Vegan Women Summit

Vegan Women Summit VWS Awards

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Fairs & Events

Vegan Women Summit Introduces VWS Awards Recognizing Female Leadership Impact

To celebrate innovation in women’s leadership, sustainability, and animal welfare on a global scale, The Vegan Women Summit (VWS) has announced the “VWS Awards.” This marks the first-ever recognition event of its kind, designed to acknowledge individuals and organizations elevating female leadership while positively impacting the planet and animals. The Vegan Women Summit is a global events and media organization that empowers women in vegan business by providing networking, pitching, and investment opportunities. The VWS Awards is the newest of the organization’s many initiatives aimed at providing a platform for women leaders that may otherwise go unnoticed. Last week, VWS announced the winner of its Pathfinder Pitch Competition, where a variety of female entrepreneurs submitted pitches to secure a spot as a speaker at the …

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Vegan Women Summit pathfinder pitch competition

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Fairs & Events

Fei Luo of Liven Proteins Corp. Wins VWS Pathfinder Pitch Competition

Vegan Women Summit’s Pathfinder Virtual Pitch Competition has come to a close with the announcement of Fei Luo of Liven Proteins Corp. as this year’s winner, securing a spot to speak at the 2024 Vegan Women Summit (VWS). Established to provide key investment in early-stage plant-based women founders, VWS Pathfinder enlisted an expert panel featuring industry investors such as Caroline Cormier of Upfield, Beatriz Franco of Vita Vera Ventures, and Mariliis Holm of Sustainable Food Ventures to judge the competition and offer the opportunity for one female founder to showcase their expertise and products at the VWS in NYC next year. Toronto-based Liven Proteins Corp uses precision fermentation to produce animal-free proteins from upcycled agriculture and food byproducts to enhance the taste and texture of …

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Vegan Women Summit 2022

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Fairs & Events

Vegan Women Summit 2023 Returning to NYC with 100 Speakers, Brands and Mayor Eric Adams

The Vegan Women Summit (VWS) announces its return to New York City on May 18, 2023 for an all-new, 3 day experience. The annual summit, which is open to all genders, will feature its largest-yet gathering with over 100 speakers and brand activations from across the worlds of food, fashion and beauty, along with networking and professional development experiences. This year, the summit is being welcomed by NYC Mayor Eric Adams, who will host an exclusive VIP reception at the Mayor’s Mansion.  Co-hosted by founder Jennifer Stojkovic and Conference Chair Miyoko Schinner, the Summit will be held at iconic event space 99 Scott in Brooklyn. After selling out in 2022, VWS says this year’s gathering is expanding to offer even more speakers, panelists and events, …

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Fairs & Events

It’s Bloomberg-Gate With a Live Audience: ‘Fake Meat is Dead’ Journo to Join VWS Panel

On 19 January, Bloomberg contributor Deena Shanker penned the now infamous piece, “Fake Meat Was Supposed to Save the World. It Became Just Another Fad,” making vegan blood boil throughout the industry. “Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods wanted to upend the world’s $1 trillion meat industry. But plant-based meat is turning out to be a flop,” stated the piece, and controversy immediately ensued. The article based itself solely on Beyond and Impossible, and was not representative of the industry as a whole, argued many in the business. Backlash In a letter of response, VWS founder Jennifer Stojkovic retaliated along these same lines. “If you’re going to make the assertion that plant-based proteins are a fad based on stock performance, you should take Big Meat’s poor …

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VWS 2023

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Fairs & Events

Vegan Women Summit Reveals First Winners of 2023 Speaker Competition

The Vegan Women Summit (VWS) announces the first set of women chosen by popular vote to speak at the 2023 Summit. With 22,000 votes cast across six continents, VWS says this year marks the event’s first-ever public choice speaker competition.  This year’s winning panels and speakers include Kate Dugan, Vice President of Brand Innovation at Beyond Meat, and Chef Babette Davis, with more selections to be announced.  The Vegan Women Summit 2023, which is open to attendees of all genders, will take place on May 18, 19, and 20th in New York City. The summit feature over 100 speakers and 50 brands in food, fashion, beauty, and sustainability.  Diverse topics According to VWS, this year’s winning public choice speakers represent a wide range of fields, …

