NL Startup Competition’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.

As we gather steam in the New Year, our search is on for startups to apply for the fifth cohort of the AgFunder GROW Impact Accelerator! As always, our focus is on technologies we believe have the greatest potential to drive transformative change across our global agrifood system. This year we’ve identified six such focus areas (see image). Reflecting on the recent #cop28 summit and its Declaration on Sustainable Agriculture, Resilient Food Systems & Climate Action (https://lnkd.in/gMSf75h5), it got me thinking about which of our focus areas might deliver the most promising, impactful solutions to the complex interplay between food systems and climate change. For my money, the ‘carbon market solutions’ category, while broad-based, has great potential to shift the needle on climate change and shape a more resilient food system. Decarbonisation is obviously top of mind for many corporations and indeed investors today. For that reason, I’d expect startups developing unique products or employing innovative business models in this space to receive strong interest... Having said that, there's not yet a clear and definitive framework for carbon markets, so the challenge is on for startups to demonstrate clear regulation, standardization, and transparency frameworks, without which investors will be understandably cautious about directing funds. ‘Carbon solutions’ tends to be a bit of a catch-all, and within this vertical one of the areas I think we should be looking at more closely is the upstream “agbiotech” arena; in particular, the ability to leverage novel biotechnologies to engineer plants and inputs along the agricultural value chain to function better, grow stronger, and perhaps sequester carbon in the process? I’d love to hear which of our focus categories you feel will achieve the most bang for the agrifoodtech investment buck in pursuit of the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.  Are you the startup we’re looking for? Apply for the AgFunder GROW Impact Accelerator by 25 Feb: https://lnkd.in/gD6SeJ99 #goGROW #agrifoodtech #agbiotech #investment #innovation #carbon #climate #impact

☁️ 🌍 🥗 Food+Climate Tech is growing! Following last week’s release of our yearly report on the state of the European FoodTech ecosystem (download it here), I’d like to focus on another key point: the role of FoodTech in fighting climate change. 1️⃣ What is Food+Climate Tech? - AgTech startups: all sub-categories are directly or indirectly related to fighting or mitigating (living with) climate change: farm management solutions, agbiotech, indoor farming… - Alternative proteins and functional ingredients, notably those that use less natural resources. - Supply Chain startups which are creating packaging innovations to replace single-use plastic packaging and those fighting food waste. 2️⃣ How big is Food+Climate Tech in Europe? Europe is often considered a leading region for investments in Climate Tech, so it seemed interesting to examine in detail the intersection of Food Tech and Climate Tech. 📈 As you can see on the graph, investments have declined in the past couple of years, but… they actually increased in Food+Climate Tech. Climate-related funding now accounts for more than 50% of the whole FoodTech funding, up from 10% 8 years ago. 🧑🌾 If we look in depth, this is mostly due to an increase in AgTech funding (which is itself linked to increased investments in bioinputs and in carbon credit). We also observed a surge in the amounts invested in packaging alternatives and anti-food waste software solutions. 👉 Read our full European FoodTech report here: https://lnkd.in/etJDyjgC 👉 More insights on Food+Climate Tech here: https://lnkd.in/d2GHReua #FoodTech #ClimateTech #funding #startups

🔦 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.

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

🌧️ 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”.

Applications are now open for agrifoodtech founders to join the fifth cohort of the AgFunder GROW Impact Accelerator. [Disclosure: AgFunder is the parent company of AgFunderNews.] As part of GROW’s 2024 program, which kicks off in April, 10 founders will receive a $100,000 cash investment from AgFunder, introductions to its global network of co-investors, and mentorship and support from Singapore-based agrifoodtech accelerator, GROW, over a five-month period. GROW is particularly interested in hearing from startups innovating in areas including, but not limited to: - Artificial Intelligence and digital transformation - Carbon market solutions - Food production optimization and waste valorization - Food science, functional ingredients production and bioprocess technologies - Precision agriculture and aquaculture technologies - Sustainable biomaterials (including packaging) Think you have what it takes? Get more details here: https://lnkd.in/gekihrFU) and apply here: https://lnkd.in/gEafKpuZ

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

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