Articles written by
Ben Costantini

After a decade at the helm of UFI, the global association of the event industry, Kai Hattendorf is one of the most knowledgeable experts about exhibitions.

At Sesame Summit 2025, we put VC comms experts and event pros in the same room and asked: how can this relationship actually work?

The Selected podcast caught up with Fairmat founder and CEO Ben Saada at JEC World 2025.

Talking to the Selected podcast at Slush 2024, Lubomila explained why she speaks at events so often and the message she’s there to convey.

Now a general partner at pan-European VC firm OpenOcean, Finnish investor Tom Henriksson has been involved with venture investing and startups since the mid-nineties, with some notable successes.

Picsart co-founder Mikayel Vardanyan talked about his journey and lessons learned with the Selected podcast.

In an interview with the Selected podcast during SIAL Paris 2024, as Carrefour’s Innovation and VC Funds Director Hélène Labaume talked about her dual role and what it says of the retailer’s approach to startups.

Speaking with us for the Selected podcast during Web Summit 2024, LVMH’s Mathieu de Fayet shared insights on his journey.

Richie Gray, Vice President and Global Head of SnackFutures Ventures at Mondelēz International, shared insights on driving innovation in snacking.

In this podcast episode, Alexandre Leboeuf, VP of Open Innovation and Partnerships at Sodexo, shares insights into how Sodexo is driving sustainability, fostering innovation, and collaborating with startups to build a more resilient food ecosystem. Topics include waste reduction, empowering employees, and the role of technology in transforming food services.

Beatriz Jacoste, director of KM ZERO Food Innovation Hub, a Valencia-based organization, is on a mission to transform the way we think about food. In this episode, we explored her journey, her vision for a sustainable future of food, and the steps we can take to get there. The full episode is available on YouTube: Driven by Impact Having originally studied diplomacy, Beatriz discovered her interest in the food sector while volunteering at a food bank. As she put it, “Food is the most important and impactful sector in the world.” Building a Community of Food Heroes KM ZERO is more than a think tank; it’s a global hub for food change-makers. The community includes scientists, farmers, entrepreneurs, and investors, all united to create systems that deliver tasty and sustainable food without depleting our planet’s resources. “We believe they are saving the world through food,” Beatriz said. Innovative Trends Shaping the Future Beatriz highlighted cutting-edge trends including molecular farming, which could allow proteins to be grown directly in bananas. She also emphasized the importance of “less sexy” innovations like soil regeneration. “We’ve lost 40% of nutrients in the last 30 years. Technologies that help recover soil health excite me the most,” she noted. Educating the Next Generation KM ZERO’s Gastro Genius program engages children with food-related challenges to educate them on sustainable nutrition and inspire them to become change-makers. According to Beatriz, this is essential for driving long-term change: “If we don’t work with civil society, innovations won’t stick.” Events as Catalysts for Collaboration From summits like f_talks to initiatives in Latin America, KM ZERO leverages events to bring stakeholders together, bridging gaps between startups, corporates, and policymakers. Beatriz believes these gatherings are essential: “We don’t just want to inspire; we want to influence.” Find Beatriz on: LinkedIn: Beatriz Jacoste Lozano Twitter/X: @BeatrizJacoste Find Ben on: LinkedIn: Ben Costantini Twitter/X: @bencostantini — Be sure to follow Sesamers onInstagram, LinkedIn, and X for more cool stories from the people we catch during the best Tech events!

In this episode, Nadav Berger of PeakBridge Ventures shares insights into food tech investment trends, the evolution of alternative proteins, and how startups and investors can collaborate to drive meaningful change in the food industry.