Paris Mission: Exploring the French Foodtech Ecosystem

Every year, KM ZERO embarks on an exploration of the world's most interesting foodtech ecosystems. This year, we took advantage of our participation in SIAL Paris to deepen our knowledge of the French foodtech ecosystem, with an agenda full of meetings with key players in the local ecosystem who are driving the future of food. Here we share a summary of the most important milestones of our Paris Mission.

SIAL Paris 2024: giving the spotlight to startups

Our first stop was SIAL Paris 2024, one of the largest food fairs in the world. Together with Sesamers, Hello Tomorrow and Sprint Project, we co-organized the Deeptech & AI Summit: a space dedicated to analyzing how artificial intelligence is revolutionizing the food industry and addressing global sustainability challenges. Ram Rampalli, Vice President of Walmart Global Tech, opened the event, setting the tone for a day of reflection and inspiration.

Our director, Beatriz Jacoste, moderated the round table “Going deeper for food sustainability” together with MOA foodtech, Big Idea Ventures and Orben. In addition, Juan Requena, Venture Associate at KM ZERO, led the panel “The State of DeepTech Investment” at the Startup Village, bringing together experts from PeakBridge and Deepbright Ventures.

This year, the SIAL fair highlighted the importance of startups to promote change in the industry with the Startup Village: a space three times larger than the previous year dedicated to food innovation, promoted by Sesamers. More than 100 French and international startups exhibited their innovative solutions, showing new products, better for the environment and healthier.

The fair offered networking opportunities, encouraging collaboration between professionals in the sector and creating synergies that drive innovation.

Foodtech in France: a dynamic ecosystem

On the second day, we explored the French innovation ecosystem, one of the most dynamic innovation ecosystems in the world. We started our journey at The Galion Project, a dynamic and inspiring community that brings together tech entrepreneurs, with a talk that inspired us to apply new strategies in managing our own community.

Later, we visited STATION F, the largest startup campus in the world. We met with ShakeUp Factory, an open acceleration and innovation platform in Food & Agtech, and with the HEC Paris incubator, who presented us with its Hectar program focused on supporting startups in agritech, foodtech and regenerative agriculture. They shared their vision of the agri-food sector in France and the trends that drive new innovative projects.

Bringing ecosystems together thanks to the “Foodtech on the Road” meeting

Our visit culminated with the meetup “Foodtech on the Road: Connecting French and Spanish Innovation”, organized in collaboration with Plug and Play France and DigitalFoodLab. The event included two round tables: “Unlocking Open Innovation: Success Stories from the Spanish Food Industry”, with representatives from Helados Estiu, Vicky Foods and Familia Martínez, and “Navigating Foodtech Markets: Insights and Opportunities Across Borders”, with Five Seasons Ventures, Bene Bono and Onima. In addition, Matthieu Vincent, from DigitalFoodLab, gave a keynote on the future of Foodtech in Europe, France and Spain.

This meeting proved to be a valuable platform for strengthening ties between both ecosystems, discussing the challenges and opportunities presented by the French and Spanish markets. We are taking key lessons and an enthusiasm to continue building a more innovative and sustainable food future.

The Paris Mission reaffirmed our vision to connect, inspire and lead change in the food industry. This trip not only allowed us to learn from one of the most advanced foodtech ecosystems in the world, but also to strengthen ties with key actors who share our mission to build a more sustainable and inclusive food system. We are excited about the opportunities that arise from these connections, and are convinced that collaboration is the engine that will drive the transformation of the industry.