Coller Startup Competition
CPT is pleased to announce that applications are now open for the 2024 Coller Startup Competition!
In partnership with Accenture, the Good Food Institute (GFI) Europe and the Alternative Proteins Association (APA)
“The UK has all the ingredients to be a global leader and food innovation hub for the world. We are supporting this competition in the hope that the next generation of students, researchers and academics will focus on the huge business and research opportunities available in alternative proteins and food technology more generally. We look forward to being inspired by your ideas and passion to make a difference.” – Jeremy Coller, Founder and Chief Investment Officer of Coller Capital and Founder of CPT Capital
Do you have an idea for an alternative protein start-up that can help tackle the global issues we face around climate change, global food insecurity, food safety, public health, antibiotic resistance, and animal welfare?
Would your idea benefit from winning a £100k investment* to help you realise its potential?
By entering the competition you will benefit from finding out more about the alternative protein market and the opportunities for innovation. You will also get access to some key industry stakeholders and begin the all-important process of building your network.
Format
The competition is open to any students, PhDs, postdocs and academics from a UK university with a new idea or an existing early-stage venture aiming to remove animals from the global supply chain.
Applications will be reviewed by a Judging Panel, with the shortlisted finalists announced on the 10th June 2024.
Final and Networking Event
25th June 2024: Accenture HQ, Central London
The shortlisted finalists will be invited to a live in-person final with the opportunity to pitch their idea to a panel that will include Jeremy Coller, representatives from CPT Capital, GFI Europe, APA, Accenture and other invited guests.
The winner will be announced later on in the evening.
To enter the competition simply fill out the form below remembering to include a video pitch (5 mins max) and your pitch deck.
Applications will close on the 31st May 2024.
If you have any problems completing the form or any queries please contact us at competition@cptcap.com
Terms and Conditions
Focus and Scope
The focus of the Coller Startup Competition covers a wide range of technologies including, but not limited to:
- Plant-based proteins
- Recombinant proteins (using precision fermentation, molecular farming or plant cell culture)
- Mammalian cell culture, cultivated meat/seafood and dairy products
- Enabling technologies (e.g. equipment manufacturers, ingredient optimisers, contract organisations for production scale-up etc.)
Eligibility
- You can enter as either an individual or as a team. If entering as a team, at least one member of your team must be a UK university student (includes postdocs, PhDs, and researchers) or academic.
- You can enter either as a new idea or as an existing early-stage venture.
- For existing ventures, grant funding is allowed, however you must have raised less than £200,000 in non-founder equity. It is not mandatory to have raised any external funding.
- For new ideas, you should ideally be working towards a proof of concept or minimum viable product (but not mandatory).
IMPORTANT
The Coller Startup Competition scope DOES NOT cover ventures which aid or facilitate the production of animals. This includes, but is not limited to:
- Novel crops/proteins for animal feed
- Probiotic treatments to replace antibiotics for farm animals
- Tracking and monitoring systems for farm animals
About our Partners
Accenture is a leading global professional services company that helps the world’s leading businesses, governments and other organizations build their digital core, optimize their operations, accelerate revenue growth and enhance citizen services—creating tangible value at speed and scale. Accenture’s global Future of Food practice works across the food ecosystem to accelerate sustainable innovation, food-tech, nutrition, circularity and consumer adoption of sustainable diets.
The Alternative Proteins Association (APA) is the leading voice of Britain’s fast-growing alternative proteins industry being the largest industry association of its kind in Europe, promoting the value of alternative proteins in the UK. Through enabling and connecting the UK ecosystem so that businesses can start, grow and deliver world-changing innovation and food for consumers. The APA works on a wide range of topics including policy, regulation, finance, science, and labelling.
The Good Food Institute Europe is a nonprofit think tank working to make the global food system better for the planet, people, and animals. Alongside scientists, businesses, and policymakers, GFI’s teams focus on making plant-based and cultivated meat delicious, affordable, and accessible. Powered by philanthropy, GFI is an international network of organizations advancing alternative proteins as an essential solution needed to meet the world’s climate, global health, food security, and biodiversity goals.
About the Coller Startup Competition Founder Jeremy Coller and CPT Capital
Jeremy Coller is the founder and Chief Investment Officer of Coller Capital, a pioneer and leading institution in the Private Equity secondaries market which he founded in 1990.
Jeremy is also the founder of CPT Capital, a dedicated alternative protein investment arm within his family office. CPT has been investing in the alternative protein space for 9+ years, supporting early-stage companies and founders looking to disrupt the incumbent, unsustainable food and materials supply chain that currently relies on animals. CPT has built a portfolio of 60+ companies since across plant-based, recombinant proteins, cell culture and enabling technologies.
Jeremy also leads a number of philanthropic initiatives focused on highlighting the risks associated with intensive agriculture with the goal of ending factory farming in his lifetime.
These include:
- The Jeremy Coller Foundation – A strategic grant-making organisation, focused on ending factory farming and improving venture & management education
- The FAIRR (Farm Animal Investment Risk & Return) Initiative – The world’s fastest growing investor network focused on ESG risks in the global food sector with members representing $52 trillion of AUM, leveraging the power of capital markets to address the risks of intensive animal agriculture
- CALF (Coller Animal Law Forum) – An interactive database of laws and policies that impact farmed animals, accelerating policy and law around the world
- APA (Alternative Proteins Association) – The largest association of its kind in Europe, designed to promote the value of alternative proteins in the UK
For more information, visit: