27. March 2019
Pioneering AgTech
Farm & Food 2019 Session Review
Developments in the agri-food sector have rarely been as exciting as in recent years. The sums invested in AgTech and FoodTech have grown rapidly since 2015. Innovative start-ups are the trendsetters of a new agri-food system, and established companies are recognizing the opportunities for collaboration.
At our Farm & Food Congress in January we talked about current technology trends, successful cooperation and investments in start-ups.
Talking about it doesn’t make it a trend
“Sustainability seems to be an important issue in Berlin.” Louisa Burwood-Taylor, head of media at AgFunder proved her knowledge of Berlin events and scnerey. “The Berlin Fashion Week revolves around sustainable fashion, as does the Green Week taking place parallel to the Farm and Food Congress.” What is fad, what a trend, asked the founder in her keynote. She then spoke about extraordinary start-ups that could change our diet and our agriculture. “When people talk about ‘trends’ in the industry, they are often blinded by the latest technology, and then they think that’s a trend.” Every new technology brings unique challenges, says Burwood-Taylor.
Successful cooperation with start-ups
“The exchange between industry and start-ups is still an area of possible conflict.” said Dr. Alexander Wiegelmann from KWS Saat. He talked about the dos and don’ts of collaborations from a business perspective.
Cooperation conclusions
Matthias Schmidt-Rex from the Accelerator SmartHectar Innovation spoke to Fabrice Aubertin from Bosch and Alexis Comar from HIPHEN about their successful cooperation. The international group and the start-uptalked about results and benefits of their work.
Corporate und VC Investments in Startups
In this discussion Koen Lennsen,(Tengelmann Ventures), Alexander Wiegelmann (KWS SAAT), Louisa Burwood-Taylor (AgFuner) and Dr. Ing. Claus Hackmann,(BASF Venture Capital), discussed criteria, perspectives and experiences of investments in start-ups. /dbv