Five years, 100 startups, and the future of food

Over the past five years we’ve supported more than 100 startups transforming the food system. Discover who they are, along with our views on the state of the market, key trends, and what the future holds.

Since we began our journey, back in November 2018, we’ve worked with more than 100 companies and helped them to negotiate the constantly changing food-tech and startup worlds. 

Given this milestone, we decided that now is a good time to reflect on the past five years, the industry as it stands, and what needs to happen in the next phase and beyond. It’s also a great time to celebrate this pioneering, ambitious and inspiring global startup community of ours. So here it is: Five Years, 100 Startups, and the Future of Food.

YouTube

By loading the video, you agree to YouTube’s privacy policy.
Learn more

Load video

 

What’s in the report?

The alt-protein sector is navigating a necessary correction phase that will strengthen its long-term outlook and resilience. This report shares our take on industry trends, insights, and an outlook for the future, while celebrating the 100+ startups we’ve worked with over the past five years.

Trends

  • Food tech = climate tech
  • Plant-based 2.0
  • Scaling with B2B
  • Novel tech
  • APAC as an alt-protein hub

Outlook

  • Now: continued pressure and recalibration
  • Next: new pathways and collaboration
  • Later: investment upswing, widespread alt-protein technology, and new market opportunities

Opinion

We share the views of our team as well as some of our startups and industry partners. Discover views from a wide range of industry players including…

“We are beyond the first wave of product innovation and consumer adoption. The next wave will lead the way, and further accelerate the transformation and  growth of the industry.” Albrecht Wolfmeyer, Director, ProVeg Incubator.

“The industry is simmering down, not burning out. Like any emerging sector, this is a healthy recalibration, separating the true potential from the hype. This consolidation will help the sector build back stronger on the other side.” Divya Murthy, Co-head and Investment Lead, ProVeg Incubator.

“Alternative protein innovation and funding is far from dead. Global consumer interest has been growing constantly since the industry emerged in the late 2010’s, and we will see investor interest returning once overall economic conditions recover.” Peter Dorfner, Founding Principal, Green Generation Fund.

“Regulatory frameworks should be designed to adapt to rapidly evolving technologies and scientific understanding. Flexibility allows for continuous assessment and improvement.” Clement Tischer, Head of FoodTech, Rewe Group.

Who are the startups, and what do they do?

Meet the problem solvers, the pioneers, and the mission-driven entrepreneurs who are working tirelessly to address the food-system challenges of our time.

The 105 startups in our alumni community span a growing number of exciting sub-sectors that include plant-based (71), biomass fermentation, algae- and fungi-based (18), cellular agriculture and precision fermentation (14), plant cell culture (1), and molecular farming (1).

Help us celebrate this inspiring startup community – join us on social at #proveg100startups

Stay in touch!

For news and updates about us, our programme and our alumni, along with industry news, events and opportunities, follow us on our socials and sign up for our monthly newsletter.

Sign up for our newsletter 

 

You might also like: