sector. He has been named a leading young voice for climate solutions by India Climate Collaborative and one of India’s 25 most influential young citizens by GQ. Varun has spoken at Indian Institutes of Technology & Harvard University, and his writing has featured in The Hindu, FirstPost, The Daily Guardian, among others.
Nidhi Mathur is a serial intrapreneur, entrepreneur, and venture investor, with experience bringing innovations to market, creating business models for technological innovations, and building market acceptance for new technologies. She works on incubation at Axilor Labs and is the CBO for a stealth mode health tech startup. She previously co-founded Niramai, an AI-led startup building a non-invasive, non-touch, non-radiation solution for breast cancer screening. She is an IIM Bangalore alumnus.
Anubha Goyal is an Associate at DSGCP. Before DSGCP, Anubha spent 3 years at leading venture debt fund, Innoven Capital, looking at investments in the CPG and healthcare spaces. Prior to that, she worked with a private sector bank in their corporate banking division. Anubha holds a PGDM from IIM Indore and a Bachelor’s degree in Business Studies from Sukhdev College of Business Studies.
Michal Klar spent 15 years scaling up consumer tech startups in Europe and Asia. For past few years he has been investing in alt protein sector in Asia Pacific. Together with Simon Newstead he co-founded Better Bite Ventures. It is a new VC fund focused on early stage startups in APAC that are using plant-based, cultivated and precision fermentation technologies to build a better food system. He is also an author of Future Food Now newsletter, covering alt protein ecosystem in Asia Pacific.
Samir Shah is Managing Partner, Peak Sustainability Ventures, a pure-play sustainability VC fund. Some of his well-known investments include ION Energy, Drinkwell, GIST, HST Power and recently, Proeon. Samir has 28+ years of principal risk-taking experience in financial markets, including at Goldman Sachs, Salomon Brothers, and Deutsche Bank. He holds an MBA from Wharton, a Law & Commerce degree from Bombay University, and is an Adjunct Professor at Ahmedabad University, teaching an MBA course.
Priya Shah is General Partner, Theia Ventures, a seed stage fund investing in high impact, tech-enabled climate-smart businesses. She has spent 15 years working across social impact, finance, and policy in the US, UK, and India. Before Theia Ventures, Priya was part of the founding team of the Indian Fund arm of Yunus Social Business (YSB), a global venture debt fund founded by Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus. She holds an MBA from Cambridge Judge Business School and a BA from Brown University.
Pranjuli Garg is Co-Founder, ProPlant Foods Pvt Ltd. She is a leader and team builder, known for injecting creativity and different perspectives around how we can solve the challenges faced due to current food systems. She is a winner of The India Smart Protein Innovation Challenge by GFI India, and spent time working on a plant-based chicken product for the challenge with edge technology, indigenous ingredients, and enthusiasm, which will be launched soon.
Bharath Bakaraju is an entrepreneur and climate activist, and is Founder & CEO of PhyX44 Labs. He has 12+ years of product building experience across industries, and has previously worked at both Google and Amazon. Bharath has an MS from IIT Kharagpur and a PGDM (MBA) from IIM Lucknow.
Dr. Gaurav Sharma holds a Ph.D. in Food Science. Guarav has over 17 years’ of industrial experience in leading science and technology function with leading food companies. He possesses a strong technology know-how in plant-based proteins and flavour development domain and expertise of leading supply chain and operations across Asia Pacific.
Anoop Haridasan has 23 years of global experience across manufacturing, product development & operations. After 12 years of working in Ireland, he returned to India to work for the Irish Food Board. He then launched Kerrygold Irish cheese in India for Ornua (Irish Dairy Board) and also set up his own venture “YumMeGo” - ready to eat children’s food. Most recently he set up the Value Added Food Division for Srinivasa Hatcheries and currently leads the team at Shaka Harry and heads its operations.
Mangesh Khadse is an alumnus of IIT Kharagpur with a Master of Technology in Agricultural Biotechnology. He has research experience in algal biotechnology with a focus on creating sustainable, value-added products from microalgae. He has completed a certificate programme in New Ventures leadership from MIT, Cambridge, USA and was also part of the Social Innovation Immersion Programme supported by DBT BIRAC. He envisions democratising algae as a food source, bringing it from the lab to the table.
