Orientation

• September 16, 9am - 10:00am PDT

Details

This is a welcome session and orientation overview for batch startups of the Food & Beverage Batch 17 Program. During this session, Plug and Play will go over the program expectations, timeline, and content for the next 3 months. We will also have time for Q&A and startup <> startup networking.

Register here

Americas Workshop: How founders can use LinkedIn to powerblast their GTM

• September 23, 10:00am - 11:00am PDT

• Presenters: 

  • Noah Greenberg, CEO of Stacker

Noah Greenberg, CEO @ Stacker has leveraged LinkedIn to drive over $5M in new ARR for his bootstrapped startup over the past 2 years, and will be hosting a 60 minute workshop on how to develop a content strategy that turns your customers into followers, both making your outbound 10x more effective, and ultimately driving inbound leads. Talk will cover:

• the pillars of an effective content strategy to craft engaging posts that resonate and attract your ideal clients

• outreach techniques that use the nuance of LinkedIn’s platform to blend posting with outreach for maximum impact

• interactive session to start building your own strategy

Register here

Americas Workshop: Plug and Play Workshop: The State of VC: Trends Shaping 2025

• September 25, 9:00am - 10:00am PDT

• Presenters: 

  • Ashley Neville, Director of Insights at Carta

Join Ashley Neville, Carta's Director of Insights, as she describes the current state of venture investing using data from more than 40,000 US startups. We'll touch on valuations, fundraising, founder dilution, and differences between geographies and sectors across the early-stage VC landscape.

Register here

Workshop: Food GTM/Expansion Strategy

• September 30, 9am - 10:00am PDT

• Presenter: Antonio Miceli

This workshop, led by Antonio Miceli, will discuss GTM strategies and what elements to think about as you seek to expand your business and product. Antonio has helped food innovators GTM, launch, and flexibly scale capacity in (what are usually) resource-constrained and CapEx-dependent environments. Most recently, Antonio was CookUnity's first Expansion hire and helped the team launch in six new regions and scale over 10x nationwide. He holds a Master's in Management from Cornell and a Bachelor's in Philosophy from NYU. **Please note that this workshop is B2B-focused.**

Register here

Food/Agtech CVC Panel

• October 7, 7 - 8am PDT

• Panelists

  • dsm-Firmenich

  • Sparkalis

  • Betagro

Join us for an exciting CVC panel discussing foodtech trends, CVC insights, and more featuring the CVC arms of dsm-Firmenich, Sparkalis, and Betagro! This panel will include a Q&A session at the end.

Join here

Panel: Early-Stage Foodtech VCs

• October 9, 9am - 10:00am PDT

• Panelists

  • Dyllan Mattea, Siddhi Capital

  • Steve Molino, Synthesis Capital

  • Felicity Meyer, BoxOne

Join us for an exciting Foodtech VC panel discussing foodtech trends, venture capitalist insights, and more featuring Box One Ventures, Siddhi Capital, and Synthesis Capital! This panel will include a Q&A session at the end.

Register here

Workshop: Perfecting Your Pitch

• October 14, 10:00 - 11:00am PDT

Join Carley Hart (Cornell Tech, Runway Startups) for a practical workshop on pitching best practices. With deep expertise in tech, innovation, and partnerships, Carley will share insider tips to help you craft a clear, compelling pitch that captures attention and drives results.

Register here

Workshop: Startup Valuation

• October 14, 9:00 - 10:00am PDT

During this workshop, PNP Ventures Associate, Jesus Deusa, will go over in detail how investors evaluate startups. You can expect to learn the do’s and don’ts of pitching to a venture capital firm and gain a better understanding of the criteria different types of VCs look at when considering investing.

Register here

Plug and Play Service Partner Showcase

• October 16, 9:00 - 10:15am PDT

Join us for this session to learn more about our Service Partner offerings. We will feature a select few Service Partners, where you will get a chance to dive deeper into their products & discounts, and ask any questions you may have. The final agenda will be announced soon! 

Register here

Panel: Pilot/PoCs

• October 21, 9:00 - 10:00am

Join us for an exciting panel featuring Plug and Play alumni startups who have secured POCs, pilots, and partnerships! These founders will share insights and advice on the process, their prior experiences, and more. 

Register here

Workshop: How to Avoid the PoC Trap

• October 23, 9am - 10:00am PDT 

• Presenter: Matt Johnson - CEO and Co-Founder, Laiier

Proof of concept (PoC) projects can be a powerful tool in developing product market fit and customer relationships. However, they can also trap you in corporate purgatory, delaying your growth while shortening your runway. In this workshop, Matt Johnson from Laiier (a Plug and Play alumni startup) will discuss the purpose of the PoC, techniques to avoid common traps and how to create mutual value.

*Recommended team members: technical, research & development, business development, and any other team member likely to be involved in pilots/projects

Register here

Workshop: Best Practices and Leveraging Network for Fundraising

• October 28, 10am - 11:00am PDT 

In this session, you'll learn how early stage founders can take greatest advantage of their existing network in starting fundraising outreach, how to cater pitches for specific investor personas and best practices in outreach, messaging and follow ups. This tactically oriented session is meant to teach you how to optimize the limited communication and time you have with prospective investors and determine your best path based on what you're able to learn about them. The session will be led by Anand Deshpande, Investor Partnerships @Mercury, angel investor and startup mentor.

Register here

Workshop: Mental Armor for Founders

• November 5, 9am - 10:00am PDT 

Your startup’s success depends not only on your product, but on your state of mind. In this workshop, we’ll explore how resilience works under founder pressure, how to decode emotions as real data for smarter decisions, and when to lean on AI for clarity (and when not to). You’ll leave with practical tools to strengthen your mental armor, protect your energy, and lead your company with confidence—without losing yourself in the process.

Register here