Foodvalley guides you as a frontrunner on your challenging journey towards securing healthy food to ten billion people worldwide in 2050. By accelerating the scale-up of your breakthrough innovations. International and independently since 2004. Foodvalley, with more than 250 partners, sets the agenda, keeps the pace and guides parties in the ecosystem through this transition.
In recent years the innovations in plant-based proteins such as meat and dairy alternatives have taken off. This is also reflected in the consumer demand for alternative proteins, which led to countless new business opportunities. Now Foodvalley NL is taking the initiative to make the next leap; food products made of plant-based products that are even healthier and more sustainable.
This challenge is focused on the next generation of high quality plant-based products.
We are looking for startups and other initiatives that are actively working on improving the nutrient profile of innovative plant-based products. Recent innovations have led to excellent taste and structure; now we want to shift the focus to optimising the health levels of protein alternatives.
In addition, Foodvalley NL and various partners see a lot of potential for an optimal valorisation of side-streams from the food industry. Side-streams from food processing (like wheat by-products or press cakes from oilseed crushing) can be rich in protein, high in fibre and low in sugar and are thus usable as ingredients in food products such as plant-based meat and dairy alternatives. Foodvalley NL is exploring ways to accelerate the uptake of food losses in food products again.
What we are looking for
We are looking for game changers that are working on the next generation plant-based proteins. These organizations, big or small, consider nutritional value and the use of side streams as the cornerstones of their new plant-based products.
The solutions we are looking for meet one or ideally both of these criteria:
- Enhance the nutrition profile of plant-based foods and focus on health
- Use upcycled ingredients in meat / dairy alternatives from side streams
We are especially interested to hear from you if your product is marketed for special target groups such as specific generations or (active) lifestyles. As Foodvalley NL we foresee business opportunities in improving the nutrient profile of innovative plant-based products, matching them with the needs for specific target groups.
What we are not looking for
For this specific challenge we are not looking for solutions that, however relevant for protein shift, are virgin and don’t have an upcycled ingredient in them. Similarly, we are not looking for plant-based alternatives with upcycled ingredients that are not focused on enhancing the nutritional profile.
What we offer
We help you to accelerate innovation and business and maximise your contribution to a sustainable Food System. Our partners have access to the best facilities, resources across a wide scope of industries and disciplines and to potential investors and partnerships worldwide.
We do this by working together on specific topics like protein shift, upcycling and personalised nutrition in content ambition driven communities. In our communities, such as The Protein Community & Upcycling Community we create a safe environment where you can partner up on your ideas and find inspiration from each other. We create a direct exchange with a mix of cross-sectoral organisations working on the same topic.
With this challenge we intend to help the most promising initiatives to further develop and commercialize their innovative products. We will discuss the current challenges you are facing and, where possible, introduce you to our partners, investors or facilities.
Benefit from our many years of experience and become part of our community!
Conditions for participation
Participation is open for start-ups, scale-ups, SMEs, grown-ups, innovators and scientists with an innovative solution
How does it work?
- Send in a short and concise pitch deck with your solution
- As soon as you have uploaded your pitch, you will receive a confirmation so that you know that we have received your pitch.
- Your pitch is only visible to Foodvalley
- After the deadline, Foodvalley will assess all pitches individually and invite the companies with the most interesting solutions for a 1:1 conversation to get to know each other and look for opportunities to collaborate.
Your pitch
- Send in a short and concise pitch deck of your solution (max. 6 A4 / 18 slides) with description of the following two parts:
- A description of your product or solution.
Give a short description of your product or solution, as detailed and visual as possible. In which phase is the solution? - A description of your company & team
How and when was your company founded? In which phase are you? How many people? In which market are you active? Also a short description of the (managing) team.
- A description of your product or solution.
The pitch may be submitted in free form (presentation / slide deck, letter form), but must be uploaded as a PDF file (landscape or portrait A4 - max. 30MB). Videos, example websites, etc. can be included as a link.
Dutch and English pitches are allowed.
Timeline
- November 15 at 17.00 CET: Deadline challenge
- November 16 – Dec 5: Selection period
- December 5 - 9: Announcements selection & invites for 1:1 conversations
- December/Januari: 1:1 conversations
- Q1/Q2 2022 onwards: discuss and start collaboration
About us
Foodvalley NL is an independent international organisation working together with front runners to accelerate the global transition to a sustainable food system. Since 2004 Foodvalley NL has been developing and strengthening an international ecosystem of organizations that work together to realize the transition to a sustainable food system. We work closely with corporates, SMEs and governments at every level, and with renowned educational and research institutions.
In addition to building coalitions and unlikely partnerships, Foodvalley NL provides coaching and mentoring to entrepreneurs, stimulates global connections and talent development, offers routes to funding and provides access to shared facilities.