Tag Archives: F&A Next

StartLife Welcomes Agrifoodtech Community at F&A Next 2022

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On 18-19 May, StartLife will welcome, once again, hundreds of the world’s leading tech startups, scale-ups, investors and corporates in food & agriculture at the annual F&A Next summit at Wageningen Campus, and online. As co-founder of this summit, StartLife looks forward bringing the agrifoodtech community together to connect, share insights and explore partnership opportunities aimed at building a sustainable food ecosystem and a better deal for all.

F&A Next is a two-day summit at Wageningen Campus that aims to accelerate innovation for a sustainable food & ag value chain. It’s the annual gathering of the world’s brightest minds in agrifoodtech who will debate industry challenges, share insights, discover new solutions and explore game-changing partnerships and investment opportunities.

Transformation of Global Food Systems

For our 7th edition, we will zoom in on the Transformation of Global Food Systems. The urgency to radically transform our food chain is increasing. Capital investment in food and agriculture is growing at an unprecedented rate. But are investments in technology and innovative business models contributing to more sustainable food production? What is still needed to meet the SDGs in 2030?

Renowned experts and industry leaders will share their thoughts and insights. Special topics include:

  • the role of impact investors,
  • the need for regenerative farming,
  • the future of proteins,
  • food & ag innovation in emerging markets, and
  • changing consumer preferences.

In close collaboration with F&A Next, Agfunder will also present its annual European Investment Report.

Agrifoodtech startups

F&A Next is all about startups meeting with investors, corporates and other agrifoodtech enthusiast. We offer 10 most promising agrifoodtech startups, the Next Heroes in Food & Agtech, the special opportunity to pitch live on stage to the entire audience. Startups  (>2017) from all over the world have until 13 April to apply for a pitching slot, which also includes a free ticket and free publicity.

In addition to the ten Next Heroes in Food & Agtech, we will also present some of StartLife’s very own early-stage startups at the extra-curricular breakfast session on Thursday 19 May.

Get your StartLife Relation Ticket!

As co-founder of F&A Next, StartLife wholeheartedly invites you to join these two days of networking, pitching and debating the dynamics in food and agriculture.

If you haven’t registered already, make sure to grab your own StartLife relation ticket (code: SL22), which earns you a 10% discount on regular in-person and online tickets. Buy your ticket before 18 April, to take advantage of the early-bird ticket prices!

We look forward welcoming you on 18-19 May at Wageningen Campus, or online. The choice is yours!

For an overview of the program and tickets go to www.fanext.com.

 

p.s. Stay up to date with the latest news about and for agrifood startups, scale-ups and more via StartLife’s Linkedin or Twitter account or via the StartLife newsletter (8x a year).

F&A Next 2021: Impact of Innovation

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F&A Next 2021

On 26 May, StartLife and partners welcome the world’s leading tech startups, scale-ups, investors and corporates in food & agriculture at the annual F&A Next summit. In addition to the opportunity to virtually meet and greet all the participants, the summit will showcase some of the most promising food and agtech startups, and moderate debates between leading experts on developments in zero carbon, proteins, scaling agrifood innovation and the digitization of the F&A industry.

For the sixth consecutive year, StartLife helps bring together entrepreneurs, investors and corporates from all over the world to facilitate connection and partnerships to build a sustainable food system and a better deal for all. With innovation in food and agriculture having gained momentum over the past few years, this year’s edition of F&A Next zooms in on the impact of innovation; what innovations truly disrupted our food system.

Last year, global investments in food and agtech were up over 30% to some USD 26 bln. It cannot be denied that the pandemic has had an influence, but has it irrevocably changed ‘life as we know it’? On 26 May, the impact of innovation on the agrifood industry and consumer behavior will be discussed by top executives and opinion leaders, including

Also eight promising food and agtech startups, known as the Next Heroes in Food & Agtech, will present themselves. And participants of F&A Next are among the first to receive Agfunder’s European Agrifoodtech Investing Report 2021.

F&A Next 2021 is enabled by StartLife, Rabobank, Anterra Capital, Wageningen University & Research and Foodvalley NL, with the support of Invest-NL, ICL, EIT Food Rising Stars and numerous network partners. With well over 1,100 participants and a high viewer rating (8.8/10) for its first virtual edition last year, the second virtual edition promises to be another great success.

