Bruce Friedrich | |
|---|---|
| Born | Bruce Gregory Friedrich August 7, 1969 West Lafayette, Indiana, U.S. |
| Education | Georgetown University Law Center (D.Jur.) Johns Hopkins University (MA in Education) London School of Economics and Political Science (Economics) Grinnell College (BA in English, Economics, and Religion) |
| Occupation | Nonprofit executive |
| Spouse(s) | Alka Chandna |
| Children | 1 |
Bruce Gregory Friedrich[1] (born August 7, 1969) is co-founder and executive director of The Good Food Institute (GFI), a Y Combinator funded non-profit that promotes plant- and cell-based alternatives to animal products.[2][3] He is also a co-founder of the alternative protein venture capital firm New Crop Capital.[4] Friedrich previously worked for PETA and Farm Sanctuary.
Friedrich was born in West Lafayette, Indiana on August 7, 1969.[5] In 1987, he graduated from Norman High School in Norman, Oklahoma.[6] In 1996, Friedrich graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Grinnell College with a B.A. in English, Economics, and Religion.[5][7] He holds degrees from Johns Hopkins University and the London School of Economics, and received his J.D. degree from Georgetown University Law Center, graduating magna cum laude, Order of the Coif.[8]
Friedrich served as Director of Policy for four years at Farm Sanctuary.[9] Prior to that, he worked at PETA for 15 years. As Head of Public Campaigns, he led many of the organization's highest-profile campaigns.[10] The most noticeable one was convincing the Green Bay Packers football team to change its name, that originated from meat packing plant, which failed.[11][12]
In 2015, Friedrich was recruited by Mercy For Animals as a co-founder of The Good Food Institute (GFI) in 2015 with the goal of transforming the food system by promoting price- and taste-competitive alternatives to animal products.[13][10] In recognition for his work at GFI, Friedrich was named an "American Food Hero" by the Eating Well magazine in 2021.[14][15]
Friedrich is a co-founder of New Crop Capital; a venture capital firm for funding the development of alternative proteins.[4]
Friedrich is a TED fellow;[8] in 2019, he gave a TED Talk that has since been viewed more than 2.3 million times arguing that plant- and cell-based alternatives had the potential to transform the global meat industry, preventing climate change and pandemics from antibiotic resistant pathogens.[16]
An effective altruism advocate,[17] Friedrich is a member of Giving What We Can, a community of people who have pledged to donate a portion of their income to effective charities.[18]
Friedrich is Christian and has been vegan since 1987.[19] He is married to Alka Chandna,[20] who works for PETA; they have one son.[10]
