Interesting program – exciting speakers – over 20 exhibitors – 200 visitors – FoodNextGen pitch with valuable prizes
Together with Food Startup Incubator Weihenstephan (FSIWS) at the Weihenstephan-Triesdorf University of Applied Sciences and the Drink Innovation Campus (DICA), StartinFOOD organized the Food Startup Campus - for the second time in person.
The “Food Next Generation” gathered at Weihenstephan University in Freising. It was cooked, sizzled and of course tested because it has to taste good. The most important lesson for food startups. Everyone gathered again and again in the large lecture hall to learn from the speakers. And there were some insights.
3 panels, over 20 exhibitors and 200 visitors
Starting your own thing in the food industry: This is often associated with special challenges. Learning from others is the best basis for a successful start.
Panel 1: “Sales starts with one person being responsible,” says Selda Morina , who founded the startup lounge at REWE Süd and has been fighting tirelessly for the interests of food startups for years. “Be persistent, the work only begins when you say no,” Lisa Heck from Greenforce Future Food told us. from Alexander Grimm (Field Force Solutions) to “know your numbers”, know the contribution margin 2 so that you don’t make any mistakes when pricing. And Alexander Pagel, founder of Korosho, gave the tip: “When selling, concentrate on the good markets, quality over quantity!”
Would you start a business again, even if you had to say goodbye to your food startup? “Definitely yes”, in panel 2 (“Why do food startups fail?”) there was a lot of passion and lots of tips from Andreas Reiser and Lars Schepp , who both chatted “out of the box” and about their experiences as a food startup -Founders reported.
Panel 3: Success stories like that of pumpkin organics are even more motivating. Passion for healthy eating from an early age is also what drives founder Jaclyn Schnau. She took us on her startup journey with pumpkin organics. Dr. Rüdiger Schmidt, one of the first investors, pays attention to the team in his investments and knew right away that he was right with Jaclyn.
The highlight of this year's Food Startup Campus was once again the FoodNextGen pitch. 8 startups pitched in front of the jury: Selda Morina (REWE Süd), Daniela Sepp (FOOD & LIFE trade fair), André Moll (Utry.me), Florian Weber (SevenVentures), Nikola Nikolic (Stadtsparkasse München). The decision wasn't easy for them, but in the end Chewsome , Feel Nature and reoat to convince the jury. Congratulations, we wish you much success!
Attractive cash and non-cash prizes
The three winning teams were able to look forward to valuable prizes: Feel Nature can REWE Süd as well as a free trade fair stand at FOOD & LIFE . A market launch campaign from URTRY.ME is given to reoat , who are also invited REWE spring trade fair Chewsome was able to Stadtsparkasse München (financing check) and SevenVentures (consulting package for brand positioning). And the audience prize of 500 euros ultimately went to reoat.
Networking was also not neglected on the Food Startup Campus: the participants were able to network with the food startups and with each other, especially during the breaks. During the “ Ask me anything ” hour there was enough time to meet with individual experts to exchange ideas and ask questions. As expected, Selda Morina, as the retail expert, had to answer the most questions.
The Food Startup Campus shows that the entrepreneurial spirit in the food scene is not deterred by current unfavorable conditions. Vegan and vegetarian convenience offers, drinks, bars, snacks - many innovative products were again represented. A particular trend this year was baby food . We are even more pleased about this because it will spread awareness of healthy and sustainable nutrition to future generations.