Does your startup or scale-up have a food solution that will accelerate the transition to a more plant-based society? Are you looking for an opportunity to boost your company? Pitch your solution and get access to new markets, strategic partners, network, expertise and funding opportunities!


TOWARDS A MORE PLANT BASED SOCIETY 
In our current diet, animal sourced foods and ingredients play a big role. Around 60% of the proteins we consume, comes from animal sources (e.g. meat, dairy and egg) while this source of protein has the biggest environmental impact. Currently over 50% of the habitable land is used for agriculture of which 77% is used for livestock. As a result of a growing world population and climate change, the pressure on our habitable land increases. In the upcoming decade the demand for plant-based products and solutions will increase substantially. Therefore, we are facing a major transition to a more plant-based diet and society. 


OPEN CALL: LOOKING FOR STARTUPS, SCALE-UPS AND SMEs! 
Together with leading food and retail companies we are looking for startups, scale-ups and innovative SMEs with new plant-based solutions and products. Solutions, products, services of technologies that could play an important role in the transition to a more plant based diet and society.  

The purpose of the open call is to select the best solutions of startups and scale-ups and to connect them with leading food companies. By partnering up, sharing knowledge and expertise, access to markets and networks, access to funding and more, we help you to accelerate your venture.




ABOUT BRAVE NEW FOOD
Brave New Food is an open innovation platform to discover and accelerate next generation food solutions. Through our innovations challenges we select the best startups and scale-ups and help them to accelerate, by connecting them to leading food companies to partner up, sharing knowledge and network, and providing them with funding to scale.
WHY PARTICIPATE?

• Pitch your company and solutions to leading food and retail companies. 
• Be invited for 1:1 interviews during our matchmaking event with one or more leading food companies (or investors) interested in your product or solution.
• Create new opportunities to collaborate with leading food companies to test and proof your solutions, or even better, a strategic partnership, to produce, scale or distribute your products.
• Funding opportunities up to €1.000.000,-.

WHAT ARE WE LOOKING FOR?

• Products: Next Generation of meat and fish and dairy substitutes (100% or hybrid) and other vegan products.
• Ingredients: novel (sourced) ingredients that enable more sustainable, better or tastier plant based products.
• Technologies: new (production) technologies that approach plant based meat and fish textures.
• Nutritional value: solutions to meet our need for protein, vitamin B12 and omega 3 with less animal products.
• Foodservice & Retail Concepts: new Foodservice & Retail concepts that will make plant based alternatives widely available.
• Consumer Behavior: products, tools or services that enable consumers to eat more vegetables and plant based products.
• Wildcard: all possible alternatives, from cultured meat to insects. From seaweed to legumes. Anything.

   


YOUR PITCH
To increase the chance of being selected by one of more companies for the matchmaking event, we advise you to come up with a professional and neat looking pitch deck (max 6 pages / 18 slides) which includes: 

• A description of your product or solution (max 3 pages / 9 slides): give a short description of your product or solution, as detailed and visual as possible. Also describe  what specific problem you solve with your solution or product and to who this applies.
• A description of your company & team (max 1 page / 3 slides): 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 ambitions to grow and your needs (max 2 pages / 6 slides): give a short description of your growth ambitions. Where do you want to be in 3 years? What do you need to get there? Tell us what kind of support and expertise (market, distribution, partners, funding) you are looking for.

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.
Pitches in Dutch are allowed, but English is strongly recommended and preferred.


Upload your pitch.



ASSESSMENT CRITERIA
Your pitch will be evaluated on the following aspects:

• Feasibility fit: how your product/proposition/solution can be further developed, deployed and commercialised.
• Impact: the potential for your product/proposition to have a large impact (through solution-problem-fit) and scaling potential.
• Team: the knowledge, experience, diversity and network of your team.

TIMELINE

• Tuesday November 24, 2020: launch Open Call
• Tuesday February 16,  2021 at 17.00: deadline Open Call
• February 17 - March 8, 2021: selection by the participating food companies & investors 
• March 8- 12, 2021: announcement & invites matchmaking event
• Thursday March 25, 2021: (online) matchmaking event
• Q2 2021 onwards: discuss and start collaboration

TERMS & CONDITIONS   

• Participation is open for startups, scale-ups, SME’s, grown-ups, innovators and scientists with an innovative product and/or technology.
• You will remain the owner of your intellectual rights, concept or solution in your pitch, until you agree otherwise.
• We strongly advise you to document everything you share with others and mention that information provided is confidential and intellectual property rights remain with you/ your company until agreed otherwise. 
• Be aware of the fact that your pitch will be viewed by industry professionals and (concepts and ideas in it) may be shared with others. Keep IP sensitive unique (technical) details out of your pitch, keep it a secret that you can share later.
• Download Terms & Conditions