Image via www.jennifermay.com.

We are thrilled to be collaborating with two industry experts who have worked with FreshDirect and Pret A Manger to offer a supply chain and logistics course (s). Before we design the course, we want your feedback on what your needs are. Please take a moment to fill out the short survey (3 minutes – no really, we promise!) below, so we can create a kick-ass course designed especially for you. And be sure to include your name to get 25% off this course.

The goal of the course will be to demystify the process of producing and distributing food, whether your business is retail or wholesale, brick and mortar or online. We’ll cover everything from ingredient sourcing, manufacturing, and operations to packaging, data management and shipping.

More About Your Instructors:

Gabrielle Tiven, a director at supply chain consultancy LIDD, has worked in warehouse design and management since 2006. She managed operations and technology projects at FreshDirect, the online grocer in New York City, and product development for work stations and storage units at Kiva Systems, a subsidiary of Amazon. Recently, she has focused on helping growing e-commerce companies build and improve their fulfillment and distribution systems. Gabrielle holds a BA from Yale University and an MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management.

Monica Gelinas, founder of Grit Work LLC, has more than 15 years of experience in the food and hospitality industry. Her work focuses on developing strategic sourcing and sustainable food supply chain strategies. Monica gained hands-on experience by working with the founders of Pret A Manger becoming their first US Head of Marketing, Supply Chain, and Product Development. Grit Work advises multi-unit fast casual chains, distributors, manufacturers and consumer packaged goods brands on buying decisions and helps owners build profitable business models that can scale. Monica has a BS from Cornell Hotel School and MS from NYU’s Center for Global Affairs. She is a board member of the Pret US Foundation, and is a member of the President’s Council for Cornell Women, Cornell’s University Council and is a member of NY Women’s Culinary Alliance.

Create your own user feedback survey

The post Food Supply Chain & Logistics: What Do You Need to Know? appeared first on Food+Tech Connect.

Thinking of raising money through crowdfunding for your food project? It’s a great way to jumpstart and market your projects, but only if it’s done well. Named one of Forbes 30 Under 30, Lisa Q. Fetterman has raised over $1.3 million through two Kickstarter campaigns for her sous vide startup, Nomiku, and she wants to help you succeed, too.

After partnering with Lisa for a successful in-person Bootcamp in NYC in March, we’re thrilled to announce that we’re working together again to host the Crowdfunding for Food Entrepreneurs Webinar on June 13 from 1-5 PM EST. We are offering the e-course as a webinar to give you greater access to Lisa and to enable you to ask questions and get feedback in real-time.

During the 4 hour webinar, you’ll learn everything you need to launch a kick-ass crowdfunding campaign, from planning and creating buzz before you launch, to learning how to keep momentum strong in backer growth, to immediate post-campaign logistics.

Crowdfunding Webinar Takeaways

• Understand what it takes to get your project funded
• Learn how to cultivate and activate your tribe to create pre-launch buzz
• Crash course in PR and marketing strategy to get a pre-launch media blitz
• Craft a compelling crowdfunding page
• Understand what it takes to create a killer promo video on any budget
• Learn how to set campaign goals, stretch goals and rewards
• Develop a communications strategy for during and after your campaign
• Understand fulfillment costs, logistics and best practices
• Determine which crowdfunding platform is right for you
• Learn how to build the right team from small to large budgets
• Walk away with a crowdfunding strategy

Who Should Take the Webinar 

Anyone who wants to learn how to launch a kick-ass crowdfunding campaign for their food, ag, food tech or ag tech product.

Not Able to Attend on June 13?

No need to worry if you’re not able to attend the June 13 webinar; you will also be able to take the course online at your own pace starting June 17.

The post Join Us for Food Crowdfunding Webinar with Nomiku – June 13 appeared first on Food+Tech Connect.

Please note that our Crowdfunding for Food Entrepreneurs webinar has been moved to June 13. You can learn more and sing up here.

Thinking of raising money through crowdfunding for your food project? It’s a great way to jumpstart and market your projects, but only if it’s done well. Named one of Forbes 30 Under 30, Lisa Q. Fetterman has raised over $1.3 million through two Kickstarter campaigns for her sous vide startup, Nomiku, and she wants to help you succeed, too.

After partnering with Lisa for a successful in-person Bootcamp in NYC in March, we’re thrilled to announce that we’re working together again to host the Crowdfunding for Food Entrepreneurs Webinar on May 23 from 2-6 PM EST. We are offering the e-course as a webinar to give you greater access to Lisa and to enable you to ask questions and get feedback in real-time.