Nicole studied Economics at the University of Warwick, UK. Prior to joining GFI India, Nicole worked at Invest India, the National Investment Promotion and Facilitation Agency of the Government of India, as a primary advisor to lifesciences groups' looking to set-up or expand their presence in India. As a special project nomination via Invest India, she worked directly under the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India to launch the national innovation commercialization initiative AGNIi as an in-roads to greater cooperation between industry, government labs and academic institutions. Nicole brings experience in pharmaceuticals, biotechnology and technology commercialization to promote innovation in the plant-based, cultivated meat, eggs and dairy industry in India. Nicole is passionate about climate action and public health, which has led her to GFI India, in the hope to shape an Indian response to the biggest challenges of our lifetime.
A civil engineer from National Institute of Technology Karnataka, Devika worked as a software analyst at Citi for two years before getting acquainted with GFI India through the India Smart Protein Innovation Challenge. As a challenge finalist and through her own explorations with a plant-based diet, Devika found herself drawn towards the smart protein sector and the immense scope for innovation within it. She finds the future of food to be an exciting realm that marries her interests in technology and sustainability. Devika has always been focused on creating societal net-positive outcomes in every venture she has been a part of and finds the work she does at GFI India truly rewarding!
A law graduate from University College London & a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants England & Wales, Gauri pursued her career as a tax consultant with PwC in London & Mumbai. After 8 years in London, Gauri returned to Mumbai & supported her husband Jay in creating The Table, a South Mumbai restaurant, which won many accolades. Most recently, Gauri co-founded Magazine St Kitchen, a culinary playground for intimate dinners & cooking workshops, housed in a restored heritage structure
Keyur Bhatia is a passionate food entrepreneur focussed on innovative sales & distribution solutions for brands & market entry. His firm TJUK Trade Networks holds the leadership position in Food Distribution servicing, representing 50+ Brands like Nestle, Unilever, Baskin Robbins with direct reach to 1000+ retail outlets & 5000+ restaurants & food service accounts in Mumbai. He's also the president of the Food Service Distributors Association of India & Mumbai Catering Suppliers Associations.
Varun Deshpande is Managing Director, Good Food Institute Asia, where he works with scientists, foundations, governments, and businesses to build the alternative protein sector. He has been named a leading young voice for climate solutions by India Climate Collaborative and one of India’s 25 most influential young citizens by GQ. Varun has spoken at Indian Institutes of Technology & Harvard University, and his writing has featured in The Hindu, FirstPost, The Daily Guardian, among others.
Genelia Deshmukh is Co-Founder, Imagine Meats, an Indian plant-based meat startup. She is an acclaimed actor and influential personality with popular films in Hindi, Telugu, and Tamil. Genelia has won several awards for her films and been the face of several consumer brands reaching millions. When she isn’t juggling acting, television shows, ad campaigns and parenthood, she is exploring the world of food and sustainability and believes alternative protein has huge potential to take off in India.
Rajesh has a breadth of experience across sourcing, procurement, merchandising, distribution and operations. At Amazon India, he leads the Amazon Fresh category. Rajesh is passionate about food and sustainability, and keenly wishes to bridge the journey between the farmer and the chef, through his work.
Gaurav Sharma is the Founder & CEO of Greenest, the Green Protein Company. At Greenest, Gaurav is on a mission to define and drive the smart protein movement in India. With a focus on texture, fibers, chew, juiciness, fat, meaty/ umami notes and flavors, Greenest is working to get a Greenest-version of plant-based meats onto consumers plates. Prioir to Greenest, Gaurav qualified as is one of the youngest CAs in India in 2011 and started his career with KPMG.
Mihir Joshi currently serves as the Category Marketing Lead- Beverages for Africa, Middle East, Turkey & India Subcontinent regions for IFF. During his tenure with IFF and formerly with DuPont he has largely worked on coalescing global and regional trends with local consumer insights to deliver winning product ideas and concepts for customers. In collaboration with IFF’s team, Mihir has also volunteered for several corporate social responsibility initiatives in India .
Kees is the Chairman and CEO of The LIVEKINDLY Co. a global plant-based food company. Prior to LIVEKINDLY Co. he worked across various roles in Unilever spanning five different continents before he became responsible for the Home Care division as President Home Care and part of the Unilever executive leadership team from 2011. Additionally, he serves as Chairman of Enactus Worldwide, a group that stimulates next-generation leaders to develop Social Enterprises in more than 34 countries.
