Great news for cutting-edge food, food tech, and agtech startups in Montreal!

Rabobank, a global food and agribusiness bank, is bringing its food and agriculture pitch competition to Canada for the first time on May 16, 2018.

The 12th edition of FoodBytes! is coming to Montreal to help food entrepreneurs receive the capital, mentorship and connections they need to grow their businesses.Pitch applications are open, and startups that demonstrate traction, scalability and innovation and are focused on sustainability and social impact are encouraged to apply here before Sunday, March 11at 11:59PM ET.

Since launching in 2015, FoodBytes! has attracted 2,700 attendees and received over 1,100 applications from 30 plus countries. More than 170 companies make up the FoodBytes! alumni community, including Canada-affiliated startups PieShell, One Hop Kitchen and FlashFood.

“As a startup, it can be hard to figure out where your money is best spent. For us, investing time and money to be a part of FoodBytes! was a huge win and we are continuing to see the positive effects across all parts of our business,” said Cheryl Clements, PieShell founder (FoodBytes! San Francisco 2017 Alum and Supporting Sponsor). PieShell is a niche crowdfunding platform that helps food and agriculture startups get to the next level. “We are huge fans of FoodBytes! and are eager to share the lessons learned with our fellow foodpreneurs: spending money to connect with the right people early on has high ROI. It gets your brand in front of new audiences and allows you to adjust your strategy if need be.”

FoodBytes! is part of Rabobabank’s Banking for Food (B4F) initiative, with the goal to produce more food sustainably by 2050 to feed the planet’s growing population. The two-day event kicks off with a mentoring boot camp led by experts on branding, PR, legal, funding, consumer trends and supply chains. Ten selected startups will each give a 3 1/2 minute pitch and the ten others chosen will give 60-second pitches in front of hundreds of investors, executives, startups, and media.

“The 60 startups that presented on the FoodBytes! stage in 2017 pitched a wide range of new solutions to food and agriculture challenges. The leading trends displayed included clean product makeovers, plant-based protein and food waste reduction,” said Paula Savanti, Rabobank senior consumer food analyst. Savanti expects FoodBytes! 2018 will unearth a new crop of novel ideas. “We are looking forward to seeing how those trends will continue build momentum in 2018 and also to see if new trends including meal and food replacement drinks, fermented beverages and personalized nutrition will gain traction.”

The 2018 North American tour kicks off in San Francisco on March 1, followed by Montreal, then New York City in Fall 2018. Applications for the FoodBytes! 2018 North American events are now open here.

Photo by Kassie Borreson