The Netherlands has moved from fifth to third position for best startup ecosystems in Europe as shown in the Global Startup Ecosystem Report 2020 by Startup Genome. The Amsterdam-Delta takes a higher position each year and is now in 12th position in the global ranking. Startup Genome finds the Agtech, Food & Life Sciences performance … Continue reading The Netherlands in Top 3 Best Startup Ecosystems in Europe
On 24 June we celebrated the graduation of nine startups of the StartLife Accelerate Spring 2020 cohort. On behalf of StartLife and the nine graduated startups we thank all 200+ participants for joining our first global and virtual graduation day. We are happy to share some Graduation Day highlights with you. Video Compilation View our … Continue reading Highlights Graduation Day of StartLife Accelerate Spring 2020
Brief updates from StartLife Alumni and Community members. Ellipsis closes deal with the city of Rotterdam In the context of our energy transition, the city of Rotterdam wants to continuously map how many solar panels are installed in their city. Ellipsis has been selected to detect all solar panels in Rotterdam using remote sensing and … Continue reading StartLife Alumni Updates – July 2020
For the second year in a row Lidl and StartLife co-organize the Lidl Future Goods Week. From July 9th you will find six sustainable food products from promising startups in all Lidl stores in the Netherlands. With this initiative Lidl provides food startups the opportunity to get their first retail experience, whilst Lidl works on … Continue reading Lidl Provides Shelf Space To StartLife Startups During Future Goods Week
This week we held a virtual Innovation Day for and with one of StartLife’s newest corporate partners, Limagrain. Limagrain, one of the largest seed companies worldwide, actively explored their partnership opportunities with the StartLife community on Wageningen Campus. And when we say active, we mean active! Devoted to innovation We were impressed with Limagrain’s truly … Continue reading Limagrain Explores Partnership Opportunities At Wageningen Campus
With great pleasure we invite you to the graduation of nine ambitious Food- & AgTech startups of the StartLife Accelerate Spring 2020 Cohort, which takes place online on Wednesday, June 24th 2020 from 15.30 to 18.00 (Central European Summer Time). For the first time we open the doors to our graduation day to the global F&A community. … Continue reading Virtual Graduation Day of StartLife Spring 2020 Cohort
Brief updates from StartLife Alumni and Community members. 3 million euros for Cerescon’s asparagus harvesting robot StartLife alumnus since 2015 Cerescon, the developer of the very first selective asparagus harvesting robot, Sparter, seems to benefit from the impact of the coronavirus. Many growers of asparagus, the ‘white gold’, are currently confronted with a 30% shortfall … Continue reading StartLife Alumni Updates – May 2020
When the team behind Epinutra first started its research, it was looking for solutions to strengthen the connections between cells in the body. Ten years later, it has developed a natural food supplement that could provide a new way to tackle heartburn – even in vulnerable groups like pregnant women. Epinutra’s CEO and founder Richard … Continue reading Founder Story: Epinutra Targets A Natural Solution To Heartburn
Rabobank and StartLife announced today that they have extended their strategic partnership aimed at supporting impactful food and agtech startups for another three years. Both parties feel it is vital to ensure innovative and sustainable solutions that help secure the future of our global food supply get the best chances to succeed. Now more than … Continue reading Rabobank And StartLife Extend Strategic Partnership To Drive Food & AgTech Innovation
Today, 23 April 2020, Royal Cosun and StartLife announce a strategic partnership aimed to actively connect innovative agtech startups with Cosun. Cosun’s ambition is to be a leader in plant based innovations. To increase their innovative strength and development speed they seek out for close collaborations with innovative startups. Cosun has set out the ambition … Continue reading Royal Cosun Opens Doors For Innovative Agtech Startups With StartLife
Healthy eating should be easy for everyone – including those with chronic medical conditions and specific dietary needs, according to the founder and CEO of personalized nutrition platform Verdify. Launched in November 2019, Verdify is an artificial intelligence platform that links food retailers’ recipe databases with consumers who have special dietary requirements. Users can choose … Continue reading Founder Story of Verdify: Better Health Through AI And Personalized Nutrition
Brief updates from StartLife Alumni and Community members NGS Secures Convertible Loan Of 250k euro From LIOF alumnus of StartLife’s Fall 2019 cohort Next Generations Sensors (NGS) receives €250,000 from the Limburg Business Development Fund (LBDF) of LIOF, the regional development company of the Dutch Province of Limburg. NGS will use the funding to deliver … Continue reading StartLife Alumni Updates – April 2020
