Seeds of Our Future - August 18 & 19, 2021

SILICON VALLEY FORUM PRESENTS

Seeds of Our Future:

The Flight of the Honeybees

That's a wrap!

See You Next Year!

#SooF21

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AgTech Enthusiasts, This One is For You!

Globally, honeybees are the largest pollinator of food crops- and innovations in AI, robotics, sensors and data are being leveraged to address the important issue of the declining bee population.

This year, in advance of World Honeybee Day, we will bring together industry players, and the AgTech community from across the globe for a 2-Day Virtual Conference on August 18 & 19th to share their insight on the honeybee’s role in crop pollination, food sustainability from farm to table, biodiversity and our environment, regenerative agriculture, and the latest AgTech investments and technology being deployed across the globe.

We will also host a pitch competition, bringing in startups from around the world whose disruptive technologies will help shape the future of our crops and our honeybees.

SCHEDULE:

Wednesday, August 18 | 8:30 A.M. – 11:00 A.M. (all virtual)

Thursday, August 19 | 9:30 A.M. – 1:30 P.M. (all virtual)

SEE THE FULL AGENDA BELOW

Conference Agenda

Wednesday, August 18 | 8:30 A.M. – 11:30 A.M. Thursday, August 19 | 9:30 A.M. – 1:30 P.M.

Conference Agenda

DAY 1: August 18

8:30 AM - 8:35 AM PST

Opening Remarks: Denyse Cardozo, Executive Director, Silicon Valley Forum

8:35 AM - 8:45 AM PST

Welcoming Remarks: Dennis Donohue, Director, Western Growers Center for Innovation

8:45AM - 9:20AM PST

Panel Discussion: AgTech Investment Insights Across the Globe

From bee technology to crop innovation and food tech, our panel will discuss the current investment trends, exit environment, and their predictions for the future.

Speaker: Derek Norman, Leaps by Bayer
Speaker: Nicky Deasy, Yield Labs
Speaker: Seana Day, Culterra Capital
Speaker: Antonio Moreira Salles, Mandi Ventures
Moderator: Aaron Magenheim, Ag Tech Insight

9:20 AM - 9:40 AM PST

Catch the Buzz: Afternoon Keynote Speaker:

Apiculture is in transition: IoT will help drive the transformation

Speaker: Richard E.L. (Dick) Rogers, MSc, Bayer U.S. LLC

9:40 AM - 9:45 AM PST

STARTUP SHOWCASE PITCH COMPETITION

Emcee Intro & how this session goes down!

9:45 AM - 9:50 AM PST

Judge Intros:
Judge #1: Dan Ripma, S2G Ventures
Judge #2: Deborah Magid, IBM Ventures

9:50 AM - 10:50 AM PST

LET THE COMPETITION BEGIN!

Bee & Honey Technology

MeliBio
BeeHero
BeeFlow
My Apiary

Crop Technology (Fruit & Nuts)

Bloomfield Robotics
Clean Crop Technologies
Edete
SpaceSense

10:50 AM PST

Overview of tomorrow's program

10:55 AM PST

Announce Winning Companies from competitIon!

11:00 AM PST

Thank You + That's a wrap!

DAY 2: August 19

9:30AM - 9:35 AM PST

Opening Remarks: Denyse Cardozo, Executive Director, Silicon Valley Forum

9:35 AM - 9:45 AM PST

Welcoming Remarks: Dennis Donohue, Director, Western Growers Center for Innovation

9:45 AM - 10:05 AM PST

Morning Buzz: Opening Keynote

Speaker: Marla Spivak, University of Minnesota

10:05 AM - 10:45 AM PST

How Regenerative Agriculture Practices Can Help Protect Bees and Our Environment

As climate change, disease, predators, and other factors destroy hives around the country, beekeepers are looking to farms managed with regenerative agricultural practices for a more sustainable future for their bees. Our speakers will discuss why rebuilding soil health, biodiversity, and other methods can help protect our pollinators and our environment.

Speaker: Christine Gemperle, Gemperle Orchards
Speaker: Marc-Andre Roberge, Nectar
Speaker: Neal Williams, UC Davis
Speaker: John Miller, Miller Honey Farm
Moderator: Dr. Tim Fredricks, Bayer Crop Science

10:45 AM - 11:10 AM PST

Hive Talkin’ with Timothy Paule & Nicole Lindsey, Founders, Detroit Hives

The idea for Detroit Hives was sparked in the winter of 2016 when Timothy Paule discovered that local raw honey was able to cure a cold that no other remedy had. After learning about the medicinal properties of honey and seeing how it was able to provide his immune system the boost it needed, he and partner Nicole Lindsey became fascinated with bees. Both being proud Detroit natives, they recognized the abandoned lots in the city could serve a greater purpose and combined their knowledge of beekeeping with a need in the community. They bought their first lot in 2017 and started their first urban bee farm, creating sustainable communities and bee populations by transforming vacant lots into pollinator friendly spaces.

