Rabobank-MIT Food & Agribusiness Innovation Prize Kickoff Dinner

Interested in improving the global food and agriculture system? Have an idea, but need a team, mentor, or access to industry professionals? 

Join us at the Kickoff Dinner for the Rabobank-MIT Food & Agribusiness Innovation Prize!

The Rabobank-MIT Food & Agribusiness Innovation Prize, sponsored by Rabobank and supported by MIT J-WAFS and the MIT Food and Agriculture Club, is a premier business-plan competition for university and graduate students.

The competition will take place in two stages. First round applications will be due December 2018, from which finalists will be selected. Finalists will then be paired with mentors to refine their ideas and develop their business plans. Mentors include leading experts in industry and academia, with experience relevant to finalist submissions. At the final pitch competition event in Spring 2019, finalists will present their business plans and compete to win $30,000 in total prize money ($20,000 and $10,000 for first and second place, respectively).

*You do not need to enter the competition to attend this dinner. All students with interest in the industry are welcome. The event is also open to students from other universities and industry experts from the Boston area.

The Kickoff Dinner will be a chance to:

• Learn about the challenges in food and agribusiness from the perspective of prominent leaders and entrepreneurs
• Hear innovative ideas for improving the food and agriculture industry
• Meet other students with similar interests to form teams
• Eat great food and network with like-minded individuals

Speakers include:
Tejal Mody - Managing Director of Business Development & Strategy, Rabobank
Jonathan Hennek - Senior Director of Innovation, Indigo Agriculture
Charley Cummings - CEO, Walden Local Meat Co.
Dan Wexler - First Place Winner 2018 Prize, EatWell
Tarit Rao-Chakravorti - Second Place Winner 2018 Prize, Context Insights

More about Rabobank: Rabobank Group is one of the largest banks in the world. In the Americas, Rabobank is a premier bank to the food, agribusiness and beverage industry, providing sector expertise, strategic counsel and tailored financial solutions to clients across the entire food value chain.

More about J-WAFS: The Abdul Latif Jameel World Water and Food Security Lab, J-WAFS, was established in the fall of 2014 as an Institute-wide effort to bring MIT’s unique strengths to environmentally benign, scalable solutions for water and food systems.

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