Siddharth is Country Manager at LIVEKINDLYCo, a collective of founders, entrepreneurs, and global leaders. Its brands include The Fry Family Food Co., LikeMeat, Oumph, and LIVEKINDLY Media. Siddharth is leading and developing their India entry strategy. Prior to LIVKINDLY, Siddharth founded Floh, a network that connects singles in real life.
Dheeraj is the President of the AAK group in India India, a major global manufacturer of speciality oils/fats and other food ingredients, and have been very actively involved in the plant-based sector. Prioir to AAK, Dheeraj worked across various roles at Huntsman Corporation becoming Commercial Director for South Asia, Middle East & Africa in 2016.
Sohil is the Chief Commcerial Officer at Blue Tribe leading the sales and marketing effort. He comes with a lot of experience in the Foods and FMCG space. His last role was leading the direct-to-consumer and corporate businesses for Cadbury (Mondelez). Before that he has worked in business development roles across markets with Colgate. He has an MBA from SP Jain Mumbai and an Engineering degree from NIT Nagpur.
Harshil focuses on building Schbang's Vision, new business, strategy and holistic marketing solutions for clients across industries. He's also responsible for shaping the culture of Schbang.
Nicole Rocque is an Innovation Specialist at the Good Food Institute India, working at the intersection of business advisory and policy engagement, to build the smart protein sector in the country. Formerly as part of the Government of India's National Investment Promotion and Facilitation Agency, Invest India, Nicole brings experience in pharmaceuticals, biotechnology and technology commercialization. Nicole is passionate about climate action and public health.
Varun Deshpande is Managing Director, Good Food Institute Asia, where he works with scientists, foundations, governments, and businesses to build the alternative protein sector. He has been named a leading young voice for climate solutions by India Climate Collaborative and one of India’s 25 most influential young citizens by GQ. Varun has spoken at Indian Institutes of Technology & Harvard University, and his writing has featured in The Hindu, FirstPost, The Daily Guardian, among others.
Mark Kahn is Managing Partner at Omnivore. Omnivore pioneered agritech investing in India and currently manages INR 9.35bn (approximately $13M) across two funds. Previously, Mark was Executive VP (Strategy & Business Development) at Godrej Agrovet, one of India's foremost agribusiness companies. Mark is a member of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) National Council on Agriculture, the Governing Council of the Maharashtra State Innovation Society, and of EMPEA’s Venture Capital Council
Starlene is co-founder and managing partner at Green Artha, a climate-focused innovation firm and investment fund. She is also the founder of Cleantech Women’s Innovation Network (CleantechWIN), Climate Editor for Business India and mentor for Climate Launch Pad, Sangam Ventures and the Powered Accelerator. Prior to Green Artha, Starlene led early stage cleantech investments at Sangam Ventures and was simultaneously the founding CEO of AIC Sangam Innovation Foundation.
Ritu Verma is the Co-Founder & Managing Partner at Ankur Capital – an early stage fund that focuses on technology innovations for the next billion with a large focus on Agtech and Food. For over a decade before that she played different roles at Philips and Unilever across the globe bringing new innovations to the market. She sits on the board/board observer positions at multiple of Ankur’s portfolio, holds an MBA from INSEAD & a Ph.D. in physics from the University of Pennsylvania.
Rajeev served for many years at the C-level of financial services leader JM Morgan Stanley (subsequently JM Financial), where he sat on the SE Asia strategy committee. He recently left JM Financial as the CEO, having led it to $Bn++ market cap, and has more recently set up an advisory lead investment firm called Magnetic. Through Magnetic, Rajeev advises and invests in consumer/health focused businesses.
Vipul Patel is Partner, Seed & Acceleration at CIIE.CO, the Innovation Continuum, India’s foremost entrepreneurship centre housed at IIM Ahmedabad. He is also an Investment Professional at Bharat Innovation Fund by CIIE which invests early in the life of a company at seed or Series A stage and remains deeply engaged throughout the lifetime of the company.
Nicole studied Economics at the University of Warwick, UK. Prior to joining GFI India, Nicole worked at Invest India, the National Investment Promotion and Facilitation Agency of the Government of India, as a primary advisor to lifesciences groups' looking to set-up or expand their presence in India. As a special project nomination via Invest India, she worked directly under the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India to launch the national innovation commercialization initiative AGNIi as an in-roads to greater cooperation between industry, government labs and academic institutions. Nicole brings experience in pharmaceuticals, biotechnology and technology commercialization to promote innovation in the plant-based, cultivated meat, eggs and dairy industry in India. Nicole is passionate about climate action and public health, which has led her to GFI India, in the hope to shape an Indian response to the biggest challenges of our lifetime.
