Food System 6 Announces the 4th Cohort of Their Food Innovation Accelerator

Food System 6 (FS6), a food innovation accelerator in the Bay Area, is announcing the launch of their 4th cohort. Session 1 kicks off today in Palo Alto. By participating in this program, entrepreneurs are signing up to receive 16 weeks of targeted coaching to help expand the impact potential of their businesses. FS6 will match participating companies with experts from across the food, agriculture, and investment industries to focus on building expertise in business growth, brand development, and the impact investment landscape. Each participant was selected for their unique solution to the challenges faced by the current global food system.

“The world is in need of a major shift in the food ecosystem – from the systems for production, distribution, and education to the products available in the marketplace,” said Renske Lynde, Co-Founder and CEO of FS6. “The FS6 accelerator exists to provide support infrastructure to the innovators who are leading the charge and transforming the industry for the better. This fourth cohort represents a range of talented, systems-minded trailblazers and we are thrilled to be able to introduce them into our incredible community of partners and supporters.”  

Cohort 4 Includes:

1. American Ostrich Farms – Vertically integrated producer of Ostrich – the healthiest, most environmentally sustainable red meat.

2. Chef Ann Foundation – Changing the way we feed our kids by providing scratch-cook educational tools and resources to school communities nationwide.

3. The Curriculum of Cuisine – Equipping high-school students with culinary skills by turning classrooms into kitchens, and chefs into teachers.

4. Fare Resources – Food management company serving companies & institutions while valuing all stakeholders in the food value chain.

5. Healthy Cow – Helping dairy farmers produce a more wholesome, natural, and sustainable milk product by applying microbiomic solutions.

6. Soñar! – A Latina-owned organic food company that empowers and nourishes a nation of dreamers.

“As a food start-up with a sustainable model for impact, it was hard to for us to find something that we could relate to,” said Mokhtar Alkhanshali, Founder and CEO of Port of Mokha (Cohort 1). “It was amazing to go through an accelerator that had a holistic approach to supporting a start-up.”

The FS6 Program supports 6-8 organizations in each cohort, each of which is selected through a rigorous process that takes into consideration the transformative impact potential, economic viability, and diversity of ideas of applicants. The program itself includes three 3-day in-person sessions in the Bay Area, 16-weeks of custom work plan execution, 2-3 years of ongoing executive support and is offered at no cost to non-profits and on an equity donation basis to for-profit participants. The concluding Forum event will take place on May 16th, 2019.

To learn more about the program, apply to the next cohort, or get tickets to the forum event, visit FoodSystem6.org.

About Food System 6

Food System 6 (FS6) is a non-profit business accelerator whose mission is to support impact-driven entrepreneurs as they transform how we grow, produce, and distribute food. The organization runs a comprehensive program that mentors entrepreneurs by coaching them through a wide range of business and organizational needs. FS6 also works to educate stakeholders on the unique capital needs as related to redefining the food system. The FS6 portfolio includes 52 companies, both for profit and nonprofit, of which 50% are female-led and 43% are BIPOC founded or BIPOC serving. Since Cohort 1 (2016), the FS6 portfolio has seen a 90% survival rate and the portfolio companies have raised more than $30mil in blended capital. Additional information on the FS6 portfolio can be found here: www.foodsystem6.org/portfolio.html.