RVRC kick-started the academic year with an industry visit to Innovate 360 Innovation Hub held on 12th August 2022. Innovate 360 is Singapore’s first food accelerator with facilities recognised as a technical partner by Asia Pacific Economic Corporation (APEC) Policy Partnership on food security. Today it helps and supports more than 50 food startups in deep tech, agri-tech, sustainability, and consumer packaged goods.
Organised in collaboration with Global Compact Network Singapore, RVRC students learnt about Singapore's food security challenges, sustainability impacts in producing our food needs, and the role of technology in addressing both food security and sustainability concerns. Students got to meet three start-ups, namely Shiok Meat that produces cultured crustacean meat, Hegg that produces plant-based egg alternatives, and Shandi that produces plant-based meat. These three examples exposed students to the current developments in the food technology sector in creating sustainable alternatives to our existing food options.
Finally, as students interacted with the various start-up founders and representatives from Innovate 360, they learnt in-depth insights about the food industry and gained insights on how to find an internship and develop a career in this field. Here are some reflections from our students:
“The key takeaway was that I got to learn more about how the food tech ecosystem is developing as it is still in its infancy stage in terms of sustainability, and I was able to understand the business structure of these start-ups. This helps me understand how I may potentially fit into their business and contribute my skills to the sector.”
“It was interesting to get to know the Food Tech industry better through the various start-ups’ sharing. This made me much more curious and driven to be more involved in helping to solve Singapore’s food insecurity issue. It was truly insightful to get to know the experience of startups from the Research & Development Phase to the Commercial stage. I would definitely attend another industry visit to learn more!”
RVRC Industry Visits will continue to run throughout the academic year. We strongly encourage all RVRC students to head out of the classroom and attend at least one industry visit to better understand the various industries and developments in Singapore. Information on future visits will be disseminated via RVRC email and CSC telegram chats.