Akanksha Ghai has a deep interest in healthy living, nutrition, and diets - which led her to pursue a degree in Nutrition and Dietics. The ill effects of animal protein on health are subjects that are of particular interest to her. As co-founder of BVeg Foods, a plant-based protein company, she is pursuing her vision of good health for all including the planet, by creating products that are high on the nutrition, wholesomeness, health, and taste quotient.
Abhishek Sinha is the Co-founder & CEO of GoodDot. A chemical engineer and an ex-senior taxation bureaucrat, he has wide expertise in strategic alignment, product development, process engineering and regulatory landscape. The ethical benefits of a plant-based lifestyle are the major driving force behind GoodDot's activities. With a focus on taste, price and shelf life of its products at room temperature, GoodDot has a unique and distinct approach to mainstream meat alternatives across the globe.
Priyanka is the Founder of The Live Green Co, a Chilean foodtech startup that applies AI, Machine Learning & tech to blend nature, science & R&D plant-based foods of the future. She has been named one of the 100 Women leaders of Chile for 2020 & 2021. The Live Green Co is the only LatAm startup on CleanTech's Global 50 to Watch list, 1st Foodtech company from LatAm to be a certified BCorp amongst other achievements. They are currently operating in Chile, Perú, USA & soon to be in Mexico & UK
Abhay Rangan has been a champion of animal rights in India since the age of 16. Rangan originally created each Goodmylk product with his mother in their home kitchen, but their plant-based foods now reach thousands of families across the country. Goodmylk is one of India's leading plant based dairy companies. They create delicious, functional and accessible dairy products made from plants, that are designed to replace animal based dairy products at scale.
"Rohan spent most of his youth growing up in New York, but in 2013, he left everything behind and moved to India to launch his dream venture – Epigamia. The roots of Epigamia dates back more than a decade when Drums was born as an ice-cream manufacturer producing the Hokey-Pokey brand. For Rohan, success is a legacy that comes from work and family. He wants to leave behind a brand that stands the test of time way after he’s gone. "
Shardul is fascinated by all things food! He is a Young India Fellow from Ashoka University and has a Bachelors in Food Tech & Management from NIFTEM, MoFPI, Govt. of India. He has been a researcher at Rutgers University (USA) & University of Saskatchewan (Canada). At GFI India, Shardul works as an Innovation Specialist to accelerate the early-stage smart protein innovation ecosystem and enable GFI's team of experts in shaping the future of food - efficiently, effectively and sustainably!
Siraj Chaudhry is an industry expert, innovator, and leading voice in the agri & food industry, working across industry, development, and Government. As former Chairman, Cargill India, he led the build & expansion of Cargill's Food Business in India and now as Managing Director & CEO of NCML, he is leading & expanding the company's footprint across the country. He also serves as an Independent Director on the boards of Tata Consumers Products, Dhanuka Agritech, Jubilant Ingrevia, and others.
Varun Deshpande is Managing Director, Good Food Institute Asia, where he works with scientists, foundations, governments, and businesses to build the alternative protein sector. He has been named a leading young voice for climate solutions by India Climate Collaborative and one of India’s 25 most influential young citizens by GQ. Varun has spoken at Indian Institutes of Technology & Harvard University, and his writing has featured in The Hindu, FirstPost, The Daily Guardian, among others.
Anya Eldan, VP, Israel Innovation Authority and Head, Startup Division & Business Development, is responsible for the growth and establishment of some of Israel's best tech companies. She and her team encourage entrepreneurship in the different sectors, such as the Technological Incubators Program and the Innovation Labs Program. She has 25 years experience in tech, venture capital, and fundraising. She holds an MBA and a Bachelor's degree in Mathematics from Tel Aviv University.
Dr. Ramanathan is currently a Partner with the Strategy & Operations practice in Deloitte based out of Bangalore. Dr. Ramanthan is an alumnus of BITS Pilani and has completed his MBA from IIM Indore and PhD from IIM Bangalore. He has been in sales and brand roles for nutritional food brands such as Horlicks & Boost. Anand has been a part of the management consulting practice in consumer markets domain across various sectors such as Retail, FMCG, Agribusiness, and Education.
