NCN VI: Spring 2010 Investor Meeting
April 27, 2010
Grand Hyatt, New York

Nutrition Capital Network (NCN) meetings are gaining critical mass, as evidenced by the 70 investors who attended to see 19 companies present business plans at NCN VI, our Spring 2010 matchmaking event. The 125 strong audience, the largest ever hosted by NCN, filled the signature meeting space at the Grand Hyatt in New York City. Several participants commented that NCN meetings, which were inaugurated in 2007, had hit their stride and were maturing in terms of the consistent quality of companies, the diversity of investors at the higher end, and networking opportunities. Challenges remain for NCN to involve more venture and angel investors for the Presenting Companies and more companies of scale for the investors, illustrating the gap in the financing market for nutrition and health & wellness companies that remains NCN central mission to fill.

Companies came from as far afield as Australia, New Zealand, Israel and Germany to present their business plans in New York. On this occasion the majority of Presenting Companies fell into the natural food category, with beverages represented by a European coconut water brand and an appetite suppression beverage. Organic and fair trade chocolate and treats were well represented; an ice cream making technology that allows consumers to create their own self serve ice cream on the spot rounded out the indulgence category. Packaged foods included a new technology for steam-cooking frozen meals and a natural alternative in the billion dollar baking mixes category. Also featured were two natural pet food companies, an energy supplement company, NPC brand, zero calorie sweetener and organic food and prune concentrate suppliers.

New NCN Cornerstone Investors helped to make NCN VI a milestone meeting in terms of investor participation. Nutrition Capital Network welcomed Alticor (parent company to Amway), which counts Metagenics, a supplement company in the practitioner channel, among its portfolio companies. Also joining NCN for the first time were ingredient suppliers Corn Products International (NutraFlora, NuMega), Stratum Nutrition (Novus International), which focuses on human nutrition through functional and specialty ingredients, and Lonza, which was represented by its Strategic Business Development operating unit charged with identifying growth opportunities in ingredients and technologies in the health and nutrition markets. Hershey’s, PepsiCo, Danone and Unilever also joined NCN as new Cornerstone Investors.

NCN Sponsors were led by Law Firm Partner Venable LLC and joined by our Investment Banking Partners Partnership Capital Growth and Roth Capital Partners. We also welcomed the strategic design consultancy Pause for Thought as a Branding Partner for 2010.

Nutrition Capital Network continues its 2010 meeting schedule with NCN Ingredients & Technology Investor Meeting II at SupplySide West on October 20, 2010 in Las Vegas. This is followed by NCN VII, our Fall 2010 Investor Meeting in San Francisco on November 15-16, 2010.