For agrifood startups, scaling from an innovative idea to global market impact is the fundamental challenge. As the international agrifood community gathered in Wageningen for the 11th edition of F&A Next on May 20 and 21, the overarching question was not whether we possess the talent or technology to build a sustainable food system, but whether we have the ecosystems and architecture to scale it.
In her opening keynote, Eva de Mol (co-founder of CapitalT) delivered a stark reality check: nine out of ten startups fail, and the agrifood sector is no exception. Founders cannot rely on ideas alone to navigate the risky gap between early promise and commercial scale. They require strategic partnerships, access to capital, and exceptional commercial pragmatism.
Over two days of intense presentations, panels, and pitches, the F&A Next ecosystem explored the practical strategies needed to cross this divide. If you missed the summit, here are the core principles that mark the path from early-stage startup to global market success.
The Architecture of a Scalable Team
Technology alone does not navigate the valley of death; people do. Sixty percent of startups that fail do so because of dysfunctional team dynamics. De Mol highlighted that investors increasingly assess the diversity of founding teams, as diverse groups consistently outperform homogeneous ones.
This diversity also provides an antidote to a critical investment red flag: artificial harmony. “Task-related conflict is a key driver of success,” De Mol explained. A team that never argues signals a lack of passion, authoritarian leadership, or a concerning lack of creativity to potential investors. Bringing together diverse perspectives and encouraging respectful debate leads to significantly better decisions than unthinking consensus.
Crucially, previous failure is no longer viewed negatively by investors. Founders who have failed previously are statistically more likely to succeed in their next venture. Trying again demonstrates the tenacity to learn from past mistakes, while failure simply proves a willingness to push beyond the comfort zone.
“At the Kitchen Table”: Falling in Love with the Problem
A common pitfall among technical startups is prioritizing technological development over solving immediate, commercial problems. European startups consistently produce world-class innovation, but they frequently fail to translate that science into commercial value.
Annick Verween (VIB) offered a blunt reality check for founders: “Stop loving your technology and start loving solving a problem that someone will pay you for”.
In the agritech sector, the end user is often the farmer. Yet, as Michiel Scheffer (European Commission) noted, the industry suffers from a profound disconnect between the laboratory and the field. To bridge this gap, founders must reengage with farmers “aan de keukentafel” (at the kitchen table). Without understanding the practical, financial, and regulatory restrictions farmers face on the ground, startups risk building brilliant solutions for problems the market will not actually support.
The Next Heroes Winners Solving Real-World Problems
The winners of this year’s Feike Sijbesma Sustainable Innovation Award are the perfect embodiment of this pragmatic philosophy. B-COS secured the early-stage prize for developing a scalable, bio-based alternative to synthetic pesticides, while NoPalm Ingredients took the later-stage award for producing sustainable oils through fermentation. Both victors address urgent, real-world bottlenecks with market-ready pragmatism rather than just laboratory theory. For a deeper dive into their winning scale-up strategies, explore our dedicated Next Heroes feature.
Redefining Value in the GLP-1 and Climate Era
Startups must also adapt to a shifting value landscape within the food system. Recent technological advancements and the changing climate are rapidly redefining where value can be added.
One such shift is the growing population using GLP-1 inhibitors to treat obesity. The market for these medications is expanding fast, creating an even faster-growing opportunity for wrap-around support platforms and functional food products tailored to users’ specific needs.
As Dr. Gali Artzi (PeakBridge) put it, “the calorie economy is ending; the performance nutrition economy is beginning”. Because GLP-1 users’ appetites are suppressed, every mouthful must deliver higher nutrient density. To understand how startups can capitalize on this emerging “food-and-care” layer, read PeakBridge’s partner article.
Value definitions are also shifting on the farm. Nicoline van Gerrevink (Rabobank) explained how the bank places agricultural businesses into sustainability buckets, offering top performers the best lending rates. Their research indicates a strong correlation between sustainable practices and farm profitability, prompting Rabobank to actively incentivize ecosystem services.
To navigate these shifts and scale effectively, Dan Harburg (MOMBAK) advised startups to watch for “regulatory waves” where government and commercial interests align. While EU regulation remains famously complex, frameworks are evolving. Invest-NL’s partner article outlines how the expanded Novel Food Framework is helping founders map these pathways to avoid costly delays.
The Road Ahead
Fostering synergies and collaborations across the agrifood tech space remains our ultimate mission. The 11th edition of F&A Next proved that while the challenges of scaling are immense, the Wageningen ecosystem remains the global center of gravity for addressing them.
A sincere thank you to all the startups, scale-ups, corporates, investors, and thought leaders who contributed to the summit’s success. We look forward to welcoming you back to Wageningen on 19 and 20 May 2027.