Interviewer: Dennis Donohue, Western Growers Center for Innovation

11:10 AM - 11:50 AM PST

The Honey Bee’s Vital Role in Nut Crops & Tree Fruit

Apples & cherries rely heavily on honey bees for pollination, and no other nut crop needs them more than California almonds- with most varieties requiring cross-pollination. Growers are concerned that honey bee health challenges, and recent declines in native pollinators will impact the availability of honey bees to pollinate in the future. Our speakers will discuss what is being done now, what innovations are being deployed to address the challenge, and what they see in the future for crop pollination.

Speaker: Luis De la Garza, Royal Berries
Speaker: Allison Hoiberg, Pomona Farming
Speaker: Teah Smith, Zircle Fruit Company
Speaker: Danielle Downey, Project Apis m.
Moderator: Candace Wilson, Green Venus

11:50 AM - 12:00 PM PST

Short Leg Stretcher

12:00 PM - 12:30 PM PST

Buzzing Around with ApisProtect & BeeWise

Speaker: Fiona Murphy, ApisProtect
Speaker: Saar Safra, BeeWise
Interviewer: Elizabeth Fastiggi, Amazon Web Services

12:30 PM - 1:10 PM PST

Food Sustainability: From Farm to Table

Our speakers will discuss new innovations in the way food is grown, distributed, packaged and creating positive transformation in food and agriculture for a more sustainable future.

Speaker: Britt Lundgren, Stonyfield Farms
Speaker: Jessica Gonzales, Happy Organics
Speaker: Emily Lafferty, Simple Mills
Speaker: Chad Stelter, Flagstone Foods
Moderator: Noramay Cadena, Supply Change Capital

1:10 PM - 1:25 PM PST

The Latest Buzz: Closing Keynote

Speaker: Dr. Josette Lewis, Almond Board of California

1:25PM - 1:30 PM PST

Thank You + That’s a wrap!

2021 Speakers and Presenters

More speakers to BEE announced soon!

Dr. Fiona Edwards Murphy

CEO and Co Founder
ApisProtect

Dr. Josette Lewis

Chief Scientific Officer
Almond Board of California

Saar Safra

CEO
Beewise Technologies

Dennis Donohue

Director
Western Growers Center for Innovation & Technology

Timothy Paule

Founder & Director
Detroit Hives

Nicole Lindsey

Co-Founder
Detroit Hives

Dr. Marla Spivak

MacArthur Fellow, Distinguished McKnight Professor & Extension Entomologist
University of Minnesota Bee Research Facility

Nicky Deasy

Co-Founder & Managing Partner
The Yield Lab Europe

Jessica Gonzalez

Owner
Happy Honey (Happy Organics, LLC)

Elizabeth Fastiggi

Worldwide Business Development Lead for Agriculture
Amazon Web Services

Britt Lundgren

Director of Organic and Sustainable Agriculture
Stonyfield Farm, Inc.

Luis De la Garza

General Manager
Royal Berries

Allison Hoiberg

Senior Vice President
Pomona Farming

Teah Smith

Entomologist & Agriculture Consultant
Zirkle Fruit Company

Dan Ripma

Senior Associate
S2G Ventures

Dr. Tim Fredricks

Environmental Engagement Manager
Bayer U.S. Crop Science

Richard E.L. (Dick) Rogers, MSc

Principal Scientist / Entomologist / Bee Care Manager
Bayer U.S. LLC

John Miller

Owner
Miller Honey Farms

Derek Norman

Vice President, Venture Investments
Leaps by Bayer

Denyse Cardozo

Executive Director
Silicon Valley Forum

Antonio Salles

Co-Founder & General Partner
Mandi Ventures

Aaron Magenheim

CEO & Founder
Ag Tech Insight

Marc-André Roberge

Co-Founder & CEO
Nectar

Seana Day

Partner
Culterra Capital

Deborah Magid

Director, Software Strategy
IBM Ventures

Neal M. Williams

Professor of Entomology
UC Davis

Noramay Cadena

Managing Partner
Supply Change Capital

Christine Gemperle

Owner/Operator
Gemperle Orchards

Emily Lafferty

Senior Manager of Strategic Sourcing & Sustainability
Simple Mills

Chad Stelter

Sr. Marketing Manager
Flagstone Foods

Candace Wilson

Vice-President of Business Development
Green Venus

Danielle Downey

Executive Director
Project Apis m.

IT ALL HAPPENS AUGUST 18 & 19th, 2021!

Partners

Silver Sponsors

Community Partners

Pitch Application is
Now Open!

On August 18th we will have a pitch competition! We have 5 spots available for startups disrupting crop technology (nuts/fruits – data, sensors, ai, robotics, irrigation or other innovative solutions) and 5 spots available for bee/honey technology startups. Please make sure your company meets the criteria before you apply, check out the application below.

Meet the Presenting Startups!

Sponsor the Seeds of Our Future!

Limited Packages Available

If you’d like to showcase your company as an official sponsor of Seeds of Our Future, or host a session on the Immersion Program, just enter your details below – we’ll email you more info.

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PAST HIGHLIGHTS

Seeds of Our Future through the years

Past Highlights: The Seeds of Our Future AgTech Program

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SILICON VALLEY FORUM PRESENTS