Loacker Group opens a global call for agrifoodtech startups to innovate the confectionery industry

Loacker Group has opened an international call dedicated to agrifoodtech startups with the aim of finding innovative solutions in three strategic areas: natural alternatives to fats and sugars, proteins, automation and robotics.

The initiative, carried out with the support of Eatable Adventures, one of the leading agrifoodtech accelerators worldwide, follows just a few weeks after the announcement of the Group's first corporate venture capital programme.

The programme

The programme, announced in September and managed through the Loacker Investment Office with an endowment of 1 million euros per year, already has three startups in its portfolio: Dr. Taste, which is developing a predictive platform to anticipate consumer responses, Endless Food Co., which derives chocolate alternatives from food by-products, and Ferm Labs, which is developing new clean-label ingredients in terms of flavour through fermentation. With this call, the Group aims to expand it by seeking new projects aligned with its industrial priorities.

Three challenges for the confectionery industry of tomorrow

The new call focuses on three priority areas that reflect some of the main transformations currently under way in the sector.

• Natural alternatives to fats and sugars. Ingredients and technologies that make it possible to reduce or replace fats and sugars with solutions of natural origin, in line with the Group's clean-label standards and without compromising on taste and texture.
• Alternative and functional proteins. New protein sources to be incorporated into wafers, chocolate specialities and baked goods.
• Automation and robotics. Solutions for automation, from agricultural processes through to production lines, to improve operational efficiency and product integrity.

From investment to pilot project

The selected startups will be able to work closely with the Group's technical and business teams. The process involves an in-depth assessment of [[ARTW_HTMLOPEN_AAAW] at least 30 projects, from which approximately 10 finalists will be selected. For the latter, various forms of collaboration will be opened up: from direct investment by the corporate venture capital arm to the development of proofs of concept and pilot projects in a real industrial environment, through to co-development and commercial partnerships.

The call, for which applications are open until 1 December 2026 through the Group website, is aimed at startups from the pre-seed stage through to Series A, with technologies that have already been validated or are at an advanced stage of development, that present industrial or strategic synergies with the Group and are open to the entry of a strategic investor.

The comments

“For a family business, investing today in solutions capable of generating value tomorrow means responsibly building its own future,” says Andreas Loacker, Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors of Loacker Group. “Large companies and startups have different and complementary skills. On the one hand, experience, industrial capabilities and market knowledge; on the other, speed, specialisation and new perspectives. Our corporate venture capital programme was created to bring these two worlds together and address the challenges of the coming years together.”

“Large food companies that invest in startups accelerate innovation throughout the supply chain. With Loacker Group, we have built a pathway that goes beyond capital: the selected startups will have access to the Group's industrial and research and development expertise, its production lines, market knowledge and an integrated supply chain spanning from raw materials to the finished product. We invite founders working on these challenges to come forward”, comments Alberto Barbari, Regional VP Europe at Eatable Adventures.

This article was translated from the original Italian version with the assistance of artificial intelligence. In case of discrepancies, please refer to the original Italian version.