Arun Seth was the founding MD of British Telecom in India in 1995, where he helped acquire a 45% stake in Airtel, one of India's largest telecom service providers. As an elected member of Nasscom for more than a decade, he has worked actively with government and regulators on shaping Telecoms and IT policy in India. Arun continues to serve as a board member, advisor and investor to companies across technology, consumer and healthcare sectors.He is an alumnus of IIT Kanpur and IIM Calcutta.
Satvika Mahajan works as Policy Specialist, GFI India, where she engages with government agencies, businesses and institutions to advance policy & regulatory pathways for alternative protein in India. She has previously worked as a consultant to government bodies such as NITI Aayog under University of Chicago's IIC Fellowship, and to social organisations to build organisational capacity and scale at Sattva. She is a Young India Fellow from Ashoka and a graduate of Lady Shri Ram College, DU.
Dr. Smita Srivastava is an Assoc. Professor in the Department of Biotechnology and the faculty coordinator of Bioincubator at Research Park, IIT Madras. With a doctorate from IIT Delhi, she specializes in biochemical engineering. Dr. Smita integrates cellular and bioprocess engineering principles to maximize the yield and productivity of high-value metabolites from microbial production platforms and is one of the founding members of the Biological Engineering Society (BESI).
Dr. Manish Diwan has a Ph.D. from Jamia Hamdard and ICGEB, New Delhi, in Pharmaceutical Sciences and Immunology. In his illustrious career spanning more than 25 years, Dr. Diwan has worked with corporate behemoths such as Daiichi-Sankyo Life Sciences, Dabur, and Ranbaxy. At BIRAC, Dr. Diwan is working at the research and entrepreneurship interface to empower and guide emerging biotech enterprises with cutting-edge innovations for commercialization and scale.
Dr. N. Madhusudhana Rao is the CEO of Atal Incubation Centre – Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology at Hyderabad (AIC-CCMB). With a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the National Institute of Nutrition, India, his extensive career spans gene delivery and protein engineering with 12 U.S. patents. At CCMB, he has coordinated several multi-institutional projects with Purdue University, Deakin, Kumamoto, and the Roswell Park Cancer Institute.
Dr. Mukunda Goswami is a Principal Scientist, Fish Genetics and Biotechnology Division, CIFE, India. Dr. Goswami has more than 20 years of experience in fisheries stem cell research, Fish Proteomics, and molecular phylogenetics, specializing in developing and characterizing fish cell lines. He is currently involved in developing muscle cell lines for several indigenous varieties of fishes such as Labeo Rohita, starting with zebrafish as a model organism.
As an entrepreneur by heart and scientist by training, Akshay brings a unique blend of diverse and extensive scientific skills and business immersion spanning several years to the team. He has a Ph.D. in molecular biology from the National University of Singapore and has previously co-founded a biotech startup. Over the last year, Akshay has continued to build a robust smart protein research and innovation ecosystem with India's top researchers, entrepreneurs, investors, and students.
Nicole Rocque is an Innovation Specialist at the Good Food Institute India, working at the intersection of business advisory and policy engagement, to build the smart protein sector in the country. Formerly as part of the Government of India's National Investment Promotion and Facilitation Agency, Invest India, Nicole brings experience in pharmaceuticals, biotechnology and technology commercialization. Nicole is passionate about climate action and public health.
Mr. Krishnan is an experienced thought-leader in industrial biotechnology and is passionate about sustainable solutions for climate challenges. With 35+ years of vast experience in strategy and management in multinational conglomerates, Krishnan now engages with biotech companies and startups as an advisor and a mentor. Krishnan has worked closely with decision-makers in the regulatory areas and policy advocacy to propagate the importance of viable biotech solutions to protect the environment.
Rajesh Krishnamurthy has spent 23+ years of his professional career building businesses in the U.S. and India. With an M.S. in Environmental Engineering from Texas Tech University and an MBA from ISB, his career spans biotech, pharma, and other technology industries. At Laurus Bio (Formerly Richcore Lifesciences), Rajesh heads global business development, strategic partnerships, and marketing to enable the fast-growing novel cell & fermentation-based protein industry.
Mr. Vinod is a transformational leader with over two decades of experience leading large, cross-functional global teams at Fortune 500 companies. He has held leadership roles at Juniper Networks and Bell Labs. Vinod pursued Masters's in Industrial Engineering from Ohio University, Athens, and brings a unique blend of strategy to operations with several leadership roles from product development, supply chain, manufacturing, customer experience, and end-to-end business transformation.
