Bridging the Gap Betweeen Advocacy and Impact Investing

Investors play a crucial role in fueling transformation within the food industry, and innovative business models and technologies can be lucrative investments. But contrary to many other fields, this isn't the major driver of investment in the food space. In this episode we sit down with Renske Lynde, Co-Founder of the accelerator Food System 6, General Partner of early-stage Venture Capital firm 1st Course Capital (1CC), and long-time advocate for healthy and sustainable food systems. Together we ask key questions, starting with the most critical: when it comes to food innovation, what does impact really mean?About Renske LyndeRenske Lynde has been an advocate for a healthier & more sustainable food system for 20+ years. She is a General Partner of 1st Course Capital, an early stage venture fund in food & agriculture. Renske is also a co-founder of Food System 6 which is a non-profit accelerator based in the SF Bay Area that supports mission-driven entrepreneurs from around the world transforming how we grow, produce and distribute food. Renske began her career in the food system advocating for sustainable agriculture in global trade policy agreements and went on to build direct markets for growers and producers in Philadelphia. She subsequently directed efforts to improve the food stamp and school meal programs for the San Francisco Food Bank. She holds BA degrees from Boston University in Political Science and Psychology and an MPP from UC Berkeley’s Goldman School of Public Policy.About 1st Course Capital1st Course Capital®️ is an early stage venture capital firm investing primarily in Seed and Series A companies developing innovations that will positively impact our food system. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sharoncittone.substack.com