During the 4 hour webinar, you’ll learn everything you need to launch a kick-ass crowdfunding campaign, from planning and creating buzz before you launch, to learning how to keep momentum strong in backer growth, to immediate post-campaign logistics.

Crowdfunding Webinar Takeaways

• Understand what it takes to get your project funded
• Learn how to cultivate and activate your tribe to create pre-launch buzz
• Crash course in PR and marketing strategy to get a pre-launch media blitz
• Craft a compelling crowdfunding page
• Understand what it takes to create a killer promo video on any budget
• Learn how to set campaign goals, stretch goals and rewards
• Develop a communications strategy for during and after your campaign
• Understand fulfillment costs, logistics and best practices
• Determine which crowdfunding platform is right for you
• Learn how to build the right team from small to large budgets
• Walk away with a crowdfunding strategy

Who Should Take the Webinar 

Anyone who wants to learn how to launch a kick-ass crowdfunding campaign for their food, ag, food tech or ag tech product.

Not Able to Attend on May 23?

No need to worry if you’re not able to attend the May 23 webinar; you will also be able to take the course online at your own pace starting May 26.

The post Updated: Announcing Food Crowdfunding Webinar with Nomiku June 13 appeared first on Food+Tech Connect.

Looking to develop a cohesive brand or to take yours to the next level? Join us on May 6 at 6PM ET for an informational Hangout to figure out if our upcoming Food Startup Branding 101 Bootcamp is right for you. Instructors Marni Kleinfield-Hayes and Julia Wu will be sharing an overview of the course and will be available to answer any of your questions.

To participate, all you have to do is RSVP by clicking “yes” in the Hangouts Event. For those of you who are super pumped about learning more but can’t view the Hangouts live, don’t worry, we’ll be posting it on Youtube.

More About Food Startup Branding 101

Guided by brand strategists who have worked with companies like Stacy’s Pita Chips and Seamless, this hands-on Branding Bootcamp will teach you how to make your brand shine across everything you do – from your website, to your packaging, to your social media. Chockfull of step-by-step exercises, you will learn how to create brand guidelines and how to use them to improve your “About Us” copy and social media messaging.

Takeaways

• Create your brand positioning statement
• Develop your brand voice guidelines
• Revise your “About Us” copy
• Use your brand voice guidelines to create a social media plan
• Walk away with tools and templates to create a cohesive brand strategy

Special Early Bird Discount

Sign up by 5.9 and get the early bird rate of $249 (normally $399). Space is limited for this intimate course, so reserve your seat today.

When & Where

• In-person – Saturday, May 16 – New York City. Sign up here
• E-course – Available now! Learn more and sign up here

Who Should Attend?

This bootcamp is for new, aspiring and seasoned food and food tech entrepreneurs and organizations.

What Our Students Have to Say

 “FINALLY cleared time to take this class, and now they have empowered us to RULE THE WORLD!!! (seriously though, amazing course)” – Brian Sullivan, co-founder – food360

“I loved this course because it taught us all the practical things we needed to get started right away. We’ve been able to focus on connecting with the right users, and turning them into advocates of Hotsauce.” – Tehsin Bhayani, co-founder – Hotsauce

“I was able to better understand positioning concepts and apply them to my own business.” – Daniel Dengrove, president – Brewla

The post Join The Food Startup Branding Bootcamp Informational Hangout appeared first on Food+Tech Connect.

Want to learn how to make your products and services stand out and win customers? You’re in luck. Our in-person Food Startup Branding 101 Bootcamp is back by popular demand on Saturday, May 16 in NYC. (It’s also available online, so you can take it anytime, from anywhere. Learn more here.)

Guided by brand strategists who have worked with companies like Stacy’s Pita Chips and Seamless, this hands-on Branding Bootcamp will teach you how to make your brand shine across everything you do, from your website, to your packaging, to your social media. Chockfull of step-by-step exercises, you will learn how to create brand guidelines and how to use them to improve your “About Us” copy and social media messaging.

Special Early Bird Discount

Be one of the first 5 to sign up and snag your spot for just $99. Sign up by 5.9 and get the early bird rate of $249 (normally $399). Space is limited for this intimate course, so reserve your seat today.

