Q2 IIFH Update: Major Food Tech Partnership & New Startups
IIFH Announcements
We are proud to announce new collaborative programs with international partners to advance key pillars of our work!
Novo Nordisk – IIFH Partnerships Announced: We are excited to announce two groundbreaking partnerships the Innovation Institute for Food and Health at UC Davis & Novo Nordisk will be jointly spearheading.
- The BioInnovation Institute (BII), a Novo Nordisk Foundation initiative, and IIFH launched the Amplified African Foods (AAF) project in April 2025 to tackle childhood stunting by amplifying the potential of indigenous meals through the use of AI and cutting-edge biotechnology tools. More information can be found here.
- The California–Denmark Innovator Fellowship is developing a pipeline of scientifically trained, entrepreneurially minded leaders ready to translate cutting‑edge research into breakthrough food‑ and health‑focused ventures. Selected fellows from UC Davis and Danish institutions will participate in cross‑border lab exchanges, mentoring from industry leaders in innovation centers, and experiential learning through immersion in venture capital. This program is made possible by a strategic collaboration between the IIFH, BII, UC Investments, The March Group (TMG) and Denmark’s START network of leading universities. Recruitment is underway for the inaugural cohort—full program details are available here.
Bezos Earth Fund AI Grand Challenge for Climate and Nature: We are thrilled to share that IIFH will be collaborating with The Periodic Table of Food Initiative (PTFI) as a Phase 1 awardee of the Bezos Earth Fund AI Grand Challenge for Climate and Nature. We will be developing an AI-powered food formulation tool that will assess and apply a score to food based on criteria such as sustainability, nutrition, health, and socio-economic dimensions. The platform’s assessments will be made possible by PTFI’s multi-omics data and will recommend ingredient-level recipe changes to improve scoring.We will be working with teams at the PTFI, the Artificial Intelligence Institute for Next Generation Food Systems (AIFS), The Rockefeller Foundation, The American Heart Association, Alliance of Bioversity CIAT, and Verso Biosciences.
Read the full announcement here.
- Innovation Institute for Food and Health Wine and Health Dinner
September 16, 2025, 7-9 PM
As the leading institution in wine and food science, UC Davis and the IIFH are conducting research into the molecular composition and potential bioactive properties of different wine varieties. The Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science will host a Savor Lecture on Food and Wine event on September 16 after which IIFH will host a discussion including UC Davis scientists and wine industry executives building on the information presented at the Savor Lecture.
- Food for Health Angels: Charter Member Kick-off and Dinner
September 17, 2025, 4-8 PM, At the home of Justin Siegel
UC Davis and the Innovation Institute for Food and Health are launching the first Angel network dedicated to the interface of food and health: The Food and Health Angels (FHA). FHA aims to be a collective of forward-thinking investors dedicated to supporting early-stage ventures focused on providing people healthier, happier, and longer lives. If you are interested in joining, or presenting to, our angel network, please reach out to [email protected].
- Bring your Research to Market: A Fireside Chat on Venture Creation with Aryeh Ganz of Cornucopian Capital
September 18, 2025, 10 AM – noon
Discover how your research can achieve significant human impact. Join Aryeh Ganz, an investor and entrepreneur whose firm, Cornucopian Capital, is dedicated to supporting and building companies that improve health span, performance, and longevity. Aryeh doesn’t just invest; he actively partners with the Innovation Institute for Food and Health and UC Davis faculty and students to transform laboratory innovations into successful, impactful companies. He has generously offered two hours to share his Foundry model for venture creation and engage directly with those looking to take their research from the lab into the market. This event is complementary and open to all faculty, students, and others interested in venture creation. RSVP here.
- Upcoming Discovery Forum events:
IIFH Discovery Forums bring together leading scientific researchers, clinicians, investors, and business leaders to discuss specific areas in food for health innovation. Together they explore the research that is needed to bridge the gap to commercialization, as well as the initial markets for products in food and beverage, and consumer health. Associated white papers from these forums are shared with attendees to further advance understanding of areas with opportunity for development and innovation. Discovery forums are exclusive to IIFH partners. If you’d like to attend or learn more about IIFH partnership, please contact [email protected].
