Agrifood innovations in North Holland put even better on the map
One of Europe’s largest concentrations of the food-processing industry in the Zaan region, plant and seed breeding in Seed Valley in North Holland North, two Greenports: North Holland has a great deal to offer when it comes to agrifood. Innovations within agrifood are urgently needed to maintain our food supply and at the same time ensure that agriculture and food production become more sustainable.
As ROM InWest, we see major opportunities for Noord-Holland in the areas of agrifood biotechnology, smart farming and the valorisation of agricultural residual streams. A great deal is already happening, but this is often still too invisible, too fragmented or on too small a scale. We want to change that. By improving ecosystems, helping farmers to innovate and helping innovative entrepreneurs to scale up and grow in a healthy way. That is how we make a greater impact in agrifood together!
This is how ROM InWest helps
As an innovative entrepreneur, we support you in becoming financeable more quickly, finding funding and growing healthily. We do this through ecosystem development, one-to-one guidance, accelerator programmes and investments.
We know that startups and scale-ups within Agrifood often struggle to find growth funding. They need large investments to realise prototypes or the so-called FOAK: the First-of-A-Kind, or the first factory in which a new technology is applied on a commercial and/or large scale. That is a phase in which traditional investors are often still reluctant due to the high costs, long lead times and major risks. Banks usually only come into the picture once a business is a stage further. ROM InWest supports entrepreneurs in Noord-Holland in becoming eligible for funding and we invest, where possible, in early-stage entrepreneurs with societal and economic relevance.
We support businesses through Innovate, Invest and build on ecosystems.
The way within ecosystems
A lot is happening in North Holland in the field of agrifood innovations. We want to make the best possible use of these developments by strengthening collaboration between the many innovation projects taking place within North Holland's greenports. This will allow knowledge developed in one project to flow more quickly into new applications. We see a role for ROM InWest as a connector within the ecosystem. For instance, we are exploring whether we can develop a programmatic approach for smart farming to support entrepreneurs even better. As a ROM, we have a clear overview of the activities in the greenports, clusters and other collaborations in the region. This enables us to help you quickly find your way within the right ecosystem.
Accelerator programmes
In a Accelerator programme you work on refining your proposition, market position and growth path through critical questions, targeted assignments and collaborative sessions with other entrepreneurs. Our business developers are happy to help you think about which programme suits you best.
Subsidy opportunities
The government supports entrepreneurs who help to accelerate the transition to a sustainable food system, including through various grant schemes. Examples of these include the MIT R&D and the MIT Feasibility schemes. The latter is a grant for research into the feasibility of a technological innovation. The grant covers 35% of the costs for, amongst other things, materials, man-hours and the services of an expert, and is capped at €20,000 per feasibility study. You can find more options on the website of RFO. Our business developers will be happy to show you the way through the grants landscape.
Are you looking for investments, networks or knowledge for your innovation for the food transition?
Then we are here for you! We support gamechangers in Noord-Holland: ambitious start-ups and scale-ups and innovative SMEs developing smart solutions, particularly in agrifood biotechnology, smart farming and upcycling residual streams. It is precisely in these areas that we see the potential for a huge impact. Get in touch and discover how we can help you.
