About Our Speaker: Zane Starkewolfe

Zane Starkewolfe is the CEO & co-founder of Optimized Foods, where he leads the team. Zane brings over 15 years of experience in strategy, finance, and corporate development in biotechnology. Previously to Optimized Foods, Zane worked in biotech, venture capital, private equity, and tech transfer. Zane received his Ph.D. in Chemistry with a Designated Emphasis in Biotechnology from the University of California, Davis.

About Optimized Foods

Optimized Foods is an early-stage Davis-based R&D solution company that partners with CPGs, CVCs, and innovative food companies to create sustainable ingredient and food solutions. Optimized Foods offers its next-generation ingredient platform transforming untapped agricultural byproducts into nutrient-dense, precision-tuned ingredients for food companies. The company’s proprietary fermentation process unlocks valuable bioactive compounds at the source—creating high-performance ingredients that deliver on nutrition, functionality, and label simplicity.

About The Series: Learn From a Local

Learn from a Local is a monthly meetup and speaker series, hosted by AgStart, a non-profit organization that supports entrepreneurs advancing innovation in agriculture, food, and health. On the 1st Thursday evening of every month, AgStart hosts a local speaker from the agriculture, food, and health world to speak on a topic relevant to our entrepreneurial community and ecosystem. The goal is to offer a space to learn about our region and connect with local individuals while expanding the AgStart community. Our events take place in the AgStart Event Center: 1100 Main St., Suite 170, Woodland, CA 95695. An approximate event agenda is detailed above.

‍

Learn more: www.agstart.org

‍