The Engine, which was publicly announced on October 26, 2016, was built by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).  Prioritizing breakthrough ideas over early profit, The Engine represents an exciting new system for startup support, one that shortens the time from idea to investment, and from investment to impact.  To fuel The Engine, MIT is seeking to attract hundreds of millions of dollars of support and to provide hundreds of thousands of square feet of space for entrepreneurs in Kendall Square and nearby communities, starting with 26,000 square feet in its Central Square headquarters.  The Engine provides a physical space where an idea can begin to take shape. It also streamlines the legal processes and agreements required to get products to market. And it links entrepreneurs to “patient capital” from investors who share their vision of addressing big challenges with big ideas.  The Engine will eventually support up to 60 locally based startups concurrently; these companies will participate in the accelerator for up to 12 months. The Engine will make meaningful investments that will allow participating startups to get off the ground quickly and operate long enough to prove their concepts’ viability. It will also provide business planning, legal, and administrative support.  The Engine will require less equity than is typical, allowing founders to maintain more control over their companies and the ideas they’ve created.  Through the Engine Room, The Engine will provide access to a wide network of lab space, specialized equipment, business guidance, and other resources, at MIT and beyond.

The Engine

SOSV is a global, deep tech venture capital firm that operates the HAX and IndieBio startup development programs focused on human and planetary health. SOSV invests $500,000 in startups at their inception as they onboard either HAX or IndieBio for a 4-6 month period designed to accelerate the raise of their next institutional round. SOSV joins the later rounds of HAX and IndieBio graduates.  HAX, based in a 35,000 sq ft facility in Newark, NJ, is equipped with machine tools, 3D printers, chemical, electrical and mechanical engineering labs, as well as on-staff engineering and design experts. SOSV's IndieBio has locations in NYC and San Francisco, both of which offer extensive services and facilities to founders including on-site BSL-2 labs, well equipped lab benches and hoods, and advanced lab equipment, such as chromatography equipment.

SOSV

Refactor is a seed-stage VC firm investing in bio, climate, and hard tech startups run by Zal Bilimoria. Zal was a partner at a16z and PM for a decade at Google, Netflix, and LinkedIn. He led the seed rounds of Solugen, Astranis, and many other hard tech startups. He is the only decision maker at the firm, writing $1-2M checks in pre-seed and seed rounds.

Refactor

Supply Chain Ventures is an angel and early-stage venture capital partnership.   Our preferred investments are in young, revenue producing companies using information technology to enhance global marketing and supply chain management. Besides capital, we bring significant entrepreneurial, operating and investment experience to help our portfolio companies be successful.   We are particularly interested in companies based on on-demand and/or open source technologies, with business models focused on building collaborative, network driven relationships in global supply chains. We use two primary investment methods: angel investing in operating companies with an initial base of target clients, and, in conjunction with investing partners, early-stage venture funding in more established companies.

Supply Chain Ventures

Founded in 2009, Bluestein is a family-based venture capital fund that invests in the future of food. The firm is looking for game-changing ventures across the food industry that redefine how consumers achieve their health and wellness. The firm spans the entire value chain both B2C and B2B with a focus on four areas: high-growth consumer brands, proprietary food tech, next-gen commerce, and value-add digital technology. The firm is laser-focused on preeminent and defensible brands, services, technologies, and platforms that have the potential to transform the industry.

Bluestein Ventures

Closed Loop Ventures is an early stage investment fund focused on the development of the circular economy via investments in sustainable consumer goods and packaging companies, innovative recycling technologies and advanced supply chains.

Closed Loop Ventures

Blindspot Ventures is a seed focused venture capital fund based in Boston, backing cross vertical infrastructure and platform technologies We partner with contrarian founders building disruptive new solutions to reshape the growth of their respective industries

Blindspot Ventures

Over six years, SOSV accelerated 11 cohorts of promising founders and invested in 100 startups via the Food-X accelerator.

Food-X

When many entrepreneurs begin their journey, no one knows who they are or what they are about to accomplish. Often, the people who back a startup and help drive growth stay behind the scenes. We believe great ideas deserve a start — even if they don't have a name yet.  We're an early stage (Seed to Series A) technology investor based in Chicago. We're entrepreneurs and investors who have helped start and operate dozens of startups, and we back our founders in every sense of the word.

Nameless Ventures

Driven by a mission to redefine food, Acre invests in companies creating systemic change in the food system to address the growing problems of human and environmental health. Acre makes venture-stage investments in highly disruptive platform businesses across the food value chain, with a particular focus on the agriculture, food tech, and consumer verticals. Taken together, these investments have the ability to form the foundation of an integrated new approach to food system evolution.

