How is Silicon Valley Changing the Fresh Produce Game?

Natasha Chatlein | EU Fresh Forum 2014 Rotterdam

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1st EU Fresh ForumRotterdam, 3-4 Dec 2014

Natasha Chatlein | NOST San Francisco@tashefraiche

How Silicon Valley is Changing the Fresh Game

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Let’s Chat

• Introduction• Some Numbers– California Agriculture– Investments

• What’s Happening?– Who Are the Players– What Topics/Projects

• California Drought: the Impact• Let’s Discuss12/3/2014


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Hello!

NOST Silicon Valley CrewFLTR

• Tinkerer & airplanes dude– John van den Heuvel

• The Foodist– Natasha Chatlein

• The Head NOSTer – Robert Thijssen

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NOST Silicon Valley

• Strengthen Dutch knowledge based economy

» By connecting with

• Knowledge intensive industry• Knowledge institutes• Local, regional, federal government

» With a focus on

• Science & Technology• R&D• Innovation• “Topsectoren”

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Agriculture

“World’s Oldest Industry”

Ripe for Disruption

Silicon Valley Acquires Taste for Food

FOOD: Bigger than big data/cloud/mobile

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California Agriculture12/3/2014


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What’s Happening

• 70% investment growth annually since 2009• Agriculture kept going strong during recession• Tech (hardware + software) becoming cheaper• VC Firms Investments:– 2008: < $50M– 2013: $350M– 2014: forecasted to $1Billion

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What’s Happening

• Future hedging: Climate Change, feeding 10B, food shortages

• 3rd quarter 2014: 41 deals totaling $269 million in food & ag startups– 2013 Q3: Half!

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What’s interesting

• Acreage– Farmland LP

• Animal Welfare– Hampton Creek Farms, Beyond Meat, – Modern Meadows, Mark Post

• “Hardware”: Automation– Blue River Technology, Drones, sensors, robots

• Software– Data, Apps

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What’s Interesting

• Software– DATA

• Healthy Fast Foods– Sweetgreens, Tender Greens

• MealKit• Food Delivery• Online Grocery

Good EggsPlatedSpoonRocket

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http://www.goodeggs.com/


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Key Players: Government

• USDA– KYF

• CDFA• Fresno WET Center– Incubator– Fresno State University

• “Blue Tech Valley”

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Key Players: Investors

• Khosla Ventures• Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers• True Ventures• US Venture Partners• Bill Gates• Roger Royce Law Firm– AgTech Conference 2014

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Key Players: Corporates

Monsanto

• 2013 $930M Climate Corp acquisition– Data data data: 50TB of rich live data pulled from

2.5million locations, sophisticated AI

• 2012: $250M acquisition Precision Planters– Planting depth & space optimization to max yield

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Key Players: Non-Profits

• Mixing Bowl Hub– Rob Trice (founder)– Food IT: Soil to Fork

Conference 2015

• Local Food Lab– Krysia Zajonc (founder)– Incubator/Accelerator– Food Startup Bootcamp

• Imagine H2O– Scott Bryan– Accelerator program– Annual Water Gala

• Feeding10Billion– Online networking &

information space for NewFood & AgTech Entrepreneurs

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California Drought

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WaterFX

Water Desalination PlantCentral ValleyGoal: $450/acre foot

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In short…

A Broken Food & Ag System paired with

Recession & Droughtcauses

Silicon Valley to acquire a taste for foodleads to

Investments surging year after yearLots of programs popping up

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Talk to Me

Natasha ChatleinNOST Silicon Valley

[email protected]@tashefraiche

+1 650 504 1533www.nostsiliconvalley.org

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