As of today food & ag startups are invited to apply for the European FoodNexus Startup Challenge, a contest and support program that will recognise and accelerate the most promising food & ag startups in Europe. Apply at www.fnsc.eu.
The European FoodNexus Startup Challenge, organized for the 2017, consists of selection rounds in seven European countries: Denmark, Spain, Italy, Ireland, France, Belgium and The Netherlands. More EU member states are eager to join this prestigious program from 2018 onwards.
Startups winning their national finals are qualified for the European Finals. The first EU final is scheduled for December 13th, 2017 in Wageningen, The Netherlands. From 2018 onwards, the EU final will be hosted, yearly, in different European countries. All European finalists will receive cash prizes, premium exposure to the investors community, exclusive access to the support of leading European food & ag companies, including Unilever, and business development support from high-level mentors. The European winner is awarded an additional cash prize of €50,000.
FoodNexus proudly connects its name to the challenge. As initiator of this challenge FoodNexus invites startups from its three core domains to participate in the FoodNexus Startup Challenge. The three domains are:
- Agrotechnology for Food Security and Sustainability.
- Technology for Food Quality and Safety.
- Food technology for Health and Well-being.
“Agtech and foodtech can contribute to solving societal challenges by developing healthy and safe foods, sustainably grown and provided in the right quantities to feed the world’s growing populations”, says Rob Hamer, VP R&D at Unilever and president of FoodNexus, and continues: “Startups are of key importance to build a sustainable and economically viable food sector that is fit to meet the challenges of today and tomorrow. That’s why FoodNexus is proud of having launched this important challenge.”
The Minister for Agriculture of the Netherlands, Martijn van Dam: “This European challenge aims at startups in food and agriculture. Those who join the competition can have excellent opportunities to learn, because practical experts are there to guide the startups. And there is a bonus for all of us. This new challenge will strengthen the EU network of startups, investors, researchers and corporates.”
The Ministry of Economic Affairs of the Netherlands agreed to host the first EU final in The Netherlands and to contribute €200.000 to make this European challenge happen.
About FoodNexus
FoodNexus is a European consortium of multinational companies and world-class knowledge institutes. It has the ambition to create a robust and sustainable European food system in which global and diverse local food systems interact.
Contact for the media
If you require additional information, please contact Thomas van den Boezem via thomas@fnsc.eu or +31 (0)6 5374 4262.
