Episode 17 showcases Elysabeth Alfano, an influential figure in the world of food systems transformation. She is the founder and CEO of VegTech™ Invest, advisor to the Plant-based Innovation & Climate ETF, EATV. Elysabeth’s journey began with invaluable experience at Fortune 500 companies such as IBM-Europe and The Kellogg company, as well as being Chief Investment Officer for a small family office. Focused on both growth and impact, the EATV ETF invests up and down the food supply chain in companies that are innovating for efficient and sustainable food production, addressing climate change, biodiversity loss and food security. The ETF also highlights the seismic growth opportunity from the disruption of this $8 trillion sector. For more information, please visit EATVetf.com.
Deeper Dive: Insights from the Full Conversation
Beyond the headline strategy, the full conversation between Brad and Elysabeth Alfano covered several additional themes worth highlighting for advisors and investors.
On Process and Philosophy
I'm Brad Roth, Chief Investment Officer of Thor Financial Technologies, and portfolio manager of THLV, the Thor Low Volatility ETF. Behind the Ticker, uncovers the inner workings of the ETF industry. We will interview portfolio managers and ETF service providers to dive deep into their work lives and their businesses. We will learn the inner workings of their strategies and what drives them as they can to grow their company. Many of these individuals are entrepreneurs and will have unique and compelling insights to share as much goes on behind the Ticker.
Today we have Elizabeth Alfonno. She is the founder of Vegtech Invest and the portfolio manager of EV, which invests in food innovation companies. She is an expert in all things food and nutrition. And we talk about some of the things that are issues with our food, how we produce food, make food, ship food, and I think you're going to find it extremely interesting. So I hope you enjoy this episode with Elizabeth Alfonno. Elizabeth, welcome to the show.
Market Context and Positioning
I mean, it's one of those mass trends when you shift food, not necessarily what people eat, people are still going to eat meat, but it's how that meat comes to them. It's going to be in a much more efficient way. When I looked at that, I thought, okay, I want to do the investing in these companies around the world without our working on this disruption. And when I couldn't find that in the public markets, I thought, okay, this product needs to exist.
So before we get started, please explain for everybody who is listening kind of your background and how eventually you decided to start the Vegtech plant-based innovation ETF. So I've been after graduate school and BA. I've been working in food systems with the Kellogg company, special K Frosted Minuits, these were my brands and I worked on them not from just the brand management perspective, but from really running independent businesses. Production, packaging, logistics, shipping, sales, marketing, etc. And I loved working in food and I loved working at the Kellogg company, actually, international company focused on healthy products, give or take, we'll say.
You have the younger consumer, Millennials and Gen Z, Millennials, by the way, not that young anymore. But okay, we'll call them younger and Gen Z, and I guess even Gen Alpha. Very much behind putting their dollars where their values are and not being detrimental to the planet. So they're really driving the growth of plant-based innovation. What you have government spending in IP, at the same time that you have large food manufacturers coming under scrutiny from the SEC and others for the impact that they have on the planet.
Notable Insights
"That's why major cause of heart disease, diabetes, um, colorectal cancer."
"That's why you now have seeds that can produce monochrops of soil that is not fed to people."
Key Takeaways
- The conversation explores important themes in growth investing relevant to today's advisor landscape.
- The conversation explores important themes in energy relevant to today's advisor landscape.
- The conversation explores important themes in active management relevant to today's advisor landscape.
What This Means for Advisors
For financial advisors evaluating options for client portfolios, this conversation with Elysabeth Alfano highlights important considerations around growth investing. Understanding the strategy behind each fund—not just the ticker—helps advisors make more informed allocation decisions and better communicate the rationale to clients.
The themes of growth investing and energy discussed in this episode are particularly relevant in the current market environment, where advisors are increasingly looking for differentiated solutions that go beyond traditional benchmarks.
Listen to the Full Episode
This article is based on an episode of Behind the Ticker, hosted by Brad Roth, Founder and CIO of THOR Financial Technologies. For the full conversation with Elysabeth Alfano, including additional nuances and details, listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or watch on YouTube.