CROP Innovation & Business

Partner in the spotlight!?? Annick Verween, head of the biotope by VIB incubator in Flanders, sets out her predictions for the biotechnology sector in 2025. Biotech start-ups will see more venture capital (VC) investment this year, according to Annick Verween, who leads Biotope, an incubator set up by the Flemish Institute of Biotechnology. “Part of this is a prediction, and part of this is a very strong hope,” she told Science|Business. Verween also expects company founders to experience more risk aversion from VC investors. Having to tick more boxes to reassure them will lengthen fundraising cycles, even for the most promising innovations.? With average fundraising cycles already topping 9-12 months, this could be detrimental to start-ups for whom even a short delay in accessing financing can be deadly. The problem is that a lot of investors have been burnt in recent years by entrepreneurs with ideas that sound great, but then fail to deliver. Developing foolproof solutions that investors cannot fault is the most important lesson Verween’s team teaches at Biotope.? The technology itself is key. Everything else -- its potential, the story, the business model – must be built on that foundation, and communicated around it. Many innovators forget this. ?? Read more https://lnkd.in/egVmVDrR Annick will co-moderating together with Karl D Collins the CROP Innovation & Business conference in Cologne from March 30-April 1, 2025. More info. and registration, visit www.cropib.com

?? Christine R Gould is joining CROP Innovation & Business in Cologne with a keynote presentation! Christine will share how new technologies, such as AI-powered tools for crop improvement, are poised to create $4.5 trillion in economic opportunities annually. She will dive into the barriers preventing these innovations from scaling -such as fragmented value chains and lack of investment- and offer concrete strategies to overcome these hurdles. ?? Would you like to gain insights about tomorrow′s crops: the latest trends in the interplay of technological innovations, market developments, business opportunities and societal demands?in the agriculture sector? ?? Grab this opportunity and register NOW. Limited tickets available! https://lnkd.in/eEpiXcje ?? Find out who already registered and come to Cologne to join more than 200?executives from the international agri industry at the 14th international CROP Innovation & Business conference. https://lnkd.in/e77pSwkU CropIB is an initiative of KeyGene, organised by Iventus in collaboration with partners VIB, CEPLAS - Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences and Wageningen University & Research.

?? SESSION IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Applications of artificial intelligence, machine learning and deep learning in plant breeding Rapid advances in genomics, phenomics and molecular biology are accelerating crop breeding into the era of artificial intelligence. This session explores the broader potential of AI tools in various facets of breeding, including data collection, unlocking genetic diversity in genebanks?and bridging the gap between genotype and phenotype to facilitate crop breeding. With presentations by ? Lercher Martin, Professor of Computational Cell Biology at Heinrich Heine University of Düsseldorf (Germany) ??Prof. Aalt-Jan van Dijk, professor Data Analysis in the Life Sciences at Universiteit van Amsterdam (NL) ? Finn Gaida, Co-Founder & CTO at NoMaze (Germany) ? Anna Freudenreich, Researcher in Bioinformatics and AI at KeyGene (NL) Want to join this session? Please check out our website www.cropib.com for more information and registration. #CropIB2025 #Crops #Innovation #Breeding

?? Session in the spotlight: New gene-editing (enabling) technologies for crop improvement The increased use of gene-editing in agriculture can change the way we approach plant breeding and accelerate the discovery and deployment of innovations that offer growers more productive and resilient crops. This session showcases breakthrough developments in gene-editing approaches and -technologies that boost agricultural innovation. With presentations by - William Pelton, Co-founder and CEO Phytoform - Joris van Arensbergen, Founder and CEO Annogen - Giacomo Bastianelli, Rainbow Crops - Lennart Hoengenaert, Coordinator Crop Genome Engineering Facility at VIB - University of Ghent Read more ?https://lnkd.in/eCmpCDXU #CropIB2025 #Crops #Innovation #Breeding #Seed

?? Meet Joris van Arensbergen (Annogen) at the upcoming CROP Innovation & Business conference from March 30-April 1 in Cologne!

