The newly launched three-week ‘Bootcamp Future of Food’ will provide three Swiss FoodTech startups with the opportunity to explore the Brazilian market and get exposure to the country’s ecosystem. Besides workshops and meetings, the selected startups will get a pass to the ANU Food conference and the first Web Summit in Rio di Janeiro. Registration closes on 26 February.
The Brazilian economy recorded a strong growth of 4.6% in 2021 after the pandemic recession, with 8 times more investments than in 2018. And in a country where more than 25% of the GDP is related to agribusiness, the aim for technologies that support and enable sustainable food systems is latent. Besides that, 67% of Brazilians reduced their meat consumption in 2022, but 53% still can’t find alternatives to animal meat in supermarkets.
To exploit and contribute to transforming the Brazilian food ecosystem, Swissnex in Brazil launched Foodtech as a new focus area in 2022. After a year of research and forming new partnerships within the agrifood innovation ecosystem, the organization is ready to kick off with the first ‘Bootcamp Future of Food’. The three-week program will expose Swiss startups to the Brazilian food ecosystem, giving them the chance to study and learn from local experts and mentors how to do FoodTech business in Brazil. They will meet with potential customers and partners to identify opportunities for collaboration, validate their solution and design a strategy for their internationalization to Brazil. The planned pitch session will bring them in contact with AgriFood investors.
Three startups developing solutions for regenerative agriculture, alternative proteins and precision fermentation will be selected for the program. “We decided to opt for three startups because it is important for us to provide a tailor-made and customized service to the startups, attending to their individual needs and niche”, said Vincent Neumann, Program Manager Innovation & Startups at Swissnex in Brazil.
The selected three startups will also participate in two relevant innovation conferences in the country: ANU Food Conference, an exclusive food and beverage trade fair focused on generating new business and showcasing new product launches and innovation for retailers, foodservice operators and the hospitality industry.
Check out the Bootcamp Future of Food program timeline at Swissnex in Brazil.
Brazil’s inaugural Web Summit to host Swiss startups
The first Web Summit in Rio di Janeiro held on 1- 4 May will also host Swiss Foodtech startups. The event will bring together a global audience of 15,000+ people to learn from over 800 speakers, 250 investors, 500 exhibiting startups, 80 event partners, and 500 media members.
In addition to the three Foodtech startups in the Bootcamp Future of Food program, Swissnex in Brazil will provide ten Swiss startups the chance to attend the Web Summit and showcase their solutions at the Swisstech Pavilion, organized by Swissnex in Brazil, the Embassy of Switzerland in Brazil (@suicanobrasil), Presence Switzerland, and Brazil-based Swiss partner organizations. Startups in all sectors can apply for the Web Summit.
“None of the two programs require the startups to have a connection with Innosuisse. We only recommend it to them as an additional program because they will receive funding to cover their travel costs” explains Neumann. Between 14 and 27 March, the Swissnex team will guide startups not in the Innosuisse program on how to apply.
(RAN)
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