IIFH Discovery Forum: The Science of Metabolic Hormones: Precision Nutrition in the “Ozempic Era”
October 6, 2025, Aggie Square, Sacramento
GLP-1 drugs as well as newer and upcoming GLP-1s with other drugs in combination are here to stay and will continue to have tremendous impact on food and health markets. This forum empowers food and health companies with the real science behind these drugs’ extensive effects on human physiology beyond the gut. Hear from top researchers and physicians and get actionable intelligence for your product and investment strategies. Developed by IIFH, in collaboration with the UC Davis Innovation and Economic Development Office and UC Davis Health, this discovery forum will empower you with the real science behind these drugs’ extensive effects on human physiology.
IIFH “Ozempic Era” Discovery Forum Investor Meetup: Identifying Market Opportunities Based on the Science of Metabolic Hormones
October 7, 2025, Turkovich Family Winery, Winters
The IIFH and UC Davis Venture Catalyst will host an intimate group of investors to discuss learnings, and market and collaboration opportunities from the previous day’s discussions on the science of GLP-1s. To learn about joining the IIFH investor network, and this event, contact [email protected].
IIFH Discovery Forum: Caffeine – Examining its Beneficial and Adverse Health Impacts
October 27, 2025, UC Davis
This event will be a scientific exploration of the complex bioactivity of coffee and other caffeinated beverages, sharing current research on both beneficial and adverse outcomes. We will discuss the scientific foundations for personalized caffeine approaches, including emerging research on chronobiology, genetic variability, and life-stage factors that influence caffeine metabolism and response, and consider these findings within the evolving field of precision nutrition. Brought to you by the IIFH, Cornucopian Capital, and the UC Davis Coffee Center.
- 2026 IIFH Partner Summit
May 12-14, 2026 Pacific Grove, California
This invitation-only event for IIFH partners convenes diverse stakeholders from across the food system with a shared vision of making the food we love healthier for people and the planet. Our aim is to foster a diverse network that leverages cutting-edge research and innovative business strategies to address pressing issues within the food system. Through a series of insightful discussions and networking opportunities, we will explore innovative solutions and form strategic partnerships to drive meaningful global change. For more information, contact [email protected].
Interested in joining one of our invitation-only events or in becoming an IIFH partner? Please contact: Kim Fisher, [email protected]
Other food for health events:
This year, IIFH affiliated faculty and Vice President of the American Society for Mass Spectrometry, Carlito Lebrilla, along with PTFI Global Director, Selena Ahmed, and IIFH Research Program Manager, Mariana Barboza, will highlight the impact of this global collaborative effort to better understand the planet’s edible biodiversity for humans and planetary health.
Partnership Highlight: UC Davis, IIFH, and Mars—A Collaboration Driving Science-Based Food Innovations
We have been collaborating with Mars for a decade, driven by a shared commitment to “Uncommon Collaboration” that unites industry and academia in addressing critical global food and health challenges. A compelling example of this long standing collaboration is highlighted by recent work at UC Davis, that combined with the applied scientific expertise of Mars, led to the discovery of a novel and potentially more cost effective method for producing lower-calorie rare sugars such as allulose, tagatose and allose. This work, among other shared scientific advancements, reflects the power of sustained partnership to unlock innovative approaches that address critical challenges in food, health and sustainability.
Click here to read the full story.
Partner Updates:
Together with our partners we are working to advance our shared vision for the future, making the food we love healthier for all people and the planet. We are excited to share recent collaboration updates here. If you are interested in connecting with our partners or would like to learn more about what we are doing together, please reach out to [email protected].
- PTFI: As the North American Center of Excellence for the PTFI, we are pleased to highlight two new key publications highlighting our collaborative efforts to deepen understanding of food. First, the Sight and Life report, “Fermentation: An Ancient Solution to Modern Challenges,” released at Nutrition for Growth Paris 2025, highlighting sustainability through fermented food composition analysis. Second, a global assessment in Frontiers of Nutrition evaluating food composition databases reveals significant data gaps and limitations, emphasizing the unique value of our database, which continually updates and includes culturally significant foods to support informed nutrition, agriculture, and policy decisions globally.
- TMG: The March Group (TMG) was announced by Chancellor Gary S. May as one of three new partners of UC Davis at the inauguration of Aggie Square, the University’s flagship innovation hub. TMG has signed an agreement to collaborate with UC Davis to co-develop a business accelerator and associated fund, designed to identify, support, and scale breakthrough innovations emerging from UC Davis’ research ecosystem.
