RootCamp - A SpinLab Company

+++ RootCamp becomes part of de:hub AgriFood Osnabrück/Hannover+++ We’re proud to announce that the startup partnership “Agrifood Osnabrück-Hannover” has been selected as digital hub by Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Klimaschutz. This marks the first time that the #agricultural sector has been part of a federal innovation initiative. RootCamp, in collaboration with Seedhouse, Agrotech Valley Forum e. V. and DIL Deutsches Institut für Lebensmitteltechnik e. V., is joining forces to make Osnabrück-Hannover a key player in #agrifood innovation. As a#digitalhub our mission is to build a strong ecosystem where #startups, established companies, academia, and investors unite to drive forward-thinking solutions. We aim to accelerate the digital and sustainable transformation of the agrifood sector, bringing innovations to market more quickly and boosting the competitiveness of our region and beyond. We are excited to be part of Germany’s biggest digital network and grateful for the support from policymakers. We look forward to future ventures and collaborations! Find the full press release here with a statement of Lower Saxony's Minister of Economic Affairs Olaf Lies: https://lnkd.in/eXgPx7xP and follow de:hub AgriFood Osnabrück/Hannover. Digital Hub Initiative Florian Stöhr Robert Everwand Paul Kurze Dr. Philipp Rittershaus Gaia Amatteis Alexander Märdian Niedersachsen.next Startup

𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 EIT Food 𝗘𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺𝘀 2025 𝗡𝗼𝘄 𝗢𝗽𝗲𝗻! 𝗘𝗜𝗧 𝗙𝗼𝗼𝗱 has opened the application phase for its 2025 𝗘𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺𝘀 with application deadline 𝗙𝗲𝗯𝗿𝘂𝗮𝗿𝘆 21, 2025. The program is designed for 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺𝘀 (including those not yet formally established) with 𝗗𝗲𝗲𝗽-𝗧𝗲𝗰𝗵 𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 in Agri-Tech, food, and food technology, aiming to 𝘃𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁 𝗽𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗹. Program Highlights: This 𝘀𝗶𝘅-𝗺𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵 program offers €9,000 in funding, 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 and 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱'𝘀 𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝗴𝗿𝗶-𝗳𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗻𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸. Supported by 𝗴𝗹𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗹 𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀, it is flexible, 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲, and compatible with studies or work. Starts 𝗠𝗮𝘆 2025. Take advantage of this unique opportunity to advance your innovative idea in the agrifood sector and become part of a dynamic, international network!

As 2024 comes to an end, we at RootCamp want to thank all our partners, mentors, and startups for an inspiring and impactful year. Here are just a few highlights of this year: 🟢ranking as 2nd best Accelerator in Germany and 12th place in Europe by Statista SpinLab - The HHL Accelerator organising the first Desafia FoodTech Germany for Spanish startups ICEX, BioMixing S.L., Innomy, Oscillum, NUCAPS, Gimme Sabor (antes Guimarana), Let it V Foods, QUEVANA, and COCUUS 🔵joining the Smarterra consortium to develop an innovation ecosystem in the South of Italy EY, DEEP Ecosystems, TechBBQ; Sweden Foodtech 🟢acquiring 4 new team members Annkathrin Wahbi, Emilia Muñoz Tipan, Gereon von Ilten, Liza Ziva 🔵becoming a part of the de:hub initiative from the BMWK as de:hub AgriFood Osnabrück/Hannover together with Seedhouse, Agrotech Valley Forum e.V. and DIL Deutsches Institut für Lebensmitteltechnik e. V. 🟢supporting excellent startups throughout the year Nium, Veridi Technologies BV, Open Climate Solutions, Plantilizer, VCG.AI and GOENOMICS GmbH Amata Green, SL, eco:fibr, Farmula, Proofminder, NoMaze, Regen Insight, Verdancy 🔵Bioeconomy DeepDives Rentenbank 🟢5 Pilot Projects K+S Group Wishing you a joyful holiday season and a successful start to 2025 – we can’t wait to continue growing together! Merry Christmas and happy holidays from the RootCamp team! 🎅✨

