The Full Story

Timothy Childs is the Founder and Co-CEO of Nutri8 (formerly Treasure8), an innovative food technology company headquartered in Richmond, California. Widely recognized as the first technologist to transition from Silicon Valley into food innovation, Timothy pioneered the food tech movement in 2003, years before it became an established sector. Under his leadership, Nutri8 has developed advanced food energy preservation systems that simultaneously address global food waste and nutrition insecurity—twin challenges at the heart of sustainable food systems.

With over 25 years of experience, Timothy brings a unique systems architect approach to complex problems. A gifted machine designer and process engineer with multiple food processing patent filings, he has led the development and deployment of commercial-scale food stabilization technologies across multiple countries, resulting in transformative industry partnerships.

Prior to Nutri8, Timothy founded TCHO Chocolate, where he revolutionized the cacao industry through technology-driven approaches to chocolate making. His creation of TCHOSource—a groundbreaking sourcing program based on premiumization and flavor labs—introduced numerous industry firsts: factory pre-visualization using VR/AR for remote monitoring; GPS-tracked sourcing with real-time sensory data; remote sensing of jungle fermentation via satellite; pioneering iPhone factory control systems; and portable flavor labs for cooperatives. This approach enabled carbon footprint tracking, consumer beta testing programs, and automated systems that improved quality while enhancing farmer livelihoods throughout South America and Africa. Additionally, Timothy pioneered the use of computer graphics to visualize the chocolate tempering process, developed in partnership with USAID, which supported sustainable development programs throughout South America and Africa.

In a groundbreaking career pivot that created an entirely new industry category, Timothy transitioned from NASA's Space Shuttle program, where he developed advanced machine vision systems, to revolutionizing the chocolate industry in 2003 with Cabaret Chocolates. As documented in multiple publications including SF Gate and The Mercury News, this pioneering shift established him as the first Silicon Valley technologist to apply innovation principles to food production. He later co-founded several early virtual reality ventures, including the nonprofit VeRGe (Virtual Reality Education Foundation) in 1991.

A recognized leader in emerging technologies, Timothy ran the influential Web3D Roundup at SIGGRAPH and globally, connecting digital pioneers across continents. His background in technology is deeply rooted in the pre-web internet and early real-time computer graphics (VR) fields. This expertise was regularly featured on major media outlets including CNBC, highlighting his ability to translate complex technical concepts for broader audiences.

In his most recent initiative, Timothy co-founded Nourish, a nonprofit organization focused on supporting Nutri8's regenerative agriculture R&D efforts and related educational programs. This reflects his philosophy of "commercializing caring"—a principle recognized by regenerative business pioneer Carol Sanford.

His innovative approaches have garnered coverage in leading publications including The New York Times, The Economist, Time Magazine, and MIT Technology Review, as well as broadcast features on CNN, CNBC, NBC News, and NPR. Timothy's groundbreaking use of iPhone technology to control his chocolate factory was featured in an early Apple iPhone for Business advertisement, showcasing his pioneering integration of mobile technology in manufacturing. A sought-after speaker, Timothy has presented worldwide at venues ranging from the USDA AG Outlook Forum to the Milken Institute, ReFED, and Seeds&Chips.

Timothy's contributions have been recognized through multiple awards and grants from organizations including the USDA and California Energy Commission. He remains active in innovation networks, having been a member of the Google Innovation Lab for Food and serving as a founding member of OSC, a network of CEOs addressing critical challenges in food, agriculture, and planetary sustainability.

A certified supertaster, Timothy brings both technical expertise and sensory acuity to his food innovation work. Beyond his professional pursuits, he supports large-scale art projects, including San Francisco's iconic "The Bay Lights" installation on the Bay Bridge.

Timothy's first job was at age four, sorting pallets of colored lollipops at his parents' home—preparing materials for Dallas's NorthPark Center, where they invented the shopping center holiday display industry. In Raymond Nasher's extraordinary fusion of retail and world-class art, his parents created magical installations like flying nut-covered reindeer with raisin antlers and cherry sour Santa that still delight generations today. From sorting candy and cases of apples to witnessing ideas transform into wonder alongside giant museum sculptures, he absorbed how breakthrough innovation requires visionary thinking, hands-on creation, compelling storytelling, and the guts to lead something entirely new.

This pattern—from imagination into reality—guides his ventures today but with modern tools, while the art-at-scale passion led him to help produce major works like San Francisco's Bay Lights and numerous large-scale art pieces at Burning Man. Whether transforming candy and food into joy as a child or food waste into nutrition as an adult, he follows the same creative cycle that began in that extraordinary intersection of commerce, art, and imagination creating wonder, delight, inspiration, and success.