Entrepreneurship
Centering entrepreneurship is vital to accelerating nutrition as an economic development and nutrition security priority. The Institute identifies and champions entrepreneurs and start-ups that are innovating for a nutrition centered economy.
Current Challenges
Innovate Forward: The Longevity Challenge
Learn more about the need for innovation and the call to action from the Nestlé Health Science newsroom.
Innovate Forward: The Longevity Challenge is a joint initiative created to accelerate innovation in longevity and support healthy aging. The initiative focuses on cognitive, gut, and metabolic health, which evolve with aging and have a significant impact on overall quality of life.
The Longevity Challenge is intended to help develop new, impactful solutions to benefit health and wellness for an aging population. To that end, Nestlé Health Science and the Food & Nutrition Innovation Institute are engaging and supporting the startup and entrepreneur community to help drive new solutions for improved longevity. The initiative calls on startups to join a competition, focusing on advancing science and helping participants drive their businesses forward. Winning ideas will receive strategic resources and insightful expertise to help address business challenges and accelerate their innovation.
Past Challenges
Past Challenge Title #1
Past Challenge Title #2
Past Challenge Title #3
How Does the Competition Work?
The Tufts $100K is a new ventures competition brought to you by the Derby Center for Entrepreneurship at Tufts. As part of this competition, the Friedman School awards a $10K cash prize and a one year membership to the Food & Nutrition Innovation Council to the venture that best advances nutrition science and/or food system innovation.
To enter the Competition and compete for the Friedman Prize, please visit the $100k New Ventures Competition website.
The 2024 Competition
In 2024, teams are invited to compete for The Friedman Food & Nutrition Innovation $10k Prize through the Derby Entrepreneurship Center’s $100k New Ventures Competition.
The Friedman Food & Nutrition Innovation $10k Prize, sponsored by the Tufts Food & Nutrition Innovation Institute, is a $10k prize awarded at the Tufts Derby Center for Entrepreneurship $100k New Ventures Competition. For 2024, qualifying teams entering the Tufts $100k will be invited to also compete for the Friedman Food & Nutrition Innovation $10k Prize. This prize will be considered for any competing venture that focuses specifically on food system innovation and/or nutrition and creatively tackles the numerous opportunities and challenges related to food, wellness and sustainability. We encourage diverse and creative submissions and interdisciplinary teams.
Winners also receive up to $10,000 of in-kind legal support from Foley & Lardner, LLP.
Meet Our Entrepreneur Advisors
Our Advisors are successful business and social entrepreneurs who provide, based on their own time and interest, guidance to the School, our amazing students and faculty, and fledgling companies.
Dasha Agoulnik
N19—CEO, CorePerform
Wendy Behr
N15—Chief R&D Officer, Sovos Brands; Member, Tufts Nutrition Council
Silvia Berciano Benitez
Tufts University
Richard Black
Principal, Quadrant D Consulting; Adjunct Professor, Friedman School; Member, Tufts Nutrition Council
Michael Blau
N12P—Retired Partner, Foley and Lardner LLP; Member, Friedman School Board of Advisors
Kevin Boylan
Co-Founder, Veggie Grill; Managing Partner, PowerPlant Ventures
Karen Bressler
Director, Boston Scott/ Qurological
Matthew Claudel
Founder, Field States, Co-Founder MIT Design X
Christopher Damman
Chief Medical Officer, UR Labs
Jessica Deckinger
Chief Marketing Officer, Everbridge
Jack Derby
Professor, Tufts Entrepreneurship Center; CEO, Derby Management
Stephanie Dorsey
Founding Partner, E2JDJ VC
Leslie Durso
Vegan Chef & Wellness Expert, Leslie Durso Inc.
Jimena Florez
Founder and CEO, Chaak Health Snacks
Betsy Fore
Co-founder, Tiny Organics
Kim Fortunato
CEO, Kim Fortunato Consulting; former President, Campbell Soup Foundation
Arvind Gupta
Managing Director, IndieBio; General Partner, SOSV
Jennifer Hashley
AG05—Director of New Entry Sustainable Farming Project, Friedman School
Andrew Ive
Founder, Big Idea Ventures; Member, Tufts Nutrition Council
Kellee James
Founder & CEO, Mercaris
Corey Jones
Founding Partner, E2JDJ VC
Johan Jorgensen
Founder, Sweden FoodTech
Michael Karsch
A90, F91—The Juice Press, LLC; Member, Friedman School Board of Advisors; Trustee, Tufts University
Zain Kassam
Co-Founder & Chief Medical Officer, Finch Therapeutics
Patricia Kearney
N78, AG81—President & CEO, PMK Associates, Inc.; Member, Tufts Nutrition Council
Alexander King
Director, Strategy, Insights & Analytics, Eastman; Mentor, MIT Venture Mentor Service
Ashley Koff
CEO, The Better Nutrition Program
Monique Marez
Founder, Eptimizo
Ron Molina-Brantley
VP, Relationship Manager, Berkshire Bank
Ayr Muir
Founder & CEO, Clover Food Lab
Tawanda Muzhingi
Innovation, Plant Based Foods Association
Mehrdad Noorani
Founding Partner, Global Infrastructure Partners
Sean O’Sullivan
Founder and Managing Partner, SOSV; Member, Tufts Nutrition Council
Kevin Jyo Oye
E79 —Executive Director, Gordon Institute; Director, M.S. in Innovation & Management Program Professor of the Practice, Tufts University
Rebecca Parekh
Founder & CEO, THE WELL
Eve Turow Paul
Author, Journalist, and Executive Director for the Food for Climate League
Victor Penev
CEO, Edamam, food tech/health tech mentor
David Radlo
Partner, Achievemost
Micah Risk
N13—Head of Nutrition, Lighter Inc.
Ron Shigeta
CSO, Wild Earth Pets
Rajiv Srinath
Co-Founder and Managing Partner, MNI Partners LLC
Emily Steliotes
A15, N17—Agriculture and Food Systems Researcher, HowGood; Co-Founder and Coach, Golden Acorn
Bob Stringer
Founder & CEO, Crimson Seed Capital LLC
Maha Tahiri
Founder & CEO, Nutrition Sustainability Strategies LLC; Adjunct Professor, Tufts University
Heather Terry
Executive Mentor, Serial Entrepreneur, and Partner at BeyondBrands
Latham Thomas
Founder, Nutrition and Lifestyle Expert, Mama Glow; Member, Tufts Nutrition Council
Matthew M. Whitney
CEO, Siegel Egg
Amy Wu
Founder & Chief Content Director, From Farms to Incubators