Second focus week of our Acceleration Program 🚀 Here’s a quick recap of what has happened: 1️⃣ Each startup should always be hiring Cristina Iulia Toma is our mentor for recruiting strategies. She brings many years of experience working for companies like E.ON and KWS Group as well as smaller companies. With Cristina we talked about building high-performing teams and navigating the evolving hiring market. It´s essential for the company to constantly expand and improve professional network and understand the time and effort required for effective HR practices Startups walked away with concrete tips on how to create their "employee persona" and how to efficiently plan their hiring processes. 2️⃣ Every startup should have a patent strategy Sönke Scheltz and Manuel Söldenwagner from Eisenführ Speiser are expert IP lawyers dealing with all matters concerning contracts with IP clauses as well as patents. They delivered a comprehensive session on IP law and strategies for safeguarding innovations. They shared practical advice, covering the importance of contracts to secure intellectual property as well as patent strategies. 3️⃣ Automation is key in sales Every week we invite a founder to share his/her experience with our startups. This time, we invited Dmitry Dementiev from GeoPard Agriculture (RC Alumni Batch #2). GeoPard Agriculture is a cloud based powerhouse for precision Ag data with business intelligence capabilities. GeoPard was founded in 2019 and since then they have been working with hundreds of customers of different size and in different geographies. Dmitry provided first-hand experience about developing sales strategies. In particular we talked about inbound vs outbound strategies, CRMs and how to structure the customer journey. Thanks a lot to Cristina Iulia Toma, Sönke Scheltz and Manuel Söldenwagner for being part of the Batch#6 program! 

Balancing the demands of existing business operations while investing in disruptive innovations remains a key challenge for companies, often referred to as the Innovator's Dilemma. At our recent Innovation Roundtable, an exclusive gathering for our corporate partners, we talked about #VentureClienting. 🎤 We were delighted to host Philipp Frey, Principal at hy – the Axel Springer Consulting Group, who shared valuable insights on how Venture Clienting offers a structured way for companies to collaborate with startups, driving innovation, growth, and long-term success. Become a RootCamp partner today and accelerate your innovation strategy: https://lnkd.in/eD9vQ_rU ⏩ Swipe right below for more insights of the session.

Every year, we come together multiple times across the different locations of the SpinLab - The HHL Accelerator Group. We love to meet all together to strengthen relationships within a team that primarily works virtually. This week, we held our final team day of the year – and what an incredible day it was! Here are some highlights: 🌟 Reflecting on 2024 Successes What a remarkable year it has been! The group achieved numerous milestones, including RootCamp’s impactful initiatives like Desafia, Smarterra, and Bioeconomy Deep Dives. These projects have expanded our reach to new countries and explored exciting topics. 🌟 Workshop: Grants & Tenders This session highlighted the critical role grants and tenders play in financing our activities alongside our industry partnerships. It was great to learn how each of us can contribute to this process and drive impactful results. 🌟 Workshop: Doing Business in Germany We dived into best practices for startups entering the German market and brainstormed how to make our programs even more appealing to these innovators. 🌟 Keynote by Christian Glade Christian inspired us with a masterclass on vision selling and negotiation principles. We left the session energized with fresh ideas and newfound confidence in our negotiation skills. Turns out, there’s a little negotiator in all of us! 🌟 A Magical Conclusion We wrapped up the day at HHL Leipzig Graduate School of Management with a private Christmas market experience, complete with festive cheer and team spirit – the perfect way to celebrate a successful year together.

Nium applies nanotechnology for clean, decentralized ammonia production, aiming to replace the energy-intensive Haber-Bosch process, which generates approximately 450 million tons of CO₂ emissions annually. 🔗 Learn how this talented startup from our Batch#6 enables efficient on-site ammonia production with significantly reduced CO₂ emissions in our blog - link in comments. #Batch6 #AmmoniaProduction

