Loacker is investing one million euros a year in a selection of start-ups
The confectionery group has announced the launch of its Corporate Venture Capital arm, with the aim of supporting innovative start-ups with high growth potential
One million euros a year earmarked to support innovative start-ups with high growth potential in the food sector. This is the investment plan through which the Loacker Group ‘intends to look to the future, identifying new trends, technologies and business models, and contributing to the development of solutions to challenges for which the market does not yet offer established answers’.
According to the company, the evaluation criteria include ‘the technological and industrial potential of the start-ups, the financial soundness and robustness of their business model, and their ability to grow and scale over time’.
Among the priority areas that Corporate Venture Capital will focus on are new natural ingredients, or those containing naturally derived compounds, capable of enhancing the sensory profile; natural alternatives to traditional ingredients such as sugar and milk derivatives; solutions for a more balanced diet without compromising on taste and texture, for example through the reduction of calories, allergens or alternatives to fats; the circular economy and sustainability, through the optimisation of resources and by-products, such as the reuse of whey permeate derived from Dolomites Milk; data and traceability (for example, digital systems, automation technologies and robotic solutions applied to production processes and the agri-food supply chain, to improve transparency, operational efficiency and product integrity).
Through this initiative, the Loacker Group has set itself “the aim of being a strategic investor, providing start-ups not only with financial resources, but also with its know-how through industrial expertise, market knowledge, development capabilities and access to an established entrepreneurial ecosystem”.
“For a family-run business, investing today in solutions capable of generating value tomorrow means building its future responsibly,” says Andreas Loacker, Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Loacker Group and A. Loacker Spa. “Large companies and start-ups possess different yet complementary skills. On the one hand, experience, industrial capability and market knowledge; on the other, speed, specialisation and fresh perspectives. Our Corporate Venture Capital programme was created to bring these two worlds together and tackle the challenges of the coming years side by side.”
