In June 2024, Bert-Jan Woertman became Managing Director of StartLife, entering the world of agrifood innovation and bringing in his experience and views from high-tech venture building. A talk about his first impression, innovation, collaboration, and the future of StartLife. ‘Working in the agrifood capital of the world brings unprecedented motivation.
Six months ago, you exchanged Eindhoven for Wageningen. What is your first impression?
“Brainport Eindhoven is a high-tech region. It’s very cool to work in an environment where the most complex machines in the world are made, but you can’t eat them. In Wageningen, we deal with things that directly impact what will be on our plates in the future. Doing so at a place recognized worldwide as the number one in the field is very special to me.
Wageningen University and Research (WUR) is the best university in the world in agriculture and food. A network of international companies and promising startups surrounds it. This region breathes innovation. Many people have been walking around here for years and are used to it. I have only recently come here and find it very special to see this happening with my own eyes.”
It’s cool that we can export so much out of such a small country, but it’s also increasingly a topic of discussion. How do you see that?
“Yes, the discussion about sustainable food production is urgent. Considering what I just described, the Netherlands can take the lead as an agrifood center. As a small country, we are innovative and have developed efficient value chains for food production, from farm to fork. We have done that well. Looking ahead, there are some significant challenges that we have to solve together. The problems we are facing here will be a problem in other countries tomorrow. So if we come up with innovations and solutions, we can sell them to the rest of the world in the future.
There are tremendous opportunities if we manage to export our innovations worldwide. This is already happening. 80% of all greenhouses worldwide contain Dutch technology, the most advanced seed breeding companies are housed here, and Lely’s energy-efficient milking robot flies worldwide. Or take the Dutch StartLife alumnus Orbisk. Its AI-driven food waste monitor helps chefs in professional kitchens get a grip on their food waste and can already be found in 40+ countries. The company raised €8 million Series A last week, which will help expand its international reach and further grow its impact.
The challenge is topical -the world population is increasing, and we need more food- and here in Wageningen, all the ingredients are present to meet that challenge. But, even though all the ingredients are present, we are yet to find the optimal recipe for this magic potion.”
What do you think is missing right now?
“We need to take the next step as an ecosystem to see how we can work together even better. The formal collaborations are tight and well-organized. But there is room for improvement in the informal collaborations—where everyone walks in on each other’s office and calls each other. We are all working on the same mission, and technical innovation is abundant; only the social innovation needs some tinkering.
In doing so, we must remember to keep telling our story. With what we are doing here, we are setting the tone worldwide for the agritech and food industry of the future. Food Valley, with Wageningen as its capital, is the agrifoodtech hotspot of Europe!”
What role can StartLife play in that?
“What StartLife is doing is impressive. I think we are still too modest. We have supported over 400 startups from 35 countries, raising €650 million in funding and creating over 3,000 jobs. Disruption and innovation take place at startups. So, startups play a crucial role. At the same time, it’s tough to build a startup. For example, startup founders can use a professional sparring partner to aid in market validation and fundraising. StartLife offers founders an accelerated learning curve and journey to success. Moreover, we can act as interpreters in discussions with large companies.”
“We have supported over 400 startups from 35 countries, raising €650 million in funding and creating over 3,000 jobs.”
“We share the ambition to lead the way and position the Netherlands as the global leader in agrifood technology. In that case, major corporations, SMEs, startups, scale-ups, and investors must interconnect within this thriving ecosystem. By collaborating to access and accelerate innovation, we can ensure collective success and a competitive edge on the global stage. Our beautiful campus, home to a leading university and research institutes, serves as the wellspring of new talent and groundbreaking technologies.”
And how do you see your role within that process?
“To me, the most intriguing challenge is inspiring people to take action. When people move, systems naturally follow. A system is nothing more and nothing less than the sum of all relationships between individuals. Together, we have the power to change the world.”
What (more) does StartLife have in store for the future?
“In the short term, celebration! 2025 will be a year of celebration for StartLife. In May, we host our 10th F&A summit, welcoming over 850 agri-food innovators and investors from all over the world. On 14 October, we will also celebrate StartLife’s 15th anniversary, another milestone event. And, of course, we will continue building our just-launched HortiScience Innovation Centre.
Next year, we will launch venture-building activities, harnessing intellectual property from universities, corporations, and research institutes. These efforts will focus on assembling entrepreneurial teams to transform groundbreaking science into impactful companies that drive progress in agrifood innovation. We expect much growth in our venture-building activities in the years ahead.
Most importantly, we continue to drive impactful agrifood innovation and expand our reach to create greater impact. This mission fuels my passion and inspires the StartLife team every day.”