Acre Venture Partners

Prelude Ventures invests in and supports early-stage startups with the greatest potential to mitigate climate change. Our goal is to help build the next generation of category-defining businesses.

Prelude Ventures

We invest in innovative organizations that preserve and protect the better use of natural resources, biodiversity and human health.

Fink Family Foundation

Closed Loop Partners invests in sustainable consumer goods, advanced recycling technologies and the development of the circular economy.

Closed Loop Partners

Jeremy and Hannelore Grantham Environmental Trust is a charitable organization that raises funds for a variety of social issues. It focuses on promoting environmental awareness and supporting an organization that supports charities whose mission is environmental protection, with a particular focus on the developing world. It was founded by Jeremy Grantham and Hannelore Grantham in 2005.

Jeremy and Hannelore Grantham Environmental Trust

Accelr8 is an impact fund that seeks to invest in companies that accelerates the reduction and sequestration of greenhouse gases. The fund partners with founders to take on the significant and unmet challenges to the climate. With its deep backgrounds in fundamental analysis, ACCELR8 seeks to understand the holistic dynamics of each ecosystem and invest behind technologies that will create reinforcing loops toward exponential change. It attracts significant new capital to climate change investing by proving that high social impact and profits are sustainably achievable outcomes. Accelr8 reinvests its profits into social impact research, philanthropy, and advocacy for a just economic transition. It also supports the innovation and investment ecosystem.

Accelr8

The Drawdown Fund, managed by Tiger Grass Capital, invests growth equity in catalytic businesses that generate attractive returns for investors and the planet.  Our investments span Sustainable Cities, Food & Agriculture, and Energy.  We started the Drawdown Fund with the belief that market-based solutions to climate change can drive outsized and sustained climate impact for generations to come. The Drawdown Fund intends to make investments in growth equity businesses that are addressing the major drivers of climate change.  We look for companies that have proven technology, established revenue and strong growth, clear competitive advantage, and experienced teams.  We provide the growth capital needed to scale. Our businesses reduce emissions or sequester greenhouse gases while providing attractive risk-adjusted returns.

The Drawdown Fund

Salmira Investment Fund is a global private investment firm headquartered in New York City

Salmira Investment Fund

Collaborative Fund is an investment fund that provides funding to companies based on creativity and collaborative consumption. The fund centers around two macro themes which drives business innovation in the coming years: the growth of the creative class and the concept of collaborative consumption. Craig Shapiro founded it in New York in 2010.

Collaborative Fund

Knollwood Investment Advisory is focused on financing companies in the internet security sector.

Knollwood Investment Advisory

Thia Ventures is an Early-stage investor in one of the most dynamic and essential fields of current human endeavor.

Thia Ventures

Mori

Mori is a developer of an edible and natural biomaterial coating that extends the shelf life of perishable foods. It uses salt and water to extract the protein from natural silk and creates a protective layer that keeps food fresher for longer enabling it to economically and sustainably transform the food supply by developing and commercializing technologies for the food, agriculture, and packaging industries. It was founded in 2016 by Adam Behrens and is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts.

Mori’s (previously known as Cambridge Crops) technology allows food to stay fresher longer by preventing oxidation and slowing microbial growth. The technology involves extracting protein from silk through a water-based process to form a natural, protective, edible, and tasteless coating for a wide range of food items such as produce, meat, fish, and processed goods. The company rebranded in 2020, to highlight its core Bombyx mori technology which is currently protected by&nbsp;25 patents and 35 utility applications and has obtained self-designated GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) status from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).&nbsp;As of 2024, further certifications from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) were still pending.&nbsp;The company has undergone extensive trials since 2022, with plans to launch its first commercial products in the coming years.&nbsp;

Tech solutions for achieving global anti-wastage targets

Food Waste

Cambridge Crops Rebrands As Mori; Secures $12M Series A For Food Waste Technology

Mori’s (previously known as Cambridge Crops) technology allows food to stay fresher longer by preventing oxidation and slowing microbial growth. The technology involves extracting protein from silk through a water-based process to form a natural, protective, edible, and tasteless coating for a wide range of food items such as produce, meat, fish, and processed goods. The company rebranded in 2020, to highlight its core Bombyx mori technology which is currently protected by&nbsp;25 patents and 35 utility applications and has obtained self-designated GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) status from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).&nbsp;As of 2024, further certifications from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) were still pending.&nbsp;The company has undergone extensive trials since 2022, with plans to launch its first commercial products in the coming years.&nbsp;Key customers and partnershipsMori partnered with Tufts University and Canon in January 2021 to scale aqueous silks to tackle food waste and plastic pollution and support Canon’s objective of using its technology to redefine energy, healthcare, food, transportation, and recycling.