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VWS Pathfinder finalists

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Startups, Accelerators & Incubators

VWS Pathfinder Reveals 2022 Finalists, With None From the US for the First Time Ever

VWS Pathfinder, a plant-based pitching competition exclusively for female founders, has revealed its finalists for 2022. For the first time since the competition began in 2020, no US founders have made the top five. The finalists are: Jennifer Côté, co-founder and CTO of Canadian cell-based milk producer Opalia. Marilena Schmich, co-founder and CEO of German plant-based seafood brand numi foods. Sofia Giampaoli, founder and CEO of British alt-protein ingredient solutions platform Alt Atlas. Tasneem Karodia, co-founder of South African cultivated meat producer Mzansi Meat. Verónica García-Arteaga, co-founder and CTO of German vegan egg brand Neggst. The founders will pitch live in front of an investor jury at an event next month, with the winner receiving a prize package worth $50,000 USD. Creating a more diverse …

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VWS Audience

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Society

Vegan Women Summit 2022 Returns to Inspire Rising Women Leaders

The Vegan Women Summit (VWS) is returning to Los Angeles on April 8 for a full-day conference with top women business leaders, scientists and activists working to build a more compassionate and sustainable world. The sold-out event’s hosts will include vegan artist and entrepreneur Dominique Side, founder and CEO of multiple innovative ventures such as Vgn Bae Music Studios and The Luxury Vegan.   Empowering rising leaders Founded by Jennifer Stojkovic, VWS is an organization that seeks to educate, inspire and empower women to bring greater compassion to their industry and careers. Through media and popular events, VWS says it is building a strong and inclusive community of ambitious female leaders. The organization’s work is supported by a diverse array of founders, investors, CEO’s, athletes, and …

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Jennifer Stojkovic - VWS

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Society

Jennifer Stojkovic Launches First Book on Women in Food Tech: “The Future of Food is Female”

Jennifer Stojkovic, executive leader and founder of the Vegan Women Summit, announces the launch and tour of her new book, “The Future of Food is Female – Reinventing the Food System to Save the Planet.” The book is said to be the first to highlight the role of women CEOs, venture capitalists, scientists and entrepreneurs in the modern food tech industry.  Available April 5th in print and ebook versions, the book can be purchased worldwide through Amazon, Barnes & Noble and other booksellers.  “The Future of Food” features a collection of insightful stories from 15 women leaders in animal-free food tech, including Heather Mills, Miyoko Schinner (Miyoko’s Creamery CEO), Suzy Amis Cameron (Author and investor), Pinky Cole (Slutty Vegan CEO), among many more.  Women changing …

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Vegan Women Summit

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Fairs & Events

VWS Announces Diversity Program Designed for Food Tech Leaders

To celebrate Black History Month, Vegan Women Summit (VWS) announces the first diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) program made specifically for plant-based and food tech industry leaders.  Taking place throughout the month of May, this first-of-its-kind program will be led by renowned DEI expert Dr. Amie Breeze Harper, and is designed to help businesses build stronger companies through diversity, equity and inclusion strategies. The four-week virtual curriculum will feature live lectures and workshops covering topics such as inclusive leadership, recruitment and retention, unconscious bias, and how to design and market food products with inclusion in mind. The program is open to all leaders within the food industry, including founders, executives and investors. Through the groundbreaking initiative, VWS says it hopes to drive industry-level change to …

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VWS to Bring Back World’s Only Future of Food Job Networking Fair

The Vegan Women Summit (VWS), a media and events organization dedicated to empowering women, is set to host the world’s only future of food job networking series, VWS Connect, on January 26th. Impressively, over 2,000 jobseekers have connected through VWS Connect since its launch in February 2021. Building the future of food The summit – described by VWS as “the world’s only job networking series dedicated to mission-driven employers building the future of food”, will feature leaders from across the plant-based industry including The Every Company (formerly Clara Foods), Miyoko’s, Ripple Foods, Next Gen Foods, Finless Foods, BIOMILQ, and more. The virtual event takes place on January 26th, showcasing employers from around the world with vegan job roles across North America, Europe, and Asia. According to VWS, …

