Climate Resilience Prize 2024

As a strategic partner, LDC is looking to connect with and invest in companies with whom it can add value as a cornerstone supplier, customer, or partner. Its corporate venture capital program, Louis Dreyfus Company Ventures, provides equity capital to early-stage companies developing innovative and sustainable products, technologies, processes, and solutions with the potential to transform food and agricultural production, and make LDC’s operations more profitable, sustainable, or efficient.

MassChallenge Switzerland is facilitating meaningful connections between LDC and selected startups, with the goal of finding breakthrough solutions to critical challenges in food and agricultural supply chains, adding real value for customers and markets while protecting the environment and safeguarding natural resources.

In line with these goals, the LDC Climate Resilience Prize will be awarded to the food and/or agriculture startup with the biggest climate impact potential.

Benefits for the Selected Startups

• One winner will receive this no-strings-attached, non-dilutive cash prize of CHF 100,000, in addition to any cash prizes that early-stage startups might win in the accelerator.
• Early-stage startups (<$2M capital raised and <$2M sales) will participate in MassChallenge Switzerland’s accelerator, which helps startups across Europe grow their businesses, and annually accelerates 100+ early-stage startups.
• All startups will participate in workshops and receive resources & coaching to help quantify their climate resilience solution.
• An opportunity to connect and collaborate with investors looking to positively and sustainably impact food and agricultural value chains, including a direct connection to LDC decision-makers and, if relevant and desired, potential discussions about scaling the solution.
• Publicity at the final judging event in Lausanne, Switzerland, at the MassChallenge Switzerland Awards attended by over 400 people, and through various related communications.

What they’re looking for?

They are looking for startups, with proven solutions or technologies in the areas of:

• Impact on land use – regenerative agriculture practices, smart farming, water reduction, pesticide and fertiliser reduction, crop health and yield increase, biodiversity protection
• Traceability – End-to-end traceability in the supply chain, from farm to consumer.
• Upcycling – upgrade of low value grains, side-stream utilization.
• CO2 reduction technologies – applications in the ag value chain, including feed, processing, land and maritime transportation.

Eligibility Criteria

• What does carbon resilience mean for LDC?
  • Overall, LDC is looking at CO2 reduction and enablers, and more specifically:
    • Impact on land use – regenerative agriculture practices, smart farming, water reduction, pesticide and fertilizer reduction, crop health and sustainable yield increase, biodiversity protection
    • End-to-end traceability in the supply chain – to quantify and understand opportunities
    • Circular economy – upgrade for low value crops
    • Sustainable packaging – natural additives
• They are looking for startups that:
  • Have impactful products, technologies, processes, and solutions that can contribute to climate resilience in food and ag-tech, by decarbonizing the food value chain. Startups will be asked to quantify their solution’s impact in relation to CO2e removed/avoided over the next 10 years until 2034. For example: How many tons of CO2e will you avoid emitting, or sequester per ton of your product per annum? How many m3 of fresh water will you save per annum? How many tons of waste material will you prevent from being emitted each year? How many tons of natural resources will you recover or prevent from being wasted each year?
  • Have a viable idea. Startups must be able to demonstrate traction amongst those participating in their solution, as well as how their idea is financially sustainable. For example: data showing sales to consumers, manufacturers or farmers, or the size of their supply base (ie farmers), or their business model.
  • Have a scalable idea. Startups must be able to show how their solution scales and that their pricing is market competitive. Scaling could involve LDC, but this is optional. For example: reach millions of farmers, be sold to millions of consumers, be applied in manufacturing plants.
  • Are from Pre-seed to Series C+. They encourage both early- and late-stage startups to apply. What’s important is the impact, viability and scalability of your idea and how it contributes to climate resilience in food and ag-tech.
  • Are from any geography. Startups from around the world can apply. However, as physical accelerator events are in Switzerland, startups should ensure they are able to travel to Europe. The selection process will be carried out online.

For more information, visit MassChallenge.