Food startups seem to be a dime a dozen. It's only logical that not every business concept works out. StartinFOOD has made it its mission to support young founders with their food ideas. This also includes connecting startups with the right people.
1. Who are you and what do you do? Please introduce yourselves briefly!
StartinFOOD offers online and offline support as well as innovative testing opportunities (Foodstartuptable @ Feinkost Käfer) by the end consumer for food startups and their products. With a diverse range of consulting services, including a focus on crowdfunding, we support founders with crowdfunding and launching into retail. We are Christine Purnell, Walther Bruckschen and Michael Ostermair. Christine and Walther are business graduates with years of experience as startup consultants. Michael founded a successful food startup himself 5 years ago and would have liked more help at the beginning. With our expertise in startup consulting and our practical experience in the food industry, we complement each other perfectly. With our FOODSTARTUPTABLE concept, we and our partners have been offering a springboard for young food and beverage startups into retail since 2016.
2. But that's been around for a long time!
Not specialized in this industry in this combination: With our offer to achieve the start in food with the participation of the crowd (and thus the direct end consumer) as well as real practical experience, we offer valuable leverage.
Crowdfunding support – partners manage large-scale projects
3. What has been your biggest challenge so far?
We've expanded our network and community over the past year and gained several important partners. These include Startnext, Feinkost Käfer, the Nutrition Cluster of the Competence Center for Nutrition, and the FOOD & LIFE trade fair. Diversity is just as important to them as it is to us. For us as StartinFOOD For our team, it is a challenge to work for food startups and invest a lot of time in addition to our other tasks as entrepreneurs and consultants.
4. Let’s get down to business: How is business going?
We tailor our consulting packages to the financial capabilities of food startups. For example, we support startups from across Germany in a compact format with the preparation and implementation of a crowdfunding campaign. The realization of larger projects is made possible by partners who see the support of food startups as a meaningful expansion of the industry. Current example: This fall, the Crowdfunding Contest Food 2017 for innovative food startups, which is funded by the Nutrition Cluster at the Competence Center for Nutrition (KErn). Founded in 2006 by the Bavarian State Government, the industry cluster efficiently brings together stakeholders from science, food production and processing, retail, gastronomy, and consumers. The focus is particularly on Promoting innovative food startups – which is also our ultimate goal!
Promising startups on the hook
5. What does Munich mean to you?
First and foremost, Munich is our home and our company headquarters. Munich is also a highly attractive market for food startups. We believe the startup scene in the food and beverage sector still has room for improvement. FOODSTARTUPTABLE At the traditional Munich-based Feinkost Käfer, we receive many applications from Berlin and other parts of Germany. We hope that our work can inspire many more Munich-based food entrepreneurs to get started.
6. What's more likely for a food startup: the next unicorn or an epic fail night?
The failure rate in the food industry is high, as is the number of startups in this sector. This is precisely why it's important for young food startups to receive competent support early on and to test their products on the market at an early stage. StartinFOOD should therefore significantly reduce the number of visitors to Fail Night in the food startup scene. In short: Some of the young companies we support could take off in the future.
7. And if you had to choose, what would the food specialists prefer: grilled fish or pork knuckle?
Grilled fish.
