Grow-NY Food & Ag Summit 2026

Networking Roundtables

This year's Summit will kick off each day with networking roundtable discussions that foster high-impact connections between startups and the organizations that support them.

Each roundtable will be hosted by a regional thought leader and centered on a topic relevant to the food & ag startup community.

Several hosts are offering the same discussion both days of the Summit. Attendees are encouraged to take the opportunity to explore a different topic each day.

Day 1 - Thursday, November 12

Who Do You Trust in Food and Agriculture?
Host: Agency 29

What makes a food or agriculture story feel credible—and what makes us immediately skeptical? This discussion will explore the claims, voices, language, and experiences that shape what people believe about how food is grown, made, marketed, and brought to the table. Together, we will consider what earns trust, what erodes it, and how the industry can communicate more meaningfully.

From Local to Shelf: What Retail Buyers Really Want
Host: Associated NYS Food Processors

Getting a great product onto retail shelves takes more than a strong pitch. Join the Associated New York State Food Processors and John Lawson of Whole Foods Market for an interactive conversation about what buyers look for in emerging brands. Explore product differentiation, packaging, pricing, margins, manufacturing capacity, distribution readiness, and the founder-buyer relationship. Participants will gain practical insight into common retail-readiness gaps, how to approach buyers effectively, and what it takes to move from local traction to scalable, long-term retail success.

Packaging That Scales: From Startup to Shelf
Host: Bison Bag Co.

Packaging decisions can directly impact product quality, shelf life, production efficiency, consumer appeal, and a brand’s ability to scale. Join Bison Bag for a practical conversation about selecting the right packaging format and materials, preparing artwork and specifications, understanding minimum order quantities and lead times, and avoiding common packaging mistakes. This roundtable will help emerging food and agriculture companies make informed packaging decisions that support successful commercialization, retail readiness, and long-term growth.

Co-Packer Speed Dating: How to Know You've Found "The One" in the First 10 Minutes
Host: Craft Cannery

This roundtable discussion will teach budding CPG brands which questions to ask in the first 10 minutes of a conversation with a potential co-packer. These questions will lead to immediate green and red flags and will let you know if you've found your match or if you should keep looking.

Navigating New York's Innovation Ecosystem
Host: Empire State Development - NYSTAR

This roundtable discussion hosted by NYSTAR, Empire State Development's Division of Science, Technology, and Innovation, will introduce and explore the state’s portfolio of innovation assets. The session will highlight resources available to entrepreneurs through NYSTAR’s network of Centers of Excellence, Centers for Advanced Technology, Manufacturing Extension Partnership centers, and entrepreneurial support programs. You'll gain a clearer understanding of how these assets drive innovation, commercialization, manufacturing support, and startup growth across New York State.

Cultivating the Future: Ag Tech for the Northeast
Host: Farm Credit East

Discover how emerging technologies are reshaping Northeast agriculture. Join Farm Credit East for a discussion on today's innovations and what's next for the future of the industry.

Where Energy Tech Meets Ag Tech
Host: Koffman Southern Tier Incubator

From tools to tractors, next-gen energy solutions are increasingly central to agriculture. From energy efficiency to battery storage, energy technology is a key enabler for ag tech and helps to address scaling food production with an awareness of climate pressures. Join the Koffman Southern Tier Incubator to explore these connections between energy and ag tech.

Inside the Deal: Investment Trends in CPG Startups
Host: Launch New York Inc.

Join Launch New York for a candid roundtable on the current investment landscape for consumer packaged goods (CPG) startups. Launch NY's Investment Manager will sit down with an Entrepreneur-in-Residence to explore what Launch NY looks for in CPG deals, key trends shaping the market, and how founders can stand out. If you’re building a CPG brand and thinking about funding, this conversation is for you.

Growing and Transitioning into Co-Packing and Co-Manufacturing
Host: NYS Center of Excellence for Food and Agriculture at Cornell AgriTech

A network of reliable, capable co-packers and co-manufacturers is essential to bringing new food and beverages to market. Join the NYS Center of Excellence for Food and Agriculture to learn how existing manufacturers can expand into co-manufacturing and how we can fix this supply chain bottleneck. 

VC Demystified: What Investors Actually Look for on Day One
Host: Skull, Diamond, and Heart Capital, LLC

Ever wonder what really happens behind closed doors during an initial investor pitch? Join Skull, Diamond & Heart Capital for a fast-paced, pull-back-the-curtain discussion on early-stage venture capital. This high-impact roundtable will demystify the VC landscape and reveal the exact traits, traction, and milestones investors look for on day one. Whether you are actively fundraising or just starting to map out your startup's financial future, you will walk away with actionable insights on how to capture investor attention, articulate your vision, and build a foundation for successful, long-term funding.

Building Your Brand's Visibility in AI Tools
Host: Strategic Communications

Whether you're a founder, investor, or ecosystem partner, AI tools like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini are already shaping how people describe your organization, often before anyone reaches out to you directly. In this roundtable, we'll talk through what's actually happening when someone asks an AI platform about your company, your category, or your competitors, and why that matters for fundraising, hiring, and customer trust. You'll walk away with a handful of simple, free steps you can start using immediately to make sure your brand shows up clearly and accurately as more people turn to AI for answers.

