Invest NY: Future of Food 2021

Jeremy Shure

Grasshopper Bank

Max Clegg

Principal Investor

Max is a principal investor and corporate development professional and domain expertise in agriculture, food, and energy. Max leads Louis Dreyfus Company’s (LDC) Corporate Venture Capital program. He’ll join Upstate Capital for a conversation on how LDC, a global merchant firm with more than 20,000 employees, looks at innovation, which sectors are interesting in transportation and logistics, and his advice for entrepreneurs considering corporate venture capital.

Tim Raven

Worximity

Tim Raven is Managing Director and leads Worximity’s US practice. Worximity offers smart factory solutions for mid-market manufacturers. He is an operations, finance, and digital manufacturing expert with over 25 years’ experience working with privately held and sponsor-owned mid-market consumer and industrial products manufacturers.

Jim Ilaria

TooJay’s Deli Restaurant

Jim Ilaria is a growth focused CEO and Private Equity Operating Partner. Industry experience includes: Restaurants, Franchising, Multi-unit operations, Casual Dining, Food Manufacturing, CPG, Industrial. His functional specialties include growth platform development, strategy, operational excellence and turnarounds.

Colby Creedon

NYSTAR

Colby is the Commercialization Fellow at Empire State Development (NYSTAR). He’s an attorney with operational and management experience. 6+ years of technology commercialization, business development, and operational experience. Currently, he’s managing a multi-million $ portfolio of cleantech commercialization programs, including business incubators, a seed-style investment fund, and business competition.

Catherine Young

Center of Excellence at Cornell AgriTech

Catharine Young was named Executive Director of the New York State Center of Excellence for Food and Agriculture in 2019. Catharine served in the New York State Legislature, chaired the Senate Agriculture Committee, founded the Legislative Wine and Grape Caucus, sponsored legislation to create the NYS Council on Food Policy and chaired the Legislative Commission on Rural Resources.

Jenn Smith

Grow-NY Food & Ag Startup Program

Jenn Smith is the Grow-NY Program Director. She was previously the Executive Director of the New York Cider Association and the Admin Director of the NYS Distillers Guild. Over the past 5 years Jenn was an NYC-based consultant to entrepreneurs creating value-added products and hospitality ventures.

John Ng

New York Steelhead, Hudson Valley Fisheries

John Ng is Founder and President of Hudson Valley Fisheries, North America’s largest land-based, commercial-scale fully sustainable steelhead farm, is based in Hudson, New York. Its 1200 MT indoor aquaculture facility uses the latest recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) technology and eco-sensitive practices to produce antioxidant-rich steelhead to minimize environmental impact.

Tim Moag

Freed Maxick CPAs, P.C.

Timothy P. Moag, CPA is a Director at Freed Maxick. Tim joined the Firm, formerly Battaglia Andrews & Moag, PC, in 1980. Tim leads the Firm’s Agriculture Business Practice and consults with farm managers on tax, financial, estate and management issues drawing on his expertise in agriculture.

Todd Kletter

Wealthpoint Management

Todd joined Wealthpoint Advisory to form and lead the Business Services Group in July 2020, to share insights from his own experiences in acquiring and selling companies, managing compensation, growing EBITDA and cash flows, reducing debt, and restructuring businesses including high growth startups and established companies in the $30-$50 million space.

Maureen Ballatori

29 Design Studio

Maureen is an innovator. She excels at leading initiatives that involve creative strategies and united communities. Maureen founded the Upstate New York-based creative agency, 29 Design Studio, in 2007 and she now leads the company’s visioning and growth. Her team works with food, beverage, and agriculture brands around the country.

Karin Gregory

Blue Highway Capital

Karin is a Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Blue Highway Capital. She has over 30 years of business experience as an attorney, executive and early stage investor. She spent five years as Vice President at Mass Ventures, an early stage socially responsible venture capital fund focused on urban and rural areas of Massachusetts.

Chris Laughton

Farm Credit East

Chris Laughton is Farm Credit East’s Director of Knowledge Exchange and also serves as the FarmStart Program Manager. He writes frequently on topics relating to the intersection of agriculture, economics and management. Prior to joining Farm Credit East, Chris worked in the nursery/greenhouse industry.

Jonathan Greene

NY Ventures

Jonathan Greene is Senior Investment Director at New York Ventures, investing in innovative start up companies across New York State.
He is an Investor/Board Observer for GiveGab (Acquired 2021), Ursa Space Systems, Ekostinger, Mosaic Microsystems, and Post Process

Randy Bianchi

Lakelet Capital

Randy is Managing Director at Lakelet Capital. He has 25+ years of entrepreneurial and management experience assisting organizations to identify and implement organizational changes for growth and over 10 years as a Business Development Partner at a leading middle-market private equity firm.

David Spungen

RegentAtlantic

David is Partner and Wealth Advisor at RegentAtlantic. With more than 25 years as an advisor, he has extensive experience in providing independent, objective advice to successful entrepreneurs. David is a former chef, is passionate about food & beverage, and has developed an expertise in the industry, working with restauranteurs, CPG and food tech entrepreneurs and others in the space.