Rockstart

✨ What a fantastic evening at Startup Spotlight! 🚀 Earlier this month, we gathered in Amsterdam as part of Rockstart Community Week to shine a light on some of the incredible startups from our network. The energy, innovation, and enthusiasm in the room were unmatched! 💡 From inspiring pitches to engaging conversations, the event was a celebration of entrepreneurship. Startups shared their stories, showcased their solutions, and connected with fellow founders, investors, and ecosystem players. We had the pleasure of hearing inspiring pitches from our accomplished founders, including RTDT Laboratories AG, BCHAR, hoggo, Mappalink, Point2Hectare, Infinigrid AS, MemoMate and PERFI Technologies. 👏 A huge thank you to all the startups that took the stage, our community members who joined us, and everyone who made the evening so special. These moments remind us why fostering connections and collaboration is at the heart of what we do at Rockstart. Here’s to building, innovating, and growing together! 🌱

✨ What an incredible day! We recently teamed up with Google and beyond to host The Google Founder’s Story in Amsterdam 🎉 From hearing inspiring stories from founders to diving into the realities of overcoming challenges and navigating the market, this event was a masterclass in entrepreneurial resilience. 🚀 Key highlights from the day: 💡 Eye-opening insights on the investment scene 💬 Real stories of challenges turned into opportunities 🤝 Networking that sparked new connections and ideas But don’t just take our word for it, check out the After Movie to relive the energy 👀 A huge thank you to our incredible speakers, partners, and all the attendees who made this event so impactful. Let’s keep the conversation going and continue building a stronger, more connected startup ecosystem together! 💪

⚡ Sympower, a Rockstart Energy portfolio company, just acquired Flextools! The acquisition strengthens Sympower's footprint in the Nordics and drives its growth across Europe, meeting rising demand for advanced flexibility solutions. Together, Sympower and Flextools are combining their expertise, technologies, and teams — adding 250 MW to Sympower’s portfolio and welcoming 19 new team members. Here's how Simon Bushell, Sympower's Founder and CEO, put it: "Not only do we inherit a strong portfolio of solutions, but also the deep industry knowledge and experience that Flextools brings. We are better equipped than ever to deliver exceptional value to our customers and partners while supporting Europe’s energy transition” Congrats, team ⬇️⬇️⬇️

What a way to wrap up the week! endless food co has secured €1m in pre-seed funding to future-proof the chocolate industry. Led by Nordic Foodtech VC, with support from Export and Investment Fund of Denmark and Rockstart, this funding will drive the expansion of THIC (This Isn’t Chocolate)—a sustainable, cacao-free chocolate alternative crafted from upcycled brewer’s spent grain. With rising cacao prices and pressing environmental concerns like deforestation and biodiversity loss, THIC offers a much-needed solution. It offers 80-90% lower carbon emissions compared to conventional dark chocolate, according to a recent life cycle assessment. This funding will enable Endless Food Co to scale production, establish a pilot plant, grow sales, and onboard top talent. 🌱🍫 Congrats to co-founders Maximillian Bogenmann, Christian Alexander Møller Bach, and Matthew Orlando!

🥇Let’s go Klimate.co! They topped this year’s Sifted 250 — a ranking of the top 250 fastest-growing climate tech companies in Europe by revenue 🔗 https://brnw.ch/21wPewh Klimate, a Rockstart Energy portfolio company, supplies companies with carbon removal credits. They partner with carbon removal suppliers using methods like biochar, direct air capture, and enhanced rock weathering Always proud to see the hard work of co-founders Katja Grothe-Eberhardt, Mads Emil Dalsgaard, Simon Bager, PhD, and the entire team paying off!

