Danone and Social Nest Foundation’s startup acceleration program, ‘Scale the Impact’, has selected 20 social and environmental impact projects in its first edition.
The initiative aims to accelerate the growth and business opportunities of impact startups, as well as the incorporation of B Corp values into their management model.
The selected startups will have the opportunity to receive funding, connect with international investors, and receive hybrid training through online and in-person modules.
The program will begin at 4YFN and conclude with a Demo Day during South Summit, where a jury will select the winning startup, which will receive a €30,000 prize.
Moving towards transition
The startups participating in the program operate mainly in areas such as sustainable and regenerative agriculture, specialized nutrition, circular economy, and the future of retail.
And also, offer solutions to the most urgent social and environmental challenges globally and fall under the framework of the SDGs, which range from “Zero Hunger” and “Health and Well-being” to “Sustainable Cities” and “Responsible Production and Consumption”.
“We face multiple challenges as individuals, companies, and society and we are convinced in the transformative power of innovation and technology because without them it will be impossible to move forward and achieve the transition we need,” says Nicolas Cosqueric, IT & Data Director at Danone.
“Innovation with purpose is the engine from which we can lead this transformation and the selected startups demonstrate how technology at the service of purpose has a positive impact on people, their health, and that of the planet, providing disruptive solutions to particular problems but generating a great positive impact”, he added.
The selected startups
These are the 20 startups selected for the first edition of ‘Scale the Impact’:
Aonchip (Terrasa, Catalonia – Sustainable agriculture): this startup is dedicated to designing and manufacturing IoT hardware to digitize the water cycle and combat food waste globally.
Aquactiva Solutions (Valencia, Valencia – Sustainable agriculture): This Valencian startup produces an ecological, innocuous, and low-cost disinfectant in situ.
Azolla Projects (Barcelona, Catalonia – Regenerative agriculture): this project measures and monetizes the positive impacts of regenerative agriculture, with the aim of combating the adverse effects of traditional agricultural methods.
Bisari Agroinnovation (Granada, Andalusia – Sustainable agriculture) focuses on finding solutions for spraying and pollination through electrostatic technology.
Boomerang Takeaway SL12 (Barcelona, Catalonia – Circular Economy): has developed a digital container reuse system to eliminate the need for an initial deposit and to be able to track each container.
Darwin Bioprospecting Excellence (Paterna, Valencia, Spain – Circular economy): develops microbial solutions for recycling processes, and reuse of waste and by-products from the agri-food industry.
FOODRATION4LLL (Castellón de la Plana, Comunidad Valenciana – Social inclusion): they are the creators of Naira, a platform for managing digital food donations, through direct payments by individuals and companies from any sector, which reach social organizations in their entirety.
ForestChain (Madrid, Madrid – Sustainable forestry): is a blockchain-based SaaS digital traceability platform for the timber industry, which aims to guarantee the traceability of timber and compliance with legal requirements, as well as facilitate sustainable forestry certification and improve company management and productivity.
Fregata Space (Barcelona, Catalonia – Resilient Agriculture): a startup whose business model is based on an innovative way of observing the earth to discover pollutants in the air and water.
Genbioma Applications (Pamplona, Navarra – Specialised nutrition): this startup from Navarra has developed personalized postbiotics to balance the intestinal microbiota and improve diabetes.
Gradhoc (A Coruña, Galicia – Future of retail): they have created a vertical refrigeration model that can improve energy efficiency with the experience and optimization of algorithms of facilities and consumers.
Innogando (Lugo, Galicia – Regenerative agriculture): they are the creators of a smartwatch for farm animals, capable of monitoring all animal conditions.
InnoPlant (Granada, Andalusia – Regenerative agriculture): this French startup studies the microbiome of each crop soil, to select those microorganisms that exert a positive action on it and reduce the use of chemical inputs.
Miobio (Valencia, Valencian Community – Specialised nutrition): through Artificial Intelligence, they discover the food parameters that influence the performance of athletes and personalize, cook, and send food menus to prevent injuries.
Nucaps Nanotechnology (Pamplona, Navarra – Specialised nutrition): an international biotech company that researches, develops, and produces a new category of functional ingredients: microencapsulated bioactive and probiotics, with improved functionalities in terms of nutrition and cost, for a real impact on nutrition and human health.
Oscillum Biotechnology (Elche, Comunidad Valenciana – Circular economy): they produce smart labels to monitor the state of food. Their objective? To improve sustainability by optimizing the use of limited resources and reducing food waste.
Plastiks (Barcelona, Catalonia – Circular economy): this startup connects companies and organizations in industrialized countries with plastic recovery projects in emerging countries.
Scoobic Group (Seville, Andalusia – Future of retail): is a designer of electric vehicles that aims to solve the problem of mobility in city centers using light, agile and load-bearing vehicles.
Swearit (Valencia, Valencia – Future of retail): they contribute to improving the credibility of brands in the eyes of the consumer, promoting transparency through the exposure of a product’s traceability, and providing evidence backed by Blockchain technology.
Sycai Medical (Barcelona, Catalonia – Health and well-being): this startup is a software based on Artificial Intelligence and Big Data for the analysis of medical images (CT and MRI), which locates, parameterize, and classifies pancreatic cystic lesions.