Seeking fresh ideas for protein innovation: Announcing the 2021 Bold Open Reverse Pitch

Minnesota’s food and agriculture companies are challenging the world’s most creative thinkers to drive innovation and propel solutions at the third annual Bold Open Reverse Pitch event. This year’s challenges will focus on protein innovation: enhancing the sustainability of animal proteins and advancing plant and other novel proteins.

The Bold Open is designed to incubate innovative solutions to critical industry challenges. Leading Minnesota companies and commodity groups will present specific challenges and solicit solutions from innovators, entrepreneurs, researchers, and businesses from anywhere in the world. The goal is to identify scalable solutions to the challenges presented and then to accelerate commercialization of innovative approaches.

The Bold Open is powered by the Agricultural Utilization Research Institute (AURI), in partnership with MBOLD in collaboration with over a dozen other Minnesota food and agriculture entities.

“We’re pleased to lead the third Bold Open to accelerate innovation on key issues facing the food and ag sectors,” said Shannon Schlecht, AURI’s executive director. “Minnesota is unique in that we can bring together multiple globally leading companies and trade organizations to highlight industry issues and to create solutions for collaborative advancement.”

“One of the most critical challenges for the future of food and agriculture is reconciling the world’s growing demand for food with our changing climate and limited natural resource base,” said JoAnne Berkenkamp, MBOLD Managing Director. “Innovation in the protein space – both from animal sources and plant proteins – is a central part of the solution.”

The Bold Open is made possible by AURI, MBOLD, Cargill, Compeer Financial, Field Theory, General Mills, Grow North, Hormel Foods, Land O’Lakes, Inc., McKinsey and Co., Midwest Dairy, Minnesota Beef Council, Minnesota Cattlemen’s Association, SunOpta, TechStars Farm to Fork, and the University of Minnesota.

To learn more about the Bold Open, watch this video. Visit www.boldopenmn.com for more information.

Source: Agricultural Utilization Research Institute

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