French Food + Tech

People

Juliette holds an engineering degree in agronomy from AgroParisTech. Her journey into science began during her preparatory studies, where she was inspired by a former student conducting research on a vaccine for HIV. This sparked her initial interest in the field, leading her to an internship in immunology in 2014.

Despite a fascinating start in research, Juliette was eager for new challenges and decided to pivot towards the venture capital space. In 2016, she joined Seventure Partners, where she worked as an analyst in the Health for Life fund. Here, she discovered her passion for venture capital, engaging with brilliant founders and innovative projects, particularly in the health sector. Her experience in health investments solidified her desire to work at the intersection of innovation, sustainability, and impact.

In 2021, Juliette took the next step in her career by joining Capagro, a venture capital firm focused on agtech and foodtech. She began as a financial analyst and, through her dedication and expertise, quickly advanced to her current role as senior associate. At Capagro, Juliette supports innovative entrepreneurs working on sustainable food systems, actively fostering impactful solutions that can shape the future of agrifood. She specialized in alternative proteins, packaging for food and ag robotics. Her deep passion for the sector is evident in her drive to create lasting change, supporting projects that address global challenges in food security, health, and sustainability.

Sharon is a leading figure in the global food and agricultural innovation ecosystem, leveraging her extensive background in communications and business to drive positive change. Recognized as one of Forbes’ most influential women shaping the future of food, she has dedicated over a decade to building connections and fostering collaboration across startups, corporations, investors, policymakers, institutions, and youth. 

At the heart of Sharon’s philosophy is the belief in forging connections and catalyzing collaborative efforts to drive systemic change within food systems. In 2021, she founded Edible Planet Ventures, a platform aimed at convening industry leaders to address pressing challenges in the food system. Sharon’s impact extends beyond entrepreneurship; she is actively engaged in various roles, including hosting the FoodTech Junkies Podcast and serving on the World Agriculture Forum’s Council and on boards such as the AgrifoodTech Italia Association and The Complementary Protein Alliance. 

In academia, Sharon contributes significantly as a member of the Faculty of the European Institute for Innovation and Sustainability Master program, specializing in agrifood and sustainability. She also shares her expertise as a mentor for initiatives like Rockstart Agrifood, EIC, Open Food Chain, 4WardVC and the FoodTech Accelerator, underscoring her status as a trusted authority in the field.

Sharon also remains steadfast in her commitment to fostering opportunities for women as the Global Chair for Food Innovation for the G100, an organization promoting gender equality globally. 

Recognized for her dedication to driving innovation and inclusivity within the global agrifood landscape, Sharon has received prestigious accolades and is frequently invited to speak at conferences and media outlets. Her journey is marked by innovation, leadership, and a relentless commitment to transforming the global food system for the better.

Emilie Abrams has dedicated over a decade to harnessing the power of the agri-food sector as a force for positive environmental, social, and economic change. Her journey began during her university studies in Philadelphia, where she engaged with a social enterprise addressing issues of poor nutrition. This social commitment continued when she moved to New York, where she helped provide children’s meals, strengthening her understanding of the challenges in accessing nutritious food.

Driven by a desire to explore the complexities of the Mexican agrifood value chain, Emilie started working for a regenerative farm in Mexico City, witnessing firsthand the transformative potential of sustainable practices. She spent the following two years building the food and agriculture community for Endeavor in Mexico, empowering entrepreneurs and fostering collaboration within the sector.

During the COVID pandemic, she earned her MBA from INSEAD and transitioned to a Senior Consultant role at Dalberg Advisors. Her passion for supporting entrepreneurs led her to Yield Lab, where she started operations for Yield Lab Latam in Mexico before joining the team in Europe. Based in Paris she is now an Investment Associate at Yield Lab Europe and a Principal at Yield Lab Latam where she identifies transformative investment opportunities and nurtures the next generation of agrifood innovators.

At 33 years old, Lucie Kriegshauser is an accomplished scientist and entrepreneur who has always been passionate about science, discovery, and learning new things. Initially aspiring to become a veterinarian, she discovered a strong interest in plant biology and phytochemistry while studying at university, which shifted her focus entirely. During her PhD at the Institute of Plant Molecular Biology in Strasbourg, where she studied biosynthetic pathways of specialized plant metabolites, the seeds of entrepreneurship were already planted in her mind. 

