CofounderZone stands for ecosystem, where two coexisting worlds are finding common ground to cooperate. The blue ocean is represented by innovative enterprises, utilising groundbreaking technologies and non-linear business models, but lacking resources to scale. The red ocean is the opposite world, dominated by corporations, strugling to maintain their position, despite being equiped with abundence of knowledge and assets.  This type of collaboration is not easy. That is why CofounderZone, puts strong emphasis on people – cofounders of startups and founders of established businesses, turned angel investors, to help the exchange of experience, human and investment capital.  #cfdrz

CofounderZone

Founded in 2010, EIT InnoEnergy is the leading innovation engine in Sustainable Energy. With offices in Europe and US, the firm seeks to make equity minority investments in early-stage companies and through added value services make the business case bigger, sooner and safer (de-risking). Investment scope: climate tech and energy sectors.

EIT InnoEnergy

We are a part of the Qemetica – a modern chemical holding, one of the industry leaders in Central and Eastern Europe. Its main shareholder is Kulczyk Investments - a global investment group specializing in building value of companies representing various industries. We invest globally in early-stage ventures related to ChemTech, New Materials, Circular Economy, AgroTech, and CleanTech.

Qemetica Ventures (Formerly Ciech Ventures)

Ecobean

Ecobean developed a proprietary technology to process waste coffee grounds into sustainable raw materials and specialty chemicals. The company addresses a global problem with a scalable, deep-tech solution that decreases carbon footprint and creates significant economic value. Coffee is the second most valuable commodity traded globally and its waste is a rich source of compounds which require greater reuse.

<div>Based in Poland, Ecobean offers a solution to reduce coffee waste by collecting coffee grounds and upcycling them into sustainable raw materials: coffee oil, antioxidants, lactic acid, protein-rich additives, and coffee lignin that are used in the food, cosmetics, manufacturing, and pharmaceutical industries. Ecobean’s products include Coffee Briquettes (barbecue and stove briquettes) made of 80% coffee grounds, Eco Straws produced from lignin extracted from Spent Coffee Grounds, and Biodegradable Flower Pots made of 50% Spent Coffee Grounds combined with a biodegradable polymer that is said to biodegrade within six to 12 months from being planted. The company also manufactures “You Lucky Bird eco-friendly cups” in partnership with the Dutch startup “You Lucky Bird,” which also offers materials and products based on coffee grounds.</div>

Tech solutions for achieving global anti-wastage targets

Food Waste

Polish sustainability startup EcoBean secures €7M in funding

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 Based in Poland, Ecobean offers a solution to reduce coffee waste by collecting coffee grounds and upcycling them into sustainable raw materials: coffee oil, antioxidants, lactic acid, protein-rich additives, and coffee lignin that are used in the food, cosmetics, manufacturing, and pharmaceutical industries. Ecobean’s products include Coffee Briquettes (barbecue and stove briquettes) made of 80% coffee grounds, Eco Straws produced from lignin extracted from Spent Coffee Grounds, and Biodegradable Flower Pots made of 50% Spent Coffee Grounds combined with a biodegradable polymer that is said to biodegrade within six to 12 months from being planted. The company also manufactures “You Lucky Bird eco-friendly cups” in partnership with the Dutch startup “You Lucky Bird,” which also offers materials and products based on coffee grounds.
 
 
 As of December 2022, Ecobean was in the process of building the world’s first BioRefinery that would fully process coffee waste into raw materials such as protein feed additives, coffee oil, polylactic acid (PLA), and lignin, which can be used to manufacture new products such as coffee capsules, flower pots, single-use cups and straws, bio-diesel additives, and fine chemicals.
 
