In this special edition of the Express Pharma-NutrifyToday Boardroom Series, we introduce you to Yoni Glickman, Managing Partner, FoodSparks, PeakBridge. one of the six Growth Guardians who will judge the merit of the contestants during the Nutrify C Suite Sumflex – Innovation Battlefield.
FoodSparks by PeakBridge invests in innovative, sustainable seed and early-stage Agri-FoodTech start-ups across Europe and Israel. Glickman brings over 3 decades of experience and has held multiple board positions across biotech, food ingredients, water tech, and pharma.
In the interview, he expands on his investment philosophy, and the characteristics he looks for in potential investees as he continues the quest to find the ”foodtech holy grail”.
His advice to consumers faced with a bewildering array of choices of nutra/functional foods choices, both offline and online, is to turn the product over and check the ingredient list and research the ingredients, For more specialised products, consumers have to consult their doctors to ensure we use the most effective, safe product best suited for our needs.
On the role of startups versus bigger nutra companies, Glickman feels startups bring agility and new ideas to this sector and therefore have a great role to play, provided they put the right building blocks in place.
For Glickman, having a good team is as important as having a good product, because, without a good management team, a good product will not succeed. Some of the must-haves he’ll look for in potential investees are clinical evidence to back product claims, a balanced team, and non-infringing regulatory-compliant IP.
He is excited about the nexus of data and nutrition, making products more personalised, with trends like wearables riding this wave. As for India, he is watching closely how the country can bring together proven expertise in IT, pharma, biotech and nutraceuticals and the innovations that emerge from the meshing of these unique skills.