Food System 6 announced today that Caesaré Assad will be stepping into the Chief Executive Officer position, after 2 years as the Program Director. Former CEO and co-founder, Renske Lynde, is now President of the Board of Directors and co-founder, Peter Herz, will continue serving as CFO as well as joining the Board as a Director. This transition enables FS6 to continue to grow as an important voice for improving understanding of the food system and supporting entrepreneurs as they bring their innovations to market.
“This marks an exciting moment for our organization,” said Renske Lynde, co-founder of FS6. “We are excited that Caesaré — as a passionate and enthusiastic champion of food system change — will lead FS6 in our next chapter of growth and impact.”
Caesaré brings to bear her 20 years of expertise in the food and hospitality industry and a deep passion for driving systemic change. Over the past two decades, she has worked as an entrepreneurial leader and an advocate for indigenous people, social and individual health, local foodsheds, and foodservice workers. She has developed a number of food and culinary-based programs that serve youth and adults from a wide range of backgrounds, including launching back-to-back wellness innovation concepts for Whole Foods Market. Caesaré has designed culinary-based services for major corporations around the US including Tesla and Clif Bar. Prior to joining FS6, Caesaré led the merger and rebrand of two national non-profits in the food system as the interim COO. She has served on the Board of Directors for Capay Valley Farm Shop and Mandela Marketplace and passionately volunteers her time to help community-based organizations and people.
“In this role, I will continue to build up our community and to support the change agents that are dedicated to transforming our food system,” says Caesaré Assad. “I do this work because I believe that building connection and community are key ingredients for creating a rich, vibrant, and just world.”
The organization is building its fifth cohort and early-stage companies are encouraged to apply by October 15th. You can learn more about Caesaré’s background as a chef here (https://www.farmtoforksf.org/farm-to-fork-sf-the-bounty-of-capay-valley), and about her professional experience on Linkedin (https://www.linkedin.com/in/caesareassad).
About Food System 6
Food System 6 (FS6) is a non-profit business accelerator whose mission is to support impact-driven entrepreneurs as they transform how we grow, produce, and distribute food. The organization runs a comprehensive program that mentors entrepreneurs by coaching them through a wide range of business and organizational needs. FS6 also works to educate stakeholders on the unique capital needs as related to redefining the food system. The FS6 portfolio includes 52 companies, both for profit and nonprofit, of which 50% are female-led and 43% are BIPOC founded or BIPOC serving. Since Cohort 1 (2016), the FS6 portfolio has seen a 90% survival rate and the portfolio companies have raised more than $30mil in blended capital. Additional information on the FS6 portfolio can be found here: www.foodsystem6.org/portfolio.html.
