The Mills Fabrica Pitching Competition : Food Track

Cintia Nunes is the General Manager and Head of Asia of The Mills Fabrica. As the innovation engine to sustainability and impact of Hong Kong conglomerate Nan Fung Group, Cintia leads the team to connect innovators in the techstyle and agrifood tech space with capital, connections, and expertise — to bring sustainability tech innovations from concept to market.

Drawing inspiration from social business principles that prioritize both profitability and purpose, she is committed to facilitating collaboration among stakeholders across the ecosystem to advance positive environmental and social impact at scale.

Before joining The Mills Fabrica, Cintia served as Chief of Strategy and Growth at Hong Kong’s largest network of social enterprises and impact ventures. She also held leadership roles at a multinational FMCG company where she formalized business strategies for over 10 brands.

My Sustainability Goals for 2026:

• More industry level cross-sectors collaborations
• Open dialogues across stakeholder groups on what works/what doesn’t
• Accessibility/transparency to capital across asset classes for impact

Bexultan Shalabayev is a Software Architect at Agtom, a US‑based AgTech company founded by the same team behind Full Nature Farms Hong Kong. He specializes in developing smart farming systems and data‑driven automation for sustainable agriculture.

Bex has been recognized for his innovation and leadership, including completed the entrepreneurship training courses from Cambridge University professors and successful entrepreneurs and receiving the Belt & Road Scholarship. Fluent in English, Russian, and Kazakh, he brings an international perspective to AgTech development and is committed to advancing sustainable farming solutions.

Cherry is the co-founder of Do Did Dust Food, an innovative sustainable food brand dedicated to turning ‘Waste into Taste!’
Leveraging a background in nutritional science and experience across multinational luxury retail and major F&B groups, she seamlessly bridges food science, clean-label product innovation, and commercial market strategy. Applying her expertise to product development, she guides the entire process from product formulation to commercial scaling, upcycling okara into tasty and healthy snacks formulated without MSG, preservatives, or artificial flavors.
Through organizing workshops and public speaking engagements, she drives consumer education around circular food systems, food waste reduction, and sustainable eating.

My Sustainability Goals for 2026:

• Commercialize Upcycled Food Streams: Extend our upcycled product lines, unlocking new market segments and commercial applications, proving the business case for circular food models in Hong Kong.
• Drive Circular Education & Waste Reduction: Empower local businesses and consumers through hands-on workshops to rethink food waste, fostering a culture of food appreciation and sustainable dining across Hong Kong.

Jad Khiami is the Chief Technology Officer of Eat100, a Hong Kong food-tech startup tackling food waste by connecting consumers with surplus food from restaurants and retailers. He leads the platform’s technology strategy and product development, helping scale solutions that deliver both environmental and commercial impact. Jad is also the co-founder and former Chief Technology Officer of Benego, a Cyprus-based food waste reduction startup. He is currently studying Computer Science at the University of Hong Kong (HKU), where he continues to build technology-driven solutions for real-world challenges.

My Sustainability Goals for 2026:

1. Reduce food waste by making surplus food a mainstream choice across Hong Kong.
2. Encourage more restaurants and businesses to adopt sustainable food management practices.
3. Make sustainability an easy, affordable everyday choice for consumers.

Felix Cheung is the Founder and CEO of IXON Food Technology. He holds a PhD in Plasma Physics from the University of Sydney and is a former editor of the scientific journal Nature. At IXON, Felix leads the development of Advanced Sous-vide Aseptic Packaging (ASAP) and the PhantomCure system—breakthrough food science technologies designed to eliminate the need for cold-chain logistics. By utilizing advanced cleanroom engineering and natural preservation methods, his work enables highly perishable, premium agricultural products and proteins to be safely stored at room temperature for up to two years without compromising taste or texture.

My Sustainability Goals for 2026:

• Decarbonize the Food Supply Chain: I hope to see Hong Kong’s F&B sector transition away from energy-intensive cold-chain logistics, adopting ambient preservation technologies to drastically cut Scope 3 carbon emissions.
• Eradicate Commercial Food Waste: By extending the shelf-life of highly perishable imports at room temperature, I aim to see a significant reduction in the volume of spoiled food sent to Hong Kong’s landfills.
• Scale Local Green-Tech Innovation: I want to see Hong Kong establish itself as a premier launchpad for deep food-tech innovation, driving sustainable agricultural solutions across the Greater Bay Area and beyond.

Fioni Fong is an entrepreneur, speaker and the Co-founder of not only powder, a Hong Kong startup tackling food waste through circular innovation. Combining technology, creativity and community engagement, she transforms overlooked resources into meaningful products and experiences that help organisations achieve their sustainability goals. Before founding not only powder, Fioni spent over 10 years leading marketing, branding and product strategy for startups from early stage to Series B. She frequently speaks on entrepreneurship, innovation, branding, ESG and the future of circular business, inspiring others to build businesses that create lasting impact.

My Sustainability Goals for 2026:

In 2026, I hope to see sustainability become part of everyday life in Hong Kong—not something people feel guilty about, but something they genuinely enjoy being part of. I also hope more businesses will view sustainability as an opportunity for innovation rather than a responsibility. Finally, I’d love to see more collaboration between startups, corporates and communities, proving that even small ideas can create meaningful environmental and social impact when we work together.