Israel-based ICL Collaborates with StartLife to Invest in Agri Startups

In its quest to invest in startups focused on new ways to address global challenges in food and agricultural production, ICL, a leading global speciality minerals company, has partnered with startup accelerator StartLife. These difficulties range from increasing yields and addressing food insecurity to reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Both organizations are fully committed to accelerating the business development and growth of early-stage startups, and this collaboration allows them to move forward in their shared mission.

ICL Planet Startup Hub, headquartered in Israel, is the vehicle through which ICL cultivates, nurtures, and accelerates innovation in the AgriFood tech ecosystem through global open innovation and collaboration. Among the potential targets are novel methods of recycling minerals, extracting minerals from waste streams and converting them to fertilizers, and developing innovative functional proteins for clean label applications.

"We want to invest in startups that can make a meaningful difference," said Hadar Sutovsky, VP of External Innovation at ICL Group. Sutovsky first met StartLife at its annual summit, F&A Next, which focuses on disruptive AgriFood technologies and brings together startups, investors, and corporates from around the world.

"StartLife has a strong track record of identifying and attracting promising early-stage startups globally, and its position at the heart of the European AgriFood tech ecosystem, focus on sustainable food systems, and strong links with the world-renowned Wageningen University & Research were central to our decision to enter into a partnership," Sutovsky continued.

Laura Thissen, StartLife's Operations Director, stated, "Through this partnership, StartLife aims to accelerate startups' scaling journey while also assisting ICL in finding the best startups that match their innovation challenges." Our team is already identifying startups that want to collaborate and help Planet Startup solve a piece of the innovation puzzle. Crop nutrition, such as next-generation fertilizers and biostimulants, is covered, as are precision farming and alternative proteins."

Thissen continued, "To foster innovation, StartLife actively connects startups with industry leaders. ICL's core domain complements the value chain coverage of our partner community. We quickly discovered that we have a lot of synergies in our activities and the same drive for sustainability in food and agriculture during our discussions."

A collaboration with ICL Planet Startup Hub provides startups with numerous benefits, including market access, expertise, and access to world-class scientists, as well as the ability to conduct sample testing. ICL, as a local industrial partner, can also provide agronomic or food application feedback. ICL Planet Startup Hub is already an active investor in several AgriFood startups, most recently in Plantible and Protera, two alternative protein companies.