- UC ANR: We’re thrilled to share that IIFH partner UC Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC ANR) has been awarded $1 million by the State of California to launch The Plant, a groundbreaking innovation hub designed to commercialize agriculture, food, and health startups and scaleups in partnership with UC Davis and industry leaders. This pre-development effort, led by UC ANR and advised by IIFH, will catalyze infrastructure planning for novel facilities—including greenhouses, experimental food kitchens, wet labs, and the largest flexible demonstration-scale biomanufacturing facility in Northern California—supporting scalable innovation in food, health, and sustainability. Read more here.
Our strategic partnerships exemplify the power of synergistic industry-academic collaborations that bolster our collective capability to address global challenges in the food and health industries. Through our combined efforts we are creating positive impacts through cutting-edge science and driving technology development and deployment to enable transformative capabilities that positively impact human and planetary health. To learn more about how to join the IIFH ecosystem, become a partner, and attend events, please contact: Kim Fisher, IIFH director of programs, [email protected]
Faculty Collaboration Spotlight: Dr. Carlito Lebrilla
At the IIFH, we are proud to partner with Dr. Carlito Lebrilla, Distinguished Professor of Chemistry, Biochemistry, and Molecular Medicine at UC Davis, whose pioneering glycomics research is redefining our understanding of food’s molecular landscape. His “devil-in-the-details” quantitative approach is accelerating the development of next-generation functional foods, diagnostic biomarkers, and sustainable agricultural practices.
Read the full story here.
Startup Updates:
We are proud to highlight the incredible achievements of the startups we work with to advance solutions to challenges in the food industry. Many of these startups have spun out of UC Davis research and are supported by our larger ecosystem of investors and industry leaders. Commercialization and venture creation around the groundbreaking food and health research at UC Davis is a cornerstone of our vision of making the food we love healthier for all people and the planet. If you are interested in connecting with or learning more about our startup network, please reach out to our team.
- Caffree: Caffree is a recent UC Davis & Barnstorm Foundry spin out delivering a new gold standard for decaffeination, full flavors, greater convenience, health and sustainability. Their team recently welcomed Dr. Ingrid Swanson Pultz as Chief Science Officer. Her expertise in enzyme engineering, regulatory strategy, and biotech commercialization will be instrumental as Caffree scales their patent-pending enzymatic decaffeination platform. Caffree also represented UC Davis’s renowned food innovation scene at Born in California, the premier kick-off event to Orange County’s Innovation week. Learn more here.
- Engage3: Engage3, a close UC Davis collaborator, works with retailers and brands to optimize profits and consumer loyalty. Engage3 announced its new President & COO as well as its new SVP of Product Strategy, both veteran executives joining from consumer science leader, Catalina Marketing. Engage3 has also been recognized by Inc. Magazine as one of the fastest growing companies for the 10th year in a row—public announcement forthcoming.
- Grainge.ai: Recent UC Davis spin out, Grainge.ai uses high resolution measurement paired with AI modeling of structure-function relationships to take the trial-and-error out of ingredient quality grading and product formulation. Grainge.ai provides manufacturers with speedy, reliable solutions for urgent ingredient disruptions and alternative ingredient sourcing. Grainge.ai represented UC Davis’s renowned food innovation scene at Born in California, the premier kick-off event to Orange County’s Innovation week. Grainge.ai has also been selected for Berkeley SkyDeck’s Batch 20, furthering its momentum as an emerging leader in food technology innovation.
- Infinant Health: Infinant Health, a UC Davis spin out, is transforming the health and wellbeing of infants through precise interventions of probiotics. They recently announced the launch of new Evivo Drops with Vitamin D, building upon their original product to support baby’s gut health, immune system, and promote strong bones and teeth. Additionally, the team at Infinant Health is making progress on an investigational new drug (IND) path for INF108, their proprietary B. Infantis strain, to prevent necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) in preterm infants. This disease claims more than 400 infants per year and is the number one cause of death in preterm infants after prematurity itself.
