Remember #NewHarvest2022? Feels like just yesterday we were all together, taking the world’s largest group photo at Newlab in Brooklyn!
Thanks to all of you who showed up—in body, mind, or spirit—to stand in solidarity with our mission this year. We put out a call to our community and you rallied together in a monumental way to make this the best conference yet. It was truly a record-breaking year in size (250+ in-person attendees and 600+ online registrants!), funds raised ($1.3M!) and number of tears shed (countless?).
One of the best parts of the conference had to be seeing all the various interpretations of this year’s theme, “Elephant in the Room”—a playful way of teasing out important but neglected conversations about cell ag. Some ended up being more literal than others, like the case for cell-cultured elephant! Discover some of the other “elephants” we uncovered via the session recordings below. (Or if you’ve got the time, watch the full livestream here.)
DAY 1
- 👥 How do we avoid duplicating efforts within the cell ag research ecosystem?
- 📈 How can we scale up in a cost effective way?
- 🦺 What do we know—and what don’t we know—about the safety of cultured meat?
- 🌐 How can we incorporate open source principles into cell ag?
- 👨🏽🔬 How can we advance the foundational science of cell ag?BONUS: Surprise live auction!
DAY 2
- 🏗️ How do you build the companies cell ag needs? (Opening remarks)
- 🪰 How can we use insects to lessen the environmental impact of cell ag?
- 🐘 Will cell ag actually be better for animals?
- 🍔 Why are so many cell ag companies focused on imitating existing foods rather than innovating ones?
- 🍣 How do we deliver on the promise to create a more just food system?
- 📖 What’s the inside scoop behind the infamous Counter article?BONUS: New Harvest Town Hall
You can scope out the recap video here or peruse audience questions submitted online via Slido in this google sheet.
Highlights
This year’s event turned out to be a treasure trove of stories of impact and once-in-a-lifetime experiences. Who could forget that time guest of honour, NYC mayor Eric Adams, ate Perfect Day’s animal-free cream cheese and *almost* tried some of Wildtype’s cultured salmon? (Just meant more for the rest of us!). There truly are too many highlights to count, but here are just a few:
- When the town hall on Day 2 turned into a full-blown fundraising event, featuring a surprise announcement from our longtime supporter Mirik Gogri, along with many other moments of sheer creativity and immense generosity. Together, we raised more than $1.3M 🤯!!
- All the touching stories that community members shared about how NH has helped them over the years. Take, for instance, Bianca Le’s story about founding Cell Ag Australia.
- When Isha hosted an impromptu live auction of exclusive tastings & facility tours, generously donated by Vow and Wildtype!
- That time when our venue sponsor, NewLab, launched their first venture studio in cell ag.
- And last (but not least!) that moment when Lejjy Gafour treated everyone to pizza at the after party!
For more highlights flip through our #NewHarvest2022 photo album here. Feel free to comment and add your own!
Special Thanks
A HUGE thank you again to all of the incredible community members, volunteers, and attendees (not to mention staff!!) who made this a conference to remember! Together, we deepened the dialogue about some the most pressing and neglected topics confronting the field today.
A special shout-out to our sponsors who empowered us to keep our programming independent and our ticket prices accessible: NewLab, Ginkgo Bioworks, Compassion in World Farming, Agronomics, CULT Food Science, Stray Dog Institute, International Flavors and Fragrances, Aleph Farms, and Vow Food. Of course, a hat tip to Fork & Good and Ark Biotech for sponsoring our happy hour.
Interested in sponsoring or getting involved in next year’s event? Planning is already underway and we’d love to collaborate. Shoot me an email and let’s chat!
