FOOD FUNDED

Amelia is the Founder and CEO of Act Bar, a vegan protein bar brand on a mission to fight food waste through upcycled ingredients. A former pro volleyball player, she’s now channeling her competitive edge into building a scalable, sustainable food business.

Andrew Burke is CEO of Lotus Foods, a global leader in organic and regenerative rice. With more than 30 years of leadership experience at Kraft Foods, Diamond Foods & TCHO Chocolate, he joined Lotus Foods as COO & President in 2019 and became CEO in 2023. In 2024, he led the process that resulted in a partnership with Grounded Capital to accelerate the company’s regenerative agriculture mission.

Andy Naja-Riese is CEO of AIM, leading programs, partnerships, and advocacy to advance equitable food systems. With 17 years in public health and food policy, he previously worked at USDA and now serves on multiple local and national advisory boards. He helped secure over $1B for sustainable agriculture and food access in California.

Andy holds degrees from Harvard and Cornell, and lives in Sonoma with his husband and dog, enjoying gardening, cooking, and wine.

Arno Hesse is dedicated to financing a sustainable and equitable future with thriving food systems and regenerative technologies.

As a co-leader and investor with Slow Money Northern California, Arno has led multiple investments in food businesses, with a focus on climate change and social justice. Previously, he was Executive Vice President for Retail Markets at MUFG Union Bank, now U.S. Bank.

What do I want? Equitable access and financial support for anyone interested in sustainable, growth-oriented, generational wealth building entrepreneurship!

When do I want it?? Now!!

Combining 2 decades of experience assessing, creating and optimizing people and operational "systems" with a doctorate in Public Policy and Education Leadership - Cynthia tries to throw the majority of her mental effort and physical labor behind actions and initiatives that solve the (arbitrary, racist and systemic) inequities that prevent individuals from fully realizing economic market success.

Darren Preston was born and raised in New York City. In 2008, he moved to California to attend Menlo College, where he studied business. As an entrepreneur, he has experienced a multifaceted journey. His vegan lifestyle began in 2012, inspired by his passion for animal rights. In 2019, noticing a lack of local plant-based options in the Bay Area, he founded Malibu's Burgers. The startup started as a food truck in 2020 and uniquely grew during the COVID-19 pandemic. Today, the restaurant is located at 326 23rd Street, Oakland.

Darren believes that food can be both plant-based and flavorful. Most menu items are inspired by nostalgic comfort foods from the cooking of his Foundational Black American and Puerto Rican grandmothers in New York City, as well as his own mother’s cooking, known colloquially as Chef Lulu, founder of Casa Borinquena.

David cultivates regenerative financial models for tomorrow's economy — aligning investment with entrepreneurs who measure success by their capacity to regenerate ecosystems and communities.

Before founding DAF Capital Partners, he co-created the Mission Driven Finance Regenerative Harvest Fund.

David’s work is focused on an industry-wide commitment to agroecological social, environmental, and climate impact investing and asset management.

Dawnelise has spent 20 year in the farm to table restaurant and social equity non-profit spaces. She is co-founder of Corazon Healdsburg and owner/operator of Scopa and Campo Fina restaurants.

Dawnelise is dedicated to co-creating equitable and and sustainable balanced community.

Dianna Tremblay has spent over a decade building programs that help small businesses grow and access the capital they need to scale. At ICA Fund, she leads work that supports high-potential, product-based entrepreneurs—especially in food and consumer goods—to increase revenue, raise growth capital, and strengthen long-term resilience.

Dianna collaborates with investors and funders, helps shape founder-focused programming, and serves on the boards of Coro NorCal and Progeny Coffee. She holds an MBA from Mills College at Northeastern University.

Esther is the CEO of Cienega Capital, a regenerative investment firm utilizing an integrated capital approach to systemic change in the areas of soil health, regenerative agriculture, and local food systems.

Cienega Capital is also part of the #NoRegrets Initiative, a regenerative asset strategy focused on the health of agricultural soils and agricultural communities of North America.

Dr. Gina Oliver is a first-generation college graduate, scientist, and founder of From The Land. With a Ph.D. in geology and microbiology, she’s built climate-controlled environments for extreme ecosystems, and now applies that expertise to transform food systems. She and co-founder Richard Hutchison are empowering communities to grow fresh food, generate income, and build climate resilience through Littlest Big Farms, one micro-farm at a time.