Explore cutting-edge topics at the CROP Innovation & Business conference, March 30-April 1 in Cologne! Together we will dive into the the drivers of crop innovation with the latest trends in the interplay of technological innovations, market developments, and business opportunities for breeding crops. ?? Realizing the potential of plant genetic resources by leveraging cutting edge technologies ?? New gene-editing (enabling) technologies for crop improvement ?? Navigating the Nexus: Intellectual property and regulatory challenges in plant breeding ?? How to accelerate crop breeding ?? The changing plant breeding sector ?? New crops, applications and commercialisation strategies for the agricultural bioeconomy ?? Partnering & collaboration strategies in AgTech. How to succeed in the collaboration dynamics between corporates and startups? ?? Applications of artificial intelligence, machine learning and deep learning in plant breeding Check out the complete program overview ? https://lnkd.in/esZU5RPY For registration, visit https://lnkd.in/eEpiXcje

Tomorrow’s crops: latest trends in the interplay of technological innovations, market developments, business opportunities and societal demands! We are delighted to unveil our confirmed inspiring speakers who will share their expertise and vision during CROP Innovation & Business on 30 March - 1 April 2025 in Cologne, Germany ? https://lnkd.in/eVfMsgQU This conference offers a unique opportunity to: ?? Network: Connect with industry experts, entrepreneurs, and professionals from around the world during lunch sessions, social drinks and 2 fantastic dinners at?unique venues. ?? Knowledge Sharing: Gain insights into the latest advancements, trends, and best practices on the use of new technologies for breeding innovative crops. ?? Collaboration Opportunities: Explore potential partnerships and collaborations that can drive innovation and growth in your business. Market Developments: Stay updated on market dynamics, regulatory changes, emerging opportunities and the investment landscape in the plant breeding sector. CROP Innovation & Business is the conference you simply cannot afford to miss. Be there! More info. and registration: www.cropib.com

?? Pitch opportunity: Accelerate your innovation to business! ?? Pitch your innovative technology, -service or -product to an international audience from the international agri-food industry at the CROP Innovation & Business conference, March 30-April 1 in Cologne, Germany Who can apply? Academic institutes and early stage companies (younger than 3 years or series B financing stage) that develop products or services for the agriculture industry. More info. https://lnkd.in/eE7sNMkr The pitch program is supported by?biotope by VIB,?CEPLAS - Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences and?StartLife.

Reserve your exhibitor spot and present your company, products, technology or services at the CROP Innovation & Business 2025 conference in Cologne, Germany! With a spacious and prestigious venue and a high-level audience, the CROP Innovation & Business conference is the ideal opportunity for world-wide visibility of your biotech know-how, services and technologies. Lunch, breaks and the conference reception will all take place in this area, giving you ample opportunity to interact with some 200 participants.? Only a few spots are availabe, so book now! More information: https://lnkd.in/eD2HfHvX #CropIB2025 #Crops #Innovation #Breeding #Exhibition

On March 30-April 1, 2025 we will bring the International CROP Innovation & Business (CropIB) conference to Cologne, Germany. ?? Meet up with breeding-, AgBio and AgTech companies, academics, investors, startups and experts from the international agri-food industry.? ?? CropIB focuses on new technologies and business strategies for?breeding innovative crops that provide solutions for the agricultural sustainability challenges. Together with our partners KeyGene, VIB, CEPLAS - Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences and program committee we are working on an interesting program. Some hightlights of the CropIB 2025 program: > The Ag-Biotech investment landscape > Consumer insights & market developments: impact on the breeding industry > Independence and collaboration for a healthy seed industry > Future crop protection: novel approaches and sustainable solutions > How to accelerate breeding for a fast changing future > Partnering & collaboration strategies in AgTech? > Pitch program for young AgTech/AgBio companies Join us in Cologne to meet your agri-food colleagues! More info. and registration at www.cropib.com #CropIB2025 #Crops #Innovation #Breeding