🚀 Week 1 of Our Acceleration Journey – What a Start! 🚀 The first week of our acceleration program has been full of events, workshops, fun, and learnings! Here are some takeaways from the week: 1️⃣ Understanding where you are on your startup journey Knowing exactly where you stand today is crucial to navigating your next steps. It’s not just about where you want to go; it’s about understanding the foundation from which you’ll grow and scale. Hendrik Schulze from SpinLab - The HHL Accelerator discussed this topic with our founders during his masterclass. 2️⃣ Start with the problem statement Defining the problem before jumping to solutions is the key to building something meaningful. Dr. Philipp Rittershaus shared how to dig deeper into the real challenges of customers face to create solutions that truly matter. 3️⃣ Networking & feedback are never enough No entrepreneur is an island. This week reinforced how important it is to surround yourself with a diverse network of mentors, peers, and experts who can offer fresh perspectives and constructive feedback. The power of a strong network cannot be underestimated! Stay tuned for more updates and follow the journey of these amazing 6 startups! With Simone Poppe, Caspar Olenhusen, Nium, Veridi Technologies BV, Open Climate Solutions, Plantilizer, VCG.AI and GOENOMICS GmbH

For the first time, UNLEASH brought together Hannover startup ecosystem, with over 700 guests, including founders, investors, corporates, and innovation enthusiasts. This day Astor Cinema had only startups and inspiring stories on it´s screens. Here are our highlights from the event: 🟢 Venture clienting panel: moderated by Dr. Philipp Rittershaus, this discussion on the Main Stage featured Hendrik Hoffmann, Thorsten Ramus, Antonina Reichardt, and Oliver Frohns, who shared best practices, explored challenges, and discussed methods for fostering effective collaborations between startups and corporates. 🔵 Together with startups from Batch #6 we talked about "Innovations for a Sustainable Future: Breakthroughs in Soil Health, Bio-Based Systems, and Circular Economy". Guests of our Diversity stage heard pitches and latest trends in #agrifood sector. 🟢 Keynote speakers like Miriam Höller and Raoul Roßmann delivered powerful insights, while Amiaz Habtu kept the audience engaged as an outstanding host on the Main Stage. #UNLEASH proved to be a much-needed format for startups to present their ideas, connect with like-minded individuals, and inspire the next generation of innovators. Many thanks to the strong startup ecosystem, without whose know-how and commitment it would be impossible to set up #UNLEASH in this form, as well as the other supporters: Hafven starting business | Leibniz Universität Hannover VentureVilla Accelerator GmbH Gründerinnen-Consult Hannover NEXSTER Entrepreneurship Center hannovate #Smint #SocialInnovationCenter BioIntelligence GmbH UVN | Unternehmerverbände Niedersachsen Niedersachsen.next

6 international startups, inspiring sessions, and countless opportunities to connect — this was RootCamp’s Open Innovation Day! One post is not enough to describe everything, but here are some highlights of the Day: 🎤 For stratups of Batch#6 in-person week is a great chance to pitch and present their ideas. During elevator pitches startups and industry experts shared their vision on the future of AgTech and bioeconomy. Great start, Nium, Veridi Technologies BV, Open Climate Solutions, Plantilizer, VCG.AI and GOENOMICS GmbH! 🎤 Erik Barzagar-nazari from K+S Group explored actionable insights for AI adoption at scale and presented the keynote: “From Idea to Reality - Implementing AI in Large Companies” . 🎤 5 Roundtables enabled deep discussions and exchanges between the respective industry experts. We are super happy with the outcome: at least 3 potential pilot projects were derived from these sessions between our Batch#6 startups and our corporate partners! Here are the main topics which were covered 1. Regenerative agriculture: Unlocking the soil microbiome potential → led by Caspar Olenhusen 2. Circular economy: Transforming secondary raw materials into value → led by Saskia S. 3. Transforming heavy industries: Leveraging existing infrastructure → led by Mario Verbeek 4. Seeds of transformation: Building new value chains with innovative crops → led by Annkathrin Wahbi 5. Open Innovation: Building the right organizational structure in corporates → led by Dr. Philipp Rittershaus This new format was a first for us, and we’re thrilled by the positive feedback from participants. It was a day full of inspiration and practical ideas with the potential to transform agriculture and the bioeconomy. Thanks our partners K+S Group and coaches Simone Poppe and Caspar Olenhusen for support. Learn more about the startups of Batch#6 in our latest article: LINK IN COMMENTS #AgTech