The Future of Retail

The retail industry has undergone unprecedented change over the last 5 years, driven in large part by e-commerce, eater demand for convenience and better products, and narrowing margins. Now, Amazon’s $13.7 billion dollar acquisition of Whole Foods is forcing retailers and brands to innovate even faster.

Is the future of retail online? What role will bricks and mortar play? How do we increase accessibility to underserved communities? Are meal kits a fad? How do we support small emerging brands? What will it take to cater to the rapidly evolving needs of modern eaters?

Join us to hear from some of the game-changing startups who are changing the way we shop for food at our October Food+Tech Meetup. Founders will do a deep dive into their business and technology models, challenges and lessons learned. We will also have networking with the community and lots of great emerging food and drink startups to sample including Rise Brewing Co, Bon Harvest, The Brooklyn Kitchen, Yumami, mēle, Good Stock Soups, The Better Fish, Casa de Sante and Urban Leaf!

We will be donating 50% of proceeds to organizations aiding in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico: the Hispanic Federation and World Central Kitchen’s Chef Relief in Puerto Rico.

SCHEDULE:
6:00: Doors Open
6:30 – 7:15pm: Networking
7:30 – 9:00pm: Presentations + Q&A
9:00 – 9:30pm: Networking

CONFIRMED PRESENTERS:
(Virtual Presentation) Gunnar Lovelace, co-founder & co-CEO of Thrive Market
Thrive Market is a membership e-commerce platform on a mission to make the world’s best organic and non-GMO products accessible and affordable for everyone. For $60 per year, Thrive Market members get access to their favorite healthy groceries and non-toxic cleaning supplies at 25–50% of retail price, shipped directly to their home. For every paid membership we donate a free membership to low-income family, teacher, veteran or student through Thrive Gives. Our members also donate portions of their savings to help offset the purchases of Thrive Gives members through free grocery credits.

Josh Hix, co-founder & CEO of Plated
Plated is on a mission to create a world where healthy, delicious, affordable food is available to everyone by applying technology to how food is grown, distributed, prepared and consumed. Plated recently partnered with Albertsons to increase its reach to 35 million US households and to accelerate its ability to impact the broader food system.

Trevor Sumner, CEO of PERCH
PERCH was founded with a transformational vision for the physical retail industry – By overlaying digital experiences on top of physical products, retailers and brands can enrich the shopping experience, drive remarkable 30-80% product sales lift and surprise and delight their customers. The future of retail marketing is physically aware displays that sense what customers are doing, what products they are touching and deliver the right marketing message at the right point of the journey. With clients such as Kate Spade, Estee Lauder, Fossil, Neiman Marcus, Petco and Sunglass Hut and deployments in 20 countries across 5 continents – the future of retail is now.

Yuni Sameshima, CEO and co-founder, Chicory
Chicory is a technology company based in NYC that uses artificial intelligence to create digital grocery experiences. In 2014, Chicory launched its core product, the “Get Ingredients” button, which allows consumers to get to online recipe ingredients delivered from various grocers and retailers. Today, Chicory reaches approximately 65 million unique monthly users and has partnered with companies like Peapod, Time, Inc. and General Mills International to lay the groundwork for the future of grocery.

Amanda Hesser, CEO and co-founder, Food52
Food52 is a groundbreaking and award-winning kitchen and home brand — the first of its kind to support, connect, and celebrate cooks and home enthusiasts, giving them everything they need to eat thoughtfully and live joyfully in one place. Founded in 2009 by Amanda Hesser and Merrill Stubbs, Food52 has an audience of more than 12 million people, who it inspires with high-quality recipes and lifestyle features and a shop with more than 2,000 kitchen and home goods. Food52 also hosts a series of offline pop-ups, publishes a line of best-selling cookbooks, and produces a podcast with more than one million downloads.

HOST:

We are a leading national law firm intensely devoted to our client’s success and deeply committed to our core values. We have built a reputation for pursuing every matter with creativity and passion. Our industry knowledge, entrepreneurial drive and proven commitment to our communities deliver a different and better law firm experience to our clients. We focus on building long-standing relationships and anticipating our clients’ needs, rather than responding to them. Working side-by-side with our clients, we serve not only as attorneys, but as trusted advisors.

SPONSORS:

FoodBytes! by Rabobank is a next-generation pitch competition that brings together game-changing startups, investors and industry leaders. FoodBytes! discovers the most ground-breaking startups and provides a safe haven for entrepreneurs to receive the mentorship, connections and capital they need to grow their businesses. Alumni include Back to the Roots, MycoTechnology, Love the Wild, Imperfect, Burlap & Barrel and Seal the Seasons.

Like our namesake borough, the Brooklyn Brewery is made up of a rich collection of characters from all over the world. In our Williamsburg home, these characters are dedicated to brewing and selling great beer and enriching the communities we serve. Together, these Brooklyners have assembled the skills needed to transform a home brewing hobby into an independent brewery with a brand that has become an international beacon for good beer.