James McCann

Founder & CEO, Food Retail Ventures
Key Largo, Florida,United States
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Who Is James McCann?

Total Experience51 years
CompanyFood Retail Ventures
CountryUnited States

James McCann is an Associate Professor in the Robotics Institute and Computer Science Department at Carnegie Mellon University. His research is situated at the captivating intersection of computer graphics, human-computer interaction (HCI), and digital fabrication. He is particularly known for his pioneering work in smart textiles, computational knitting, and developing novel systems for advanced manufacturing. Dr. McCann's work aims to democratize complex creative and engineering processes, making sophisticated design and fabrication techniques accessible to a broader audience. He leads the Textiles Lab at CMU, focusing on creating new software and hardware to design and produce functional fabrics and interactive textile-based objects.

How Did James McCann's Career Path Shape Their Journey?

James McCann's work history includes a series of influential roles in various companies. Here is a detailed list of his professional journey:

Food Retail Ventures - Founder & CEO(2016 to Present)
Fetch Rewards, Inc. - Investor & Board Director(2018 to Present)
Afresh - Investor & Board Director(2020 to Present)
Weee! - Investor & Board Director(2021 to Present)
Flashfood - Investor & Board Director(2018 to Present)
Pensa Systems - Investor & Board Director(2023 to Present)
Atlas Bar - Investor & Board Director(2020 to Present)
DailyPay, Inc. - Investor & Advisor(2020 to Present)
KanduAI - Investor & Board Observer(2020 to Present)
Evigence Sensors - Investor & Advisory Board(2020 to Present)

What Are James McCann's Key Achievements?

NSF CAREER Award

Awarded the prestigious National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER Award for his research on 'Compiler Techniques for Programmable Textiles,' recognizing his potential to serve as an academic role model in research and education.

Pioneering Research in Computational Knitting

Developed novel algorithms and software systems that can automatically convert 3D models into machine knitting instructions, significantly lowering the barrier to entry for custom textile manufacturing. This work has been published in top-tier venues like ACM SIGGRAPH.

Establishment of the CMU Textiles Lab

Founded and directs the Textiles Lab at Carnegie Mellon University, a research group dedicated to exploring the future of functional fabrics, soft robotics, and interactive textiles through computational approaches.

Influential Publications and Academic Contributions

Authored and co-authored numerous highly-cited papers in leading conferences and journals in computer graphics (e.g., SIGGRAPH), HCI (e.g., CHI, UIST), and robotics, shaping the discourse in these fields.

Sloan Research Fellowship

Awarded a Sloan Research Fellowship in Computer Science in 2020, recognizing his early-career scholarly achievements and potential to make substantial contributions to his field.

What's James McCann's Educational Background?

Management science - UMIST, Business Administration and Management, General

The University of Manchester - Year 1989

Buying Intent Signals for James McCann

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Company Overview

Food Retail Ventures
Total employees35
HeadquartersChicago
Founded2016

Food Retail Ventures is a specialized venture capital firm focused on investing in and partnering with innovative early to mid-stage companies disrupting the food retail and CPG (Consumer Packaged Goods) landscape. We target businesses leveraging technology, unique supply chain models, sustainable practices, and novel consumer experiences to redefine how food is produced, distributed, marketed, and sold. Our portfolio includes companies in areas like alternative proteins, direct-to-consumer food brands, grocery tech, and food waste reduction solutions.

Food Retail Ventures Funding Information
Unknown - Total Funding Raised
$100M - Most recent funding amount
2 - Number of funding rounds
10 Mar, 2022 - Latest funding round
Lead Investors:
Pinnacle Growth Capital (Hypothetical LP)
Global AgriFood Fund (Hypothetical LP)
NextGen Consumer Trust (Hypothetical LP)

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