Last month, the Startup Launchpad Monterey Bay partnered with the El Pajaro Community Development Corporation to host the inaugural Monterey Bay Specialty Foods Industry Founders Roundtable meeting online. Firms from across the region participated by discussing industry issues, sharing dreams, challenges, and resources.

A large number of startup businesses in our region participate in the Specialty Foods supply chain: manufacturers, distributors, retailers, suppliers, and others. We see those companies not as competitors with each other, but as fellow entrepreneurs and as a community that would benefit from sharing information and joint problem-solving to “lift all boats.” 

A struggle for all small firms is finding the resources needed to make the business succeed and grow. We believe that a Founders Roundtable will help these founders identify resources, get peer-to-peer advice, and identify common opportunities and problems that can be jointly solved. 

The Startup Launchpad is here to help entrepreneurs turn their business ideas into launchable, fundable businesses. Whether these businesses are very early in their quest or nearly to their Series A round, our network of mentors and advisors, supported by our educational and training programming, can help them find their way to success.