To Brooklyn for Food (+Tech)

It’s no secret that Brooklyn has evolved to America’s official foodie capital. Many formerly Manhattan based chefs have launched spin offs or new signature spaces in the borough. The artisanal food movement was practically borne here, and the latest news is that food technologies are following suit.The Food + Tech meetup is a five year old meetup run by three women entrepreneurs. This month’s topic, ‘The Business of On-Demand Food,’ drew over 150 registered attendees, so many that the organizers ran out of the booked Manhattan space and – on a short notice – moved to Brooklyn, the awesome space  at Brooklyn Winery to be precise.     Presenters:

• Instacart (grocery picking service)
• Munchery (professional chefs cooked meals from one kitchen)
• Doordash (restaurant delivery services)

Three much hyped – and highly valued - instant food delivery services presented their businesses. The valuation of Instacart alone, which has rapidly expanded their grocery delivery services from San Francisco into 17 US cities, surpassed the $2billion mark this year. Both Doordash and Munchery are approaching the billion dollar mark with newly raised funds. While none of the presenters could really answer the question why the evaluation was this high giving the slim margin in the grocery sector, it is clear that the demand by young urban professionals is there.The three big ones were followed by presentations (and tastings!) of ‘niche’ delivery services Drizly (alcohol), Sweetist (baked goods), GoodMeal (healthy home-cooked meals), and Ox Verte (instant grain bowls).From the wide range of food delivery concepts alone it became clear that there will be many more trying to catch a slice of the growing food delivery market. The attendees ranged from burgeoning entrepreneurs, foodies, and investors to Williamsburg neighbors. We loved the wines, food tastings, and networking and can’t wait for the next event.