Expert Talk: Alternative Proteins in China
By Tao Zhang, Co-founder & Managing Partner of Dao Foods
Tao Zhang is the Co-founder of Dao Foods International and Managing Director of Dao Ventures. Prior to this, he was the Global COO of New Ventures housed at the World Resources Institute. In this role, he led the organization’s office in Washington, D.C., and helped its local centers in Brazil, China, Colombia, India, Indonesia, and Mexico double their collective investments to nearly $400 million within two years. Tao also has extensive investment and operational experience in the telecom and high-tech sector, through roles as assistant president of Asia-Pac at Convergys. He has also held a leadership role at Strategic Venture Investments in Asia at Verizon.
Length: 17 minutes
Chapters
00:17 - Introduction to alternative proteins in China
04:00 - China’s unique characteristics
05:00 - Characteristic 1: Tradition
06:50 - Characteristic 2: Technology
08:56 - Characteristic 3: Investment
09:43 - Characteristic 4: Consumer
13:40 - Characteristic 5: Policy
14:17 - Consumer-driven versus policy-driven growth
About Dao Foods
Dao Foods is an impact-oriented investment and advocacy firm that invests in and supports plant-based and alternative protein companies based in China and focused on the Chinese market, as well as non-Chinese companies that have some strategic value to China in terms of its protein diversification. Their mandate is to support entrepreneurs who can play a role in capturing the mind and wallet shares of mainstream Chinese consumers, serving as their investor, their cheerleader, and their value-added partner.
Additional Resource
For more information, Tao’s TED Talk can be viewed here.