Isis Dillard is the Business Development Manager at ICA Fund, a Bay Area-based CDFI that invests in and advises small businesses driving community wealth. She leads ICA’s founder sourcing strategy and builds partnerships across sectors to connect underestimated entrepreneurs with capital and growth opportunities, particularly in food, tech, and health.

Drawing on a background in tech sales and impact investing, Isis is passionate about expanding access to equitable funding pathways for mission-driven businesses.

A lifelong environmental activist and master gardener, Jed has devoted the last two years to transforming agriculture to bring food systems into line with natural systems.

In my role, I'm passionate about using education and relationship building to empower and connect individuals in the natural products industry.

I earned my MBA from the University of Colorado at Boulder and undergraduate degree from Connecticut College in Environmental Studies, with a Certificate in Community Action & Public Policy. I am also Certified in Exhibition Management by IAEE.

When not thinking about organic lentils and session proposals, you’ll find me out and about with Naturally Colorado, playing beach volleyball, and devouring news podcasts.

Jennifer Karaca is the Founding Executive Director of Common Ground Collective, a nonprofit advancing food security, economic opportunity, and sustainable agriculture in Maui. She co-authored legislation establishing the Maui County Department of Agriculture and led fire relief efforts that delivered over 230,000 meals and hundreds of thousands of pounds of food. Jennifer builds strong cross-sector partnerships to drive systemic change and create a more resilient, community-powered food system.

Joe is Senior Board Member of Iroquois Valley Farmland and Founding Board Member of the affiliated  non-profit Healing Soils Foundation. He has several decades of experience in helping business owners and Regenerative Organic Farmers achieve their goals. He has seen many successes and many failures 

He grew up in Illinois and part of his immigrant family's Farming , large Produce Markets and Restaurant Business. He  has a Masters in Accounting and Business from the University of Illinois and spent 30 years in various leadership roles in the International Consulting Firm of Accenture.  He serves on several boards. He supports his  own family's  200 acre Regenerative Grazing farm in Wisconsin , known as Sauve Terre.

Krista Scruggs is the founder of ZAFA Wines, a hybrid-focused wine project rooted in ancestral farming and transparency. Based at Trout Brook Vineyard in Wisconsin, ZAFA produces intentional wines from unsprayed, living fruit.

Krista’s work redefines what it means to farm and ferment responsibly, blending art, agriculture, and identity. As one of the few Black women in wine, she continues to lead with vision, community, and an unwavering commitment to land stewardship.

Kristin is founder and CEO of Nia Impact Capital, a women-led Registered Investment Advisor changing the face of finance by hiring women and people of color in sustainable and transformative investing. Kristin founded Nia Global Solutions, a gender-lens portfolio of solutions-focused companies, bringing impact investing into the public markets.

In 2010 Kristin founded Nia Community, a 100% mission-aligned impact investment fund focused on social change and environmental sustainability in Oakland, California.

Kristin was a full-time educator, teaching bilingual classes in Oakland and San Francisco. She earned her PhD in Education at University of California, Berkeley, her Masters in Research in Bilingual Education from Stanford University.

Lara is a founder in the OSC Venture Fund,  J.E.D.I Collaborative and the Climate Collaborative, projects of OSC (One Step Closer) and SFTA.

Lara was the CEO of LightFull Foods, VP Retail Sales & Marketing at Numi Organic Tea, and VP of Marketing at the Balance Bar Company, where she helped drive sales growth from $10M to $110M and sell it to Kraft Foods.

Lara has spoken on food trends, sustainability, and innovation at Natural Products Expo West, So Cap, SXSW Eco, Zero Waste Summit, SFTA, Bioneers, Net Impact, the Brower Center, and Esca Bona.

Lisa Curtis is the Founder & CEO of Kuli Kuli Foods, the leading brand pioneering the sustainable superfood moringa. Moringa is a protein-rich leafy green, more nutritious than kale, with anti-inflammatory benefits rivaling turmeric. Kuli Kuli’s superfood powders and snacks are sustainably sourced from African women and other small farmers around the world and sold in 11,000 U.S. stores.

Lisa began working on Kuli Kuli while serving in the Peace Corps and has grown it into a multi-million dollar social enterprise.

Former food scientist at Beyond Meat, NUGGS, Alternative Meat Lab. Luiza is the founder of unClassic, where she is making mushrooms a mass market main course.

Maria Palacio, Co-Founder/ CEO of Progeny Coffee, is a fifth-generation Colombian coffee farmer who was born and raised in a famous coffee region in Colombia. After several years working in the design field in New York City, Maria returned to coffee in 2016 after seeing her friends and family in Colombia struggle to maintain a viable living through their coffee farms. Maria’s passion for uplifting others helped her to overcome small business obstacles and build a flourishing business as a distribution platform with the mission of empowering coffee farmers and lifting them out of poverty and helping their communities.