In May 2017 Klasmann-Deilmann entered into a strategic partnership with StartLife. The partnership was aimed at boosting their innovation development program and gaining access to innovative startups in commercial horticulture. As the collaboration exceeded their expectations by far, the market leader in professional horticulture substrates decided to extend their corporate partnership for another three years. … Continue reading Klasmann-Deilmann Extends Corporate Partnership with StartLife
StartLife proudly announces to have been accepted as Network Partner in EIT Food, a pan-European consortium that focuses on entrepreneurship and innovation in the food sector. Its members are world-class players in the international food and agricultural domain. Being a member of EIT Food enables StartLife to connect with new startups and partners as well … Continue reading StartLife Becomes Partner Of EIT Food
Wageningen University & Research joined Foodshot Global, an international capital investment network of funding bodies, banks, businesses and knowledge institutions that provides credit to startups and other new businesses in the field of innovative food systems. Foodshot Global also organizes competitions whereby it hands out cash prizes to nominated individuals with a proven track record. … Continue reading Wageningen University & Research Joins International Foodshot Global Network
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 … Continue reading F&A Next Presents ‘Eight Next Heroes In Food- & AgTech 2020’
The Dutch government has mobilized a first 100 million euro to grant soft-loans to startups, scale-ups and innovative SMEs in the Netherlands that suffer deeply from the Corona crisis. Companies can apply for a bridging loan up to two million euros. can The loans will be provided via regional development companies in The Netherlands. The … Continue reading 100 Million Euro Bridge Financing for Dutch Startups
This month EP&C, a patent attorney agency, extends their partnership agreement with StartLife. StartLife helps early stage technology start-ups to validate their business, find investors and achieve their growth ambitions. Patent protection is crucial at this early stage, so EP&C help the young entrepreneurs with this. In recent years, the company has assisted them with … Continue reading 4 Reasons For Talking To A Patent Attorney At An Early Stage
In March StartLife partner Shift Invest launched their third fund for impactful early-stage startups: SHIFT III. It is expected that the fund will manage EUR 65 million by the end of the year, which makes it the largest impact investment fund in the Netherlands. Wageningen & University & Research and Rabobank, two other StartLife partners, … Continue reading Dutch Largest Impact Investment Fund for Early Startups Is Launched
The agrifood industry is actively searching for sustainable food alternatives, like plant-based dairy, land-based salmon and, oh yes, bugs! The industry is also concerned with a more sustainable use of resources, striving to minimize water usage and crop spoilage and optimizing the circularity of materials. How can corporates ensure trust, quality and fair ownership in … Continue reading 9 New Agrifood Startups Prepare To Tackle Global Challenges
Satellites constantly monitor every part of our planet’s surface, but until now, only the most technically-minded have been able to access the relevant data. Ellipsis Earth Intelligence wants to change that, bringing automated analysis of satellite imagery to the mainstream. Founded in April 2018, Ellipsis Earth Intelligence has developed a self-teaching system that gives a … Continue reading Founder Story of Ellipsis: Using Satellite Data and AI To Build A Better World
Brief updates from StartLife Alumni and Community members 1) EzCOL B.V. takes major steps forward with cholesterol reduction technology StartLife alumni / community member EzCOL, a spin-off from the European Space Agency research program ‘MELiSSA’, has been working on the development of innovative highly effective cholesterol lowering technology. The technology has shown LDL reductions of … Continue reading StartLife Alumni Updates: March 2020
What if funding wasn’t a barrier to innovation? With this question in mind funding consultancy firm Catalyze and agri-food accelerator StartLife today announced they have entered into a strategic partnership. The partnership aims to help innovative agri-food startups establishing an optimal long-term non-dilutive funding strategy. By joining forces they expect to better enable game changing … Continue reading Catalyze and StartLife Partner Up to Maximize Funding for Agri-food Startups
Producers of meat alternatives all over the world have long been seeking for a break-through solution that allows them to exchange egg whites for a plant-based substitute, making their products 100% vegan. FUMI Ingredients, a Wageningen University & Research spin-off, has found an alternative that is natural and at the same time more cost effective … Continue reading FUMI Ingredients Receives Investment of Half a Million Euro for Natural Egg White Replacers
