– Cohort I evaluating a number of investment opportunities, seeking to make first investment soon –

Toronto, Ontario and Birmingham Alabama – 03 March 2015 – The Kirchner‎ Food Fellowship is pleased to announce that it has opened the application process for the 2015-2016 program. The purpose of the Kirchner Food Fellowship is to foster the development of individuals who have the practical skills and knowledge to make effective investments in needed emerging agricultural technologies. The Fellows have full discretion over their investment fund during a unique learning experience. A Fellowship may be held by a student currently enrolled at any university in North America. The Kirchner Food Fellows will be selected by June 30th with the program commencing in August.

“While getting my MBA, no other experience has afforded me such a unique opportunity to get firsthand experience allocating capital as a way to drive positive change in our food systems” stated Erin Lenhardt, Kirchner Food Fellow and MBA student at the University Of Chicago Booth School Of Business. “The Kirchner Food Fellowship is a once-in-a-lifetime experience that has the power to change both your career path and the world around you.”

“We are extremely excited to start looking for our next cohort of Kirchner Food Fellows. Brie, Erin and Ryan did a tremendous job as our inaugural Fellows and completely embraced the program. Our new Fellows will benefit significantly from their hard work” added Blair Kirchner, Director “We will be announcing some exciting new events for year two of the program over the coming months. The feedback and response we have received has been extremely rewarding and we look forward to continuing to enhance and grow the program.”

For more information or to apply for the program visit our website – www.fundthefood.com

On the back of the Kirchner Food Fellowship’s success, Director Steve Dauphin has been invited to speak at the International Farm Management Association (IFMA) congress in July in Quebec City. The IMFA mission is to explore issues related to farm management and to encourage the exchange of knowledge and innovative strategies in this field, at a theoretical and practical level, throughout the world. Steve will also be speaking at the ‘le Club b’ Conference in Toronto in May.

The Fellowship is also excited to announce that during the recent TFF Summit in Lisbon, Portugal team ARAAH received the $5000 Kirchner Food Fellowship Prize. Team ARAAH from the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology Bombay has created a sensing Module with Automatic Recognition Technology that has the potential to transform cold storage in India and around the world.

Kirchner Food Fellowship
The Kirchner Food Fellowship believes it is vital for the next generation of leaders to understand, get involved and aid in funding young entrepreneurial businesses which positively impact global food security. The Kirchner Food Fellowship provides an opportunity for an elite group of student leaders from North American Universities to be engaged in investment decisions for agriculture-oriented businesses with ground-breaking technologies which can provide long-term sustainable solutions, both environmentally and economically. The selected students receive high-level mentoring from networks of investors across North America. They also work directly with the Kirchner Group leadership team and its network of thought leaders. www.fundthefood.com

Alastair Summerlee
Executive Director
Kirchner Food Fellowship
519.824.4120 x 52986
asummerlee@fundthefood.com

Kirchner Group
The Kirchner Group believes that every business, and every portfolio of businesses, can be made more valuable and that none should become valueless, regardless of the circumstances. Kirchner Group’s proprietary platform is built on the premise that pairing deep domain expertise with process experts provides superior results. Kirchner Group has provided traditional merchant banking services since 1985 and offers advisory, operational and transactional support to companies as well as asset management services for institutional investors. The group’s clients and partners range from promising entrepreneurs to Fortune 500 companies and their investors. Kirchner Group also manages assets for some of the largest insurance companies, commercial banks and institutional investors in the world.

Kirchner Group’s Agriculture and Food team has more than 95 years of collective experience as operators, transaction experts and investors in the sector. Kirchner Group founded its agricultural social impact arm, Food Security Group, in 2011. www.kirchnergroup.com

Steve Dauphin
Managing Partner
Food Security Group
205.602.9845
sdauphin@fundthefood.com

Harvard Club in Midtown (27 West 44th)