Apeel Sciences is a California-based food technology company that produces edible coatings made of plant materials that extend the lifetime of fruits by 2x–3x to prevent food wastage in regions where refrigeration is scarce.&nbsp;The coatings are intended for use on fruits and vegetables, with a primary focus on avocados, apples, mangos, cucumbers, and citrus fruits.&nbsp;According to the company, US retailers that used Apeel experienced a 50% reduction in waste alongside a 5%–10% growth in sales on average. As of&nbsp;April 2024, Apeel Sciences reported to have saved&nbsp;over&nbsp;60 million pieces of produce from going to waste at retail stores by partnering with small family-owned farmers, local organic growers, grocery stores, and large food brands.&nbsp;As of October&nbsp;2024, the company was offering its solution to a network of 30 suppliers and 40 retailers across eight countries, including the US, UK, Spain, Netherlands, and Kenya. The company focuses on expanding its market presence across North America and the EU.In May 2020, Apeel announced plans to expand to Sub-Saharan Africa, Central, and South America—all regions where food wastage was increasing.&nbsp;Following this, Apeel expanded to Sub-Saharan Africa in 2022 and began its expansion to South America in 2024.In May 2021, Apeel Sciences acquired&nbsp;the&nbsp;startup Impact Vision for an undisclosed amount. Impact Vision’s technology allows suppliers to see inside their fresh produce and ultimately reduce post-harvest loss and optimize distribution while continuing to extend shelf life.&nbsp;Key customers and partnerships&nbsp;Apeel has partnered with various distributors for the distribution of its avocados, including The Kroger Company in September 2018 for Cincinnati, Calavo Growers in January 2021, and Nature’s Pride for Europe in March 2021.&nbsp;The company also collaborated with Topline Farms in February 2023 for the development of the Apeel-Protected Mini Cucumber and licensed its coating technology to Limoneira in May 2023 for use on lemons.&nbsp;

Apeel Sciences

Shelf Engine provides demand forecasting tools,&nbsp;which leverage AI and machine learning, for perishable food items to reduce inefficiencies in the ordering system and minimize overall costs. According to Shelf Engine, more than 30% of highly perishable foods in grocery stores such as meat and vegetables expire before the sell-by date. Shelf Engine’s scan-based trade (SBT) technology guarantees sales and pays for any items that remain unsold. Via the SBT, Shelf Engine manages orders, pays vendors, and only charges the retailer for what sells while still paying suppliers for their full order and increasing its accuracy over time. Shelf generates revenue by charging a markup on the product from the vendor to the retailer.As of October 2024, Shelf Engine operated in more than 3,000 grocery stores and claimed to increase profit margins by more than 50% by reducing food waste by as much as 32%.&nbsp;Shelf Engine also reported that it prevented 5.2 million lbs of food wastage, decreased 8,200 tons of CO2, and saved 500 million gallons of water.Key customers and partnershipsIn January 2024, Shelf Engine partnered with Dollar General to implement fully automated AI-powered ordering for produce, aiming to enhance inventory management and reduce food waste across Dollar General's stores. This collaboration would leverage Shelf Engine's technology to optimize ordering processes and improve the freshness of perishable items.Shelf Engine also worked with supermarket and grocery chains Whole Foods, Target, Kroger, Walmart, Ralphs, Harmons, and Bi‑Rite to manage orders and reduce food waste.