 
 As of December 2022, Ecobean had partnered with PRIO, VATTENFALL, Starbucks, and Delta to install coffee ground collection services at their respective outlets. The company has also partnered with Tucano, to conduct a “Feasibility Study on Closing the Coffee Circulation in Moldova” as a part of an initiative implemented by UNDP IRH under the Polish Challenge Fund: Innovative Solution for the SDGs, with financial support from the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
 
 
 In 
 <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/15010">
 November 2022
 </a>
 , Ecobean raised EUR 2.1 million (~ USD 2.2 million) in a seed funding round expected to be used to build the company’s Ecobean Technology Center and to support further global expansion.
 
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 Apeel Sciences produces edible coatings made of plant materials that extend the lifetime of fruits by 2-3x with the goal of preventing food wastages in regions where there is a lack of refrigeration. According to the company, US retailers that use Apeel experience a 50% reduction in waste alongside a 5%-10% growth in sales on average. As of July 2021, Apeel Sciences reported to have saved around 69 million pieces of produce from going to waste at retail stores by partnering with small family-owned farmers, local organic growers, grocery stores, and large food brands. As of August 2021, the company was offering its solution to a network of 30 suppliers and 40 retailers across eight countries, including the US, UK, Spain, Netherlands, and Kenya. The company focuses on expanding its market presence across North America and the EU. 
 
 
 The company&rsquo;s early years were supported by a Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation grant of USD 100,000 in 2012 and Andreessen Horowitz, which led the company&rsquo;s 2016 Series B funding round. Celebrities such as Oprah Winfrey and Katy Perry have also invested in Apeel.
 
 
 In May 2020, Apeel announced plans to expand to Sub-Saharan Africa, Central, and South America&mdash;all regions where food wastage is increasing. In May 2021, Apeel Sciences acquired startup Impact Vision for an undisclosed amount. Impact vision&rsquo;s technology allows suppliers to see inside their fresh produce and ultimately reduce post-harvest loss, optimize distribution, while continuing to extend shelf-life. 
 
 
 In August 2021, the company raised USD 250 million in a Series E funding round led by Temasek at USD 2 billion valuation. The company expects to use the funds to expand its product distribution across the US, UK, and Europe by accelerating deployment of its product across its existing supplier network and by partnering with 10 new suppliers by the end of 2021. The company also plans to use the funds to strengthen its data and insights offering and support its future acquisition plans.
 
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Apeel Sciences

Shelf Engine provides demand forecasting tools for perishable food items to reduce inefficiencies in the ordering system and minimize overall costs. According to Shelf Engine, more than 30% of highly perishable foods in grocery stores such as meat and vegetables expire before the sell-by date. Shelf Engine’s scan-based trade (SBT) technology guarantees sales and pays for any items that remain unsold. Via the SBT, Shelf Engine manages orders, pays vendors, and only charges the retailer for what sells while still paying suppliers for their full order and increasing its accuracy over time. Shelf generates revenue by charging a mark-up on the product from the vendor to the retailer.The pandemic benefited Shelf Engine as grocers found it difficult to manage orders during lockdown. In March 2021, Shelf Engine raised USD 41 million in a Series B funding round led by General Catalyst to further invest in its growing team of engineers, data scientists, and supply chain automation experts. As of March 2021, Shelf Engine operated in more than 2,000 grocery stores and claimed to increase profit margins by more than 50% by reducing food waste by as much as 32%.

Shelf Engine

Afresh began as a research project in 2017 to develop AI-powered software that optimizes the entire food supply chain. Specifically, the company offers an in-store solution for grocery stores that applies artificial intelligence to manage the freshness of food. According to the company, implementation of its technology has led to a 25%–45% reduction of in-store food waste and increased gross margin of fresh produce sales by 4 percentage points. The company generates revenue under a SaaS model. I n <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/16835">March 2023, </a>the company expanded into fresh departments, including meat, seafood, deli, and food service.Some of Afresh's key customers include Fresh Thyme Market, WinCo Foods, and Heinen’s. In 2019, the company also reported that it had established partnerships with three US grocery chains, each with more than 100 stores in operation. The company also collaborated with Bashas’ Supermarkets Inc. (a chain of grocery stores based in North America with over 100 stores) in September 2021 and New Season Market (a chain of 19 privately owned grocery stores) in October 2021 to pilot the “Afresh AI-driven software solution” at selected stores. In <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/15786">January 2023 </a>, Afresh and Albertsons Companies announced the completion of an enterprise rollout of the Afresh predictive ordering and inventory management platform. As of January 2023, the company’s technology was deployed across 3,000 stores in 40 states in the US, and it also reported that it was able to triple its customer base in 2021. Afresh notes that it is on track to help retailers save 34 million pounds of food waste by the end of 2022.In August 2022, AFresh raised USD 115 million in a <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/12187">Series B </a>funding round led by Spark Capital. Following the USD 13 million funding round in November 2020, the company was valued at USD 100 million.