Dr. Taslimarif Saiyed received his Ph.D. from Max-Planck Institute for Brain Research, Germany, and postdoctoral training at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF). In an individual capacity, he has consulted for many biotech firms in the U.S. and is an adjunct faculty at the IIT Madras and Amrita Institute - School of Biotechnology. He is actively promoting innovation in life sciences/healthcare by supporting the translation of discoveries to application and technology development.
As an entrepreneur by heart and scientist by training, Akshay brings a unique blend of diverse and extensive scientific skills and business immersion spanning several years to the team. He has a Ph.D. in molecular biology from the National University of Singapore and has previously co-founded a biotech startup. Over the last year, Akshay has continued to build a robust smart protein research and innovation ecosystem with India's top researchers, entrepreneurs, investors, and students.
Vishal Vijay manages the Mergers and Acquisitions for Agrocorp International and its processing arm, Agrocorp Processing. Vishal also handles the business development operations which includes establishing new markets and commodity flows for the company as well as investments across the value chain. He recently opened Agrocorp’s protein pea plant in Canada that can handle up to 50,000mt of pulses such as peas, lentils and chickpeas to produce food ingredients such as protein, starch and fibre.
B Dayakar Rao is an Indian Agricultural Economics scientist, who works as Principal Scientist at the IIMR. Rao was born in Warangal. He obtained both his Bachelors and master's degree (Agri. Economics) from PJTSAU, Hyderabad and obtained a PhD (1991) from NDRI, Karnal. He has received the Innovative Scientist National Award under SIRIDHANYA: Millets Awards 2018 at the International Trade Fair on Organics and Millets. He was honoured as Best Food Processor Award by FICCI, Hyderabad in 2014.
Ashish has worked across high-tech, pharma, nutrition, food and beverage industries in diverse roles including strategy, product management and business development.He was involved in setting up Social Business division for Novartis in India and South East Asia. At Proeon, they are producing high performance plant protein ingredients and the winners of Economic Times Power of Ideas 2018, Innocity by SAP-CIIE, and OHSSAI Excellence & Sustainability Award.
Varun Deshpande is Managing Director, Good Food Institute Asia, where he works with scientists, foundations, governments, and businesses to build the alternative protein sector. He has been named a leading young voice for climate solutions by India Climate Collaborative and one of India’s 25 most influential young citizens by GQ. Varun has spoken at Indian Institutes of Technology & Harvard University, and his writing has featured in The Hindu, FirstPost, The Daily Guardian, among others.
Dr. Prabodh Halde is Head Regulatory in R&D at Marico. He is the former President of Association of Food Scientists and Technologists of India CFTRI Mysore, and a renowned Food Technologist. He is an executive committee member of PFNDAI & SEA India. He has 26 years of industrial experience at Bakemans, ACC & Coca Cola India. He serves on various boards and committees set up by the government and is a renowned trainer and mentor for startups in the area of food processing & food safety. He is a central advisory member for FSSAI as a representative of the food industry, and has represented India at Codex. He is a recipient of GlobOil Food Safety Award 2018 and Outstanding Regulatory Award 2018 by AIFPA India and the National Food Safety ‘Eat Right Awards 2019’ by FSSAI.
Dr Smith is the Director of the FReSH under Singapore’s National Food Story R&D agenda. Trained as a risk assessor & toxicologist, he has worked across industry, academia & government and is a proponent of collaborative research & of embedding safety across the food chain. He has been involved in the development of two ecosystem-wide platforms aimed at bringing together Singapore’s government, academic and industry partners to support Singapore’s growing food & consumer product industries.
Dr. Singh serves as the Regulatory, Scientific & Government Affairs Leader for South Asia at IFF. He has significant experience leading Scientific & Regulatory affairs, Government Affairs, Policy Advocacy, Food Safety & Quality Management Systems with major FMCG organizations such as Mondelez and ITC. He is a member of various Committees/Task Forces of both government and industry bodies such as CHIFSS & the FICCI Codex Cell. He holds a Master’s Degree in Microbiology and a PhD in Biotechnology.
Harsh Gursahani is a Partner at PLR Chambers where he leads the Food Laws & Product Compliance Team and the International Trade & Investment Law Team. He has over 10 years of experience advising clients on various aspects of product compliance, in the food and pharmaceutical sector. He is an Advocate and Counsel in the Bombay High Court, with experience in all forms of litigation and dispute resolution in India. He has served as a consultant on matters of international trade and law.
