​Join Light Dao, and conscious investors and entrepreneurs for an evening filled with connection, deep conversations, and a fireside chat with Laura Katz, Food Scientist, Founder & CEO of Helaina, and Ben Berman, Co-Founder & CEO of Tomorrow Farms.

​Fermentation & the Future of Abundance: Join us for a deep discussion on the science of fermentation, and how this ancient technology is now powering next-gen nutritional products and sustainable materials.

​Speakers

​Laura Katz, CEO, Helaina

​Laura Katz, food scientist, is Founder and CEO of Helaina, a New York City-based biotech company on a mission to transform nutrition with human-equivalent bioactive proteins for all stages of life. 

​Through its precision fermentation platform, Helaina replicates and scales human colostrum proteins for food and supplements. Helaina’s flagship ingredient effera™ is a bioequivalent to the most abundant protein in human colostrum, Lactoferrin. Lactoferrin is a multifunctional molecule that optimizes iron levels, balances the immune system and restores gut health. Meeting booming consumer demand for functional ingredients, Helaina has raised more than $35 million from leading investors.  

​Laura became NYU’s youngest ever adjunct professor in Food Science & Technology in 2017 and was featured in Forbes’ 30 under 30 list in 2022. She has presented at Collision, Food Hack, Fortune Most Powerful Women NextGen, Future Food Tech-Alt Proteins, Harvard Business School, The Good Food Institute Conference and Web Summit.

​Prior to Helaina, Laura developed food products for NUGGS, Plated, and Dylan’s Candy Bar. Laura has reached viral success as a food scientist, generating $60M+ views via an 11-episode stint as the expert food scientist for Epicurious’ 4-Levels video series. She earned a Master’s in Food Studies from NYU, and a Bachelor of Sciences in Food Science and Technology from Western University. In her free time, she can be found hanging out with her husband, son Leo, and their Italian Water Dog, Fontina Prosciutto, and writing recipes in hopes of one day publishing a cookbook.

​Ben Berman, CEO, Tomorrow Farms

​Ben Berman is co-founder and CEO of Tomorrow Farms, a food tech company commercializing novel ingredients to build the future of food.

​Tomorrow Farms is re-engineering classic foods with next-gen fermentation technology. It uses fermentation to create a new type of milk alternative - milk protein from fermentation, rather than cows, that looks, tastes, and feels exactly like true dairy.

​Tomorrow Farms recently launched Bored Cow, the world’s first animal-free dairy milk. 

​Ben is previously the founder of Mainely Burgers, a food truck company based in Portland, ME that Ben grew to 3 trucks and 16 employees (and an appearance on the Food Network) before he exited the business in 2014 and the founder of Good Pizza, a nonprofit initiative Ben founded out of his apartment during the pandemic to raise money for hunger relief. Good Pizza was featured on the Ellen Show, Barstool Sports, NBC News, and more and is now the entrepreneurship program at Philadelphia's largest hunger relief organization, Philabundance.

• ​​​7:00-7:30pm - Welcome and snacks served

• ​7:30-7:45pm - Introductions

• ​7:45-8:15pm - Connection Experience

• ​8:15-8:45pm - Fireside chat

• ​​​8:45-9:00pm - Business Connect​​

• ​9:00-9:30pm - Deepen connections

​VENUE DETAILS: The salon is in Manhattan, NYC. The exact address will be sent to confirmed guests.

​DRESS: We encourage authentic self-expression!

​GUIDELINES: This is an invite-only gathering, so please RSVP. Please note that this invitation is not a guarantee for entry and we invite you to thoroughly answer the approval questions. Friends or +1s must RSVP individually. Unapproved show-ups will not be granted entry.

​JOIN US: Light Dao is a fast-growing trusted global community of over 2,000 conscious investors and entrepreneurs with curated in-person and online gatherings and experiences across 14 cities globally in the US, Canada, Asia, Australia, Europe, and South America. Our heartfelt mission is to bring abundance for all by expanding the collective consciousness, enlightening society, and empowering values-aligned relationships. Together, we are co-creating a thriving regenerative future for humanity.

​We are excited to welcome you to our global community! http://wearelight.one/