The precision fermentation industry is projected to reach $200 billion by 2040, with the potential to generate one million jobs globally by 2030. Fortunately, Illinois and Chicagoland are well-positioned via the Illinois Fermentation and Agriculture Biomanufacturing (iFAB) Tech Hub to capitalize on opportunities in this space.
iFAB is poised to become a global leader in precision fermentation and manufacturing with its unique lab-to-line approach that will establish the region as the pre-eminent destination for the biomanufacturing industry. By realizing the potential of biomanufacturing in Illinois, iFAB will drive economic growth and foster innovation to ensure a sustainable future.
You are invited to come meet the people behind iFAB, as well as the partners that are already utilizing this cutting-edge resource. This partnership forum will bring together leading investors, innovators, manufacturers, and suppliers who will drive the future of bioprocessing in the food and beverage sector. Not sure where to start? Come meet with thought leaders to get a sense of where this exciting new technology and industry is going, to identify resources currently available in the state to support the industry, and to explore where your company fits in.
AGENDA
1:00 PM Doors Open/Networking
1:30 PM Opening Remarks/ Keynote Speaker
2:00 PM Networking Break
2:15 PM Panel + Q&A
3:15 PM Closing Remarks/Call to Action
4:00 PM Networking/Event Ends
SPEAKERS
Dr. KIMBERLEE K. KIDWELL, Professor
Associate Chancellor for Strategic Partnerships and Initiatives
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Office of the Chancellor
As Associate Chancellor for Strategic Partnerships and Initiatives at University of Illinois Urbana Champaign, Dr. Kim Kidwell assists the Chancellor with the strategic development of high-priority, high-impact, multi-stakeholder initiatives for the University. She provides leadership in pursuing resources and developing new and sustained partnerships with academic institutions, foundations, federal and state agencies, alumni, and the private sector. These collaborations are designed to better position the University to lead scientific discoveries and innovations that will inspire and empower tomorrow’s sustainable food, agriculture, nutrition, and health systems. Dr. Kidwell’s goals are to improve student learning; drive sound, innovative research; and cultivate external partnerships to improve the lives and livelihoods of people in Illinois and beyond.
BETH CONERTY
Regional Innovation Officer
Illinois Fermentation Agriculture Biomanufacturing (iFAB) Tech Hub
Beth Conerty currently serves as the Associate Director for Business Development for the Integrated Bioprocessing Research Laboratory and the Food Science Human Nutrition Pilot Processing Plant at the University of Illinois, Urbana Champaign. Last year, she also became the Regional Innovation Officer for the Illinois Fermentation and Agriculture Biomanufacturing (iFAB) Tech Hub. In her current roles, she leads the effort to build relationships with researchers and industry clients as well as developing the biomanufacturing economy in Central Illinois. In the six years in her role, Beth has helped shepherd over 100 industry clients through IBRL.
BRIAN FRANCES
Senior Director, Innovation & Insights
Nature's Fynd
Nature’s Fynd is a groundbreaking food tech company born out of NASA-supported research on extremophiles from Yellowstone National Park. The company’s novel fermentation technology produces Fy ProteinTM, a nutritional fungi protein to nourish the world’s growing population while nurturing the planet. Brian received his undergraduate degree in marketing and statistics from Boston University, his MBA from the University of Wisconsin – Madison, and brought his years of insights, innovation, and strategy experience while at GfK and PepsiCo to Nature’s Fynd.
KAITLIN GRADY
Director of Strategic Partnerships and Public Affairs
Clever Carnivore
Kaitlin Grady is Director of Strategic Partnerships and Public Affairs at Clever Carnivore, a Chicago-based cultivated meat company that develops real meat directly from animal cells in a brewery-like environment. Prior to joining Clever Carnivore, Kaitlin worked in development at the Good Food Institute, a global sustainable protein think tank. Kaitlin sits on the Advisory Board for the Future of Protein Production and was appointed to the Illinois Science and Technology Coalition Executive Founders Program. She also sits on the External Committee for the Chapel Hill Alt. Protein Project at her alma mater, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she graduated summa cum laude with a double major in French and International Studies and a concentration in Economics and Global Health.
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DANIEL (DAN) GRIFFIS
Managing Director
ADM Ventures
Dan is Managing Director for ADM Ventures, ADM’s corporate venture capital (CVC) group. In this role, he oversees ADM’s portfolio of innovation investments, business incubations, and startup collaborations across the nutrition, health & wellness, and agriculture sectors, with a focus on precision fermentation.
Dan joined ADM in 2020 to help build ADM’s CVC function, most recently serving as Investment Director. Prior to ADM, Dan served in corporate development and strategy roles at Zymergen, a precision fermentation venture, and in investing roles Cultivian Sandbox Ventures and iSelect Fund, venture capital firms focused on food and agriculture technology. Dan began his career as an Analyst in the climate group at Progress Partners, an investment bank.
CHAD PHILLIPS
Federal Policy Manager
IL Dept. of Commerce and Economic Opportunity
As the Federal Policy Manager for the Illinois Department of Commerce & Economic Development, Chad Phillips oversees the Department’s federal affairs and helps organizations leverage federal resources to create equitable economic opportunities across Illinois. Prior to joining the State of Illinois, he served as a strategic initiatives coordinator for U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth and as a member of U.S. Senator Dick Durbin’s legislative team in Washington, D.C.
JASON POLZIN
Vice President Process Development and Engineering
Bond Pet Foods
Jason is the Vice President, Process Development and Engineering at Bond Pet Foods, a Boulder, Colorado-based start-up that’s working with biotechnology to make meat proteins like chicken, turkey and fish without the animal for the pet food industry.
Using some of the same processes that are employed in craft brewing, Bond produces high-quality animal proteins through fermentation, harvests them to better meet the nutritional requirements of companion animals, and supplies the ingredients to manufacturers for pet food, treat and supplement applications.
Before joining Bond, Jason was a Vice President and Director of Process Development, Engineering and Production at some leading biotech companies including: The Every Company, Modern Meadow, Verenium, Gevo, Tate & Lyle (Now Primient), among others.
ALAN REED
Executive Director
The Chicagoland Food & Beverage Network
Alan Reed is the Executive Director of the Chicagoland Food & Beverage Network, a startup, nonprofit organization that brings industry players together, provides a forum for collaboration and support, and better connects the 4,500 companies in the industry across Chicagoland to drive innovation and growth in the region. The group leverages the power of the food & beverage industry in Chicagoland to grow the industry, and the local economy.