Day 2 - Friday, November 13

Why Some Food and Agriculture Ideas Stick
Host: Agency 29

Why do certain food and agriculture ideas catch on while others struggle to connect? In this discussion, we will trade examples of trends, products, technologies, and practices that have either taken hold or faded away. Together, we'll explore what makes an unfamiliar idea feel relevant, memorable, and worth trying—and how a compelling story can help move an innovation forward.

Winning the Reorder: How Emerging Brands Stay on the Shelf
Host: Associated NYS Food Processors

Getting into retail is only the first milestone. Join the Associated New York State Food Processors and John Lawson of Whole Foods Market for an interactive discussion on what emerging brands must do to earn reorders and build lasting retail relationships. Explore sales velocity, in-store execution, dependable supply, promotional support, pricing discipline, customer feedback, and buyer communication. Participants will learn how retailers evaluate post-launch performance, how to respond when results fall short, and how strong operational follow-through can turn an initial placement into sustainable growth.

Smarter Packaging, Smaller Footprint
Host: Bison Bag Co.

Packaging innovation can help growing brands reduce environmental impact while protecting product quality, shelf life, and performance. Join Bison Bag for a practical conversation about recyclable materials, downgauging, right sizing, post-consumer recycled content, and technologies such as laser scoring, venting, and perforation. We'll explore how to evaluate sustainable packaging options, avoid unintended tradeoffs, reduce product and material waste, and select solutions that support both business growth and sustainability goals.

Co-Packer Speed Dating: How to Know You've Found "The One" in the First 10 Minutes
Host: Craft Cannery

This roundtable discussion will teach budding CPG brands which questions to ask in the first 10 minutes of a conversation with a potential co-packer. These questions will lead to immediate green and red flags and will let you know if you've found your match or if you should keep looking.

Navigating New York's Innovation Ecosystem
Host: Empire State Development - NYSTAR

This roundtable discussion hosted by NYSTAR, Empire State Development's Division of Science, Technology, and Innovation, will introduce and explore the state’s portfolio of innovation assets. The session will highlight resources available to entrepreneurs through NYSTAR’s network of Centers of Excellence, Centers for Advanced Technology, Manufacturing Extension Partnership centers, and entrepreneurial support programs. You'll gain a clearer understanding of how these assets drive innovation, commercialization, manufacturing support, and startup growth across New York State.

Cultivating the Future: Ag Tech for the Northeast
Host: Farm Credit East

Discover how emerging technologies are reshaping Northeast agriculture. Join Farm Credit East for a discussion on today's innovations and what's next for the future of the industry.

Cultivating an Ag Tech Support Ecosystem
Host: Koffman Southern Tier Incubator

Entrepreneurs don't need to build a successful company alone. Understanding the broad range of entrepreneurial support programs and when to engage with them, whether they are incubators, funders, or technical advisement, can lighten the load of founders. Attend this session with the Koffman Southern Tier Incubator to connect with this support ecosystem.

Inside the Deal: Investment Trends in CPG Startups
Host: Launch New York Inc.

Join Launch New York for a candid roundtable on the current investment landscape for consumer packaged goods (CPG) startups. Launch NY's Investment Manager will sit down with an Entrepreneur-in-Residence to explore what Launch NY looks for in CPG deals, key trends shaping the market, and how founders can stand out. If you’re building a CPG brand and thinking about funding, this conversation is for you.

Growing and Transitioning into Co-Packing and Co-Manufacturing
Host: NYS Center of Excellence for Food and Agriculture at Cornell AgriTech

A network of reliable, capable co-packers and co-manufacturers is essential to bringing new food and beverages to market. Join the NYS Center of Excellence for Food and Agriculture to learn how existing manufacturers can expand into co-manufacturing and how we can fix this supply chain bottleneck. 

From Lab to Land: How Startups and Farmers Can Build Better Partnerships
Host: Skull, Diamond, and Heart Capital, LLC

Real innovation happens when cutting-edge technology meets boots-on-the-ground agricultural reality. This interactive conversation explores how agritech founders and producers can bridge the gap between development and adoption. We will discuss how startups can build practical tools that solve real farming challenges, and how growers can safely pilot new technologies to boost efficiency. Whether you are an entrepreneur looking for commercial feedback or a producer interested in the future of farming, join us to discover how collaborative partnerships drive the entire agricultural ecosystem forward.

Building Your Brand's Visibility in AI Tools
Host: Strategic Communications

Whether you're a founder, investor, or ecosystem partner, AI tools like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini are already shaping how people describe your organization, often before anyone reaches out to you directly. In this roundtable, we'll talk through what's actually happening when someone asks an AI platform about your company, your category, or your competitors, and why that matters for fundraising, hiring, and customer trust. You'll walk away with a handful of simple, free steps you can start using immediately to make sure your brand shows up clearly and accurately as more people turn to AI for answers.

Roundtable Host Organizations