AFresh

UK-based Winnow Solutions identifies and measures waste in commercial kitchens. The company records the reason for the waste, calculates the value of the wasted food, and keeps track of this data in the cloud. The company’s self-titled product shares technology with autonomous vehicles, using cameras to record and learn about food being wasted and calculate the financial and environmental cost of this discarded food. Winnow Vision also provides a Waste Monitor solution to help kitchen staff track how and what food is wasted to adjust their spending on food ingredients and eliminate overproduction.Key customers and partnershipsWinnow’s customers include the catering company <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/5386">ISS</a> and hotels such as Accor, Fairmont, The Westin, Four Seasons, and Hilton Tokyo Bay. As of June 2023, Winnow claims that its AI solution has so far saved customers USD 174 million and cut 217,000 tons of CO2 emissions worldwide, equivalent to taking nearly 50,000 cars off the road for a year.Funding and financials<a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/27315">In March 2024</a>, the company raised an undisclosed amount from ABC Impact to accelerate its expansion into the Asian market. Previously, In June 2023, the company raised USD 10 million in a Series C funding round led by ArcTern Ventures.

Winnow Solutions

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 Hazel Technologies is a United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)-funded technology company that develops a packaging which releases vapors that slow the aging process and prevent fungus or decay. Its solution is claimed to double the shelf-life of produce. Hazel operates a B2B business that targets large enterprises. The company has reported treating 700 million pounds of produce as of 2019, saving about 60 million pounds from going bad in 2019 alone. The company has a target to save one billion pounds of produce from going to waste by the end of 2021. Hazel operates in 12 countries including the US and Chile (entered in October 2020). 
 
 
 Hazel works with around 250 foodservice providers and produce companies including the likes of Sysco, Mission Produce, Zespri, Calavo, and Oppy. The company reported in 2019 that it plans to develop new products such as antimicrobial packaging for berries, grapes, and other fruit, and also expects to launch its shelf-life extension technology for meat products.
 
 
 Since 2016, the company has received a total of USD 1.5 million from the USDA to develop its technology. Hazel received the USDA funding in December 2020 for solving the problem of unwanted sprouting in potatoes. In April 2021, the company announced that it had closed a USD 70 million Series C financing round led by Pontifax Global Food and Agriculture Technology Fund (Pontifax AgTech), and Temasek, to expand operations across Southeast Asia, Africa, and the EU. 
 
 
 
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Hazel technologies

Startups that prevent food wastage by prolonging the lifetime of food or better managing food production through the supply chain. Companies that develop products such as sanitizers, containers, and machines that allow food to stay fresh longer are included here. Startups that develop algorithms to determine food preservation strategies are also included.

These startups ensure work to reroute surplus food to different sets of end-users including charity organizations and consumers seeking discounted items. This segment mainly consists of on-demand online platforms that connect producers, retailers, and restaurants with consumers via mobile app.

Startups that recycle food waste for industrial uses such as soil enrichment.

Startups that recycle food waste into edible food and beverages.

Solutions that keep food waste out of landfills

Recycling and upcycling food waste to keep them out of landfills

IoT-enabled waste prevention techniques for purposes such as longer shelf-life and inventory management

Waste prevention analysis platforms use AI/ML

Ecobean

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