Next Heroes in Food & Agtech
F&A Next is about innovation and connecting game-changing food and agritech startups and scale-ups to dedicated investors and innovative corporates. Aside from the many network opportunities we offer throughout the event, we have something special for the 10 most promising food and agritech startups. They get the unique opportunity to take the stage, present themselves to the audience as one of our ‘Next Heroes in Food & Agtech’ startups, and compete for the Feike Sijbesma Sustainable Innovation Award 2025. This is an excellent opportunity because our audience comprises top-notch key stakeholders, including investors, corporates, and the media. This year’s Next Heroes in Food & Agtech registration opens on Monday, 6 January 2025. Make sure to apply before March 6!
Startup tickets
If you are part of an early-stage startup (<5 years old), don’t miss your chance to enjoy our fantastic lineup of thought leaders and hands-on breakout sessions. The event will give you plenty of opportunities to connect with leading investors and innovators. We have a limited number of startup tickets available – registration for F&A Next 2025 will open at the beginning of next year.
Each startup has three minutes to present itself on stage to the live and online audience, including a small expert panel. After the presentation, there’s a three-minute Q&A session with the expert panel, which has an extensive track record in the agri-food industry. This panel will also decide which startups take home the Feike Sijbesma Sustainable Innovation Award 2025 and each win a €12,500 prize grant.
If you are one of the startups to be selected as one of our heroes, your benefits are:
- Two free in-person startup tickets to F&A Next, giving you access to key network opportunities.
- Pitching your company to leading corporates, investors, media, and other stakeholders that can help you grow.
- One-on-one Pitch Training with a professional pitch coach (optional).
- A Pitch Deck webinar (optional).
- Media exposure. Your logo and company profile will be shared with all event attendees and media.
- The distinguished title ‘Next Hero in Food & Agtech 2025′.
- The chance of winning one of two ‘Feike Sijbesma Sustainable Innovation Awards 2025′ (Categories ‘Pre-Seed/Seed’ or ‘Series A/B’), entailing €12,500 cash prize and advisory support from Feike Sijbesma.
Feike Sijbesma Sustainable Innovation Award 2025
As one of our ‘Next Heroes in Food & Agtech 2025’, you can win the Feike Sijbesma Sustainable Innovation Award 2025. For the first time this year, not one but two Next Heroes stand a chance to win €12,500. Our jury chooses one winner in the Pre-Seed/Seed stage category and one winner in the Series A/B stage category.
The award is named after the former DSM CEO Feike Sijbesma and is made possible by the DSM Brighter Living Foundation. The award aims to stimulate innovators and entrepreneurs worldwide to scale their science-based solutions, explicitly focusing on sustainable climate-resilient food systems. On 22 May, at the closing of the F&A Next summit, Mr. Sijbesma will personally hand over the awards to the winners. The winners will be selected by an independent jury of investors and experts with an extensive track record in the agrifood industry.
What previous 'Next Heroes in Food & Agtech' have to say!
Follow the footsteps of the previously selected startups as ‘Next Heroes in Food & Agtech 2024.‘
Qualification requirements:
- Your startup- works on a truly innovative and sustainable product or technology with an application in food and/or agriculture.
- Aims to make impact at scale with a focus on sustainability (people, profit, and planet) and climate-resilient agrifood systems.
- Builds something that consumers or the industry needs or wants.
- Anywhere between the Pre-seed and Series-B stage (your company is not older than 10 years).
- Actively looks for funding or partnerships.
F&A Next only considers applications that meet the above qualification criteria. Another requirement is that a (co)founder will be the person pitching live on stage at F&A Next.
How does F&A Next evaluate and review the pitch applications?
High-ranking startups exhibit the following evaluation criteria: include all this information in your pitch deck!
A) Team background:
Exceptional domain and entrepreneurial experience.
B) Business model:
The company has a strong view of its revenue model, competitors, how to scale, customer acquisition, and cost base. The company knows its margins and how it can improve as it scales.
C) Market opportunity:
High growth market opportunity and high barriers to entry.
D) Product innovation:
Concept is a game-changing approach to solving a problem or gap in the market.
E) Product validation and traction:
The team is on track to building a successful business. The company creates something consumers or the industry needs or wants and has raised external funds.
F) Sustainability and social impact:
The concept is focused on the triple bottom line: people, profit, and planet.
Application deadline
Applications open on Monday, 6 January, and close on Friday, 5 March 2025, at 23:59 Central European Time (CET).
How to apply?
Fill in the online application form, which you find by clicking on the following apply button.
