SENTE FOUNDRY AND ITS PARTNERS
LAUNCH FOODTECH: HEALTH & WELLNESS PROGRAM
Chicago, IL (April 27, 2021): Sente Foundry LLC ("Sente"), in partnership with leading food product development company Griffith Foods, global food and retail company Yildiz Holding, and leading ingredients company Ingredion, announces the launch of their FoodTech: Health & Wellness startup program. This investment program seeking international startups for investments and pilot opportunities is a year-long program with a rolling admission process for startups.
Sente's FoodTech: Health & Wellness program brings companies in from across the food value chain – from agricultural raw materials to food ingredients companies to major global food brands through the retail and e-commerce companies that serve consumers. Participating startups interact with these companies' subject matter experts, including product development, food scientists, production and packaging engineers, marketing and branding experts, merchandising, and retail operations.
"Griffith Foods is focused on expanding our partner ecosystem to deliver on our Purpose – We Blend Care and Creativity to Nourish the World," says Jim Thorne, President, Nourish Ventures and Senior Vice President, Partnerships & Strategy at Griffith Foods. "We understand the urgency of helping our consumers gain access to delicious, nutritious, and sustainable foods and recognize that an ecosystem of like-minded partners is needed to ensure that we have visibility to the vast array of FoodTech innovation happening globally. We are thrilled to partner with Chicago-based Sente and are confident that being part of their program will give us the global awareness required to accelerate the future of food."
The program features an intense set of activities to analyze and evaluate participating startups, connect them with projects within the ingredients, snacks, and "new health" food initiatives. Startups will work with the Sente, Yildiz, Ingredion, and Griffith teams using a structured process that better prepares them to attract serious investors and customers and places them in a fast-moving, talented ecosystem of FoodTech entrepreneurs.
Selected startups will have access to a global food companies' full capabilities and reach to help them scale their development, manufacturing, distribution, and digital resources while also getting investment from its corporate venture capital branch.
As part of the FoodTech program, Sente and its partners will host an online FoodTech Summit this summer. This event is open to anyone interested in startups and experts in the FoodTech industry. Selected startups will present at the Summit as part of the program.
Startups interested in participating should be early-stage with novel ingredients, food products, packaging, processing technologies, and new experiences that cater to rapidly evolving consumer needs and desires. Specifically, Sente is looking for visionaries that are developing brands and technologies that help us eat healthier and make more healthy and sustainable choices when eating.
Applicants can be from anywhere in the world. To apply for the program, please visit Sente's website at www. Sente.link/foodtech-health-wellness.
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About Sente Foundry, LLC
Sente Foundry, LLC ("Sente") is a Chicago-based early-stage startup investment program that works with corporations, family offices and institutional investors to connect startups with innovative and scalable opportunities using its unique “CVC-as-a-Service” platform. Sente searches the world for the most high-potential startups and helps them scale through partnerships with its partnres. With Sente, startups can scale faster and do so internationally; investors get line-of-sight and a new way to invest in the world's most promising startups; and corporations accelerate innovation like never before. Since its founding in 2013, Sente has supported early-stage companies that operate in over 40 countries, received over $35M in funding, and value of over $200 million. Find Sente online at https://sente.link, LinkedIn, and Twitter.
About Griffith Foods
Griffith Foods is a product development partner to the global food industry specializing in customized food ingredient solutions guided by our Purpose of "We Blend Care and Creativity to Nourish the World." The company's product capabilities include seasonings, sauces, dressings, and coatings blended to exacting specifications that are culturally authentic, taste great, and are wholesome. Founded in 1919, family-owned and headquartered in Alsip, Illinois, USA, Griffith Foods operates in over 40 countries and employs 4,500 people.
About Yildiz Holding
Yıldız Holding, headquartered in İstanbul, has over 300 brands available in more than 120 countries. The company, which is 100 percent owned by the Ülker Family, operates globally and serves a 4 billion population. It has 72 factories and over 60,000 employees worldwide. The company is focused on confectionery (chocolate, biscuits, cakes, gum, candy) and retail businesses. Yıldız Holding is the largest food manufacturers in CEEMEA (Central and Eastern Europe, Middle East, Africa). It increased its share in global markets with iconic brands like GODIVA, Ülker, and McVitie's. In addition to GODIVA retail operations, Yildiz Holding also owns two leading retail chain stores based in Turkey – Şok Marketer and Bizim Toptan. Şok Marketer is the fastest-growing retail chain in Turkey, and Bizim Toptan is the country's biggest cash & carry brand in terms of the number of stores. Besides snacks and retail business, the company also produces food, frozen food, vegetable oils, margarines, processed meat, personal care products, and packaging material. Gözde Girişim, a private equity fund that is listed on the İstanbul Stock Exchange, is also owned by Yıldız Holding. Yıldız Holding has seven companies listed in Borsa İstanbul Stock Exchange. Among them, Ülker and Kerevitaş have been listed among the first three largest listed public food companies. The company and its brands contribute to society through its social responsibility and sustainability activities in the environment, sports, education, health, and art.
About Ingredion
Ingredion Incorporated (NYSE: INGR), headquartered in Chicago's suburbs, is a leading global ingredient solutions provider serving customers in more than 120 countries. With 2020 annual net sales of $6 billion, the Company turns grains, fruits, vegetables, and other plant-based materials into value-added ingredient solutions for the food, beverage, animal nutrition, brewing, and industrial markets. With Ingredion Idea Labs® innovation centers around the world and approximately 12,000 employees, the Company co-creates with customers and fulfills its purpose of bringing the potential of people, nature, and technology together to make life better. Visit ingredion.com for more information and the latest Company news.