New Brunswick, NJ - The Rutgers Food Innovation Center (FIC) announced the launch of RutgersX, the first business accelerator program at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. Business accelerators provide a cohort of entrepreneurial companies with a mentoring team that brings professional expertise, and a venue in which they can “pitch” their business to a community of angel and venture investors, strategic partners, and retail and foodservice customers. The first cohort of companies will be “pitch presenters” at the RutgersX – Accelerating Food Entrepreneurs Conference on November 16, 2015, in New Brunswick.
The RutgersX Accelerator Program was made possible by funding received from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) in the fall of 2014. The Rutgers FIC was a national winner of the SBA’s first program designed to create or enhance business accelerators. The accelerator was the only award recipient in New Jersey, and one of only 50 winners nationwide from over 800 applicants.
“We are very excited about our new RutgersX Accelerator Program,” said Lou Cooperhouse, founder of RutgersX and director of the Rutgers Food Innovation Center. “In our inaugural program, we have developed an accelerator for fast-growing food companies that have been part of our Rutgers FIC client and partner network for the past several years. Given the tremendous interest we have in RutgersX, and our New Brunswick location that makes this an easy commute from the tri-state area, we are confident that our 2015 conference will be a sold-out event, and will be continued in 2016 and beyond. We are already making plans to expand our program and include other industry sectors in future years.”
Margaret Brennan-Tonetta, Rutgers’ associate vice president for economic development, said that Cooperhouse has “an expanded vision for the FIC and its role as a catalyst for growth in our state’s food industry.” She added, “We anticipate that RutgersX will create a cluster of investment capital for the food industry and provide new opportunities to bring new food products to market.”
The RutgersX – Accelerating Food Entrepreneurs Conference will be held during Global Entrepreneurship Week, on Monday, November 16, 2015, at the Rutgers College Avenue Student Center in New Brunswick. At the event, each food company will have a chance to make pitch presentations in front of an audience of potential funders, strategic partners, customers and fellow food entrepreneurs. The agenda will also include panel discussions with food industry leaders, conversations with successful entrepreneurs and venture capitalists, and remarks from state and national government leaders. There will be a unique opportunity for industry networking throughout the day along with interactive exhibits during lunchtime. Cost to attend the conference is $149 per person until November 1, and $199 per person after November 1.
For more information on the RutgersX Accelerator Program and RutgersX – Accelerating Food Entrepreneurs Conference, including information on registration and sponsorships, visitx.rutgers.edu.
“We are very excited about our new RutgersX Accelerator Program,” said Lou Cooperhouse, founder of RutgersX and director of the Rutgers Food Innovation Center. “In our inaugural program, we have developed an accelerator for fast-growing food companies that have been part of our Rutgers FIC client and partner network for the past several years. Given the tremendous interest we have in RutgersX, and our New Brunswick location that makes this an easy commute from the tri-state area, we are confident that our 2015 conference will be a sold-out event, and will be continued in 2016 and beyond. We are already making plans to expand our program and include other industry sectors in future years.”
Margaret Brennan-Tonetta, Rutgers’ associate vice president for economic development, said that Cooperhouse has “an expanded vision for the FIC and its role as a catalyst for growth in our state’s food industry.” She added, “We anticipate that RutgersX will create a cluster of investment capital for the food industry and provide new opportunities to bring new food products to market.”
The RutgersX – Accelerating Food Entrepreneurs Conference will be held during Global Entrepreneurship Week, on Monday, November 16, 2015, at the Rutgers College Avenue Student Center in New Brunswick. At the event, each food company will have a chance to make pitch presentations in front of an audience of potential funders, strategic partners, customers and fellow food entrepreneurs. The agenda will also include panel discussions with food industry leaders, conversations with successful entrepreneurs and venture capitalists, and remarks from state and national government leaders. There will be a unique opportunity for industry networking throughout the day along with interactive exhibits during lunchtime. Cost to attend the conference is $149 per person until November 1, and $199 per person after November 1.
For more information on the RutgersX Accelerator Program and RutgersX – Accelerating Food Entrepreneurs Conference, including information on registration and sponsorships, visitx.rutgers.edu.