- Pharm to Food: Pharm to Food is a UC Davis spin out gaining early momentum in its mission to decode the “dark matter” of food and health using advanced analytics and informatics tools. Founded by Dr. Carlito Lebrilla and Dr. Harold Schmitz, the company is rapidly expanding its molecular profiling platforms, strengthening industry collaborations, and attracting early interest across the foodtech, biotech, and health sectors.
- RegenScore: RegenScore is a recent UC Davis spin out working with growers to improve agricultural practices. We’re excited to report the start of a pioneering partnership between RegenScore and the Periodic Table of Food Initiative (PTFI) to evaluate farm-level metrics with advanced foodomics—creating the first data-driven link between how food is grown and its nutritional impact.
- Rivalz: Rivalz, a strong UC Davis collaborator, is a food company unleashing the power of AI to imagine and deliver real food that is nutrient dense, delightful and affordable. Rivalz is now working with the World Food Program (WFP) to employ Rivalz’ extrusion methods and knowledge to improve nutritional profile of Lipid-based Nutrient Supplements (LNS) and Super Cereal. Rivalz’ cooker extruder technology provides a unique solution helping WFP achieve notable improvements in process, nutrition, and quality.
- VinZymes Inc.: VinZymes Inc. is a UC Davis spin out and leader in the field of enzyme-driven solutions for the food and wine industries. Vinzymes recently made a major discovery in climate adaptation enzymes that can survive harsher conditions and release twice as much protein from grains–a major win for sustainable, plant-based protein production. Their team is diligently working on scaling the manufacturing of this breakthrough to allow for global sales and distribution. Stay tuned for more details!
Are you a UC Davis food and health innovator interested in starting a company? IIFH works with Barnstorm Foundry and Exponential Food Labs to facilitate venture creation around novel UC Davis research addressing major food systems challenges. If you are interested in learning more, please reach out to Dana Armstrong Hughes ([email protected]).
IIFH Fellow Updates:
Through our Fellowship Programs, we prepare UC Davis students and scholars to effectively bridge the gap between research and industry through partnerships with mission-aligned venture capital firms, and other hands-on learning experiences. We have an incredibly talented network of scientifically trained, entrepreneurial minded innovators eager to solve some of the food industry’s greatest challenges. We are proud to showcase their accomplishments and future endeavors. If you are interested in connecting with or hiring any of our program alumni, please reach out to our team.
- We are excited to announce a new fellowship program in collaborations with Cornucopian Capital. The Entrepreneurial Innovation Fellowship is a three‑month program that pairs one MBA and one PhD/postdoc fellow to develop go‑to‑market strategies for real innovations and accelerate their path to commercialization. The inaugural 2025 fellows, Katie Haddad (PhD, Biomedical Engineering) and Hitesh Bali (MBA), will work closely with IIFH advisors, Cornucopian mentors, and venture partners to determine a go-to-market strategy for a novel sensor technology developed in the labs at UC Davis that helps optimize muscle growth and degradation by taking real-time amino acid measurements in blood.
- Gloria Alexandra Gueorguieva, an IIFH Innovator Fellow embedded at FTW Ventures, merged her expertise in plant biology and metabolite discovery with venture capital practices, developing an investment thesis evaluating startups from initial sourcing through deal closure. Through founder interviews and portfolio company visits, Alex gained deep insight into the critical balance between technical rigor and clear science communication needed to build venture‑backable companies.
- Michael Russelle Alvarez, Ph.D., leveraged his time as an IIFH Innovator Fellow where he engaged with The March Group building a data‑driven informatics pipeline—applying statistical techniques traditionally used in mass spectrometry to analyze relevant startup market landscapes. In parallel, he co‑founded Pharm to Food with his professor, Carlito Lebrilla, to decode the “dark matter” of food and health using advanced analytics and informatics tools.
- Saeed Karimzadeh, Ph.D., leveraged his IIFH Innovator Fellowship at Big Idea Ventures to transition his UC Davis research into an agri‑tech venture. During his time as a Fellow he gained first hand exposure to Big Idea Ventures’ IP‑licensing approach, which supports startups through the “valley of death” with capital and mentorship.
- Kasey Schalich, Ph.D., immersed herself in the IIFH Innovator Fellowship with Radicle Growth, where she authored an investment thesis for their $1.5 M Corn Value Chain Challenge, conducted due diligence on over 130 startups, and forged strategic connections with founders and investors. This experience transformed her scientific perspective with a market‑driven framework.
