Amsterdam-based VC Rubio Impact Ventures and Wageningen-based StartLife, an agrifood tech accelerator, announced their strategic partnership to jointly support startups that help feed the world within planetary boundaries.
Through this collaboration, StartLife will serve as a gateway for Rubio to engage with early-stage startups, enabling Rubio to leverage its expertise, capital, and network to propel these ventures to the next level.
The Dutch VC has recently invested in Solasta Bio, a Scottish startup specialising in the development of next-generation bioinsecticides. Notably, StartLife has been providing extensive support to Solasta Bio since its inception at Glasgow University in 2020.
Rubio Impact Ventures invests in world-changing entrepreneurs
Rubio Impact Ventures is an impact venture fund based in the Netherlands with €150M AUM.
The VC invests in world-changing entrepreneurs who unite powerful positive impact with a scalable commercial business; the future-proof approach to a successful business.
Besides investment, the VC also offers expertise and network access to help them accelerate to the next level.
Tijl Hoefnagels, Venture Partner at Rubio, says, “StartLife has successfully built a community that goes beyond startups and deal flow. It is a great network to exchange ideas and knowledge with others and explore how a diverse set of industry players can strengthen each other.”
StartLife: Empower entrepreneurs to grow startups
StartLife is an agrifoodtech accelerator, co-founded by Wageningen University & Research.
It aims to empower entrepreneurs to build and grow startups with breakthrough technologies that shape a sustainable food system.
StartLife offers world-class support programs, top industry business mentors, non-equity funding, and access to a global community of startups, investors, corporates, and experts.
Laura Thissen, StartLife’s Operations Director, explains: “StartLife strongly believes in the collaborative approach to solve the most pressing sustainability challenges. Ecosystem collaboration is essential to make innovation happen.”
“To successfully build sustainable food systems, we need entrepreneurs, investors, and corporations to unite forces. That’s why we proactively invite these players to the same table,” adds Thissen.
“We invite startups with game-changing technologies that can have a huge positive impact on biodiversity, climate change, or land use to contact StartLife for support and a (potential) introduction to Rubio Impact Ventures,” adds Thissen.
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