Students Explore New Global Markets for AI Created Plant-Based Food Products
NotCo is a Chilean food-tech company that uses artificial intelligence to create plant-based products, including NotMayo, NotMilk, and NotChicken. Privately held NotCo achieved unicorn status in 2021 and has a current estimated valuation of $1.5 B. In 2022, it formed a joint venture with Kraft Heinz to expand distribution of NotCo products and develop new products.
In 2022 NotCo products were sold in the US, Canada, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Mexico, Peru, Colombia, and Australia. As competitors in the annual Russell Investments International Case Competition (RIICC) , UW student teams identified one new market outside of this list to target and developed a strategy for selling NotMilk in that market.
With just 48 hours to grapple with this real-world challenge before presenting to corporate judges, over 100 students came up with wide ranging recommendations including expansion plans to China, Germany, India, Indonesia and South Korea. There were a record number of Freshmen Track competitors this year and judges noted these teams had impressive presentations despite having just a few months of university-level coursework. Competing in the Masters track, were teams representing the full-time MBA, MS Information Systems, MS Supply Chain Management and MS Business Analytics programs. Ultimately the MS Business Analytics program team’s recommendation and support of it, got th e judges highest mark.
The undergraduate Champion team was no stranger to victory. Members of the winning team were also champions of the Freshmen Direct track in the 2022 Russell Investments International Case Competition. Final Round Judges noted this team excelled in the Q&A portion of the presentation as they confidently addressed their strategy to mitigate China expansion challenges.
Congratulations to the following winning teams:
Undergraduate Track
- Undergraduate Champion:
- Team C2: Samantha Jacqueline Choi, Kai Hutchison, Eleri Lyon, Srisubrahmanyar Ramasamy
- Undergraduate Finalists:
- Team A1: Khoi Dam, Iva Dhooria, Vridhi Manchanda, Adrian Soh
- Team B2: Sammie Hong, Kenneth Tian, Jaclyn Woo, Stacy Zhang
Freshmen Track Champions
- Team D4: Ashton Meyer-Bibbins, Neha Kommareddy, Brian Zhang, Brady Faul
- Team E1: Daniel Ganzarski, Trevor Lorenez, Grant Oliver, Katelyn Ye
- Team F4: Madison Iwata, Vivian Lam, Dana Loui, Harini Vijeyanandh
Masters Track Champions
Team G2: Yi-Kai Chen, Rachana Chetan, Erina Kim, Hezekiah Shanu
Congratulations to all of the competitors for their enthusiasm, engagement, and thoughtful recommendations. Perhaps one of these recommendations will be implemented as NotCo extends its global reach. The competition would not have been possible without the partnership of Russell Investments and numerous volunteer hours provided by judges, coaches, and volunteers — thank you!
Originally published at https://blog.foster.uw.edu on November 7, 2023.