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Copper Branch Nashville Chicken Sandwich

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Gastronomy & Food Service

Canada’s Copper Branch Launches Atlas Monroe “Cult Favorite” Fried Chicken

Canadian restaurant chain Copper Branch, which operates 40 locations around the world,  is launching a Nashville Chicken Sandwich by best-selling vegan brand Atlas Monroe.  The debut marks the first time Canadians can buy the popular chicken product, which frequently sells out online. Based in California, Atlas Monroe is reportedly the largest producer of vegan fried chicken in the world.  Deborah Torres, Atlas Monroe’s founder and CEO, won the first pitch competition held by Copper Branch and The Vegan Women Summit, leading to an opportunity for Torres to partner with the Canadian fast-casual chain.  Success after Shark Tank Atlas Monroe first gained national notoriety when Deborah and co-founder Johnathan Torres appeared on an episode of Shark Tank in 2019. During their appearance, the pair famously turned …

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Jennifer Stojkovic VWS

Jennifer Stojkovic © VWS
Interviews

VWS: “The Longer We Leave the Talent and Expertise Of Women On the Table, the Longer We Leave Animals On the Table”

On a mission to inspire, educate and empower future and rising female leaders in food tech, Vegan Women Summit (VWS) is an events and media organization building a global community of strong and ambitious female-identifying change makers.  Founded by tech and communication leader Jennifer Stojkovic, Vegan Women Summit was born as Jennifer became aware of the inequities facing female founders in the food tech industry, blending her passion for change in the food system with her experience and network in Silicon Valley. We had the chance to speak with Jennifer – following her recent epic trip to Mount Kilimanjaro – to get to know more about VWS and its roles and goals in the plant-based sphere.  What is the mission and vision of the Vegan Women Summit?  …

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Deliveroo

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Market & Trends

Vegan Category on Deliveroo Has Grown 107% with 50% of Orders Containing Plant-Based Grocery Items

This week, Vegan Women Summit (VWS) – the organization dedicated to empowering women in the industry – hosted VWS Deep Dive: Plant-based Consumer Trends, the first-of-its-kind expert panel with grocery and food delivery platforms Instacart and Deliveroo, revealing breaking insights on the plant-based industry.  “Half of the UK population are expected to have a flexitarian diet by 2025” – Elena Devis, Deliveroo The global on-demand delivery experts revealed that over 50% of Deliveroo orders now contain vegan grocery items and one-third of Instacart purchases include a vegan dairy or meat item. The vegan category on Deliveroo has grown 107% in the past year on its platform and is the fastest growing area of growth.  The Importance of Search Terms The eye-opening insights on the plant-based …

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Vegan Women Summit

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Fairs & Events

The Second Vegan Women Summit to Feature Industry Stars Like Beyond Meat, Miyoko’s, BIOMILQ, ProVeg

In February, Vegan Women Summit hosted its first ever VWS Connect event — an opportunity for jobseekers to network with mission-driven employers aiming to build a kinder and more sustainable world. The event was a huge success, attracting almost 700 jobseekers from 42 countries — something which, according to founder Jennifer Stojkovic, “underscores the vital importance of this work”.

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Jennifer Stojkovic of VWS
Society

Investments in Female-Led Companies Perform 63% Better than in All-Male Founding Teams

Only 3% of investment funds go to female founders, and an incredible 75% of female entrepreneurs have faced gender bias and discrimination or even worse. Why is this the case in 2020? And even more importantly, when female-founded companies are found to far outperform their male counterparts?

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Vegan Women Summit 2020

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Society

75% of Women Face Gender Bias in Plant-Based Industry: “People Have Assumed I Am My Male Co-Founder’s Assistant or an Aide.”

The founders of the Vegan Women Summit surveyed 160 female founders of plant-based and cell-based food startups around the world, and the results highlight huge disparities, with one woman commenting, “All my mentors were men who disappeared as success grew, or they disappeared when I refused to sleep with them.”

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