Fish farming has become an increasingly important part of the food supply – but there are major flaws with the range of treatments available for aquatic pests and diseases. Now, a team of biotech entrepreneurs is taking a radical new approach to solve one of industry’s biggest problems. Sundew is an early-stage biotech company that … Continue reading Founder Story Sundew | targeting ‘huge unmet need’ for aquaculture
Greats news about alumni and community members of StartLife. 1) PreMal Introduces New Mosquito Trap Model alumnus of StartLife’s Spring 2019 cohort Malaria prevention and control company PreMal has introduced a new variant of their proprietary MTego mosquito trap – The MTego Pot. The core competence and functionality is the same for both products; both … Continue reading StartLife Alumni Updates: January 2020
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 … Continue reading F&A Next Opens Call for Next Heroes in Food & AgTech 2020
StartLife and BDO continue their collaboration to support Food & Agri startups in the Foodvalley. The goal for the coming years is to help even more startups make a positive impact. When you start your own company, it is not only important to validate customer needs but also to have up-to-date and accurate insights into … Continue reading StartLife and BDO continue collaboration to support Food & Agri startups in the Foodvalley
Greats news about alumni and community members of StartLife, 1) Zero FoodWaste First to Raise Revenue-based Capital alumnus of StartLife’s Fall 2018 cohort Photo: Non-Dilutive Capital Zero FoodWaste, developers of the world’s first fully automated food waste monitor, is the first startup in the Netherlands to raise funding from an investor on revenue-based terms, rather … Continue reading StartLife Alumni Updates – December 2019
Last Wednesday seven new agri-food startups successfully completed the StartLife Accelerate program. For three months they received intensive training and support to further shape, refine an accelerate their business. They ended the program with a presentation to a large group of investors and corporates, known as graduation day. Pressure Cooker From more than 50 startups … Continue reading StartLife Presents Seven New AgriFood Challengers
Yesterday Limagrain, the Fourth Largest Seed Company Worldwide, and StartLife entered into a partnership for a close collaboration in the next three years. The partnership is aimed at moving agriculture forward to meet the huge food challenges that our world faces. Limagrain will benefit from early access to innovative projects from qualified startups, dealing with … Continue reading Limagrain Enters into Partnership With StartLife
On 6 December Unilever, corporate partner of StartLife since 2018, opened their new Global Foods Innovation Center next door to StartLife. The center was officially opened by His Majesty the King of the Netherlands. Our managing director Jan Meiling, together with senior management of Unilever, was given the opportunity to discuss the value of open … Continue reading Unilever Opens Global Foods Innovation Center Next Door To StartLife
Innovative ideas do not always lead to completely developed projects, due to lack of time and / or creative energy. Students of Wageningen University & Research may offer a solution to this problem. In different courses, BSc and MSc students work in groups on a project supplied by external commissioners. Education Project Services (Onderwijsloket) is … Continue reading Free Research Capacity: Wageningen Student Projects
After two years of preparation and development nutrition startup Verdi Food has launched their platform for evidence-based personalized nutrition planning: Verdify. The platform empowers patients with a chronic medical condition to easily implement medically prescribed diets in their daily routine. Verdify will also soon be integrated with a large Dutch supermarket. This will allow users … Continue reading Personalized Nutrition Planning Platform Verdify Has Launched
Biological approaches to treat aquatic pests and diseases or an aerial scout in the greenhouse: just two examples of the seven promising food & agtech startups selected to participate in the StartLife Accelerate Fall 2019 Program. From the fifty early-stage food and agtech startups who showed interest in the program, the review committee had the … Continue reading Seven new StartLife startups contributing to Food and Agtech innovation
Crickets, can you eat them? Unique, savory and nutty, and above all one of the most sustainable and nutritious alternatives in the protein transition. The Wageningen ‘Eetcafé H41’ puts the juicy cricket burger (‘Krekelburger’) of De Krekerij on the map, and invites you to a delicious meal and a good story behind the notorious burger. … Continue reading Taste Cricket burgers at Eetcafé H41!
