Nucleate Merges with Cultivate Tomorrow Hackathon to Advance Next Generation Cellular Agriculture
Nucleate, the nonprofit organization led by academic trainees and dedicated to empowering future biotech leaders, announced it is merging with Cultivate Tomorrow, the first cellular agriculture hackathon in the United States. The hackathon, founded this year and led by students, lowers the barrier to entry of cell cultured food innovation.
“By joining Nucleate, Cultivate Tomorrow leverages a global network and outstanding track record to strengthen our mission of guiding entrepreneurial students in the cultivated food industry. Our combined organization represents a large, diverse community that will reimagine the future of food,” said Jasmin Kern, founder and president of Cultivate Tomorrow.
The Cultivate Tomorrow hackathon welcomes students of all disciplines to tackle challenges facing the cellular agriculture industry. At this year’s inaugural hackathon, teams were mentored by leaders from groundbreaking startups, including Perfect Day, Wildtype, and Upside Foods. Cultivate Tomorrow is hosting a pitch day on February 12, featuring project presentations, speaker panels, and networking opportunities. Register to attend the Cultivate Pitch Day for free.
The Nucleate initiative inaugurates an ambitious program of cellular agriculture education. In addition to plans for international expansion, Cultivate will organize internship and job fairs; business plan competitions, with themes including food labeling and infrastructure; seminars on agricultural technology, economics, regulation, and law; and accessible crash courses aimed at students in high school and college.
“Cultivate Tomorrow will provide crucial hands-on experience to students who have limited exposure to cellular agriculture and precision fermentation. I’m excited to see the collaborations between academic and industry innovators that their event has fostered. I commend the leadership team of Cultivate for empowering the next generation of food leaders,” said Isha Datar, executive director of New Harvest.
“The cultivated food industry holds the promise of a nutritious, humane, and sustainable system of food production. Yet the industry is bottlenecked by talent,” said Soufiane Aboulhouda, founding president and chairman of Nucleate. “Nucleate is delighted to welcome the Cultivate team into Nucleate. Together, we will raise student engagement and advance breakthroughs in precision fermentation and cell cultured foods.”
About Cultivate Tomorrow
Cultivate Tomorrow is a grassroots initiative launched by students across the country, with the aim of sparking excitement for more sustainable food technologies and systems. The inaugural Cultivate hackathon bridges the gap between academia and cellular agriculture industry. The event is sponsored by Merck KGaA, Turtle Tree, Gingko Bioworks, and CULT Food Science. As a Nucleate initiative, Cultivate will foster collaboration and inspire students with a passion for sustainable food technology.
About Nucleate
Nucleate is a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering the next generation of biotech leaders, with chapters spanning 10 regions and participation from over 60 academic institutions. Nucleate identifies future biotech entrepreneurs, removes barriers, and helps founders concentrate on building transformational technologies.
Nucleate’s programs are made possible thanks to our generous sponsors: (platinum) Alnylam, Genentech, Pillar; (gold) Alexandria LaunchLabs, Benchling, Emerald Cloud Labs, Morrison & Foerster; (silver) Latch Bio, Watershed; and philanthropic support from Schmidt Futures. Visit www.nucleate.xyz for our regional sponsors and more information.
