Topi Topics Live: Where Policy Meets the Plate
Topi Topics started with a simple idea: What if we created space to talk about food not just as business, but as a system—one that reflects our values, priorities, and power to shape the future?
It was something I’d been carrying for a while. In the middle of brand launches, product strategy, and scaling operations, I kept coming back to the same thought: We need more spaces to think out loud, across disciplines.
So I called Erika Wendel, someone I deeply trust from our work together on Equity Eats in Austin, and asked if she’d help me build it. She said yes. And together, we brought Topi Topics Live to life.
We envisioned something more layered than a panel and more intentional than a networking event. A space where founders, operators, policy leaders, and advocates could come together—not to pitch or posture, but to connect, reflect, and wrestle with the deeper questions that surround our work.
We hosted the first gathering at Immigrant Food in Washington, D.C.—a restaurant rooted in advocacy and belonging. The space held us well. So did the conversation.
Together, we explored:
Karma as a business strategy
Storytelling as a tool for behavior change
Food as medicine and public health infrastructure
Inclusive innovation in dessert and beyond
Tariffs and trade policy shaping sourcing decisions
We heard from people who are actively shifting systems: Seth Goldman, Mark Nguyen, Sara Quinteros, Doron Petersan, and Sara Polon—each offering a point of view that challenged, grounded, and expanded the conversation.
What we saw that night affirmed why this gathering matters: food lives at the intersection of policy, culture, economics, and care. And when we create space for that complexity, we unlock new ways to think, partner, and build.
Topi Topics Live is something I conceived to bring people together across food, policy, and impact. While it lives within the work I do at Topi Ventures today, it also reflects something more personal—my belief that systems change starts with honest conversation. And that real momentum comes from staying in that conversation long enough to imagine something better.
We’re already planning what’s next: smaller gatherings, deeper dives, and more room for questions that don’t have quick answers.
Thank you to everyone who showed up—and to those who helped make it happen. I’m proud this began with a question, a partner I trust, and a room full of people willing to lean in.
More soon.
About Joann Jen
Joann Jen is the Co-Founder and CEO at Topi Ventures, a boutique venture studio dedicated to incubating sustainable CPG brands. With a career marked by successful brand leadership, a commitment to social equity, and a deep-seated belief in the power of innovation, Joann is a driving force in the global CPG landscape.
