Global Program Aggregates FoodTech & AgriTech Resources for Early-Stage Entrepreneurs and Teams Building Planet-saving startups
September 23rd, 2021 - Palo Alto, CA, Helsinki, Finland, Zürich, Switzerland and Tel Aviv, Israel – The Founder Institute (https://fi.co), the world’s largest pre-seed accelerator, is launching the first-ever global FI Food Ecosystems Accelerator Virtual program, as the first step towards our Founder Institute goal to launch 1000 startups solving planetary problems in the food ecosystems. The goal of the 2021 Food Ecosystems Program is to help more than 50 promising food and agri-tech startups to launch, and further strengthen Founder Institute’s role globally as a network builder of planet-saving startups . Early-stage entrepreneurs and teams from around the globe interested in building a food or agri-tech startup are encouraged to apply for free at https://fi.co/join/food.
To celebrate the launch of the program, Founder Institute Virtual Food Ecosystems 2021 will be hosting a series of free, interactive online food startup events:
- Pitch Your FoodTech Startup to Top Investors; Big Idea Ventures (Online Event), September 28th, RSVP
- Scale-Up Your Foodtech Startup (Online Event), October 14th
- FI Food Ecosystem Accelerator Information and Q&A Session (Open Zoom Meeting), October 21st
- Reimagining The Future of Food, October 28th, RSVP
Across the world, the Founder Institute has helped launch over 200 startup companies within the food ecosystems. The global food-tech graduates of the program include Craft and Savor (New York City), Whizmeal (Singapore), Meete (Vietnam), Oddbox (London), Indigo Agriculture (Costa Rica), TotalCtrl (Oslo), Resistomap (Helsinki), Agxactly (Silicon Valley/Toronto), FuelMe (Helsinki), AI Retailer Systems (Switzerland) and more.
Over the last few years, I have seen very promising innovative food ecosystem initiatives launched in our network pilot programs,” says Adeo Ressi, Founder & CEO of the Founder Institute. “Discovering and optimising better ways to care for and produce food is essential to the future of our planet. Severely damaged by the pandemic and the climate change, our food ecosystem needs new solutions - and I’m confident big solutions that the world needs will come from entrepreneurs with the vision to build impactful food startups.
Founder Institute’s Food Ecosystems initiatives and expertise, including FI Food Ecosystems Virtual 2021 program, are being led by global team of experienced startup and food ecosystems directors : Janne Saarikko, Daniel Böhi, Ingeborg Gasser-Kriss, Tasha Tolmacheva and Raanan Shenhav.
Founder Institute has the biggest network of experts supporting startup growth. Now we are adding a strong and motivated roster of global experts from various disciplines of the food ecosystems globally,” says Janne Saarikko, Lead Director of the Food Ecosystems Accelerator. “We are seeing the deepest commitment from our mentors and partners, and together with them, we are doing our very best to find and help them become successful and change the world of food for the better.
To maintain a truly impactful global ecosystem, Founder Institute is partnering with numerous organizations with capacity to further help the startups by offering them ways to grow further.
Agrifood startup founders need a solid base and continuous support network in their journey to the future of agribusiness,” says Mark Leinemann, Founder and President of Crowdfoods. “We are happy to partner with the global Founder Institute Food Ecosystems Accelerator, supporting the new founders through education, knowledge sharing and connections to the industry.
Founder Institute Virtual Food Ecosystems 2021 aims to inspire and support early-stage food ecosystem-focused entrepreneurs and teams in the program by providing:
- Feedback and mentorship from top global food and agritech mentors, including industry-specific advice and connections across the region and globe.
- Introductions to business angels, VCs, and Corporate VCs investing in the global food ecosystem.
- Dedicated program sessions including: Food & Retail, Products and Services in the food chain, Production and Supply Chain, HORECA (hotels, restaurants, catering), Agriculture, and more.
- Fellowships Available to top applicants, providing program participation for free.
- Over €1.5MM in Partner Deals and Resources
The final deadline for applications will be on November 7th 2021, and the program will run from November 17th, 2021 - March 3rd, 2021. Learn more about the Food Ecosystem Program at https://www.fi.co/food-ecosystems
Graduates of the Founder Institute are creating some of the world's fastest growing startups, having raised over $1.75BN in funding, and building products people love across over 200 cities worldwide.
See the most recent news from our Grads at FI.co/news, or learn more about their stories at FI.co/journey.