Visit the website to view the complete program.

Join us! As co-founder of F&A Next we offer you a 25% discount on the ticket prize. Apply the code: SL-FaNxt21

 

 

F&A Next Presents ‘Eight Next Heroes In Food & AgTech 2020’

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F&A Next 'Next Heroes in Food- and Agtech 2020'

For the fifth year in a row StartLife is one of the leading organizers of the international agrifood event F&A Next.  Together with Foodbytes! by Rabobank eight most promising startups have been selected as this years’ ‘Next Heroes in Food & AgTech’. On May 13, they will pitch their innovations during a (free) live webinar of F&A Next to an international audience of agrifood investors, corporates, media and fellow entrepreneurs.

The eight startups were selected from a record number of applications. The applications came from 29 countries, from Sweden to Australia and from Hong Kong to the United States. Most solutions were in machine learning (28%), artificial intelligence (25%) and digital platforms (23%).

Next Heroes in FoodTech 2020

The following four startups have been selected as the F&A Next ‘Next Heroes in FoodTech 2020’. Join the live webinar to view their pitches.

 |  FUMI Ingredients (The Netherlands) : Develops functional food ingredients from microorganisms. The novel animal-free ingredients work as egg replacers and have no allergens. The production process allows a carbon footprint reduction of over 90% compared to conventional egg-white production.
 |  Connecting Food (France) : Tracks and digitally audits food products in real-time from farm to fork. The blockchain solution maps food supply chains and improve internal traceability. They also help brands and retailers improve their external transparency via a QR code & storytelling.
 |  COGZ (UK) : Offers a B2B online marketplace for food & beverage manufacturers and processors to buy surplus produce directly from farmers and growers. COGZ’s technology saves time, increases profitability and prevents food waste in primary production.
 |  Verdify (The Netherlands) : Enables companies active in the food domain to personalize their recipes for individual customers, supporting prevention and treatment of chronic diseases. Their digital platform fully personalizes meal recipes according to guideline-based medical diets, biomarkers and individual preferences.

Next Heroes in AgTech 2020

The following four startups have been selected as the F&A Next ‘Next Heroes in AgTech 2020’. Join the live webinar to view their pitches.

 |  Evologic Technologies (Austria) : Produces microbial bioactives (biostimulants and biopesticides) for seed distributors, thanks to its proprietary production platform technology. This allows distributors sell an upgraded product to farmers.
 |  Pebble Labs (USA) : Develops solutions to safely and sustainably increase natural crop yield and food security. Its mission is to develop breakthrough disruptive technologies that address the greatest agricultural, aquaculture, and environmental challenges facing the globe.
 |  FarmRaise (USA) : Unlocks public and private funding for farmers through cataloguing each grower’s unique options and simplifying the funding application process. FarmRaise makes it easy for farmers to invest in their operations today and steward their assets for future generations.
 |  Edete (Israel) : Offers a high-efficiency artificial pollination service solution for companies and growers. By reducing the deficiencies of erratic and dwindling insect-based pollination, Edete’s controlled and manageable solution has been proven to increase the yield of almond orchards.

Impact of the Coronavirus on the agrifood industry

F&A Next normally is a 2-day in-person event taking place in Wageningen (NL). Due to the Coronavirus pandemic the event is going digital, offering a live webinar on May 13th for free. For obvious reasons the impact of the Coronavirus on the agrifood industry has become a main theme. Top executives and opinion leaders discuss the impact of the Coronavirus crisis on business and consumer behavior. A panel of global investors will openly discuss if and how the current crisis affects investment decisions. And the above eight startups will pitch their innovations.

Join F&A Next Live Webinar for free

Registration is open to agrifood investors, corporates, media and fellow startups. Check the full webinar program here.

RESERVE YOUR FRONT ROW SEAT FOR F&A NEXT LIVE WEBINAR

 

p.s. You can also follow StartLife on Linkedin, Twitter or stay up to date with the latest news about and for agrifood startups, scaleups and more via the StartLife newsletter.

F&A Next Opens Call for Next Heroes in Food & AgTech 2020

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Innovative Food- and AgTech startups from all over the world are invited to apply for showcasing themselves at the fifth edition of F&A Next on May 13-14, 2020 in Wageningen (the Netherlands). In total 16 most promising Food- & AgTech startups will be selected to pitch their innovations on stage. F&A Next attracts an international audience of about 600 startups, investors, leading corporates and media. It includes one and a half day of networking, pitching and debating the future in food and agriculture.

The key to sustainably feed future generations is innovation. The food industry is in need for change makers with breakthrough ideas and technologies. F&A Next views startups as the driving force in this desired change. But as much as startups are needed for their drive, investors are needed for their belief, corporates for their mass impact and media for their reach. F&A Next brings these parties together.

Make a true impact on the future of Food and Agriculture

For startups who want to accelerate their early stage traction and make a true impact on the future of food and agriculture, F&A Next is a powerful platform. Aside from a large number of investors, the event attracts innovation managers of leading corporations such as Unilever and Nutreco, who are actively searching for partnerships with innovative startups that bring new value to their business. Various networking opportunities are provided to facilitate one-on-one meetings with the many key stakeholders that take part in the event.

16 most promising startups

In partnership with FoodBytes! by Rabobank, 16 of the most promising startups in Food Tech and AgTech will be selected by F&A Next to present themselves on stage. The selected startups will benefit from the following perks:

  • Pitching on Stage to leading corporates, investors, media, and other stakeholders that can help you grow.
  • Rewarded with the title “Next Hero in Food & AgTech 2020” by F&A Next
  • One free entree ticket to the full F&A Next program on 13 & 14 May 2020
  • Display corner where the company’s products/solutions are shown for one day
  • Media exposure through logos shared on F&A Next website and company profiles shared with all event attendees and media.
  • The chance to be picked by the audience as the “People’s Choice” startup, being automatically selected to participate of FoodBytes! London 2020.

All startups that apply for F&A Next ‘Next Heroes in Food & AgTech’ are eligible for receiving a benchmark of their performance compared to similar businesses including parameters such as sales traction, international growth, etc. They will also receive updates from FoodBytes! on opportunities in the Food & Ag space, insights on trends, and resources to keep developing as an entrepreneur.

Startups who want to participate can apply until March 15, 2020. 

Make sure to keep up with F&A Next by joining the F&A Next newsletter and follow F&A Next on LinkedIn and Twitter, or view content via the hashtag #fanext.

 

Looking back on a fruitful F&A Next 2019

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With pleasure we look back at a successful and fruitful 4th edition of F&A Next 2019. With the most inspiring speakers from the industry and ample opportunity to make contacts, these two days proved to be very fruitful.

Take a look at the F&A Next website to see the photos and the video impression.

F&A Next is an initiative by Rabobank, Wageningen University & Research, Anterra Capital and StartLife, collectively believing that innovation will be key to sustainably feed future generations.

F&A Next 2018 Rocked!

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We did it! With all of you visiting Wageningen Campus last May, we made F&A Next 2018 the place to be. F&A Next makes it possible to be in the same room with some of today’s food & agtech rock stars. More than 550 visitors packed the seats across two days to follow and participate in presentations and panel discussions about robotics, transforming food tech, protein alternatives, and agtech and more. F&A startups, investors and experts took the stage and networked with the crowd.

For more impressions, quotes and backgrounds, read more on the F&A Next website.

 

 

F&A Next: platform for food and agriculture companies, investors and startups

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Smart production of food with less ecological impact and its connection between nutrition and health are the two topics that will be taking centre stage at F&A Next on the 17th and 18th of May 2017. Interested companies, startups and investors in the field of food and agri(culture) can register to attend the event.

REGISTER NOW

‘The food and agri sectors faces a tremendous challenge. We must create smarter production in order to achieve higher yields, meet changing consumer patterns and, at the same time, reduce the ecological impact,’ says Jeroen Leffelaar, Managing Director, Large Corporates Food & Agri at Rabobank. ‘There is, however, not a one-size-fits-all solution. There are differences between crops, geography and what we can do depending on the company’s level. But we are already noticing the effects of climate change and the decreasing amount of agricultural land per capita.’

Jeroen Leffelaar Rabobank FA NExt‘That’s why we will focus at F&A Next, on the gradual transition to smart farming, which entails the sector applying high-tech systems and data technology. We will explore this topic from different perspectives. This will provide farmers with a platform for sharing their challenges and potential solutions’, says Jeroen Leffelaar.

