Matthieu Vincent’s Post

🌍 Europe takes the lead in the global Food & Climate VC funding In 2023, European climate-focused Food & AgTech startups attracted over $2 billion in VC funding, surpassing the United States in global climate Food & AgTech funding for the first time. Rising challenges from climate change and a growing population are constraining food systems: as the world reaches nearly 9.7 billion people by 2050, we must achieve a staggering 70% increase in food production to ensure global food security. In our Food for Climate Report 2024 with FoodLabs, we analyzed how innovative Food and AgTech ventures are driving change toward a more sustainable future. Key highlights include: 🍃 Fermentation-based startups have seen substantial growth, with funding increasing twelve-fold since 2020. In 2023, these startups secured $76 million in venture capital, accounting for 22% of the total investment in European alternative protein startups. 🍫 Alternative cocoa startups already raised $74 million in 2024, more than doubling last year, responding to surging prices and environmental concerns. ♻ Sustainable packaging and biomaterials startups collectively secured over $100 million, with biomaterials alone growing by 238% year-over-year. 🌱With a third of global soils degraded, regenerative practices are vital for soil restoration. In 2023, European solutions in this area raised $581 million, led by biofertilizers. 💡Synthetic biology (Synbio) and artificial intelligence (AI) are revolutionizing the food and agritech sectors by improving efficiency, reducing waste, enhancing data transparency, and promoting sustainability. Access the full report using the link below👇

Did you know there’s a spray paint that can increase photosynthesis? 💡 Greenhouses often rely on artificial lighting to increase productivity. But this causes two challenges: super high energy costs that can be unaffordable for small growers, and increased carbon emissions. Lambda agri, a UK-based startup, is using photochemistry to improve agricultural sustainability by developing a spray paint that converts unused sunlight into light used for photosynthesis. Their innovation has led to increased food production without the need for additional electricity. Lambda is an example of science meeting sustainable innovation. They participated in our Greentech Europe 2024 programme. Read more at the link https://bit.ly/3WTBqV7 Our Greentech Europe initiative also tackles two big challenges: enabling the green transition across all sectors in Europe,*and* working on tackling that inequality by supporting diverse-led startups.

Meet the winners of the 𝗦𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲/𝗖𝗶𝗿𝗰𝘂𝗹𝗮𝗿 𝗖𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗡𝗟 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗽 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗲𝘁𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻! 🌱✨ Join us in applauding these startups for their groundbreaking work in sustainability and circular economy practices. A big round of 👏 for: 🍫 Kumasi Drinks: Tackling food and income waste by upcycling cacao fruit into delicious, fast-moving consumer products. They're revolutionizing the cacao industry, uplifting farmers, and expanding beyond beverages. 🌿 Nature's Principles: Innovating with a revolutionary process for lactic acid production to create biopolymers from residual streams. 🌊 Coastruction: Building a sustainable future with 3D-printed reefs designed for marine life restoration, conservation, and coastal protection. 🔋 Back to Battery: Addressing the material transition brought by the energy shift, focusing on local sources and robust supply chains. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to all participants for their commitment to a sustainable future. 🌍 Curious to discover more about these groundbreaking startups? Stay tuned! #Sustainability #CircularEconomy #NLStartupCompetition #Innovation #GreenFuture MT/Sprout Upstream Festival Erasmus Enterprise Golden Egg Check

As promised, I wanted to highlight one of the most interesting startups from last week's Green Tech Festival: Flybox® 🐛 presented by Co-Founder Larry Kotch Flybox is transforming how we think about waste management by utilizing insects to convert organic waste into valuable resources like proteins, lipids, and fertilizers. This innovative circular economy solution not only reduces landfill usage but also generates high-quality materials for agriculture and other industries. ♻️ What really stood out to me is Flybox’s potential to scale efficiently and make a significant impact on both waste reduction and sustainable production. It’s startups like this that show how technology can be a true driver of environmental change! 🌍 #GreenTech #Flybox #CircularEconomy #Sustainability #WasteManagement #Biotechnology #ClimateAction #EnvironmentalImpact #SustainableFuture #GreenStartups #Innovation

