Future of Food on display: Recapping TechNexus's Reinventing Industry Event

Chicago's food startups are putting ethics, health, and inclusivity at the forefront of CPG innovation. TechNexus's Reinventing Industry: Future of Food breakfast brought together the founders and investors reshaping how we grow, process, and consume food — here's what happened.

Chicago's food startups are revolutionizing the consumer packaged goods space with ethics, health, and inclusivity at the forefront — and several were on display last week at TechNexus Venture Collaborative's Future of Food breakfast.

On Wednesday Oct. 15, TechNexus hosted the Reinventing Industries: Future of Food Networking Breakfast as part of the Chicago Venture Summit: Future of Food Waste Forum. This event, sponsored by Silicon Valley Bank, featured more than a dozen food startups leading the next wave of CPG innovation in Chicago and beyond. Food innovation was on display in the room full of 100 founders, investors, corporate leaders and members of the Chicago tech community at large.

• Bevi: Bevi creates office water dispenser coolers aimed to minimize the production and use of plastic bottles.
• Nutraberry: Nutraberry extracts the benefits from berries and transforms them into easy-to-eat seed fibers.
• Lindsey’s Ice Cream: Asian-inspired twists on childhood classics, Lindsey’s Ice Cream dishes out creative homemade combinations.
• Nouvie: Nouvie produces non-alcoholic wine that delivers the same crisp flavor without the calories, sugar or the hangover.
• Homebhais: Bringing authentic Indian flavors to backyard barbeques, Homebhais has created barbeque sauces, dips, spice rubs and more using Indian recipes.
• Ace NutraCare Inc.: Ace NutraCare Inc. produces a variety of food products that serve as food-as-medicine nutrition solutions for obesity and type 2 diabetes.
• Jindilli: Jindilli creates macadamia nut oils, lotions and scrubs using nuts harvested in the Northern Rivers region of Australia.
• System Seltzers: System Seltzers promotes inclusivity with their alcoholic and nonalcoholic seltzers. With the same aesthetics and flavors, both seltzers with and without alcohol give everyone an option.
• Better Together Foods: Refined sugar, seed oil and artificial ingredient free, Better Together Foods has made the first organic caramel popcorn created using organic maple syrup.
• FARE Catering: FARE Catering dishes up seasonal, fresh meals that prove fast food can be real food.
• Farmer’s Fridge: Farmer’s Fridge has created smart fridges containing packaged meals to put fresh and healthy food at the touch of your fingertips.
• SugarBliss: SugarBliss caters and delivers a variety of baked goods, including cupcakes, cake pops, macaroons and cookies, and donates a portion of proceeds to women and minority entrepreneurs and environmental conservation.
• Eli Tea: Eli Tea produces specialty teas as an extension of its sober bar called Eli’s Tea Bar.
• Mirth Water: With no added sugar, sweeteners or artificial flavors, Mirth Water’s bubbly water boosts hydration and contains electrolytes and minerals.
• ZeroCarb LYFE: ZeroCarb LYFE has create chicken-breast protein-first chips that support healthy indulgence.
• Kadeya: Kadeya has create waste-free vending machines that vend, refill and sanitize metal bottles.

These startups exemplified the synergy and creation of innovation within emerging companies. With an eye toward ethics and inclusivity, these companies are pushing the bounds of what’s possible within the CPG space.

By Maya Benjamin at TechNexus Venture Collaborative