Icos Capital, a climate tech venture capital fund, joined forces with Bühler to host the "Collaborative Innovation Summit" on February 29, 2024, at Bühler's CUBIC Innovation Campus. This event united investors, industry leaders and innovative start-ups from food, chemicals and biotech sectors to accelerate sustainable solutions. The goal is to expand the collaborative ecosystem, enabling start-ups to address urgent challenges in food and chemicals industries. The "Collaboration Day" in "The Valley" preceded the main event, focusing on fostering partnerships with industry leaders like The Cultured HUB, ERIDIA, and Bühler.
Peter van Gelderen, general partner at Icos Capital, emphasizes its commitment to identifying and investing in innovations for sustainability. Through collaborative venturing, Icos facilitates win-win partnerships between start-ups and corporates, supporting their growth. Over 30 European start-ups pitched their innovations at the summit, exploring collaborations that promise mutual benefits.
Ian Roberts, CTO of Bühler, expressed delight in strengthening the collaborative venturing approach. Bühler, a key solution partner in food, feed and mobility industries, collaborates with Icos to build a global network supporting the transition to sustainable food systems. Roberts believes corporates can play a crucial role in accelerating start-ups' business and sustainable impact.
The summit highlighted positive trends in technology readiness levels, particularly in precision fermentation, bio-based chemicals and side stream valorization. Start-ups like MoA FoodTech and Abolis showcased innovations in by-product valorization and precision fermentation for sustainable ingredients and products.
The success of the "Collaborative Innovation Summit" marks an early highlight for Icos in 2024, with ongoing efforts to identify and support sustainable start-ups. Entrepreneurs ready to scale are encouraged to reach out to [email protected] for collaboration opportunities.
