Be part of F&A Next 2018: food and agriculture’s foremost innovation summit of the year
‘Startups in Food & Agri are getting traction’
The Food & Agri sector is trending. More and more startups are diving in to Digital Farming, plant-based food and robotics. “The number of startups in The Netherlands has grown in recent years, and the quality has risen considerably,” says Jeroen Leffelaar, Managing Director of Food & Agri Innovation at Rabobank.
What’s your take on Dutch Food & Agri startups?
“The situation is clearly improved. The number of startups in The Netherlands has grown considerably in recent years, and especially the quality has risen considerably. But startups in the Food & Agri need a long term focus.”
How come?
“First of all, Mother Nature has its limitations. The character of the companies in the sector also plays an important role. For example: a farmer only switches to a new product if he’s sure that it is an improvement. You can call that conservative. And of course there is much regulation, including in the area of Novel Food.”
And how do The Netherlands score internationally?
“The Netherlands is highly regarded when it comes to Food & Agri, even though we are a small country. I think that’s brilliant! At the same time, Israel for example is much more innovative and enterprising. Also, Germany and France are also becoming increasingly important players in this sector. This may also be due to our culture: in the Netherlands startups first knock on the doors of a bank, in other countries entrepreneurs first invest their own money.”
What can startups in Food & Agri do to scale internationally?
“The best advice is: launch an excellent proposition and know your competitors. For example, many companies are active in Digital Farming: how can you differentiate? And how good is your team? Don’t forget to connect to corporates. By collaborating with corporates, you can scale faster and make more impact.”
How do corporates in the Food & Agri view startups?
“Corporates are finding out that their own R&D department is sometimes missing out on the latest and greatest innovations. So, business leaders are more and more connecting to startups to fill in this void. That is why we pay special attention to the corporate — startups collaboration at the third edition of F&A Next on 30 and 31 May in Wageningen. There, we focus on how corporates and startups can work together effectively. Rabobank is co-organizer of F&A Next, because we want to contribute to a better, healthier and more sustainable food sector; we feel innovation is a prerequisite for achieving this goal.”
Finally: what in your view are the main opportunities for startups?
“The Agri sector, companies are continuously searching for more efficient production opportunities. For example: decrease the use of fertilizers and water; capitalize on the opportunities of robotics and by indoor farming.
The Food sector will focus more and more on the overall public opinion and people’s health by launching ‘personalized food’ product using new and alternative ingredients. Also, the need and consequently demand for substitution products for meat will offer great market opportunities for startups.”
Join F&A Next 2018: food and agriculture’s foremost innovation summit of the year, 30 & 31 May in Wageningen, The Netherlands
