Bruce Gregory Friedrich[1] (born August 7, 1969) is co-founder and president of The Good Food Institute (GFI),[2] a Y Combinator funded non-profit that promotes plant- and cultivated meat alternatives to conventional animal meat.[3][4] He is also a co-founder of the alternative protein venture capital firm New Crop Capital.[5] Friedrich previously worked for PETA and Farm Sanctuary.
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 | Alka Chandna |
| Children | 1 |
Early life and education
Friedrich was born in West Lafayette, Indiana on August 7, 1969.[6] In 1987, he graduated from Norman High School in Norman, Oklahoma.[7] In 1996, Friedrich graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Grinnell College with a B.A. in English, Economics, and Religion.[6][8] 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.[9]
Career
Friedrich served as Director of Policy for four years at Farm Sanctuary.[10] 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,[11] including one from the early 2000s when PETA asked the Green Bay Packers football team to change its name, which had originated from a defunct meat packing plant in the Green Bay area.[12][13]
Friedrich worked with senior leaders at Mercy For Animals to launch The Good Food Institute (GFI) with the goal of transforming the food system by promoting price- and taste-competitive alternatives to animal products.[14][11] In recognition for his work at GFI, Friedrich was named an "American Food Hero" by the Eating Well magazine in 2021.[15][16]
Friedrich is a co-founder of New Crop Capital; a venture capital firm for funding the development of alternative proteins.[5]
Friedrich is a TED fellow;[9] in 2019, he gave a TED Talk that has since been viewed more than 2.3 million times and translated into more than 30 languages arguing that plant-based and cultivated meat have the potential to transform the global meat industry, preventing climate change, mitigating pandemic risk, and decreasing the prevalence of antibiotic resistant pathogens.[17]
Philanthropy
As an effective altruism advocate,[18] 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.[19]
Personal life
Friedrich is Christian and has been vegan since 1987.[20] He is married to Alka Chandna,[21] who works for PETA.[11]
Works
- Friedrich, Bruce (2005). "Effective Advocacy: Stealing from the Corporate Playbook". In Singer, Peter (ed.). In Defence of Animals: The Second Wave. Wiley-Blackwell. ISBN 978-1-4051-1941-2.
- Ball, Matt; Friedrich, Bruce (2009). The Animal Activist's Handbook: Maximizing Our Positive Impact in Today's World. Lantern Books. ISBN 978-1590561201.
- Freston, Kathy; Friedrich, Bruce (2018). Clean Protein: The Revolution that Will Reshape Your Body, Boost Your Energy—and Save Our Planet. Hachette Books. ISBN 978-1602863323.
See also
References
External links
- Bruce Friedrich on The Good Food Institute's website
- TED Talk: The next global agricultural revolution (2019)
- Interviews with Bruce Friedrich:
- Making Sense podcast with Sam Harris (2021)
- 80,000 Hours podcast (2018)