Edible Tech: Connecting Bytes and Bites ft McDonalds, OpenTable, HomeChef & more

It's the 21st century, and food and technology have found each other and have sat down to have a long conversation over dinner.

We are at the beginning of the most pivotal relationship between food and tech. To discuss the intersection, the benefits, and the blooming bond, Dev Bootcamp presents Edible Tech: Connecting Bytes and Bites.

The goal with events at Dev Bootcamp is to bring together bright minds, to foster learning, inspiration and wonder, and provoke conversations that matter. Specifically, for this event, the goal is to bring together the Chicago community to discuss the relationship between food and technology.

Meet Your Panelists:

Elly Deutch - Global Social Campaign and Advocacy Manager at McDonald's

As a leader in the digital, social and online marketing landscape, Elly Deutch has provided her expertise to a diverse array of companies and brands – both large and small – on how to effectively create and execute fully integrated digital marketing strategies to grow their businesses. Over the last nine years in the digital space, Elly has created, executed, and managed social media communities for over 350 companies, athletes and brands.
In her current role at Global Social Campaign and Advocacy Manager at McDonald's, Elly creates and oversees all social media campaign, engagement and advocacy efforts for the brand worldwide. Elly speaks around the world at various conferences, summits, and events on her experience and knowledge of social media, sharing her strategies, insights and learnings from over the years.

David Rabie - Co-Founder & CEO of Tovala

David has been passionate about food since he went on a health alth retreat before starting college. For the last two years, he’s been working to bring clean, fresh meals to homes across the country as the founder and CEO of Tovala – the first company to create a smart oven and companion meal delivery service.

In June of 2015, David graduated with his MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. At Booth, David worked part-time for Foundation Capital (a venture capital firm in Silicon Valley), ran the Entrepreneurship club on campus and spent his summer interning at Google. Prior to Booth, David co-founded the mobile app Draftpedia - the first sports encyclopedia built exclusively for mobile. While it ultimately proved unsuccessful, it gave him a taste for technology and the startup ecosystem.

Dave Giunta – VP of Engineering at HomeChef

Dave Giunta is curious about lots of things including code, design and photography. But also about how people learn and grow in their passions.

He's currently the Vice President of Engineering at Home Chef where he helps his team improve at their jobs. Sometimes that involves applying his technical experience from his work on everything from large and ambitious projects to small and unassuming ones. But most of the time it means listening to his teammates as an empathetic sounding board and encouraging them to pursue their own curiosity.

Dave spends most of his non-work time parenting a young kitty with his wife in Chicago. His ideal Saturday includes spending time focused on learning something new, while enjoying a cup of perfectly-brewed coffee, followed by at least a few episodes of some fantastic television.

Steven Stern – Restaurant Relations Team Lead at OpenTable

A native of Cincinnati, Steven fell in love with restaurants & travel in his teens and found his way to Cornell’s Hotel School, which opened his eyes even more to the hospitality industry. After graduation he managed restaurants in Miami FL and Atlanta GA before joining OpenTable in 2012. Steven has been part of OpenTable’s restaurant relations team in both Atlanta and Chicago, where he moved about 2 years ago, and has loved the opportunity to work with so many wonderful and unique operators in the different regions he’s covered.

Eva Lindpaintner – Operations and Web Manager at Kitchfix

An equal-opportunity eater, Eva has always enjoyed discovering new foods, food philosophies, and ways to connect people with good, good-for-them food. As the Operations and Web Manager at Kitchfix, a prepared meal delivery service specializing in anti-inflammatory, locally-sourced meals, she works to improve the entire customer experience - from placing their order to receiving the meals.

Pasture-raised in the Swiss Alps, Eva came to Chicago after graduating from Brown University, and has been loving all the flatness the city offers. She was thrilled to find a company where her love of food could be front and center, and enjoys getting to know customers who share her nutritional philosophies. When Eva's not at Kitchfix, she's on the Lakefront Trail, volunteering at a dog shelter, or crafting the day away.

*More panelists and bios to come!

Schedule:

6:30-7pm: Check-in and Networking
7:00-8:00pm: FoodxTech Panel
8:00-8:30pm: Networking and Close

Interested in sponsoring this event? Please reach out to Naomi David (naomi.david@devbootcamp.com)