Climate Resilience Award 2023
ABOUT THE AWARD
The Louis Dreyfus Company (LDC) and the MassChallenge Switzerland are pleased to present the LDC Climate Resilience Award of CHF 100,000 to support startups working to boost climate resilience in the world. agriculture and food value chains.
One of the leading traders and processors of agricultural products, LDC's vision is to work towards a safe and sustainable futureLDC is a strategic investor, contributing to the global effort to provide sustenance for a growing population. As a strategic investor, LDC is looking to connect with and invest in companies with which it can add value as a supplier, customer or key partner. Its corporate venture capital programme, Louis Dreyfus Company Venturesprovides equity for early-stage companies developing innovative and sustainable products, technologies, processes and solutions with the potential to transform food and agriculture production and make LDC's operations more profitable, sustainable or efficient.
MassChallenge Switzerland is facilitating meaningful connections between LDC and selected startups with the aim of finding innovative solutions for critical challenges in food and agricultural supply chainsThis means adding real value for customers and markets, protecting the environment and safeguarding natural resources.
In line with these objectives, the LDC Climate Resilience Prize will be awarded to the food and/or agriculture startup with greater potential for climate impact.
The winner will be announced on stage at the MassChallenge Switzerland Awards at theday 26 October.
"Through this partnership with MassChallenge Switzerland, LDC is excited to connect and collaborate with innovative and like-minded startups seeking to address climate resilience challenges in farm-to-table supply chains, ultimately aiming to help shape a more sustainable future of food and agriculture, while creating fair and sustainable value for the benefit of current and future generations." - Michael Gelchie, CEO of Louis Dreyfus Company.
WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR
We're looking for start-ups with proven solutions or technologies in the following areas:
BENEFITS FOR SELECTED STARTUPS
- One winner will receive a unrestricted and non-dilutive cash prize of CHF 100,000 at the MassChallenge Switzerland Awards attended by more than 400 people. This award is in addition to any cash prizes that early-stage startups might win at the accelerator.
- Early-stage startups (<US$ 2 million capital raised and sales of <US$ 2 million) will participate from the accelerator MassChallenge Switzerland, helping startups across Europe expand their businesses and accelerating 100+ early-stage startups every year.
- All the startups will take part in workshops and will receive resources and coaching to help quantify your climate resilience solution.
- An opportunity to connect and collaborate with investors looking to make a positive and sustainable impact on the food and agriculture value chains, including a direct connection with the decision-makers at LDC and, if relevant and desired by you and the LDC, potential discussions on the sizing of your solution.
- Publicity at the final judging event in Lausanne, Switzerland, and through press releases from the LDC Climate Resilience Prize.
ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA
We are looking for startups that:
- Having impactful products, technologies, processes and solutions that can contribute to climate resilience in food and ag-tech, decarbonising the food value chain. Start-ups will be asked to quantify the impact of their solution in terms of CO2e removed/avoided over the next 10 years, until 2034. For example: how many tonnes of CO2e you will avoid emitting or sequestering per tonne of your product per year, how many cubic metres of fresh water you will save per year, how many tonnes of waste you will prevent from being emitted each year, or how many tonnes of natural resources you will recover or prevent from being wasted each year.
- Have a viable idea. Startups must be able to demonstrate traction among the stakeholders of their solution, as well as how their idea is financially sustainable. For example: data showing sales to consumers or manufacturers or farmers, or the size of their supply base (i.e. farmers); their business model.
- Have a scalable idea. Startups must be able to show how their solution scales and that their prices are competitive in the market. Scaling can involve LDC, but this is optional. For example: reach millions of farmers, be sold to millions of consumers, be applied in factories.
- They are from Pre-seed to Series C+. We encourage early and late stage startups to apply. What matters is the impact, viability and scalability of your idea and how it contributes to climate resilience in Food and Ag-tech.
- They come from any geography. However, as the physical acceleration events are in Switzerland, startups must ensure that they are able to travel to Europe. The selection process will take place online.
HOW CAN YOU WIN THE PRIZE?
- Apply and be accepted onto the Sustainable Food, Sustainable Industry or Climate Solutions track at start-up accelerator MassChallenge Switzerland. Relevant startups will automatically be entered into the competition. Sign up at this link untilday 1st March.
- If you're an advanced-stage start-up (> funding of US$ 2 million) and wants to compete for the prize, sign up here and we will accompany you.
- Successful start-ups will be invited to take part in a physical event at MassChallenge Switzerland on 29thJune, participating workshops and receiving resources/coaching to help them quantify their climate resilience solution.
- Start-ups that have successfully quantified their impact using MassChallenge guidance will make a pitch in an online semi-final and a final in Lausanne for a jury to determine the winner.
- The winning startup will be announced on stage at the MassChallenge Switzerland Awards inday 26 October.
