Jenn Smith
Jenn Smith
Food and Ag Innovation Programs
Jenn Smith leads food and ag innovation programs for Cornell’s Center for Regional Economic Advancement, including the Grow-NY program, an annual $3M competition for innovative, early stage, high growth potential businesses working anywhere in the agrifood system. Through CREA she co-directs an ag tech hardware accelerator and runs a Dairy Product Innovation initiative and activities supporting the cultivation of Upstate New York‚Äôs regional agrifood ecosystem. In her role she draws on her background in entrepreneurship in the food and farming space and subject matter expertise in craft beverage market development, gained while the Executive Director of the New York Cider Association and the New York State Distillers Guild. In addition to leading NYCA and NYSDG, Jenn has helped entrepreneurs throughout the Northeast launch value-added products, agritourism ventures and hospitality businesses.
Briefly describe your work with agtech and explain what motivates you to invest your time in this work.
I run intermediary programs in the food and farming space out of a personal and professional interest in contributing to a strong, equitable, sustainable food system in the Northeast.
Briefly explain any commitments to sustainability that you or your organization bring to your work on agtech innovation. Be as specific as possible regarding what kinds of social and environmental impacts you aim to produce, and the relevant strategies you are pursuing.
We have goals and criteria in our recruitment, selection, and award processes that prioritize support for startups with founders, employees and advisors from communities that have historically been excluded from the innovation economy, such as women and minorities. Our goal is to include at least 50% female- and/or underserved minority-founded startups in our cohorts. We have no explicit environmental impact goals.
Briefly describe the way(s) in which you assess/measure social and environmental impact in your work on agtech innovation.
Demographic reporting