Satvika Mahajan works as Policy Specialist, GFI India, where she engages with government agencies, businesses and institutions to advance policy & regulatory pathways for alternative protein in India. She has previously worked as a consultant to government bodies such as NITI Aayog under University of Chicago's IIC Fellowship, and to social organisations to build organisational capacity and scale at Sattva. She is a Young India Fellow from Ashoka and a graduate of Lady Shri Ram College, DU.
Vinita Bali is a business leader who has worked with multinationals like Coca-Cola and Cadbury Schweppes in Marketing, Management, and CEO roles. She was also the former MD & CEO of Britannia Industries. She serves on the Boards of CRISIL Ltd, Syngene International Limited, and the Indian Institute of Management – Bangalore. Vinita chairs the CII National Committee on Nutrition & was among 27 global leaders appointed by the UN in 2012 to help improve maternal and child health.
Varun Deshpande is Managing Director, Good Food Institute Asia, where he works with scientists, foundations, governments, and businesses to build the alternative protein sector. He has been named a leading young voice for climate solutions by India Climate Collaborative and one of India’s 25 most influential young citizens by GQ. Varun has spoken at Indian Institutes of Technology & Harvard University, and his writing has featured in The Hindu, FirstPost, The Daily Guardian, among others.
Kabir is the Director, International Expansion at Nature's Fynd. Previously, he was a strategy consultant in emerging markets focused on scaling energy access and quality through low-carbon solutions, and an advisor at the India Climate Collaborative. He has worked with multinational energy firms, multilateral organizations, major philanthropies, startups & local government on projects across countries in East Africa, South Asia, and SE Asia. He is an MPA Candidate at the Harvard Kennedy School.
Albert T. Lieberg has served as senior advisor & Country Director of UN agencies,other multilateral organizations and as senior government advisor for over 30 years, with experience in over 60 countries. His work includes the development and implementation of national and regional development strategies, economic investment projects, and policies for social equality. He is also developing reconstruction programmes and measures for pacification and conflict prevention, and has engaged with movements and initiatives critical to neoliberal globalization and for strengthening civil society, social justice, environmental protection, and animal welfare. He is a published author, and holds a Doctorate in International Development Policies.
Dr. Dasgupta is Senior VP at Reliance Industries where he heads the Biology/Biotech R&D. He has spent over 30 years in Biotechnology research in various key leadership roles. Dr. Dasgupta has contributed to the discovery of various biotech traits the outreach and regulatory policy for biotech traits in India and led many breakthrough global agriculture biotechnology programs. He holds a B.Sc. Honours degree in Chemistry, Masters in Biochemistry, and a Ph.D. in Plant Molecular Biology.
Satvika Mahajan works as Policy Specialist, GFI India, where she engages with government agencies, businesses and institutions to advance policy & regulatory pathways for alternative protein in India. She has previously worked as a consultant to government bodies such as NITI Aayog under University of Chicago's IIC Fellowship, and to social organisations to build organisational capacity and scale at Sattva. She is a Young India Fellow from Ashoka and a graduate of Lady Shri Ram College, DU.
Dr. Srivalli is Senior Program Officer-Agricultural Development at BMGF. She leads Food Systems work in Asia. Previously, she was the Development Assistance Specialist with USAID India as the coordinator for agriculture and climate change programs; and prior to that with the Australian Govt.’s Dept. of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. Srivalli holds a PhD in crop breeding & genetics from TERI, Graduate work with Cornell; Masters in Life Sciences from DU & advanced diplomas in IP law.
"He leads the Agriculture and Fisheries teams at Invest India – India’s Investment Promotion agency which works with industry bodies and various ministries to promote ease of doing business in the Agriculture & allied sectors. He is an alum of the Lee Kuan Yew School of public policy – National University of Singapore &has previously worked with the Govt of Chhattisgarh to strengthen rural agri value chains & with ICRISAT & FAO to document best practices emerging in Agri-Tech in India. "
Ashu is leading product innovation at Digital Green, a global development organization that empowers smallholder farmers to lift themselves out of poverty by harnessing the collective power of technology and grassroots-level partnerships. He has previously been a Fintech entrepreneur, impact focused venture capitalist and Private Equity analyst. Ashu studied Economics and Philosophy from the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School.
