Change Food Meets: Brooklyn
“Alternative Investment Vehicles for Good Food & Agriculture”
WHEN: June 13, 2018
TIME: 6:30-8:30pm
WHERE: Agritecture, 40 Bushwick Ave
TICKETS: http://bit.ly/CFMeetsNYC
Creating positive change in today’s food & agriculture system is challenging. But AgTech X is seeing a wave of newcomers eager to flip the food economy’s status quo as an extractive and environmentally-degrading system. And nonprofit Change Food is seeing the lines blur between social good companies and nonprofit organizations.
Over the last year, AgTech X has hosted 300+ students in over 40 classes, ranging from how to start an urban farming business; to closed-loop farming systems like aquaponics; to cloud-connected smart gardens. Over 20 coworking members have worked on projects and startups including an online marketplace for ugly and surplus produce; a smart hardware solution for indoor farms; and a collaborative art exhibit focused on rewilding New York City.
Now, AgTech X is looking to make it easier for our growing community of impact-driven innovators to find access to capital. This process starts with understanding one’s options…
- “Is my organization better suited as a non-profit, for-profit, or benefit corp?
- “How do I know if it’s worth applying for grants?”
- “What are the downsides to raising a crowdfunding campaign?”
- “I’m looking for investors who care about more than just bottom-line.”
…These are all variations of questions and statements we hear from members of our community. Change Food Meets: Brooklyn is meant to help us begin to answer them.
At Change Food, founder Diane Hatz has begun noticing a growing discussion around the distinction between for-profit and nonprofits and which might be better for Good Food, especially with growing frustration from smaller nonprofits regarding grants and foundations. A goal of the event is to connect our two networks to build stronger cohesiveness between the nonprofit and for-profit worlds within Good Food & Agriculture.
Some of the specific pathways for funding we’d like to discuss and hear examples of:
- Government Grants
- Non-Extractive Loans
- Prize Competitions
- Crowdfunding
- Equity Crowdfunding
- “Symbiotic” VC Portfolios
- Democratized Community Investments
- Impact Investment Due Diligence Platforms
- Non-Dilutive Accelerators & Incubators
>> Event Details & Speaker Applications <<
Change Food® works toward a healthier food system for people, animals & the planet. Learn more about our new program Plant Eat Share – planting food in public spaces. For free. Support us today! #changefood