After completing her PhD, she ventured beyond academia, working in sales at a lab equipment supplier, followed by a postdoctoral position at INRAE Paris-Saclay, where she focused on genetic improvement of a perfume plant for a private company. But her desire to create her own venture never disappeared. In 2022, she joined the Entrepreneur First program at Station F, where she met her co-founder, Omar Dekkiche, and together, they launched Amatera Biosciences, a sustainable platform that accelerates the evolution and selection of perennial crops, starting with coffee, to enhance climate resilience and meet the growing global demand for these essential varieties.

As CTO, she applies her expertise in plant biology leading a team of 1o technical professionals, she oversees all R&D efforts to create the coffee varieties of tomorrow through a unique combination of tissue culture, molecular biology, and creativity.

Daniel Skaven Ruben helps advance the future of food in a number of ways. He’s a 10x advisor to — and 30x angel investor in — global FoodTech and AgTech startups. He’s a venture partner / operating advisor to VCs Mudcake (Sweden), Nordic FoodTech VC (Finland) and Blume Equity (UK). He’s a mentor at accelerators Big Idea Ventures, Katapult, and Norrsken Accelerator. He’s the Founding Editor of newsletter FoodTech Weekly, and Founding Partner of Solvable Syndicate, which invests in early-stage impact FoodTech and AgTech startups globally. He also co-founded the foodtech podcast The Appetizer. Daniel was a consultant to The Rockefeller Foundation Food Initiative during 2017-2021, supporting the Foundation’s work to advance a more nourishing and sustainable food system. Daniel has also worked as an expert for the World Bank in Washington D.C. (2015-2016) on issues around technology, innovation, and entrepreneurship. Prior to that, he served in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark in various roles in Stockholm and New York for more than half a decade, helping Danish tech companies to internationalize. Daniel holds a BSc in International Business (Copenhagen Business School), an LLM in Public International Law (Stockholm University), and an MSc in Foreign Service (Georgetown University).

Antoine is a 32-year-old engineer originally from a small town in western France. Over the years, he has lived in several countries, mainly across Europe and Latin America. With nearly a decade of experience in operations, supply chain, project management, and process optimization across various industries, Antoine has built a solid foundation in his field. Last year, he co-founded ClimeRock with one of his closest friends, where they are developing an innovative solution to remove atmospheric CO2 while restoring soils. ClimeRock is part of Techstars Sustainability Paris class of September 2024.

Manuella is an entrepreneur and climate tech expert turned VC. She invests in early-stage startups fixing the food system at Mudcake. Manuella spent a decade working at the intersection of impact and technology and now regularly serves as a mentor and jury on startup programs. She previously co-founded Good Tech Lab and Climatescape. As CEO at Climatescape (Techstars’21), she led a data platform mapping 2000+ climate tech solutions. As COO of Good Tech Lab, she consulted for Fortune500 companies, foundations, and the UN. She co-authored “The Frontiers of Impact Tech”, interviewing 500+ leaders in 30 countries about the SDGs and scientific innovations. A Brazilian living in Paris, Manuella speaks 5 languages and holds a Master’s degree from SciencesPo.

Standing Ovation, which has previously raised €12 million in 2022 through a Series A led by Astanor Ventures and backed by Bel Group, has now secured an additional €3.75 million in a Series A+ round. This brings its total funding over the past four years to €23 million, aimed at accelerating growth and scaling production.

The French Foodtech company, specializing in precision-fermented protein, has also announced Yvan CHARDONNENS as its new CEO.

 

Idris in a nutshell: passionate about people, deep foodtech, agritech and sports. He works at Hello Tomorrow on the European Innovation Council Corporate Partnership Programme project, as well as in the BU Startups Programme and Innovation Engine. Alongside with Capucine Grandsir and Mikael Pereira, Idris serves as  FoodHack Ambassadors in Paris, where he helps foster connections within the Parisian FoodTech community by organizing engaging events.

She resonates deeply with Josh Wolf’s quote: “I’m a voracious reader, absorbing all I can find, especially from rare or undiscovered sources.” Like those she admires, her curiosity drives her to seek knowledge from unexpected places, constantly exploring new ideas and perspectives. This passion for learning fuels her work as a business analyst, where she helps startups navigate the complex world of fundraising and growth.

She also shares her thoughts regularly through her newsletter, In Bed With Tech, available in both English (http://maried.substack.com) and French (http://mariedolle.substack.com).