Rockstart

👋 Meet the team behind SAM-DIMENSION, a Rockstart AgriFood portfolio company. With high-speed edge AI monitoring, they’re cutting down herbicide use and promoting biodiversity, revolutionizing cropping strategies to boost efficiency and support a more regenerative, food-secure planet. 🌍🚀 Swipe through to discover their journey and what they’ve learned along the way 💭 ✨Ready to elevate your vision? Apply for Rocsktart AgriFood: https://brnw.ch/21wGVTH

Join Mark Durno tomorrow at the World Agri-Tech Summit in London! He’ll be part of the Reverse Pitch for Start-Ups and Investors alongside Daniëlla Vellinga and Benoit Buntinx, and moderated by Mary Ellis and William Pelton Oct 1, 14:50. 🔗 https://brnw.ch/21wNjJT

🌟 New investment! 🌟 We're excited to have Point2Hectare join Rockstart AgriFood! Founded in 2023 by Diana Smite, Dr. Jan Mumme, and Max Billinger, Point2Hectare is committed to unlocking the full potential of biochar for enhancing soil and fertilizer performance. At the forefront of their innovation is NitroChar®, a cutting-edge green fertilizer technology enriched with nitrogen, designed to boost agricultural sustainability. 💬 Max Billinger, CEO of Point2Hectare, shares: "Point2Hectare was founded with the mission of unlocking the full potential of biochar to revolutionize soil and fertilizer improvement, towards more sustainable and regenerative agricultural practices. By joining Rockstart, a platform that empowers founders to drive positive change in sectors that desperately need innovation such as Agriculture, Point2Hectare aligns with a broader vision to create meaningful global impact." 💬 Mark Durno, Managing Partner at Rockstart AgriFood, welcomes them onboard: “Point2Hectare (P2H) has a soil-centric approach to biochar. Working with established agricultural input producers and suppliers, they are co-creating a suite of biochar-based solutions that can be utilized in existing infrastructure. The founding team, Max, Jan, and Diana, draw on long experience in biochar initiatives and manufacturing, also advising many think tanks and agencies on biochar direction in light of substantial subsidies and grants available to farmers to transition to products that enhance carbon sequestration. We are delighted to invest under our second AgriFood fund and look forward to working with the team!” Congrats, Point2Hectare! ✨ Interested in joining us? Learn more about Rockstart AgriFood: https://brnw.ch/21wMQDv

🌟 New investment! 🌟 Meet Health Food Wall, joining the Rockstart AgriFood portfolio! Health Food Wall is revolutionizing the out-of-home market by making healthy, fresh, and plant-based food the fastest and easiest choice! Their Intelligent Fridges and plant-based menu offer a data and impact-driven service that focuses on providing businesses with an on-site, high-quality catering service. Founded by Anouk Snelders and Tom Meijer and headquartered in the Netherlands, Health Food Wall is committed to driving sustainability and health in hospitals, schools, offices, and public transportation and to inspiring the traditional catering and vending market. 💬 Anouk, Co-Founder and CEO of Health Food Wall, shares: "We joined Rockstart with Health Food Wall because of its unparalleled AgriFood ecosystem, where the blend of mentorship, industry-specific expertise, and investor support provides a unique launchpad for founders like us. Rockstart's commitment to empowering purpose-driven entrepreneurs aligns with our vision to bring our impactful solution to the market, and we knew this was the community that would help turn that vision into reality." Mark Durno, Managing Partner for Rockstart AgriFood, adds: “Vending machines give limited options of sugary confectionary, impacting health and wellbeing. Whether it’s hospitals, universities, or workplaces, people deserve convenient access to nutritious meals and snacks. Founders, Anouk and Tom, are deeply committed to reshaping this space with their smart data-driven fridges and healthy options, drawing from their extensive experience in food, catering, and hospitality. We are excited to invest and partner with Health Food Wall to bring healthier choices to the out-of-home market and drive positive change in how people nourish themselves on the go.” Welcome aboard, Health Food Wall! 🌍💚 ✨ Interested in joining us? Learn more about Rockstart AgriFood: https://brnw.ch/21wMQDv

🌟 We’re thrilled to introduce BCHAR, a new addition to the Rockstart AgriFood portfolio! BCHAR is revolutionizing carbon removal with their fully autonomous system that transforms agricultural waste into biochar, a powerful tool for carbon removal and soil restoration. Founded by Darius E. Stulz, Stefan M. Kaspar, and Josh Shao, their integrated solution automates every production stage, making it simple to convert waste into value while enabling transparent carbon removal credit creation. On joining the program, Darius shares: “Our expectations with Rockstart are high, and we’re eager to be both challenged and supported as we scale quickly. With experienced mentors guiding us to make smart decisions, we’re ready to move BCHAR forward. The experience so far has been marked by transparent communication and real collaboration, and we’re excited to leverage Rockstart’s global AgriFood network to accelerate our growth and deepen our impact.” 💬 Mark Durno, Managing Partner Rockstart AgriFood, adds: “Big food corporates are under pressure to account for the carbon footprint of their supply chain, and Bchar enables decarbonisation through the use of biochar from organic waste. What stood out to us in the Bchar team was the combination of vision and engineering excellence in the team - having worked together on complex engineering challenges during their studies such as the Hyperloop and XPrize Carbon Removal projects. We are incredibly proud to invest in BCHAR as one of the first investments from our second AgirFood Fund.” 🚀 Welcome aboard, BCHAR! ✨ Interested in joining us? Learn more about Rockstart AgriFood: https://brnw.ch/21wMQDv

