The year has started strong with events like Grüne Woche in Berlin, where Lower Saxony showcases its pioneering role in food production, innovation, and sustainability within an expansive exhibition area organized by Startup Niedersachsen. But there are still plenty more events to come in the world of AgTech and AgriFood. Navigate through the sea of opportunities with this curated list of 10 must-attend AgTech and FoodTech startup events.

NEW FOOD FESTIVAL, STUTTGART

FEBRUARY 28th - MARCH 1st, STUTTGART

The largest gathering in German-speaking Europe for startups and innovators across the food value chain features over 100 exhibitors along with a lineup of international speakers and experts. Expect interesting talks and discussions on topics such as “Can we still master the agri-food transformation before the climate changes our food system?” or “Pimp my Business - startups as an innovation driver for SMEs”.It is the perfect opportunity for you to network with fellow startups and innovators in food, agriculture, gastronomy, and retail from the DACHLI (Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Liechtenstein) region.

Livestock farming, responsible for nearly 14.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions, excessive water consumption, and significant biodiversity loss (as reported by FAO), is driving an urgent need for sustainable alternatives. This necessity has sparked an innovation revolution: alternative protein startups. Across Europe, these bold innovators are utilizing science and technology to create eco-friendly protein sources, whether through cultivated meat, precision fermentation, or plant-based substitutes. By 2050, we will require a 70% increase in food production to feed the world's projected 9.7 billion people. More startups are rising to the occasion, addressing both dietary demands and environmental concerns.

Latest developments in the field of alternative proteins in Europe

Lab-grown meat has already received limited approval in Singapore and the United States, and now it seems that Europe is also taking steps in this direction. Cultivated B, a subsidiary of German food manufacturer Infamily Foods, has made history by becoming the FIRST company in the world to submit an application to the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) seeking approval for a cell-cultured meat product. According to the company, the developed "meat" is a hybrid sausage product consisting of vegan ingredients as well as cultured meat based on pork. The EFSA inspection is considered to be particularly stringent and time-consuming. The Israeli cellular agriculture company, Aleph Farms, submitted an application for approval in Switzerland to the Swiss Federal Office for Food Safety and Veterinary Affairs (FSVO) back in July of this year, marking the first application for cultured meat in all of Europe. 

Alternative proteins are also making waves in the world of investments. Recently, the startup Enough from Scotland secured €40 million in funding to accelerate the production of its mycoprotein product, Abunda. In this article, we shine a spotlight on 10 European startups leading the change towards a sustainable and tasty food future. 

BLUU SEAFOOD | cultured fish | Germany

As the world continues to face mounting environmental challenges, such as greenhouse gas emissions, loss of biodiversity, and land degradation, the need for sustainable solutions has become more pressing than ever before. One of the key areas that requires attention is the current linear material flow, which poses a significant challenge in achieving sustainability. Nutrients are critical for crop production, and with reserves of essential nutrients like phosphorus estimated to be fully exploited by the end of the century, waste streams must be reused to provide future raw materials. In this blog article, we'll explore why nutrient recycling and innovations in the circular economy are crucial in coping with increasing environmental problems and how they can pave the way for a more sustainable future. Get to know cutting-edge approaches 👇.

Agriculture technology is an innovative field that combines cutting-edge technology to create sustainable and efficient solutions. With the growth of agtech startups, there are now numerous events that showcase the latest developments in the industry. To help you to navigate the vast amount of startup events, we have compiled 10 startup events with focus on agriculture for 2023 that you don’t want to miss!

After almost two long years of digital batches and events, Batch #3 ended with not only one but even two in-person Demo Days in a row! Startups, corporates, investors and other experts gathered on the 30th and 31st of August at the RootCamp headquarters in Hanover. This article gives you a deep dive into carbon farming.

After three months of intensive work, the RootCamp Acceleration Program Batch #3 reached its end. To complete this amazing journey, we organized not only one but 2 Demo Days onsite in Hanover with focus on livestock farming and carbon farming.