Maria has been recognized on Forbes Next 1000 list, 100 Female Founder of 2020 by Inc Magazine, Mujeres Imparables by Telemundo, 12 under 35 Breakout Talent to Watch by SFA, and the latest book "The New Latina - 100 Millennials shaping the World".

Merril Gilbert is the CEO of Curious Futures and founder of FoundHer Forward, where she helps entrepreneurs build scalable, profitable businesses. With expertise in CPG, food-tech, and health-wellness, she’s a trusted advisor for investors and founders, known for turning vision into sustainable success.

As RSF’s Vice President of Lending Business Development, Michael Jones manages RSF’s business development, oversees the relationship management team, and works with strategic lending partners. He is a graduate of Morehouse College in Atlanta and attended graduate school at NYU. Michael began his banking career in New York with Wells Fargo in a real estate structured finance group and later with the corporate banking and middle market banking. After Wells Fargo, Michael worked at Mechanic’s Bank where he was able to support local organizations and non-profits. Prior to joining RSF, Michael worked at New Resource Bank (now Amalgamated Bank), a socially and environmentally focused lender, and in recent years financed projects in the renewal energy space. Michael is a native Californian, born and raised in the Bay Area. He currently lives in the East Bay with his wife and son, and enjoys reading biographies.

Nichola Buckley is the Co-Founder and CEO of Bebe Bitez, a Palo Alto-based company delivering farm-to-school and preschool meals made with locally sourced, organic ingredients. Raised on a beef farm, Nichola developed a deep respect for where food comes from and the impact it has on health from an early age. That foundation, combined with her background in marketing and communications, fueled her mission to transform early childhood nutrition.

After becoming a mother, she was struck by the lack of truly nourishing food options available for young children—particularly in institutional settings like schools and preschool. Bebe Bitez was born out of a desire to make the kind of food parents would cook at home if they had the time: fresh, savory, and rooted in the best organic whole ingredients The Bay Area had to offer.

Patrick Wyman has 29 years of experience in the natural foods industry, and 19 with Whole Foods Market. He started with the company in a store support role for the grocery department, moved through grocery leadership, and now oversees the Northern California region’s local purchasing program and local vendor partnerships. In this role Patrick helps guide vendors through the logistics of bringing a product to market including topics like packaging, distribution, financing, and compliance with company and governmental standards. He’s passionate about the environment; professionally he participates in Whole Foods Market’s Green Mission leadership team, and spends plenty of time off work hiking and skiing.

Pierre Thiam is a chef, award-winning cookbook author, activist, and entrepreneur.

Born and raised in Senegal, he is widely considered a leading authority on African foodways.

Renata's career has been focused in philanthropy, community relations and the impact ecosystem - both from the investment and entrepreneurship side. She has directed community programs at Social Venture Circle and Investors' Circle, and for more than 20 years served in various leadership roles at The Hitachi Foundation, focused on using the tools of business to advance economic opportunities for under-represented communities.

Stephanie Louie is the Founder and Chief Strategist for One10 North, a branding and marketing agency based in San Francisco.

With 20+ years of experience in brand and marketing strategy, consumer research and innovation, Stephanie founded One10 North to ensure that every brand has the chance to succeed. Stephanie is a firm believer in developing strategies that are based on key consumer insights and leverages them to build businesses, brands and products that meet the needs of today’s consumer.

20+ year operator in start-up food and beverage turned founder after becoming inspired by one of nature's most nutrient dense and climate friendly plants - Moringa Oleifera.

Vanessa is the founder of Cultivate Creations, a boutique consultancy specializing in marketing, strategy, and innovation for natural products, lifestyle, and CPG brands.

She's on a mission to bring responsible and amazing brands to the world, and builds captivating, distinctive, and meaningful brands that spark consumer love.

WavenDean Fernandes is a seasoned branding and marketing professional with over 40 years of experience. He draws inspiration from his Hawaiian heritage, integrating creativity, strategy, and human connection in all his endeavors.

Working with a wide range of food and agriculture-related businesses in North America and Europe, William has developed a perspective on food production as a point of leverage in rebalancing our relationship with the world around us and with each other.

At Grounded Capital, William is part of a team investing long-term private capital across the value chain of our food system, managing a portfolio that includes investments in food companies, processing infrastructure, and farmland.