Rabobank Announces FoodBytes! San Francisco Award Winners

FoodBytes! Announces Judges Choice, People's Choice and Highly Commended Awards


We summarize 3 catagory winners at the 2016 FoodBytes SF event
FoodBytes Award Winners (Photo by SF New Tech)


Rabobank, a premier global food and agribusiness bank, has announced that SeamoreImperfect Produce and Foodfully took home the top awards during FoodBytes! San Francisco, a pitch competition meets networking event that brings food, agribusiness and tech startups together with investors, executives and industry leaders.
The finalist demo companies that presented during FoodBytes! San Francisco included Salty Girl Seafood, HarvestPort, Soliculture, Chapul, New Wave Foods, Olakai, Byte, Imperfect Produce, The Salad Bar and Seamore.
The event also featured 60-second pitches from nine companies – a group that was hand-selected from 200 applications to open FoodBytes! San Francisco. These companies included MeWe, Six Foods, Willow Cup, Foodfully, ShopWell, Hazel Analytics, Charborn, genuine grub, and Waiakea.
“We are continually amazed at the caliber of presentations at our FoodBytes! events from companies not only in the U.S., but around the world,” said Manuel Gonzalez, Head Western Region, Rabobank North America Wholesale. “The companies we saw during the San Francisco event truly represent the next wave of food and ag tech innovation, and we are excited to see where the three winners go from here.”

Judges’ Choice Award: Seamore

In a first for FoodBytes!, judges at the San Francisco event selected the finalist demo company they felt was the most deserving of the Judges’ Choice Award. Netherlands-based Seamore – whose I Sea Pasta is created from 100% seaweed – was chosen for the honor.
“In June of 2015, I approached Rabobank West Friesland in the Netherlands for the financing of my very first harvest. I could not have ever imagined that a year later, I would be here at FoodBytes, presenting I Sea Pasta to a room full of industry experts and thought leaders,” said Seamore founder and Seaweirdo Willem Sodderland. “It’s so exciting to see how far Seamore has come in just a few years’ time, and it’s events like this that continue to offer companies like mine the exposure we need to thrive.”
As the Judges’ Choice Award winner, Seamore will receive:
  • RocketSpace Club Membership for three people at the San Francisco Tech Campus for three months – a value of up to $2,700
  • Official invitation to attend Rabobank’s Client Appreciation Events at Cipriani Wall Street in December to pitch to the audience of C-Suite executives from leading F&A companies (flights and accommodation to New York included)
  • Access to the IBM Global Entrepreneur program, designed to connect startups to IBM’s global ecosystem of clients, partners, business leaders, and enterprise-grade technology, including:
    • Up to $120,000 of IBM Cloud credits ($10,000/month for a year)
    • Access to an extensive global network of solutions architects
    • Alignment with IBM as a leading vendor that offers go-to-market and mentor advice to entrepreneurs
  • 2 registrations to Food Business School’s Concept to Shelf in-person innovation intensive OR 2 registrations to Food Business School’s online courses
People’s Choice Award: Imperfect Produce
FoodBytes! attendees voted via SMS for the People’s Choice Award winner by selecting their favorite presentation from our finalist demo companies. The award went to Imperfect Produce, a California-based company that works directly with farmers to find a home for “ugly” produce that would otherwise go to waste, via a product delivery subscription for Bay Area residents.
“It’s truly inspiring to be in the company of such innovative brands – working on industry-shifting concepts and products – and we’re thrilled to have been awarded the FoodBytes! People’s Choice Award,” said CEO Ben Simon. “We’re excited to continue our mission to fight food waste, support local farmers and improve people’s diets.”
As the People’s Choice Award winner, Imperfect Produce will receive:
Highly Commended Award: Foodfully
The Highly Commended Award was new for FoodBytes!, with our judges presenting the award to one of the 60-second pitch companies who opened the event.
The award went to Foodfully, a platform for food waste reduction, traceability and safety. Foodfully allows users to automatically track grocery purchases, receive spoilage notifications and recipes to reduce the main causes of household food waste.
“It’s so wonderful to be a part of the FoodBytes community, one that values food innovation not only in new products, but also in creating efficiency within the supply chain,” said CEO and co-founder Brianna McGuire. As the Highly Commended Award winner, Foodfully will receive two registrations to Food Business School’s online courses.
These awards are presented by the official supporters of FoodBytes! San Francisco including RocketSpace and The Food Business School along with our official sponsor, IBM Global Entrepreneur. Rabobank presented FoodBytes! San Francisco in partnership with Food + Tech Connect and SF New TechWhole Foods is the Presenting Sponsor for all of the 2016 FoodBytes! events, taking place in Brooklyn, San Francisco and Boulder.

Here are some reactions on the Twitterverse to some of the winners.




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