Varun Deshpande is Managing Director, Good Food Institute Asia, where he works with scientists, foundations, governments, and businesses to build the alternative protein sector. He has been named a leading young voice for climate solutions by India Climate Collaborative and one of India’s 25 most influential young citizens by GQ. Varun has spoken at Indian Institutes of Technology & Harvard University, and his writing has featured in The Hindu, FirstPost, The Daily Guardian, among others.
Maya is the Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Green Artha. She is a founding member of Menterra Venture Advisors, and was part of the founding leadership that scaled Babajob.com into India’s largest tech-enabled livelihoods platform. Her prior experience includes being an early team member at Janalakshmi and working with Capvent AG. Maya is a mentor at TechStars India, is an advisor to a number of startups. She also co-founded and continues to run the 200+ member Women in Investing network.
Claire Everhart serves as a Director of Relationships for the new U.S. International Development Finance Corporation, where she liaises with financial institutions across Asia, the Middle East, and North Africa to increase access to finance through the leveraging of local private capital. Prior to working for the DFC, Claire served in a similar role with USAID's Development Credit Authority. She is a graduate of University College London and Ohio Wesleyan University.
Stephanie oversees the day-to-day work of GFI’s international operations to expand its impact internationally. Previously, Stephanie spent two decades building strategic partnerships and managing international teams and programs across the private and non-profit sectors. An Asia specialist, she founded and ran the Asian Waterkeeper network for Waterkeeper Alliance. Stephanie earned an Master of International Affairs degree from Columbia University and an A.B. in History from Brown University.
Satvika Mahajan works as Policy Specialist, GFI India, where she engages with government agencies, businesses and institutions to advance policy & regulatory pathways for alternative protein in India. She has previously worked as a consultant to government bodies such as NITI Aayog under University of Chicago's IIC Fellowship, and to social organisations to build organisational capacity and scale at Sattva. She is a Young India Fellow from Ashoka and a graduate of Lady Shri Ram College, DU.
Aarti is Director of Research & Engagements at the FAIRR Initiative, and oversees its collaborative engagements & research initiatives. Earlier, she was Client Director at a global sustainability firm & worked for two environmental non-profits & the U.S. Treasury & GE Capital. She holds an MA in International Affairs, an MA in Journalism, & an MS in Environmental Engineering. She is on the Advisory Board of the Partnership for Gender Equity, which supports gender equity in coffee supply chains.
Gyanendra Gongal is Regional Advisor (Food Safety) in the WHO Office for SE Asia. He was an FAO/WHO consultant for avian influenza preparedness & response in the Maldives and Sri Lanka. He has been an active member of the regional tripartite coordination group (FAO-OIE-WHO) in APAC helping to promote a better understanding of intersectoral collaboration for addressing rabies, emerging zoonoses, food safety, & AMR. He has contributed in the advocacy & operationalization of One Health in APAC.
Varun Deshpande is Managing Director, Good Food Institute Asia, where he works with scientists, foundations, governments, and businesses to build the alternative protein sector. He has been named a leading young voice for climate solutions by India Climate Collaborative and one of India’s 25 most influential young citizens by GQ. Varun has spoken at Indian Institutes of Technology & Harvard University, and his writing has featured in The Hindu, FirstPost, The Daily Guardian, among others.
Uma Valeti, MD is the Founder/CEO of UPSIDE Foods (formerly Memphis Meats). UPSIDE Foods is the world's leading cultivated meat company and the first company focused on growing real meat directly from animal cells. Since 2015, UPSIDE Foods has hit several milestones, including being the first company to produce multiple species of meat (beef, chicken & duck) and raising over $200M from a coalition of investors including Richard Branson, Bill Gates, Softbank, Cargill, Tyson Foods & Whole Foods.
Varun Deshpande is Managing Director, Good Food Institute Asia, where he works with scientists, foundations, governments, and businesses to build the alternative protein sector. He has been named a leading young voice for climate solutions by India Climate Collaborative and one of India’s 25 most influential young citizens by GQ. Varun has spoken at Indian Institutes of Technology & Harvard University, and his writing has featured in The Hindu, FirstPost, The Daily Guardian, among others.
You’ll hear from industry-leading corporations, trailblazing startups, influential think tanks, major policy and government groups, and other iconic leaders in the smart protein sector as they share insights into each of these pillars within the new food system.
So, mark your calendars and save the date, for the chance to network and collaborate with innovators from across the world!