All this happened in ClimateTech this week: 🧪 Bioeutectics raised $2.1M to create more natural, sustainable solvents for use in food and cosmetic and without chemical and petroleums as it looks towards their U.S. expansion. 🏢 British startup Concrete4Change secured £2.5 million in a funding round led by Zacua Ventures. 🍄 Germany’s Infinite Roots® secured $58 million Series B funding, marking “the largest investment” in mycelium technologies in Europe to date. 🦗 Dutch insect protein startup Protix, which uses waste from the food industry as feed for insects that then are processed into valuable nutrients such as proteins and lipids, secured investment from the European Investment Bank through a loan agreement. ☕️ Kaffe Bueno, based in Denmark, raised €6.2 million in a Series A funding round led by Borregaard. 🌴 New York-based C16 Biosciences received a $3.5 million grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to expand its Palmless platform for precision-fermented palm oil alternatives and accelerate its path to regulatory approval. 🐟 Forsea Foods, based in Israel, unveiled the first prototype of its cultivated eel, and has partnered with Tokyo vegan restaurant SAIDO to create two traditional Japanese dishes with the cell-cultured fish. 🔋 Instagrid, based in Germany, secured $95 million Series C funding at a post-money valuation of $400-$500 million. ☀️ London-based Metris Energy secured £2 million in a pre-seed funding round led by Octopus Ventures and Aenu VC. 🔌 Danish startup Monta raised €80 million in a Series B funding round co-led by Energize Capital, GreenPoint Partners and Denmark’s state-backed Export and Investment Fund. 🌿 Berlin-based Vyld secured a seven-figure seed funding round backed by a blend of government funds, the EU, and a cohort of angel investors and venture funds. 🇺🇸 Innovation Endeavors announced the closure of its largest fund to date, securing $630 million in capital commitments to invest in the “intersection of science and technology” in sectors such as climate, intelligent software, engineering health and supply chain. 🇮🇩 AC Ventures, based in Indonesia, closed its fifth fund with $210 million. Its portfolio already includes Indonesian electric vehicle maker MAKA Motors and sustainable farming startup Koltiva, and it will use the funds to support startups that are growing quickly and align with its impact goals. 🔮 Our latest VC predictions including African Climate Investors: Maxime Bayen, Maelis Carraro, Romain Diaz, Victor Ndiege, Victoria Harris, Peter George, Caitlin Wale, Hossam Allam, Sherief Kesseba, Tobias Ruckstuhl, Toukam Ngoufanke, Eva Maria Stolz, Duval Van Zijl, Abby Stern, Farai Shaun Sekeso, Vova (Vladimir) D. Plus: Eatable Adventures Vectr7 Investment Partners LLP Vidia Equity https://lnkd.in/evRgfFiA

🔦 Featured in our next XTC Startup Spotlight is Susan Payne, co-founder of Sustainable Planet, the 2023 World Food Forum Startup Innovation Award winner in the Better Nutrition category.    💨 Susan Payne doesn’t let the grass grow under her feet. Armed with a liberal arts degree, law degrees from McGill and Oxford universities and an MBA diploma from London School of Economics, she spent 25 years at top investment banks and hedge funds. Then she pivoted, leaving city life in London to become a “green” entrepreneur in Africa. In 2020, Susan and Sven Kaufmann co-founded Sustainable Planet, which grows water lentils. Unlike soybeans and other plant proteins, water lentils are a highly nutritional #superfood, containing all amino acids and multiple vitamins, including B12. Water lentils grow quickly year round and produce 10-15 times more protein per hectare using 15 times less water than soybeans. They have no allergens and use no chemicals to grow them. So, what’s Sustainable Planet’s “secret sauce?” There are many. 💚 Sustainable Planet addresses three major global problems: food security, climate change and agricultural regeneration. They engage subsistence farmers, dramatically increasing their incomes and nutrition. The company holds the IP to increase protein and nutrients across many different foods, including supplemental powder, protein bars and pasta. Geared 100% to climate change initiatives and sustainability, Sustainable Planet is the rare startup that addresses each of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. We’ll be following Sustainable Planet closely as Susan and the team seek funding to scale up operations to meet demand. This will be fun. Thanks for another fabulous interview, John Martin! #foodsecurity #climatechange #agriculture #impact #innovation Victoria Young Bill Beth Corinna Marcelo Nicolas FAO Sven K.

🌧️ Climate investing is changing. It is no longer just about emissions reduction, energy transition and decarbonising the economy, but increasingly about the role of food systems and resilience. 🍎 Shout out to ClimateHack for featuring Climate Resilient Africa Fund as as an up and coming climate venture investor in their latest “Volume 81: the new funds backing climate”.

3 Startups tackling the global issue of food waste, from enhancing supply chain efficiency to consumer-level solutions: ONE\THIRD - developed a technology to assess the ripeness of avocados and other produce to minimise waste Orbisk - aims to reduce restaurant food waste by analysing disposal patterns. Reencle Food Recycler - offering a rapid composting solution to significantly reduce food scraps' volume in just 24 hours. These startups are at the forefront of combining technology with sustainability to tackle the food waste challenge. Alteam supports innovative startups that are leading the way in applying technology to solve global problems. By fostering connections between such groundbreaking ventures and the right talent, we contribute to a sustainable future. #Sustainability #FoodWaste #TechInnovation #AlteamSupport

Enjoying dairy shouldn’t come at a high environmental cost. Luckily, #impatient innovation is here to save the day! Israel’s dairy tech startups are tackling the biggest challenges in the industry, offering sustainable and delicious alternatives. With groundbreaking precision fermentation, innovators are slashing greenhouse gas emissions, conserving water, and reducing land use. 👉https://okt.to/R9I8in Curious about the incredible impact of these advancements? Check out this GIF. Let’s raise a glass of animal-free milk to a greener, healthier planet! #DairyTech #Sustainability #Innovation #AnimalFreeDairy #FoodTech #StartupNation #GreenTech #IsraelInnovation

The AgFunder GROW SEARCH IS ON(!!!) for #startups to apply for the fifth cohort of the AgFunder GROW #impact #Accelerator! #Applynow ⏰ before 25 February 2024!!! #startup #agtech #agritech #foodtech #climatetech #aquaculture #biotech #synbio #climateaction #sustainability #precisionfermentation #biomaterials #functionalnutrition #functionalingredients #ai #digitaltransformation #generativeai #digitaltwins #alternativeproteins #bioprocessing #regenerativeagriculture #supplychaininnovation #decarbonization #wastetovalue #valorisation #moonshot #venturecapital