Health and vitality

In addition to the need for smarter production of food, the food and agri sector must also rise to challenges in the field of prevention and health. Increasing buying power, urbanisation and the ‘westernisation’ of food consumption, impacts consumer behaviour and consequently the health and vitality of people. Leffelaar: ‘Today around two billion people worldwide are overweight and 30% of these are obese. This has a huge impact on healthcare costs, productivity and general well-being. The food industry can play a key role by providing healthy and tailor-made products. There are numerous innovations at the interface of food and prevention and food and medical treatment. At F&A Next we will provide an insight into the current situation, discuss innovations and take a more in-depth look at the legal challenges.’

Common denominator

F&A Next is an international platform that brings together investors, startups and scale-ups in the field of food and agri. The event is organised by Rabobank, Startlife and Wageningen University & Research to stimulate disruptive innovation and entrepreneurship. Jan Meiling, Innovation Manager at Wageningen University & Research: ‘Multinationals and startups need each other. Multinationals want to stay up to date on innovations and are looking for ways to involve startups in their innovation strategies. Startups in turn need a corporate partner, such as a multinational, at a certain point in their development. This interdependence is a strong stimulus for innovation in food and agri.’

FA Next 2017 food agri platform startup investor

International platform

More than 100 international investment funds, as well as representatives from some of the largest international food & agri companies, will attend F&A Next 2017. F&A startups and investors will meet each other during pitch sessions, company presentations, networking opportunities and one-on-one conversations. Meiling: ‘Our program will shed light on the most relevant social and economic themes. We’re also bringing the FoodBytes! pitch concept to the Netherlands. This will provide startups with a strong international platform to pitch their innovations.’

Registration

Startups that wish to pitch their innovations can register at www.fanext.com. Food and agri companies and investors that would like to develop a partnership with F&A Next or attend the event are invited to register on the same website.

N-CHROMA and Phenospex winners startup competition F&A Next 2016

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25-26 May we launched with four other partners F&A Next. F&A Next is the first European Platform for startups and investors active in Food and Agriculture, that aims to support startups with funding capital. In total over 150 startups, 100 investors and 200 other visitors joined the 2-day event.

The first day started with a pitching competition of 20 featured startups. N-Chroma, a Wageningen startup and Phenospex won the F&A Next competition.

N-CHROMA Wageningen startup

N-Chroma‘s Constantinos Patinios team won the early-stage startup pitching competition. His company uses biotechnological methods to develop and produce natural colors for usage in food, textile and cosmetics. N-Chroma participated in the competition to attract attention from food companies as they identified this sector as their main target market. Aside from this, an investment of 500.000€ is needed.

Contantinos Patinios, PhD student at Wageningen University: “We don’t have very specific plans yet, but we have spoken to 3 or 4 people and we are curious what these investors can do for us!”

Phenospex

Phenospex, represented by Gregoire Hummel, won the later-stage part of the competition. His startup develops and markets sensors and analysis software to assess and analyze plant performance for agriculture. They aim to be a world leader in plant analysis and automate processes related to plant screening and agriculture. They hope to close an investment deal within the next 4-6 months.

Gregoire Hummel: “We came to present our idea and to meet investors, but now that we won, we are surprised and super happy for the guys at home, they will be happy that people like our ideas and our products.”

Prize

N-Chroma and Phenospex will pitch again today, among several later stage scale-ups who will present their pitches. Additionally they will get a chance to pitch at FoodBytes! in Boulder, USA in October. Their trip is sponsored by Rabobank, co-organiser and sponsor of FoodBytes!

About the F&A Next pitching competition

20 promising, pre-selected F&A Startups took the stage to convince a jury of investors. Their innovative ideas in food and agriculture technology ranged from technology to isolate soluble leaf protein to vertical farms and tractor navigation apps. They had to make a strong first impression in only 1 minute, after which 8 of them were selected to extend their pitch to a 5-minute pitch and 5-minute Q&A with the Jury.

F&A next initiators

We initiated F&A Next together with Food Valley NL, Rabobank, Anterra Capital, StartLife and Wageningen UR.

Read more at the website of F&A Next