May 3: Pitch Slam and Financing & Innovation Forum
The Naturally Chicago Pitch Slam is the centerpiece of our Pitch Slam and Financing & Innovation Forum, to be held May 3 at Chicago’s beautiful Epiphany Center for the Arts.
The Pitch Slam prize package of business-building services has a value of more than $200,000! And if you have an emerging brand, it is your best opportunity to meet, pitch and impress an audience packed with investors, venture capital, lenders, potential business partners and more.
Tickets are now on sale for the natural products industry event of the year in Chicago. This event is a partnership with World Business Chicago and is part of the first day of their two-day Chicago Venture Summit Future-of-Food.
Here is the lineup for what promises to be a memorable event.
Not one but two Pitch Slams, one for businesses with more than $1 million annual revenue, the other for businesses with less than $1 million annual revenue.
The Financing & Innovation Forum will feature industry leaders discussing the topics of Raising Capital in Challenging Times and Building a Culture of Innovation. Speakers include leaders from S2G Ventures, Cleveland Avenue, Mondelēz International, Bluestein Ventures, Supply Chain Capital, Now Foods, Natures Fynd, Iya Foods, and more. (Scroll Below for the full lineup.)
30+ brands seeking capital will exhibit their products at the Innovation Showcase.
We will announce a major new Naturally Chicago business-building program (sorry, no spoilers).
And the amazing program concludes with Networking reception where you can join industry leaders to enjoy fabulous local food, awesome beverages, entertainment and more.
Here are the pitch slam prizes and donors ... so far. We're hard at work to add more prizes, with the audacious goals of providing the biggest Pitch Slam package ever in the Natural Products industry.
Note: There are actually two Pitch Slams on the May 3 program, one for brands with annual revenues above $1 million and the other for businesses with revenues under $1 million. Some of the donors below are dividing their prizes between winners in each of these category and/or between 1st and 2nd place finishers in each category.
Total prize value per donor (listed in alphabetical order) is in parentheses.
1o8 Agency ($30,000): Brand Strategy package from this leading CPG agency, where creative meets commerce in driving omni-channel growth.
Amin Talati Wasserman ($5,000): Trademark or other services from this leading IP law firm in the Natural Products industry.
CPG.IO ($36,000): Account management and growth services from one of the world’s leading e-commerce marketing optimizers.
Kerry Group ($30,000): An innovation session with this leading taste and nutrition partner for the natural products industry at their Beloit, Wisconsin HQ.
KeHE ($5,000): A brand assessment session from this leading natural products distributor with senior KeHE Category Management leaders to determine best path forward.
New Hope Network ($15,000) A 10’x10' booth at Natural Products Expo East this September in Philadelphia, with a guaranteed opportunity to compete in the Expo East Pitch Slam competition and passes to participate in the EXPO East Trade Show.
Polsinelli ($6,000): Legal services from this premier full-service national law firm with expertise in representing Food, Beverage and Consumer Product brands and Investors.
Sikich ($5,000): Accounting or business advisory services from this leading natural products industry accounting firm.
SPINS ($15,000): 1 Year of Launchpad Data Packages from the leading data company serving the natural products industry.
SRW ($16,500): Social Media Content and strategy sessions from this leading Natural Products digital agency.
Whole Brain Consulting ($20,000): Services from this natural products industry leader in food safety compliance, co-manufacturing strategies, operations, and logistics management.
Melanie Kahn — founder of Poppilu, producer of bottled lemonade with anti-oxidant aronia berries, presenting at our most recent live Pitch Slam in November 2019. She had a successful exit last October when she sold the company to American Beverage Corporation. Photo by Bob Benenson.
PITCH SLAM JUDGES ARE NATURAL PRODUCTS INDUSTRY LEADERS
Rashid Ali, Co-Founder and Co-CEO, CHOMPS
Dan Caballero, President, Fillo’s Americas Made
Monideepa Chakravorty, Senior Manager, Business Development & 7-Ventures, 7-Eleven
Jean-Pierre Comte, President Region Americas, Barilla
Anu Goel, Chief Solutions Officer, SPINS
Steven Koch, Independent Director and Investor, former City of Chicago Deputy Mayor
Laird Koldyke, Founder and Managing Director, Winona Capital Management
Tracy Miedema, Special Projects Advisor and former Executive Vice President, Presence Marketing
Eimear Robertson, Chief Technology Officer, Kerry Group
Jeffrey Sanfilippo, CEO, John B. Sanfilippo & Son
Chef Art Smith, Executive Chef and Co-Owner, Chef Art Smith’s Reunion and others
Perteet Spencer, Co-Founder, Ayo Foods
The Financing & Innovation Forum features this expert panel on Raising Capital in Challenging Times:
Shayna Harris, Supply Chain Capital
Ashley Hartman, Bluestein Ventures
Jessica Murphy, S2G Ventures
Jason Mercer, Cleveland Avenue
Tapan Shah, Mondeléz International Snack Futures
Ephiphany Center for the Arts was formerly a church and it retains some dazzling architectural features.
You will be wowed by the Epiphany Center for the Arts, a first-time venue for Naturally Chicago. The building, which formerly housed a church, has stunning architectural features that will make this a dazzling event.