FOOD TRENDLETTER N°12: EDITORIAL

An analysis of the French FoodTech Scene shows that this industry is in fact still „under construction“, but as deal numbers and money are rising, and as the (culinary and technological) knowhow as well as appropriate startups are present, a broadening and settlement of the French and European FoodTech Scene can be assumed.

In our continuous examination of national and international food investment news, we see that currently sharply positioned food & beverage startups (e.g. German e-sports snack startup Runtime, US bone broth startup Ancient Nutrition) or also personalised food and supplements (e.g. personalised nutrition platform Nutrino) are well backed. Food Corporates on the other hand keep buying in innovation and diversification through startups, as for instance Dr. Oetker, Katjesgreenfood, or Nestle.

The current food trends are governed by the dynamic triangle of Retail/Food Corporates/Startups. Everything is centred on new distribution channels, private labels, VCs of Food Corporates, alternative (plant-based, lab-grown) proteins, blurring of food and other industries like beauty, as well as automating and blockchain.

Our Startup-Monitor is dealing with international AGTech Awards, like the AgFunder Innovation Award or the Next-Generation Food and AG Pitch Competition of FoodBytes by Rabobank with startups as Augean Robotics (autonomously driving vehicles on fields), Miraculex (sweetener out of plant proteins), or Wasteless (food waste reduction through dynamic price adjustment).