Shelf Engine

Afresh began as a research project in 2017 to develop AI-powered software that optimizes the entire food supply chain. Specifically, the company offers an in-store solution for grocery stores that applies artificial intelligence to manage the freshness of food. According to the company, the implementation of its technology has led to a 25%–45% reduction of in-store food waste and increased gross margin of fresh produce sales by 4 percentage points. The company generates revenue under a SaaS model. In&nbsp;<a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/16835">March 2023,</a> the company expanded into fresh departments, including meat, seafood, deli, and food service.As of&nbsp;October 2024, the company’s technology was deployed across 3,000 stores in 40 states in the US and it reported that it was able to triple its customer base in 2021.&nbsp;Afresh also reported that it prevented 44 million lbs of food wastage as of 2024 while reducing 24 million kg of CO2 emissions and saving 886 million gallons of water.Key customers and partnershipsSome of Afresh's key customers include Fresh Thyme Market, WinCo Foods, and Heinen’s. In 2019, the company also reported that it had established partnerships with three US grocery chains, each with more than 100 stores in operation.&nbsp;&nbsp;The company also collaborated with Bashas’ Supermarkets Inc. (a chain of grocery stores based in North America with over 100 stores) in September 2021 and New Season Market (a chain of 19 privately owned grocery stores) in October 2021 to pilot the “Afresh AI-driven software solution” at selected stores.In December 2022, Afresh partnered with SpartanNash to pilot the AI-powered Afresh platform at 10 of SpartanNash’s Family Fare grocery stores.&nbsp;&nbsp;In&nbsp;<a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/15786">January 2023</a>, Afresh and Albertsons Companies announced the completion of an enterprise rollout of the Afresh predictive ordering and inventory management platform.&nbsp;Afresh also partnered with Albertsons Companies again in October 2024 for the launch of Afresh DC Forecasts, where Albertsons was its first customer.

AFresh

UK-based Winnow Solutions identifies and measures waste in commercial kitchens. The company records the reason for the waste, calculates the value of the wasted food, and keeps track of this data in the cloud. The company’s self-titled product shares technology with autonomous vehicles, using cameras to record and learn about food being wasted and calculate the financial and environmental cost of this discarded food. Winnow Vision also provides a Waste Monitor solution to help kitchen staff track how and what food is wasted to adjust their spending on food ingredients and eliminate overproduction.As of October 2024, Winnow Solutions reported that it had annually saved over 50 million meals, reduced 87,000 tons of CO2, and saved USD 70 million for customers.Key customers and partnershipsWinnow’s customers include the catering company&nbsp;<a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/5386">ISS</a> and hotels such as Accor, Fairmont, The Westin, Four Seasons, and Hilton Tokyo Bay.&nbsp;In September 2023, Winnow Solutions partnered with Ne’ma, the UAE’s National Food Loss and Waste Initiative, to support Ne’ma with data, benchmarking, and best practices for the hotels, restaurants, and catering (HoReCa) sector.&nbsp; Following this, Winnow was selected as a preferred food waste management vendor by Dayblink GPO in November 2023.

Winnow Solutions

Hazel Technologies is a United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)-funded technology company that develops packaging that releases vapors that slow the aging process and prevent fungus or decay. Its solution is claimed to double the shelf life of produce. Hazel operates a B2B business that targets large enterprises. The company has reported treating&nbsp;5 billion lbs of produce as of October 2024, saving about 4 billion lbs from going bad. The company has a target to save one billion&nbsp;lbs of produce from going to waste by the end of 2021. Hazel operates in&nbsp;13 countries&nbsp;across the US, South America, and Europe, as of October 2024.&nbsp;Hazel works with around 250 food service and produce companies including the likes of Sysco, Mission Produce, Zespri, Calavo, and Oppy.&nbsp;As of October 2024, the company offers Hazel Endure, its antimicrobial packaging for berries, grapes, and other fruit, which uses an anti-fungal pad to extend the shelf life and quality of fruits and other produce.Key customers and partnershipsHazel Technologies has formed several partnerships to reduce food waste and extend the shelf life of various produce. These included collaborations with Mission Produce for avocados in July 2020, Migiva Group for grape trials in March 2021, Specialty Crop Company for figs and Symms Fruit for apples in May 2021, Oppy and Brar Farms for California-grown table grapes in July 2022, and Kliewer Farms for kiwifruit in November 2022.

Hazel Technologies

Startups that prevent food wastage by prolonging the lifetime of food or better managing food production through the supply chain. Companies that develop products such as sanitizers, containers, and machines that allow food to stay fresh longer are included here. Startups that develop algorithms to determine food preservation strategies are also included.

These startups ensure work to reroute surplus food to different sets of end-users including charity organizations and consumers seeking discounted items. This segment mainly consists of on-demand online platforms that connect producers, retailers, and restaurants with consumers via mobile app.

Startups that recycle food waste for industrial uses such as soil enrichment.

Startups that recycle food waste into edible food and beverages.

Solutions that keep food waste out of landfills

Recycling and upcycling food waste to keep them out of landfills

IoT-enabled waste prevention techniques for purposes such as longer shelf-life and inventory management

Waste prevention analysis platforms use AI/ML

Mori

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