Title: The Future of Markets- A View from the Trenches
Description:
Industry trailblazers and seasoned investors explore the landscape of private investment markets and the realm of food startups - what should founders expect for future investments in the food industry as they seek to secure capital. There is an undercurrent of anxiety around markets, given the year that we have had. Women who were around during the last market down cycle share a deeper understanding of private investment markets and investor expectations, empowering founders to raise capital strategically while building a better future for all through transformative food entrepreneurship.
Takeaways:
- Hear the latest trends - Investing in food is not just investing in a product, it’s farm to fork, logistics, deep tech, software, and marketplace.
- How to stop chasing inefficient capital deployments, extend your runway to find option value, and gain more control of your destiny.
- Demystify the anatomy of a deal and understand how food startups can continue to attract capital in an inflationary environment.
Speakers:
- Shayna Harris is the Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Supply Change Capital, a venture capital firm investing in early-stage food tech with a lens for culture and climate. With two decades as a food industry leader and operator, Shayna has been an executive at fast-growth venture-backed start-ups including Farmer’s Fridge and Sourcemap. She was a pioneer of the sustainable procurement program at Mars and has advised brands like Starbucks, Unilever, and Stonyfield on building more resilient businesses and supply chains. Shayna earned her MBA from MIT Sloan and a dual-BA from Boston University. She is a Fulbright Scholar, a published author, and a Forbes contributing writer.
- Sarah Foley is a senior finance and operating professional with over 25 years of experience investing in angel- to leveraged buyout-stage companies across a variety of industries. She has held multiple corporate executive, investment and board of director positions assisting companies through growth to turnaround stages of development. Currently, Sarah manages SWAT Equity Partners, an early-stage growth capital firm focused exclusively on consumer-branded products and services as well as enabling technology solutions to help brands scale. Sarah spent 20 years in finance in various investment and advisory roles including as a Director and Co-Head of Acquisitions for a nascent North American infrastructure fund at Deutsche Bank Asset Management.
- Juliana Medina is a seasoned professional in the Financial Services industry with 15 years experience in Investment Banking and deep expertise in the Consumer Products, Retail and Agribusiness sectors. Juliana was an Executive Director at J.P. Morgan in New York for over 10 years, leading the Consumer and Retail M&A practice for Latin America. The core of her experience has been on providing strategic advice to Boards and Management teams to think through their growth alternatives, including capital raising, mergers and acquisitions, regional expansion, among others. Throughout the successful execution of complex transactions, including cross-border M&A, IPOs and refinancings, she has developed a strong network of trusted Board and C-level relationships.
- Laurie Bauer is a co-founder of Cooley’s Chicago office and the co-head of the Chicago corporate group. Her practice focuses on the representation of emerging and growth-stage companies and the investors who support them. Her clients include early and growth-stage companies and leading venture firms. She has regularly advised clients on a wide range of venture-backed private financings, from pre-seed and seed financings, through later-stage pre-IPO rounds. She also serves in the role of outside general counsel for many of her clients and regularly provides counsel on day-to-day matters across economic cycles.
Related Media
Event:
SXSW 2024
Format:
Panel
Level:
Intermediate
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