Food Startup Branding 101 Takeaways

• Create your brand positioning statement
• Develop your brand voice guidelines
• Revise your “About Us” copy
• Use your brand voice guidelines to create a social media plan
• walk away with tools and templates to create a cohesive brand strategy

When & Where

• In-person – Saturday, May 16 – New York City. Sign up here
• E-course – Available now! Learn more and sign up here

Who Should Attend?

This bootcamp is for new, aspiring and seasoned food and food tech entrepreneurs and organizations.

What Our Students Have to Say

 “FINALLY cleared time to take this class, and now they have empowered us to RULE THE WORLD!!! (seriously though, amazing course)” – Brian Sullivan, co-founder – food360

“I loved this course because it taught us all the practical things we needed to get started right away. We’ve been able to focus on connecting with the right users, and turning them into advocates of Hotsauce.” – Tehsin Bhayani, co-founder – Hotsauce

“I was able to better understand positioning concepts and apply them to my own business.” – Daniel Dengrove, president – Brewla

The post Back By Popular Demand: Food Startup Branding Bootcamp appeared first on Food+Tech Connect.

On March 28 in NYC, we’re partnering with Nomiku founder Lisa Q. Fetterman to offer the Crowdfunding for Food Entrepreneurs Bootcamp. This one day intensive course will teach you everything you need to know to launch a kick-ass campaign, from planning and creating buzz before you launch, to learning how to keep momentum strong in backer growth, to immediate post-campaign logistics.

In addition to getting hands-on fundraising templates and tools from a true crowdfunding master, you’ll also get to learn from a rockstar panel of crowdfunding experts and successfully-funded entrepreneurs, including Terry Romero of Kickstarter, Allison Waddell of Barnraiser and Gabi Lewis of Exo.

We want to help you jumpstart and market your food projects, so we’re offering you a spot for $100 off (normally $399) using the code “CFFE″ here. Can’t make it to the Bootcamp? We’re also offering the course online in May. Sign up here to pre-order the e-course for 60% off.

Confirmed Crowdfunding Bootcamp Panelists

Terry Hope Romero is Kickstarter’s Outreach Lead for the Food and Crafts categories. She’s the author of several bestselling cookbooks including Veganomicon, Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World, Vegan Eats World, Salad Samurai, and many more. Terry has presented cooking demonstrations and culinary talks at food festivals and conferences throughout North America, Europe, and Australia and holds a certificate in Plant Based Nutrition from Cornell University. Connect with her @terryhope.

Allison Waddell is the Food & Culinary Director at Barnraiser. Allison’s path to her calling has been a winding road but has given her the skills to truly live her passion. With a BBA in Marketing and CIS, 15 years as a small business owner in the culinary and wellness space, a culinary degree from the CIA and positions at Robert Mondavi Winery and Hotel Tonight, she is now the resident chef, trainer & Food & Culinary Director for Barnraiser. Her motto: SHOW UP FOR YOUR LIFE and work hard to have fun and make a difference in this world.

Gabi Lewis is the Co-Founder of Exo, a New York-based company pioneering the consumption of insects as a healthful, sustainable and economical alternative protein source. He has been interviewed by media outlets including Forbes, The New York Times, National Geographic and The Wall Street Journal. Originally from Scotland, Gabi studied Philosophy & Economics at Brown University.

The post Kickstarter, Barnraiser + Exo Join Food Crowdfunding Bootcamp Panel appeared first on Food+Tech Connect.

Wanna launch a kick-ass food crowdfunding campaign? Now’s your chance to learn EVERYTHING you need to know to launch a successful campaign from Lisa Q. Fetterman, who raised $1.3 million on Kickstarter for her sous vide immersion circulator Nomiku.

Now through 3.13 save $100 on our 3.28 Crowdfunding Bootcamp (normally $400) with code “CFFE”. Tickets are limited, so snag yours today.

More About Our Food Crowdfunding Bootcamp

Happening on 3.28 in NYC, our Crowdfunding For Food Entrepreneurs Bootcamp, will teach you everything you need to know to create a standout campaign, from planning and creating pre-launch buzz to keeping momentum strong in backer growth. You will walk away with an action plan and loads of templates to help you get your project funded. The course will also be offered online, so anyone can learn from Lisa. You can pre-order the e-course for 60% off and learn more about the in-person course here.