StartLife has started a group page on Linkedin where we will post all national and international events relevant for our startups. We invite all our (alumni) startups and network partners to become a member of this group. You can find the group via: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/13745115/
Solving the Protein Puzzle on a Global Level A global “return” to balance in protein consumption; less animal and more vegetable. During the third international edition of the Foodvalley Summit: The Protein Plan(et), on 17 October 2019 in Wageningen, food producers, growers, breeders, investors, research institutes and the government are coming together, in Wageningen, to … Continue reading Foodvalley Summit: The Protein Plan(et)
The most exciting innovations are coming from small startups who are largely unknown to the wider industry. Now in its fourth year, the Fi Global Startup Innovation Challenge 2019 will give startups the opportunity to pitch their idea to the whole host of F&B industry players that make up Fi Europe’s 1,700+ exhibitors and 30,000+ … Continue reading Join StartLife at the Fi Global Startup Innovation Challenge 2019
Are you an innovative food or agri start-up or scale-up? A future maker with a promising idea? Then you are the ideal candidate for the Topsector T&U Innovation Prize! Topsector T&U invites new technical innovations that demonstrably increase the efficiency of food production in a greenhouse environment in order to meet global food demand in … Continue reading Join the Topsector T&U Innovation Prize and win € 25,000 research budget and a wildcard for the StartLife Accelerate Programme
Jij zorgt er voor dat de missie van StartLife vertaald wordt naar alles wat wij doen Onze missie is om ondernemerschap te bevorderen in de voedsel- en landbouwsector en om ondernemers en hun teams te ondersteunen bij het transformeren van innovatieve ideeën in ondernemingen met een wereldwijde impact. Jij kunt daarbij een belangrijke rol spelen! … Continue reading Vacature: Digital Marketing & Communications Manager
Agri-Tech Startups wanted for Agricultural event! The Dutch Embassy is looking for Agri-Tech startups who want to discover the Irish Agri-market. The National Ploughing Championships (NPC) is Ireland’s biggest agriculture event and the largest agricultural open-air event in Europe. This year the NPC will take place in Carlow, Ireland from September 17-19. One of the … Continue reading Agri-Tech Startups wanted for Agricultural event in Ireland
Patent agency EP&C is launching an innovation competition for students and start-ups. In honour of its 80th anniversary, EP&C is giving the new generation of innovators a platform on which to present their innovative idea. The innovation can be in concept form or already be on the market. As long as the innovation is not … Continue reading Register for participation in EP&C’s ‘Master of the Future’
StartLife Accelerate Program makes promising Food & Agtech startups ready for investors Beginning this week about a hundred people attended the StartLife Graduation Day, where eight Food & Agtech startups showed their achievements. The Accelerate Program prepares startups to successfully enter the agri-food market. All startups that took part in the program are currently closing … Continue reading “The program encouraged me to be more ambitious”
The six most important Dutch university incubators, including StartLife, will collaborate with Fundsup, a platform that brings startups into contact with investors. The other incubators are YES!Delft, Bright Move in Eindhoven, Novel-T from Twente, the Amsterdam ACE Incubator and UtrechtInc. Fundsup is a platform that brings startups into contact with investors. With the partnership, StartLife’s … Continue reading StartLife and five other prominent Dutch university-linked Incubators commit to Fundsup
Supermarket chain presents futuristic sustainable products from June 27, during the ‘FutureGoods’ week Amsterdam, June 18 2019 – Insects, granola with mealworm powder, seaweed wraps, socks made from recycled fishing nets and ‘rescue food’. Supermarket chain Lidl organizes the ‘FutureGoods’ week from June 27, in collaboration with incubator StartLife. During this week special, sustainable and … Continue reading Insects, seaweed wraps and socks made from old fishing nets on the shelves at Lidl
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 … Continue reading Looking back on a fruitful F&A Next 2019
Educational Project Services, part of Wageningen University and Research, connects external stakeholders to courses of Wageningen University & Research. In these courses, groups of students can work on real-life assignments, and thereby apply their academic knowledge. In the course Data Management, MSc-students pick their own practical assignment to design and build a database for a … Continue reading Contact with students via Education Project Services
Press Release Givaudan, the world’s leading flavour and fragrance company, announced today a new partnership with StartLife, the leading food and agritech incubator in Europe. This is the latest example of Givaudan’s strategy to enable the development of real-world applications for disruptive ideas and breakthrough technologies to deliver superior and sustainable solutions for the food … Continue reading Givaudan fosters entrepreneurship and innovation in the food sector through partnership with StartLife
StartLife organized the Corporate Partner Day on April 17, to provide StartLife Accelerate startups a unique opportunity for market validation. During this day the startups brought into practice effective market- and customer validation approaches that underly the StartLife Accelerate program. See our website for more information on the StartLife Accelerate program