Todd Aetherwyn

Senior Director, UPSIDE Foods

Todd Aetherwyn is the Senior Director of Enterprise Intelligence & Operations at UPSIDE Foods, where he leads cross-functional teams integrating AI, data systems, business operations, and technical infrastructure to reimagine the future of food. With more than 15 years of experience spanning strategy, organizational change, operations improvement, and enterprise systems, Todd brings a systems-level lens to building resilient, high-performance teams in complex and emerging industries.

A biomedical engineering graduate turned innovation catalyst, Todd’s career includes leadership roles at Zendesk, UCSF Health, and Epic, where he spearheaded strategic programs that shaped culture, scaled teams, and improved outcomes across healthcare and tech. He is a certified project manager, Lean faculty member, and a passionate advocate for combining technology with human-centered systems. Outside of work, Todd’s path is equally dynamic – he's a novelist, dancer, and Aikido practitioner, reflecting a lifelong commitment to creativity, discipline, and transformative practice.

Feeding the Future: What AI Can Teach Us About Feeding the World

What happens when the future of food collides with the future of AI? In this session, Todd Aetherwyn of UPSIDE Foods joins a leader from AWS to unpack how artificial intelligence is reshaping everything from R&D pipelines to regulatory strategy in the cultivated meat space. Together, they’ll explore the cultural and operational shifts needed to support deep innovation in an emerging industry, alongside the ethical, political, and human questions that AI raises along the way. Expect a fast-moving, systems-level discussion rooted in lived experience and long-range thinking.