Takeaways

• Understand what it takes to get your project funded
• Learn how to cultivate and activate your tribe to create pre-launch buzz
• Crash course in PR and marketing strategy to get a pre-launch media blitz
• Craft a compelling crowdfunding page
• Understand what it takes to create a killer promo video on any budget
• Learn how to set campaign goals, stretch goals and rewards
• Develop a communications strategy for during and after your campaign
• Understand fulfillment costs, logistics and best practices
• Determine which crowdfunding platform is right for you
• Learn how to build the right team from small to large budgets
• Walk away with a crowdfunding strategy

Who Should Attend

Anyone who wants to learn how to launch a kick-ass crowdfunding campaign for their food, ag, food tech or ag tech product.

Online Course

Not able to attend the Bootcamp? We’ve got you covered. This course will also be available online in May. It will feature videos, hands-on exercises, templates, monthly office hours with Lisa and access to the course forum. Sign-up today and get 60% off the course price here.

The post Become a Crowdfunding Master – Save 25% on Our Bootcamp appeared first on Food+Tech Connect.

Got a kick-ass idea for a new food product? Looking to raise capital to prototype your revolutionary cooking gadget? Wanna test whether people will actually pay for your first-of-its-kind home-gardening kit?

Crowdfunding is a great way to jumpstart and market your food startup projects–but only if it’s done well. Close to 60 percent of all crowdfunding campaigns fail. There is a science to running a successful campaign and it all starts with preparation, before you even click the start button.

Lisa Q. Fetterman, one of Forbes 30 Under 30, has raised over $1.3 million through two Kickstarter campaigns for her sous vide startup, Nomiku, and she wants to help you succeed, too. Which is why we’ve partnered with her to launch Crowdfunding for Food Entrepreneurs. This intensive one-day bootcamp will be held in NYC on March 28, and the e-course will be available online in May.

You’ll learn everything you need to launch a kick-ass crowdfunding campaign, from planning and creating buzz before you launch, to learning how to keep momentum strong in backer growth, to immediate post-Kickstarter logistics. By the end of the day, you will walk away with an action plan and loads of templates to help you get your project funded.

Takeaways:

• Understand what it takes to get your project funded 
• Learn how to cultivate and activate your tribe to create pre-launch buzz 
• Crash course in PR and marketing strategy to get a pre-launch media blitz 
• Craft a compelling crowdfunding page 
• Understand what it takes to create a killer promo video on any budget 
• Learn how to set campaign goals, stretch goals and rewards 
• Develop a communications strategy for during and after your campaign 
• Understand fulfillment costs, logistics and best practices 
• Determine which crowdfunding platform is right for you 
• Learn how to build the right team from small to large budgets 
• Walk away with a crowdfunding strategy

Who Should Attend: 

Anyone who wants to learn how to launch a kick-ass crowdfunding campaign for their food, ag, food tech or ag tech product.

Online Course:

Not able to attend the Bootcamp? We’ve got you covered. This course will also be available online in early May. It will feature videos, hands-on exercises, templates, monthly office hours with Lisa and access to the course forum. Sign-up today and get 60% off the course price.

About Your Instructor:

Lisa Q. Fetterman is the founder and CEO of Nomiku, the first home sous vide immersion circulator. She was recently named Forbes 30 Under 30. Lisa’s culinary sensibilities were honed at the best restaurants in the world like Babbo, Jean Georges, and Saison. She has a sophisticated writing and editing background with a BA in Journalism from the prestigious NYU Arthur L. Carter of Journalism. She’s worked for Hearst Corporation in their digital media department and has helped publish multiple New York Times Bestsellers with SMITH Magazine.

The post Announcing Crowdfunding for Food Entrepreneurs with Nomiku Founder appeared first on Food+Tech Connect.

You asked for a food fundraising course, and we heard you loud and clear.

On February 15 in NYC, we’re partnering with US Venture Partners Partner and Feeding 10 Billion Founder Paul Matteucci to offer the Food Startup Venture Fundraising Bootcamp. This one day intensive will teach you everything you need to know to raise your Seed or Series A round, from crafting financial projections to developing a winning pitch.

It gets even better. In addition to getting hands-on fundraising templates and tools from one of Silicon Valley’s top investors, you’ll also get help with your pitch from a rockstar group of food investors, including (drum roll, please): Shen Tong of FOOD-X, Clément Pointillart of Verlinvest, Zubin Canteenwalla of NGEN Partners and Charlie O’Donnell of Brooklyn Bridge Ventures.

