MENTOR TESTIMONIALS

“The Plant Futures Challenge Lab has pushed me beyond my comfort zone unlike any other course! The intimate collaboration with individuals of varying backgrounds and expertise is the exact interdisciplinary experience I was seeking. Plant Futures has given me the chance to be at the forefront of sustainable food systems innovation and entrepreneurship, which is a driving force in public health transformation.”

“The Plant Futures Challenge Lab is definitely a highlight of my semester. As an MPH student, I am learning so much from collaborating with MBA students and mentors from the plant-based food industry and from being out of my comfort zone. It is incredibly rewarding to actually apply the project management and data analysis skills and content knowledge from my coursework to an actual product IRL.”

“The Plant Futures lab is not just a class. It’s an incubator for future plant-based food system entrepreneurs and change-makers. Classes like this one are why UC Berkeley has a leading reputation in shaping our future leaders, thinkers, and innovators. For me, being part of this course has been eye-opening and has provided a valuable opportunity to work with a leading business partner and explore possible career alternatives.”

“This is my last semester at Berkeley and I wanted to take the opportunity to express how transformational this class was for me. Before this class I knew I was interested in getting involved with the food industry but this class definitely reaffirmed and strengthened my passion for working in this field, especially with emerging brands that are transforming the food system.”

“What I enjoyed most about this class is the opportunity for hands-on learning. Many times in an academic setting, we aren’t able to apply what we learn to the real world. Being able to help a company and knowing your work is impactful is extremely rewarding.”

“I enjoyed being able to work with teammates across different disciplines and of different stages in their education as well as with an amazing organization where I was able to make connections to professionals in the plant-based food space.”

“I've enjoyed collaborating with people with various backgrounds and ages. The group's diversity has helped me learn a lot and see different perspectives but our common interest in the class and the food industry has helped us bond and find a driving force for the project.”

“I enjoyed every part of this class. The supportive nature of this class has provided me multiple opportunities to connect with various experts and professionals in the industry”

“I loved being able to use many different skill sets, from creative to more quantitative, to tackle problems and align on a concrete and tangible product idea.”

“I've really enjoyed the opportunity to take a very open-ended challenge and follow it through the various stages of development to a final product recommendation for our partner. The challenge also offered a great balance between entrepreneurial creativity and analysis.”

“I definitely plan to use my findings from this class in the future within my workplace. Not only were our findings relevant for all plant-based organizations, but they were helpful to think of in a marketing lens in general.”

“Getting to work with our challenge partners was a really great experience. I also enjoyed practicing my professional skills, networking, and learning about something completely new.”