Given the continuing impacts of climate change, the world is moving away from animal proteins and towards plant-based proteins. Amsterdam-based Plant FWD says it wants to accelerate that transition from the current 40 per cent to 50 per cent plant-based proteins in 2030.
Plant FWD believes, “With the global climate crisis rapidly developing and a world population that is estimated to grow to a staggering 10 billion people by 2050, our food system will simply become unfeasible for our planet.”
Therefore, the Amsterdam-based startup has announced that it will hold its first edition of the Plant FWD start-up programme on April 18 in Amsterdam.
10 Plant-based startups from all over the world have already been selected over the course of six weeks, by the Plant FWD team in collaboration with startup partners Impact Hub Amsterdam and Brave New Food.
Over 60 submissions from 15 nations, including the Netherlands, Germany, the US, the UK, Italy, Sweden, Estonia, and many others, were received by the organisation and were spread out over a wide variety of categories.
About the event
The 10 selected plant-based startups will pitch their products and innovations live at the event to an audience of leading retailers, food companies, investors, talents, regulators and other change makers.
Each startup will be given three minutes to present its concept, before answering inquiries from the expert panel.
The panel will include Mirjam Niessen, principal impact investments at DOEN Participaties; Jesse t Lam, founder and investor at Brave New Food; Marieke Keijsers, category manager at online supermarket Crisp; and presented by Ilse Kwaaitaal, director at Impact Hub Amsterdam.
Marcel van der Heijden, one of the founders of Plant FWD, says, “It’s been a challenging but exciting process choosing these 10 startups. We are very really impressed with the 60 innovative businesses and their solutions for a more sustainable and plant-forward food system.”
“There is great value and potential for what they have to offer to the industry and the world. The diversity in products that we saw is also very promising: next to alternative meat products, we see an increasing trend towards alternatives for fish, ingredients, meal services and foodtech.
“We were also pleased to see a large share of startups using upcycled side streams, fermentation and the use of mycelium. We can’t wait to see these entrepreneurs pitch their businesses live on stage!”
Here are the selected 10 startups
BettaFish (Germany): The aim of BettaFish is to make people forget about canned tuna. The startup claims that its product, TU-NAH, tastes and looks like the ‘original’ tuna and is 100 per cent plant-based.
De Nieuwe Keuken (Netherlands): The startup is on a mission to replace meat with vegetables on 10 million plates by 2027.
Foodiq (Finland): The startup, with a plant-based factory, has created its own intellectual properties (IPs) based on an original way of producing plant-based dairy products and a protein source made from fermented fava beans that is both nutritious and has a neutral taste.
IJsbaart (Netherlands): The Dutch startup provides a healthy, plant-based substitute for ice cream. They aim to become the leading ice cream brand in the Netherlands and have their own production facility. IJsbaart is now prepared to expand into catering, retail, and other areas.
Koralo (Germany): By combining mycelium and microalgae in co-fermentation, Koralo is creating ‘new fish’ with more nutrients. Additionally, they want to not only place the seafood meal on the customer’s plate but also let the oceans thrive.
Kynda Biotech (Germany): It has been said that fermentation will revolutionise alternative proteins. However, the expertise and low-cost infrastructure needed by food businesses to make mycelial proteins on their own are lacking.
Kynda aims to solve this by providing low-cost plug & play bioreactors, starter cultures and ongoing operational support on an industrial scale.
Plant B (the Netherlands): The Dutch startup wants to cut down on the huge quantity of eggs consumed annually. In the Netherlands alone, people consume 210 eggs annually per individual. Plant B provides a plant-based egg that can be used for scrambling, cooking, or baking for restaurants, the food industry, and at home.
Snacks with Benefits (the Netherlands): The business produces sustainable snacks mainly from discarded veggies. The company claims that the snacks are locally sourced, seasoned and served in convenient formats.
STEM (France): It is a cell-based coffee startup that aims to develop a new and complementary stream of coffee production. The cell-based technology will provide for the simplification of the coffee value chain, with full control and consistency from cell to cup.
The Raging Pig Co (Sweden): The foodtech company looks to remove pigs from the global food system by offering plant-based products. The Raging Pig Co is offering the “pork experience” without sacrificing people’s health or flavour sensibilities.
To check out these startups, attend the first edition of Plant FWD, on April 18 in Amsterdam. Get your tickets here.
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