We believe in what you’re doing and we want to help you raise money for your food startup in 2015, so we’re offering you a spot for $100 off (normally $399) using the code “FUNDing25” at checkout. Space is limited for this intimate class, so snag your spot today. 

 _________________

Food Investor Mentors

Shen Tong is a serial entrepreneur, angel investor, foodie, social activist, writer/poet, and film buff. One of Newsweek’s People of the Year in 1989, Shen Tong was an organizer of the democracy movement in 1989 that occupied Tiananmen Square while he was at Beijing University. After his exile to the US, he finished his undergraduate degree at Brandeis University, and went on to study in PhD programs at Boston University and Harvard University. Mr. Shen became an entrepreneur in the 1990s, founding or co-founding B&B Media and VFinity among other ventures in the past two decades.

Founded on the belief that the future of food is now — FOOD-X is on a mission to scale change throughout our food system. This first-of-its-kind, food-business accelerator empowers early-stage food companies through funding, opportunity, and a deep mentor network of food and business experts. FOOD-X is the food arm of SOSventures—a global accelerator network that includes eight accelerators and a mentor network 170 people strong—and, unlike other accelerators, it is backed by an Evergreen fund. This allows the mission-driven venture to measure its success using long-term, social-impact benchmarks such as improved access to healthful foods and behavior change, as opposed to more common metrics within the accelerator community: acquisitions, quick exits, and single-bottom lines.
Clément Pointillart joined Verlinvest in 2012 and is now an Investment Manager in their New York office.

At Verlinvest, Clement is part of the investment team focusing on growth investments within the branded consumer and retail sectors deploying equity checks of $25MM to $200MM. He has worked on a variety of new investments in addition to having significant operational involvement with the portfolio companies, including Vita Coco, popchips and Sambazon.

Prior to joining Verlinvest, Clément worked for four years at Lazard Frères as an Investment Banker in their Mergers & Acquisitions and Restructuring practices, both in Paris and New York.  During these four years, Clement focused primarily on the Consumer Products Sector (Food, Beverage, HPC, Luxury, Retail) with significant exposure to Building Materials, Chemicals and Aerospace & Defense.

Clément holds a B.A. in Finance and Strategy from IEP de Paris, Sciences Po.

Zubin Canteenwalla is a Partner in NGEN’s New York office. He has been involved in the sourcing and evaluation of a number of the firm’s investments in sustainable food and energy efficiency, including Brightfarms and Bare Snacks.

Prior to NGEN, Zubin worked at Investor Growth Capital, focused on growth equity investments in technology companies. He previously worked in Toronto as a business analyst at PriceMetrix, a data analytics startup providing tools and advisory services to financial service companies. Zubin also spent several years at an energy technology startup, designing and manufacturing systems for refueling natural gas and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.

Zubin holds an MBA from Columbia Business School and a B.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering from Queen’s University in Canada.
Charlie O’Donnell is the sole Partner and Founder at Brooklyn Bridge Ventures and loves it that way. The fund makes seed investments and the first venture firm located in Brooklyn–where he was born and raised. The longest he has been outside of the five boroughs of New York City is three weeks.

Charlie has a reputation for being early to identifying important companies. Nick Bilton identifies him as an influence on early Twitter investors in his book, Hatching Twitter. Dennis Crowley credits him as having helped kick off the first funding of Foursquare before other VCs had said yes. At First Round Capital, he sourced the firm’s investments in Singleplatform (sold to Constant Contact) and GroupMe (sold to Skype).Charlie discovered GroupMe at the hackathon where the service had been built. He also sourced investments in Backupify (which was an idea he had tweeted to the founder, a friend of his), chloe + isabel, Refinery29, Docracy, and Salescrunch.

The post Meet the Rockstar Food Investor Mentors For Our Fundraising Bootcamp appeared first on Food+Tech Connect.

Are you a food, food tech or agtech entrepreneur getting ready to fundraise and feeling totally overwhelmed?

We know exactly how you feel, which is why we are over the moon to announce our Food Startup Venture Fundraising Bootcamp  ding held in NYC on February 15 and online starting in March (Sign up now and get 50% off). 

Taught by US Venture Partners Partner and Feeding 10 Billion Founder Paul Matteucci, this intimate, hands-on bootcamp will demystify the process of raising venture capital and give you the tools to go out and raise money with confidence.

A leading Silicon Valley investor and advocate for food system innovation, Paul is working with the State of California and Stone Barns to develop programs for food entrepreneurs. He has been on both sides of the table numerous times as a founding entrepreneur and investor, and now he wants to help you succeed.

Through case studies and hands-on exercises, you will learn the ins and outs of fundraising financials, market sizing, valuation, term sheets and crafting your pitch. You will understand what motivates investors and what scares them. You will leave with a complete picture of how venture capitalists make money and why they behave the way they do. And you’ll also get fundraising tips and tricks from some of the industries top entrepreneurs and investors.

Space is limited to around 30 people, so snag your spot today!

Takeaways:

• Insider look at how VCs evaluate deals
• Understand key fundraising concepts
• Determine which fundraising option is best for you
• Understand market sizing and valuation
• Create financial projections
• Develop a rough pitch deck
• Come up with a fundraising strategy for your company

Early Bird Discount:

We’re giving first dibs to the FTC community with a massive discount to boot. Be one of the first five to sign up and snag your spot for just $250 (normally $399). Space is limited for this first-of-its-kind bootcamp, so sign up today.

About Your Instructor

Paul Matteucci is a venture capitalist, entrepreneur, corporate executive, fly fisherman and home cook.  He is passionate about building companies, creating jobs with opportunity, recreating the global food system, building the world’s first privately-funded national park, cooking, baseball, mystery novels and his family.

Current Work: Paul is an Operating Partner at U.S. Venture Partners, one of the true pioneers of venture capital, which have helped make Silicon Valley a leader in IT technology and health care innovation.  At the same time, he is the Founder of Feeding 10 Billion, a non-profit initiative focused on building a robust eco-system of information and people to help entrepreneurs create their food-system businesses.

With a passion for creating jobs and mentoring startup teams, Paul has helped a generation of entrepreneurs learn how to execute during difficult times. In fact, he notes, the best of them learn to use challenges as a catalyst for innovation, and for creating cultures that are accountable, cash-efficient, resilient and focused.

At USVP, Paul has led or co-led investments in Livefyre, 3Ware (sold to AMCC), Total Beauty, Trovix (sold to Monster), PlaceIQ, Swoop, and others. He has also served on the boards of distillery, 4info, Homestead (sold to Intuit) and Jeda Networks. Paul’s current interests on the technology landscape include: Internet services, mobile computing, audience measurement and aggregation, data storage and data analytics.

At Feeding 10 Billion, Paul advises start-ups and works with public and private institutions to develop programs for entrepreneurs, who are creating what he calls Food System 6.0.

Read his full bio here.

The post Announcing Food Startup Venture Fundraising Bootcamp appeared first on Food+Tech Connect.

We’re bringing something new to the table for restaurants, and we think you’re going to love it!

On November 18th in NYC, we’re hosting The Power of Brand: Growing Your Restaurant, a first-of-its-kind  bootcamp taught by former Union Square Hospitality Group CMO Felicia Stingone. The day will culminate with an intimate discussion with Danny Meyer, Founder and CEO of Union Square Hospitality Group, and we’re thrilled to announce that Marcus Samuelsson, Chef, Restaurateur and Author at Marcus Samuelsson Group, will be joining us for the conversation.

Whether you’re starting, growing or scaling your restaurant business, this course will teach you how to use brand to strengthen your operations, culture and marketing. You will walk away with insider tips for developing a brand framework to drive smarter, faster business decision-making. You will also get to speak with some of the most successful restaurateurs in the business about how they launched and grew their brands. So, as Edible Manhattan so wonderfully put it, “if you are in the hospitality industry in New York, what are you waiting for?”

It gets even better, sign up by Monday, November 17 to receive $50 off by clicking the button below or by using the promo code “POB50offPROmo” here.

If you’re not able to attend in person, don’t worry, the course will also be available online in mid-January. You can pre-register here to receive a 50% discount.

The post Marcus Samuelsson Joins Danny Meyer as Restaurant Bootcamp Special Guest appeared first on Food+Tech Connect.

Guest post by Food Startup Branding 101 instructor Julia Wu.

If there is one thing I’ve discovered in my years of creating marketing strategies for clients, it’s that there is nothing harder than doing it for yourself.  This is especially true for startups. While founders are driven by an internal vision for their company’s future, they’re often standing too close to the business to effectively translate this for customers.  I co-created the Food Startup Branding 101 course with this exact problem in mind: we strive to help companies understand what goes into building a brand and give them the tools they’ll need to navigate the process.

