Lauren Abda founded Branchfood and built the largest food entrepreneurs and startups community in New England. She is also the Co-founder of Branch Venture Groups, a network of investors who support early-stage food start-ups. She graduated from Tufts Friedman School of Nutrition and Policy with a Masters in Food Policy and Applied Nutrition.
Here’s a quick recap of the conversation between Katie Stebbins from Tufts Food & Nutrition Innovation Institute and Lauren Abda.
Could you tell us three things that interest you in the food/ag industry?
Laura summarized three directions:
- Consumer packaged goods. Food products that have detailed product specifications. People are looking for food that is more shelf-stable with fewer ingredients.
- Supply chain technology in the food industry. These platforms can find and identify food excess and link buyers and producers. Increasing efficiency in the food supply chain is critical. These new technologies could also predict how much do restaurants and buyers order.
- Ag tech. She sees many new ways of farming that put pieces like drones, robotics, and life science together. Companies like indigo and MassRobotics are giving farmers the right tools.
Do you have any advice for students？
Laura suggested students find their passion. What gets them excited? Get to know where the passion is coming from. She said, “Entrepreneurship is demanding. There are lots of ups and downs. We are talking about being there for the long haul. Being in a start-up for 6 years, I still have a new day every day.” She talked about the importance of teams and partners. She also said, “You don’t always have a team around you. It is crucial to find a mentor. And be patient.”
Highlights from the Q&A session:
How do you manage the financial stress in your entrepreneur journey?
A way of dealing the financial anxiety is to get to know what you want and what you can afford.
People may have many interests for their research or careers; how should they navigate this?
It is okay to have a broad array of research interests! You can either keep it broad or narrow it down depending on your career goals.
How do you balance the emotional and rational self?
Balancing emotional and rational needs is an ongoing topic. We make rational choices and we also need to take care of the emotional side of ourselves.
Thanks to Food & Nutrition Innovation Institute and Derby Entrepreneurship Center at Tufts for bringing Laura Abda in for the amazing panel. Innovation Institute’s Nourish Café series hosts events every week featuring amazing entrepreneurs in the food and agricultural field. Check them out for these inspiring conversations!