🍂 We’ve had a busy start to Fall at Rockstart!  Here’s our rewind in case you missed it: 🔄 TechBBQ Highlights Rockstart CEO and Co-Founder Rune Theill moderated a ClimateTech investing panel with Craig Douglas (World Fund), Mona Alsubaei (Transition), and Caie Kelley (Lowercarbon Capital). Rune also joined the Diversity Commitment panel led by INTENTIONAL, advocating for equal access to funding. 🔄 Danish Impact Committee We joined the committee to support Denmark’s climate neutrality goals and drive sustainable growth. 🔄 Community Week This month, we brought together portfolio companies, new startups, and our ecosystem for workshops, expert sessions, and networking. Stay tuned for the next one! 🔄 Scale Impact Series We kicked off the new series in Copenhagen with a panel moderated by Max ter Horst, featuring Onur Ay (Watts), Søren Rydbirk (Green Hydrogen Systems), and Alice Vallienne (Topsoe). They shared insights on scaling in the energy sector. 🔄 RAW (Rockstart Alignment Week) Our annual offsite united the team for strategic alignment and culture building through panels, workshops, and social events. 🔜 Some of our upcoming events: 🌱 Super Climate (Sept 16) – Tonight, we’re partnering with Super Climate to co-host Super Climate Malmö, an exclusive investor dinner ahead of The Drop, Europe’s leading climate tech festival. 🌱 AgriTech Nordic (Sept 18-19) – Later this week, Raphael Sars will be on a panel discussing key trends in food tech. 🌱 NutrEvent (Oct 1) – You can also find Rafael on a panel exploring the future of food and nutrition investments and emerging opportunities for 2025. 🌱 World Agri-Tech Innovation Summit (Oct 1) – Mark Durno joins the "Reverse Pitch for Start-Ups and Investors" panel in London, gathering over 1,000 agribusiness and tech leaders. 🌱 NL Space Campus Space Investor Event (Oct 3) - Mick Valentin reverse pitches Rockstart alongside fellow ClimateTech investors at this year's event: "Fuelling Earth Observation for Impact" See ya soon 👋

Today's the day! At TechBBQ? Swing by the Community Stage at 12.00 as we join INTENTIONAL and Danske Bank Growth for a conversation on equality and transparency in the investment space In the 'hot seat', Rune Theill, Rockstart CEO and Co-Founder, will share a diversity dilemma he has experienced as CEO & Founder of a venture capital fund.

Rockstart has officially kicked off our Scale Impact Series in Copenhagen! This event offers a rare chance to learn directly from industry professionals and from entrepreneurs who have successfully scaled their businesses.  Our first round focused on the energy sector, featuring an insightful discussion on scaling impact-driven startups. Moderated by Managing Partner for Rockstart Energy Max ter Horst, the panel included: 🔋 Onur Ay (Commercial Director, Watts) ⚡ Søren Rydbirk (Chief Commercial Officer, Green Hydrogen Systems) 🌍 Alice Vallienne (Head of Commercial Management Power-to-X, Topsoe) Here are some key insights: 1️⃣ Scale smart: Prioritize building robust infrastructure and processes before expanding your team. 2️⃣ Manage talent: As you scale, pinpoint weaknesses and focus on specialized skills and effective talent management to address them. 3️⃣ Balance growth & impact: Sustainable practices are essential for attracting talent and investment. 4️⃣ Be strategic with investors: Align your funding sources with your long-term scaling and impact goals. Stay tuned as we continue the Scale Impact Series, exploring strategies for successful scaling in the impact space!

✨ Hello from Amsterdam, where our team gathered for this year's RAW 2024 offsite! 🇳🇱 Over the course of four days, we took the opportunity to reflect on our progress and align on our ESG strategy and beyond for the upcoming year. 🌱 Our team-building workshops and strategic discussions were focused on strengthening our impact and driving sustainable growth. 🤝💼 Our After Work event brought together our Netherlands-based community – colleagues, founders, mentors, and key partners – for an evening filled with valuable conversations and reconnections, all centered around supporting our ecosystem’s growth. 🌍 We also visited key partners like SET Ventures, Google, and Picnic Technologies, strengthening collaborations and exploring new opportunities for innovation together. And of course, we celebrated the amazing achievements of our colleagues in person, a rare but cherished opportunity in our remote-first culture 🏆 A big thank you to everyone who made this week so impactful. Here’s to another year of driving meaningful change together! 🙌🌟

🌟 Meet the experts shaping the future of ClimateTech at TechBBQ! 🌟 Don’t miss the outstanding panelists joining our discussion on Navigating ClimateTech Investing at TechBBQ. These industry leaders will bring their wealth of experience to the stage, offering valuable insights on funding, scaling, and overcoming the unique challenges in the ClimateTech space: 🔋 Caie Kelley – Principal at Lowercarbon Capital Caie leads at Lowercarbon Capital, an early-stage fund with nearly $2 billion AUM, investing in over 120 companies focused on Decarbonization, Climate Resilience, and more. Previously at SOUNDWaves and J.P. Morgan, she brings expertise from both investment banking and private equity. 💡 Mona Alsubaei – Partner at Transition With deep expertise in ClimateTech, Mona is a partner at Transition, a Climate-focused fund investing in early-stage startups across the US and Europe. With prior experience at Union Square Ventures and the United Nations, Mona’s global perspective will shed light on scaling climate innovations 🌍 Craig Douglas – Founding Partner at World Fund As a founding partner of World Fund, Craig brings extensive knowledge from the energy transition space. His firm’s €300 million fund focuses on European technologies with global potential, aiming to reduce CO2 emissions and drive sustainable innovation. The conversation will be moderated by Rockstart CEO and Co-Founder, Rune Theill. Join us on 11th September from 12:25 - 13:00 at the BBQ Stage. See you there!