The 3rd annual Investor Meeting with Nutrition Capital Network was a great success! Living up to its reputation, it allowed promising Canadian companies, corporations and investors to learn, connect and explore new opportunities in the nutrition and wellness sectors. The two-day event, held in the eclectic Berkeley Church venue in Toronto, featured informative panel discussions, presentations, and investment pitches from high potential companies, all interspersed with incredible networking. Here’s a brief recap of some of the event highlights.

Panel Discussions

Day One opened with an afternoon of insights from industry insiders on the broad theme of innovation. Setting the tone for the event were presentations from Nick McCoy (Whipstitch Capital) on M&A activity in the sector, Jeff Hilton (BrandHive) on innovative approaches to online sales, and Carlotta Mast (New Hope Network) on emerging trends shaping the future of natural and organic products.

NPC’s David Gauthier kicked off the panel discussions, moderating a talk with Mandy Kraynik (Nature’s Way) and Phil Lebeau (Genuine Health) that offered fascinating cross-border insights into the Canadian advantages for scaling innovation. It was followed by a discussion on ‘innovation for good’ (or purpose-driven entrepreneurship) with panelists Craig Ryan (BDC), Carolyn Ansley (Brand for Benefit), Kenna Whitnell (Altilis Beauty), and Matt von Teichman (GreenSpace Brands). The inspiring panel, moderated by NPC’s Sue Coueslan, painted a picture of the investor value that purpose-driven entrepreneurs bring to their business.

NCN’s Mike Dovbish moderated a panel on the Canadian opportunities for innovation in CBD product development, featuring insights on R&D capacity, the legal environment, and regulatory challenges with industry leaders Pierre Kileen (Hexo), Bob Chapman (DoseCann), and Najla Guthrie (KGK Science). And finally, Mike Dovbish caught up with Ted Jin (DoseBiome) to learn about the amazing progress the company has made since pitching at the 2018 NCN-NPC Investor Meeting.

Product Presentations & Networking

Arguably, the most important moments happened on the sidelines as the presenting companies rubbed shoulders with investors and industry insiders. There were in-depth discussions, demonstrations and lots of new connections as our invited companies doled out product samples and information during networking breaks and the evening reception.

Company Presentations

Day Two was the main event as the 18 presenting companies took centre stage with their 10-minute pitches. The wide range of companies included innovative beverage products, neutraceutical brands, food ingredient producers, and natural food products. Each had a compelling story and a polished presentation work-shopped with a mentor in advance of the meeting.

One-on-One Meetings

After sampling the product and hearing the pitches, it was time to get down to business with the one-on-one meetings between corporations and/or investors and the presenting companies.  Industry veterans and investors were generous with their time and expertise on market potential, commercialization challenges and other issues, providing valuable connections that may ultimately lead to deals, partnerships or other transactions.

A Big Thank You to our Sponsors, Investors, and Presenters! 

Ultimately, the quality of our Investor Meetings hinges on the people who attend. This year’s meeting featured an incredible line-up of presenters and our largest gathering of investors to date.  NCN’s Investor Meetings have a great track record of success (with more than 50% of presenting companies securing an investment), and we have no doubt that this year’s event will produce similar results. We want to everyone who attended—invited guests,  investors, corporations, presenters and especially our sponsors. A special thank-you to the NCN sponsors (Whipstich Capital, BrandHive, KGK Science, and Davis Wright Tremaine LLP) and to this year’s Canadian sponsors (NaturalSci Reg and the Consulate General of Canada in Boston) for helping to make it all happen. See you next year!