We have often said that our workshops offer a “DIY” approach to branding, but I’ve lately thought that perhaps the term “DIT” (Do it Together) is even more appropriate.  While startup founders should own and drive brand formation, we encourage them to seek the input of customers, advisors and friends to make their brands stronger. Last week, I was thrilled to help a food tech startup called Feasted take a “DIT” approach, during an all-hands strategy session hosted by the consultancy I work for, Luminary Labs.

Let me start by saying that the team behind Feasted is AWESOME, and so fully committed to their vision of bringing nutritious meal kits to families in food deserts. Their food can be purchased with EBT, delivering on their promise that family mealtime should feel luxurious, without being a luxury.  Beautiful, right?  It should come as no surprise that they won the recent Women’s Health Codeathon, and engender love and support from nearly everyone they meet.

During the event, as they consulted a room full of experts on various business, tech, and branding questions, I was delighted to see that in less than an hour we were able to help the team challenge assumptions, reconsider their positioning basics, and guide new areas of opportunity for their upcoming pilot in the South Bronx. As I watched this collaborative approach in action, I took away a few lessons for other brand-building startups:

• Embrace the Process – Creating and launching your brand is an ongoing process. The Feasted team walked in with a tagline, a mission statement, and definitive sense of who they are, and walked out with a long list of questions, needing to reframe and refocus. We questioned the use of words like “healthy” and “nutritious” in their messaging, discussed the need for the product to empower its customers, and debated how resource-strapped moms decide what to serve for dinner. Rethinking your brand may feel challenging, but know that being able to work through fundamental identity and audience questions will only make your company stronger.

• Understand Your Guardrails – While receiving feedback on your company’s branding can feel overwhelming, structuring the process will help you avoid information overload.  The exercises we teach in our classes provide a framework for processing feedback from investors, advisors, and friends. As you receive advice on how to position yourself and what new market opportunities to consider, they’ll guide you through the glut of opinions – empowering you make decisions and develop tangible next steps.

• Put Yourself Out There – To my surprise, Feasted posed no objections to sharing their early concepts and branding with the outside experts in the room, creating the opportunity to make meaningful connections as they received feedback and advice. This enabled them to gain new insights based on proven experience; for example, a guest from Plated discussed the importance of fully explaining the service to a potential customer the moment they arrive on the website, something the Feasted team hadn’t yet considered. But beyond providing great advice, the session participants are now deeply invested in Feasted’s success.  No matter which direction the founders decide to steer the company, they’ll have a network to help take them there.

• Start with the Basics, and Keep Coming Back – As we regrouped at the end of the evening, I learned that the conversations with the tech experts had been strikingly similar to the discussions we had in the branding corner.  Who is your audience? What are you trying to achieve?  While these questions may initially live in a branding brief, they also will act as a compass in guiding you through tough business decisions. Remember this, and be prepared to constantly move these insights across your brand.

Building anything from scratch is hard work, and as all start-ups know, a brand is no exception.  But remember, that even though your business card may say CEO, you don’t have to do it alone.  There is a world of passionate experts, customers, and friends out there who are eager to provide guidance and feedback. And with the right preparation, you’ll be ready to do it together.

Food Startup Branding 101 and Fundamentals of User Research are now available online. Check them out and join our learning community if you want to take your brand to the next level.

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Julia is a Communications Strategist at Luminary Labs where she brings her background in digital strategy,audience insights, and influencer marketing to client innovation projects.

Prior to joining Luminary Labs, Julia worked as Director of Marketing Strategy at Bond Strategy and Influence on corporate digital strategy, as well as entertainment marketing and innovation initiatives. Julia also previously worked at OMD as a Digital Media Strategist and prior to that, managed development for an arts organization.

Julia loves bringing her big brand experience to the small businesses world, and is currently teaching a branding workshop for Food + Tech Connect’s start-up community. She received her B.A. in Comparative Literature from NYU.

The post The D.I.T. (Do It Together) Approach to Food Startup Branding appeared first on Food+Tech Connect.

Calling all restaurants! We’re on a mission to lower the barriers to success for food startups, and boy have we got an opportunity for you. Today, we’re psyched to announce the launch our new restaurant startup bootcamp The Power of Brand: Growing Your Restaurant, along with a very special offer from our friends at ShopKeep.

