New fund for agrotech

Food Labs has launched a 100 million euro fund. 50 start-ups in the food industry could benefit.

Venture capitalist Food Labs is launching a new fund, as the Handelsblatt learned in advance. 100 million euros are to flow into 40 to 50 start-ups in Europe that are looking at intelligent solutions for sustainable nutrition and thus reduce CO2 emissions.

The money comes from institutional investors, family offices of major retailers, and beverage and food manufacturers. "They are all specifically looking for sustainable investment opportunities," Christophe Maire, who founded Food Labs in 2016 under the name Atlantic Food Labs, told the Handelsblatt.

Maire's goal is to build a platform that connects start-ups and established companies in the food industry. Together with eight experts, Food Labs supports young start-ups financially and advises on business issues, "even if they don't make any sales for a few years," says founder Maire. After all, "what's missing is the supporting infrastructure".

The fund has currently already invested in ten startups from Germany, including protein startup Microharvest, the Klim app, Foodji, which develops food vending machines, and digital platform Airfarm. Maire sees regulation by the EU as the main problem in Europe for innovations in the food industry, which are being thwarted "under the guise of consumer protection," as he told the Handelsblatt says.