WeWork, New York, opened a co-working space called WeWork Food Labs in San Francisco to support startups impacting the future of sustainable food.
WeWork Food Labs will house up to 100 members across the food industry beginning this November.
To help lead the San Francisco program, we are working to bring together a team of experienced local leaders to build a framework that supports food startups, connecting them with mentors, advisors and more.
In addition to a robust mentorship network, WeWork Food Labs will also work to forge partnerships with key partners in the San Francisco food startup community to further develop the program.
To kick off the launch, WeWork partnered with KitchenTown, San Mateo, Calif., to enable a global community of innovators at every level of scale to co-create products and sustainable businesses that define the future of food. Through this partnership, WeWork Food Labs and KitchenTown will leverage both networks and core competencies, providing a robust support system that will help food entrepreneurs thrive. Members will also receive access to commercial kitchen space provided by KitchenTown.
And, in addition to sharing resources with WeWork Food Labs space in New York, members will receive access to the broader WeWork and WeWork Labs platforms, and connect with other founders, mentors, WeWork members and more around the globe. To date, the WeWork Labs program supports startup companies in over 70 spaces worldwide.
Some of WeWork Food Labs’ new members entail:
Redwood Consumer Group, Athens, Ala., is an investment fund focusing on early stage consumer companies with exceptional growth prospects.
Eat Safe Verified (ESV), San Jose, Calif., produces a mobile application that provides transparency into the safety, health, facility and traceability of everyday food products.
“We are thrilled to broaden the WeWork Food Labs community to now include San Francisco, which allows us to leverage our global network and resources to tap into a greater talent pool of innovative founders,” says Menachem Katz, head of operations, WeWork Food Labs. “This launch serves as a step toward fulfilling the WeWork Food Labs mission -- empowering even more innovators across the food and agricultural space with the tools and resources needed to power the future of food with sustainable solutions.”
“We at KitchenTown believe changing the food system can be accelerated when we work together with others,” adds Rusty Schwartz, founder and CEO, KitchenTown. “We are excited to be partnering with WeWork Food Labs, to give startups and legacy food brands the space, resources and expertise needed to continue innovating within the food industry. We know that partnerships like these will allow food startups to scale quickly, achieve greater success and ultimately make an impact in our mission towards creating more sustainable food solutions.”
