Food - how we grow it, make it, get it and consume it - is changing. Although the world probably doesn't need another startup that will deliver a burrito to your front door, a number of Boston student ventures are getting in on the food tech space.
Maybe its the desire for anything except ramen, but our city's student entrepreneurs seem especially hungry for innovation in food. In the past year, promising food tech startups have popped up on local campuses. And while all of them are still early stage, some are already generating a buzz. Just look at the five ventures below and see which student startups are worth watching in this space.
Spyce Kitchen - MIT
This MIT startup has developed a fully automated robotic kitchen. The Jetsons-eque invention is meant for commercial use, with the design of cutting overhead costs for restaurants and making healthy food more readily available to the public. Also part of MassChallenge, Spyce raised $2.6 million in seed funding this past April. And it was the winner of the $10,000 Lemelson-MIT “Eat it!" prize and won Audience Choice at the MIT $100K Competition.
Altus (formerly Terpi) - Babson
Smoking weed is so passe. With Altus, you can drink your cannabis via its infused beverages. It has a whole line of potable pot drinks (drinkables?) each labeled for their effect on mind and body: Hype, Chill, Bliss and Doze. It plans to operate in as many states as possible, getting in on the estimated $6.7 billion in legal U.S. cannabis sales for 2016. Most recently, Altus was one of 15 student startups to complete Babson's Summer Venture Accelerator.
Bloom - Harvard
Growing your food in-house isn't an entirely novel concept. (Somerville-based Grove Labs has been at it for a few years now.) But Bloom is looking to provide not only a unit with which people can grow their food within the comfort of their own homes, but also a social network focused on health and sustainability. The social component is meant for users to connect, sharing their food knowledge and growing experiences with each another.
Bon’Ap - Harvard
Bon’Ap is like GrubHub or Foodler, except the food delivered to you is specifically meant to help you eat healthily. The startup lets you create a health profile, in which you share your nutrition goals. Based on those goals, Bon’Ap makes food suggestions for you to order and delivers your meals to your office. Just think: You’ll be less likely to succumb to the snack wall.
Trignis - Harvard
This venture is developing a product that’s IoT meets barbecue. With its smart smoker, which is controlled and monitored through an app, meat-makers don’t have to babysit their barbecue to ensure it’s coming out OK. It’s supposedly a foolproof way to make quality grilled and smoked meats. Trignis is one of MassChallenge’s 2016 Finalists and it tied for first in the Harvard i3 Innovation Challenge, winning $5,000.
Featured image is public domain.