Learn How to Use Brand to Grow Your Restaurant Business

Taught by former Union Square Hospitality Group CMO Felicia Stingone, this first-of-its-kind bootcamp will teach restaurants how to use brand as a business tool to strengthen your restaurant marketing, operations and culture. By the end of the day, you will define your brand and develop a brand framework to drive smarter, faster business decision-making, such as whether to open a new restaurant, publish a cookbook or pursue licensing opportunities. The day will culminate with an intimate discussion with industry heavyweights, including Danny Meyer, Founder and CEO of Union Square Hospitality Group, Richard Coraine, Senior Managing Partner, Business Development and Consulting at Union Square Hospitality Group and other special guests to be announced shortly.

ShopKeep is Offering 25 Free Spots to Go-Getting Restaurants

Sounds awesome, right? Well, it gets even better.  We’re thrilled to be partnering with ShopKeep, the cloud-based small business technology provider trusted by more than 10,000 small business owners to manage retail shops and restaurants with iPads,  to offer 25 restaurants a full scholarship ($399 value) to the bootcamp. ShopKeep shares our vision for helping small businesses succeed and grow, which is why we’re so exciting to be working with them.

Apply Today

To apply, let us know how you plan to use your new branding skills to take your business to the next level in the application below. We will be accepting  and considering applications on a rolling basis until November 7. Additionally, a limited number of seats will also available to the general public, which are available for purchase here.  Not able to make it? The course will also be available online in mid-January.  Pre-register today for the course to receive a 50% discount.

The post Announcing Our New Restaurant Branding Bootcamp appeared first on Food+Tech Connect.

We know you can’t imagine doing anything else (we can’t either), and our goal is to make sure you don’t have to. This is why we’re building an online learning community for food innovators.

Today, we’re very excited to announce the official launch of our Food Startup Branding 101 and Fundamentals of User Research online courses. These food startup courses are designed to give you tangible tools and skills to help you build or grow your company.

Branding & User Research: The Food Startup One-Two Punch

From your website copy to your social media messaging to your packaging, brand can make or break your company. Taught by expert brand strategists Marni Kleinfeld Hayes and Julie Wu, who have worked with food companies from Stacy’s Pita Chips to Seamless, Food Startup Branding 101 will teach you how to develop a cohesive, standout brand.

But before you can develop great branding, first you need to understand your customers. Fundamentals of User Research instructors Andy Hagerman and Jason Wisdom of The Design Gym  have worked with companies like Applegate and Mozilla to help them better understand their customers and drive business strategies based on those insights, and now you can learn from them, too.

So, if you’re serious about taking your brand to the next level, head on over to Food+Tech Ed. And if you sign up between today and October 24,  you’ll get an early bird 25% discount one both courses with the code “backtowork.”

What’s New: A Total Platform Facelift  

Since launching pilot courses in April, we’ve asked you all what was and wasn’t working. Thanks to your feedback, we’ve completely revamped the platform.  It’s now a lot more intuitive to navigate, and our new community forums make it easy to ask questions and share resources with other entrepreneurs.

What’s Next: More Kick-Ass Courses

We’re working with some exceptionally talented entrepreneurs to create more business planning, fundraising and marketing courses. Sign up here to be the first to get notified as soon as they launch.

The post Announcing New & Improved Food Startup Branding & User Research Courses appeared first on Food+Tech Connect.

Food is one of the most competitive industries out there, so creating a company that stands out is essential for success. Whether you’re just starting out or you’re trying to grow your business, having a cohesive brand strategy can save you a lot of time and money when trying to reach target customers, cultivate loyalty and ­create buzz.

This 3-part course will teach you the fundamentals of making your brand stand out. You will create a cohesive brand strategy that you can use to clearly communicate your unique value across all of your products and marketing channels.

This course is for aspiring and new food and food tech entrepreneurs, or for anyone who wants to brush up on their branding skills.

Positioning Your Brand

• Learn what positioning is, how it works and why it matters
• Understand how the most successful brands are doing it right
• Develop your positioning statement that you can use as your company grows

Developing Your Voice

• What your voice is and why it matters
• How the most successful brands use voice to connect with customers
• A process for discovering your brand’s unique voice and developing brand voice guidelines
• How to put this guide to use in the creation of your “About Us” copy

Kicking Ass on Social Media

• Understand which brands are doing it right and why
• Create a customized social media plan for your brand

Learn more about the course and the instructors and sign up on Food Tech Ed. 

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