🚀 The LeapSprong 2024 Report is live! Six startups joined us for the first edition of LeapSprong Amsterdam, an innovation program jointly organized by the City of Amsterdam, the Energy Transition Campus Amsterdam (ETCA), and Rockstart. The program is designed to accelerate solutions for a sustainable and circular energy system in the Amsterdam region. Huge kudos to Accu't, CarbonOrO, Spark e-Fuels, UP Catalyst, ParaStruct, and Skytree! 🎉 What’s next? Three startups have earned a six-month support program to bring their solutions to life: ✨ Accu't: Collaborating with regional organizations to replace diesel generators and support the power grid. 🌿 ParaStruct: Exploring sustainable construction materials made from waste processor ashes. 🔗 CarbonOrO: Developing a CO2 capture-to-utilization value chain with new partners—and joining our partners at ETCA! Take a closer look at the LeapSprong journey: 📊 Impact Report ➡️ https://brnw.ch/21wPbVE 🎤 Demo Day Recap ➡️ https://brnw.ch/21wPbVF

We wrapped up another Scale Impact Series last week, and this time, we were lucky enough to hear from Jeppe Rindom, co-founder & CEO of Pleo! 🚀 Held at Pleo HQ in Copenhagen, the event was all about scaling smart, overcoming challenges, and staying true to your mission. And there were some seriously good takeaways 💡 🔥 Listening to customers isn't just a phase, it's a growth strategy. At Pleo, continuous feedback turned a budgeting tool into a strategic success for businesses. 🔥 Scaling a startup reshapes everything, from leadership roles to company culture. Growth isn't just about numbers; it's about navigating relationships and adapting. 🔥 When employees start saying, 'Did you Pleo that?' instead of 'Did you expense that?' you know you've made a cultural impact. 🔥 The magic of the startup phase lies in its challenges and innovation. Embrace the chaos, because it’s where the foundations of greatness are built. Thanks to everyone who joined us – looking forward to seeing you at the next one! 🙌

The Finals Event for our very first LeapSprong program was a blast! Jointly organized by the City of Amsterdam and the Energy Transition Campus Amsterdam (ETCA), we got to welcome some truly exciting startups: Accu't, CarbonOrO, Spark e-Fuels, UP Catalyst, ParaStruct, and Skytree. This program is designed to accelerate sustainable solutions and foster a circular energy system for the Port of Amsterdam and the wider Metropoolregio Amsterdam (MRA). Congrats to the founders and read through to see what the Finals Event had in store ⬇️

🌱 Excited to continue with our interview series, with Mary Ellis, co-founder of PheroSyn ➡️ https://brnw.ch/21wP15F Co-founded by Mary and Daniel Bahia, Pherosyn joined the Rockstart AgriFood portfolio in 2024. Pherosyn is revolutionizing pest control through pheromone-based solutions. By leveraging insects’ natural communication systems, PheroSyn offers farmers sustainable tools to manage pests while protecting biodiversity, a true win for agriculture and the environment. 💬 “Pheromones are sustainable, non-toxic, and highly species-specific, protecting biodiversity and pollinators in ways chemical pesticides simply cannot,” Mary explains. With Rockstart AgriFood’s support, PheroSyn has grown from scientific innovation to a commercially focused startup addressing critical agricultural challenges. “Rockstart’s mentorship helped us focus on the right questions and build a strong co-founder relationship,” Mary shares. Mary’s advice for founders? "Surround yourself with people who know far more than you, embrace their advice, and then move forward with clarity." ✨ Stay tuned for more inspiring stories as we spotlight founders shaping the future of AgriFood!

🌟 We're thrilled to announce that Abastores has joined the Rockstart AgriFood portfolio! 🚜🌾 Co-founded by Carlos García Santacruz and Rubén Orihuela, Abastores offers an operation system for farmers providing them with real-time grain prices, seamless connections to demand, and a secure way to manage their operations. 💬 Carlos García Santacruz, CEO of Abastores, shares: “We would like to have an international vision of Abastores, and being supported by [Rockstart] can help us to reach the next level [...] We hope to be oriented to achieve our metrics, receive support in the strategic points of growth, and add people to the project” 💬 Mark Durno, Managing Partner at Rockstart AgriFood, adds: “Farmers often face the challenge of managing too many fragmented solutions, which can be especially burdensome for smaller-scale producers. Abastores offers a streamlined approach that simplifies how farmers access markets and trade. Carlos and his team combine deep agricultural insight with a strong technical foundation, creating a platform that could significantly improve efficiency and ease of use for farmers. We are very excited to be working together with Abastores and look forward to being part of their journey" Welcome aboard, Abastores! 🚀