One of the secrets behind F&A Next’s success is the team of organizing partners. Five institutions, each bringing a different perspective and skillset to the table, but with a common interest in the future of food and agriculture. In this two-episode series, we sat down with them to reflect on their journey as part of F&A Next, gearing up for this year’s 10th edition.
Today: Adam Anders, managing director and co-founder of Anterra Capital and Hem Mulders, Global Head of Food & Agriculture Strategy and Positioning at Rabobank.
Anterra Capital is a specialist venture capital firm investing in biotech and digital startups that can transform our food economy. Established in 2013, they are pioneers in the emerging agrifoodtech sector. They have offices in Amsterdam and Boston and manage over $400 million.
Rabobank is one of the largest Dutch banks. Born as a farmer-founded credit union, the bank still lives up to its legacy, supporting the sector with its sustainability transition globally, amongst others through Rabo Investments venture financing. Rabobank joined F&A Next’s organizing committee since its first edition.
The genesis of F&A Next
Adam has been part of F&A Next since the very first edition in 2016, held next to Wageningen University’s cafeteria. “Sound, microphones, and the noise of the students at the cafeteria, many things went wrong. But it didn’t matter, because attendees had the right energy,” he recalls. From there, it simply felt natural to organize a second edition. What was meant to be a one-off summit, will celebrate its tenth edition this year.
Since then, the global agrifood tech sector has dramatically evolved. “Back then, there were only a handful agrifoodtech investors and very few European startups. Over the past decade, this sector grew exponentially,” Adam underlines. To put this growth into perspective, in 2015 global agrifood tech companies raised $10.9 billion, rising steadily and peaking in 2021 with $53.1 billion, according to AgFunder.
Looking forward
Hem joined F&A Next on the buildup to the 2022 edition and helped the event grow even further. Thanks to its extensive experience working at Rabobank, he and the team around him brought a spur of professionalization, contributing to stabilizing F&A Next’s organizational setup. From the beginning, Hem was positively impressed by the value of the summit, and his forward-looking nature.
“What sets F&A Next apart is the continuous focus on what will be next in the food sector, besides the attention to current developments. What will the aftermath of changing geopolitical scenarios or climate change be? And also, what alternative proteins should we keep our eyes on?”
An international community
Throughout the past decade, F&A Next grew in the number of its attendees, attracted influential speakers, and became increasingly international. According to Adam, much of the reason behind this success lies in the high integrity it has always had, setting high-quality content as the top priority. But there is more than that. Both Adam and Hem acknowledge that the value of F&A Next spans beyond the two-day summit. Over the past decade, a community has been created.
“We did an incredible job of bringing a community together and grouping capital and talent. Having one place in Europe where you can go and meet tens of investors is exceptional,” underlines Adam. “You can sense that F&A Next is more than just an event. Witnessing that eagerness to attend has impressed me the most since joining F&A Next,” adds Hem.
Keeping an open mind
Organizing an event as big as F&A Next comes with much work and many rewards. Adam: “I love it simply because I love sharing ideas about the future of food. On top of the fact that I do it in my daily job running Anterra, I still enjoy every minute learning how to make the food system safer and more sustainable.”
One of the things Hem has enjoyed about being part of the organizing team is the possibility of continuing to learn about agrifoodtech and getting in touch with new perspectives. This is the same reason why anyone working in this sector should join. “F&A Next is an event that will open their minds, giving them perspective into the future of food. If you want to be an outstanding player and gain fresh insights and perspectives, you need to be there,” he states.
How can F&A Next stay ahead of the curve and retain its position? According to Hem, it is all about thinking out of the box. “Taking the liberty to present controversial topics and diverse perspectives. Including policymakers or NGOs in our discussions could be a way to do this. Also, being even more forward-looking, focusing on the problems that people in two, three generations will have to deal with.”
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