Impossible Foods Partners With VWS To Launch Initiative Celebrating Women Food Tech Leaders

Impossible Foods and Vegan Women Summit (VWS) are teaming up to launch a new initiative aimed at spotlighting women pioneers in the field of food tech and sustainability. Designed as an inclusive program, Women Building the Future is now searching for nominations from diverse backgrounds across the food, agriculture and sustainability industries to be selected for the program, bringing visibility to their impact and achievements. 

Impossible Foods has partnered with VWS to launch a new initiative to highlight women leaders in sustainability, food tech and climate innovation, the company announced on Wednesday (March 31). The program, Women Building the Future, will see women leaders selected to join an exclusive program with pioneers in the food and sustainability industry, including Impossible Foods founder and CEO Pat Brown. 

From now until April 30, the initiative will be open for nominations for all women-identifying individuals aged 13 years old and above, from diverse backgrounds. Applications will go through a selection process from the organisers, who will announce the final list of honourees on June 1. 

We recognise the collective power in partnering with Vegan Women Summit, and want to highlight the pioneering women in food and technology who are working to save our planet.

Bindu Garapaty, VP of Diversity & Inclusion, Impossible Foods

Bindu Garapaty, vice president of diversity and inclusion at Impossible Foods, says the program is aligned with the food tech’s broader mission to build a sustainable future and displace animal agriculture. The firm recently slashed its retail prices by double-digits in Hong Kong and globally in order to make plant-based choices accessible to the masses, and welcomed renowned U.N. climate leader Christiana Figueres to its board. 

“Empowering women leaders is core to our mission, strength and innovation at Impossible Foods. We recognise the collective power in partnering with Vegan Women Summit, and want to highlight the pioneering women in food and technology who are working to save our planet,” said Garapaty. 

“Whether it’s innovating on food technology solutions, advocating in government, building a climate-focused nonprofit, or leading a sustainable eating initiative at their school, women of all ages and backgrounds are leading the way for a kinder, more sustainable world,” commented Jennifer Stojkovic, founder of VWS, who recently hosted VWS Pathfinder, the world’s first competition dedicated to female vegan founders. 

The event saw a wide range of female founder finalists from a cross-section of industries all working on sustainable plant-based solutions, from Shanghai-based peanut protein chicken startup HaoFood to Algaeing, a Tel Aviv firm developing algae-based biofibres to revolutionise the textile supply chain, who went onto win the contest. 

Too often, women, particularly women of colour, and their voices are overlooked and underrepresented in these industries.

Jennifer Stojkovic, Founder, VWS

Like the rest of the initiatives and campaigns organised by VWS, the latest collaboration with Impossible Foods is aimed at bringing often underrepresented voices to the forefront, and spotlighting the work that women are doing to build a better planet – despite the prevalence of bias and inequities. 

A recent gender inequalities survey conducted by VWS found that nearly half of the female founders interviewed had faced prejudices during the fundraising process, and more than half reported challenges in finding a mentor. 

“Too often, women, particularly women of colour, and their voices are overlooked and underrepresented in these industries,” said Stojkovic. “By partnering with the world’s leading plant-based innovator, Impossible Foods, we are excited to bring worldwide attention and support to these women and help them take their work to the next level.” 

Lead image courtesy of Impossible Foods.