Transforming the livestock sector

Together with the German AgriFood Society, we are implementing the BLIVE project to boost innovation and start building a pan-European network in the livestock sector. Increased global demand from the society for better animal welfare, improved sustainability across the livestock value chain, as well as the effect of the climate change are only a few of the challenges the livestock sector is facing. Innovation is key and will remain essential to address these challenges, and to ensure the contribution of the sector to the global food and nutrition security. To support farmers in this process, new disruptive innovations are emerging. Technologies to monitor animal health and welfare, prevent disease outbreaks, and optimise animal nutrition are now available. Let's have a look at some of them.

Showcase time for RootCamp Startups

On the first Demo Day, the following startups from the current batch had the chance to present their innovative technology:

BIALTEC

BIALTEC, a startup based in Colombia, designs, and produces microencapsulated precision microbiomes for animal feed, which are capable of reconfiguring the intestinal microbiome by improving the animal feed conversion and gut health, maximizing the absorption of nutrients and minimizing the environmental impact. 

Biorefic

Biorefic from Latvia works on a next-generation biorefinery technology for producing from agri-food fibers advanced prebiotic ingredients and microbial Omega-3 fatty acids. The ultimate gut microbiome enhancing ingredient, resulting from this process, improves animals’ health and immunity and boost their performance.

Cynomys

Cynomys based in Italy, developed and patented a IoT monitoring system able to measure more than thirty parameters related to air quality (e.g., ammonia, CO₂), energy and water consumption, and provides livestock farmers with real-time data to monitor farm's performance and to plan corrective actions.

VetVise

VetVise located in Germany, developed a Machine Learning (AI) supported early warning systems based on 2D camera data. With this system, swine and poultry farmers are able to observe 24/7 their animals at the farm, assess animal behavior, and receive alerts related to feeding problems, tail biting, ventilation failure, among others.

Need for innovation and collaboration in the livestock sector

Ana Granados, Vice President of the Animal Task Force, presented the work of this European Public-Private Partnership that brings together the actors of the European livestock sector to draw a common view for a sustainable, competitive, and diverse livestock production sector in the EU through innovation and knowledge transfer. During her intervention, she mentioned some of the ongoing European initiatives such as Green Deal, Farm to Fork, and COP26 that are shaping the European livestock farming. She also highlighted the importance of collaboration among all actors in research, innovation, food production, policymakers towards a circular and sustainable food systems.

Additional inputs about the challenges and future of livestock farming were discussed during the panel moderated by Julia Köhn, from the German AgriFood Society. Wolfgang Heinzl, Director Business Development of the PHW Group; Lars Abraham, Co-Funder and CEO of dropnostix; and Philipp Rittershaus, Managing Director of RootCamp talked about the reduction of meat consumption in Europe due to the availability of alternative protein-based products. However, they agreed that livestock might continue to exist in Europe as an essential part of the food system, and the demand for high quality as well as local produced meat will remain. Startup driven innovation on livestock and investments in this sector are underdeveloped. Therefore, startups that can deliver added-value solutions to meet the sector needs could play an important role in attracting more investments and forming the future of livestock. In this sense, the panelists also emphasized the need for innovation in livestock and a legal framework that allows farmers to produce more efficiently and remain competitive compared with other regions. They also concluded that livestock farmers deserve more respect and recognition for the important work they are doing.

What’s next in the innovation hub?

The Demo Days of Batch#3 were a success, and we brought together many different experts. The conversation about livestock farming does not end here. If you are interested in knowing more about climate change and how livestock innovations can help with it, check out this blog article.

Last but not least we will attend EuroTier, the leading international trade fair for professional animal farming and livestock management, happening in Hanover, Germany, between the 15th and 18th of November 2022. Looking forward to meeting you!

The RootCamp Demo Day is designed as an exchange platform for the agrifood tech scene in which corporations, investors and startups can discuss current topics like sustainability, circular economy, green packaging, digitalization of agriculture, and soil improvement techniques. Let’s see what happened this year and how we celebrated the Batch #2.