Food-tech startups showcase innovations at SPACE-F Batch 3 Incubator Demo Day
Bangkok, 8 November, 2022 – Seven food-tech startups presented their innovative solutions to revolutionize the food industry at the SPACE-F Batch 3 Incubator demo day attended by investors, venture capitalists and corporate leaders from Thailand and abroad.
The co-founders of SPACE-F, the first global food-tech startup incubator and accelerator in Thailand, offered their support to the group of local and international startups which included Kokoonic, Muu, Phagos, Powco, Tasted Better, Balance Corp and Pet Dynamic.
Executives attended the SPACE-F Incubator Batch 3 Demo day
“The entrepreneurial journey is full of ambiguity and uncertainty,” said Dr.Pun-arj Chairatana, Executive Director of the National Innovation Agency. “Therefore, the SPACE-F community is built on a life-long supportive basis to make sure that the founders are not only well equipped with the right skills and mindsets but are also able to make a lasting friendship with other magnificent peers in the cohort. Our alumni network entails 44 successful startups, originating from more than 13 countries. Their products are sold in more than 10 countries worldwide, and their combined funds raised exceeds USD 7.6 million. And as the food sector is one of the core strengths of Thailand, we envision Bangkok as a food-tech Silicon Valley.”
Prof. Dr. Pattarachai Kiratisin M.D., Ph.D., Vice President for Research, Mahidol University, said “Thai food entrepreneurs and startups have established and showcased their strengths successfully in both regional and global markets, even during the COVID pandemic. For many of them, SPACE-F has helped paving their way. This year, we mark the 3rd batch of this wonderful SPACE-F program that aims to discover and build more successful food-tech entrepreneurs and startups from Thailand and around the world.”
SPACE-F is the first global Food-Tech startup incubator and accelerator in Thailand, bringing together leading food-tech startups and corporates through an innovative mentorship, business connections, and co-working program (no equity taken) - established through the cooperation of Thai Union Group PCL, the National Innovation Agency, Mahidol University, and supported by industry leading corporates including Thai Beverage PLC, and Deloitte Thailand. The SPACE-F program is powered by Nest ASEAN (an XPDITE company) delivering expertise in nurturing startups for robust growth.
From left to right: Chanapol Tantakosol, CEO of Muu, Preawprai Kongkiatkrai, CEO and founder of Kokoonic, Nikki Lei, CEO and founder of Pet Dynamic, Perada Suponsun, CEO of Tasted Better, Thanada Thomas, CEO and co-founder of Powco, Norawee Bussadeegarn CEO of Balance Corp and Alexandros Pantalis, CEO of Phagos.
The SPACE-F batch 3 incubator cohort comprises of seven passionate teams of local and international startups including Kokoonic, Muu, Phagos, Powco, Tasted Better, Balance Corp and Pet Dynamic. Every team delivered their innovative solutions to today’s food industry challenges to the panel of accomplished judges and the audience. Following their pitch, SPACE-F Batch 3 startups and the previous cohorts’ alumni met and exchanged their experiences and discussed important opportunities with potential investors during the networking sessions.
Thiraphong Chansiri, President and CEO, Thai Union Group PCL
“The startups that pitched to us today have grown significantly over the past 9 months of the program. They have spent countless hours shaping their companies into what you saw here today. I have no doubt that these startups will continue to grow, as we have heard some stories of their success,” said Thiraphong Chansiri, CEO of Thai Union PCL.
Thapana Sirivadhanabhakdi, President and CEO, Thai Beverage PLC
Thapana Sirivadhanabhakdi, President & CEO of Thai Beverage PLC., said “ThaiBev is proud to be part of the SPACE-F program once again this year. With our mission of “Creating and Sharing the Value of Growth”, we see SPACE-F as an important platform to push forward several of the UN Sustainable Development goals, including good health & wellbeing, responsible consumption & production, as well as climate action. Through our collaboration with startups which are relevant to our business, we hope to be able to assist you to succeed while supporting the sustainable development journey of our country and the ASEAN region.”
The SPACE-F Batch 3 Incubator demo day event also wrapped up the cohort’s one year with the program and marked a new milestone for the startups who will continue to embark on an exciting journey filled with challenges and opportunities while improving the ecosystem through food tech.
To learn more about the SPACE-F program, please visit https://www.SPACE-F.co/
About National Innovation Agency (Public Organization)
NIA’s mission is to support and develop Thailand’s innovation system, in both the way of improvement and initiation, to promote economic restructuring and competitive enhancement. NIA functions as a focal facilitator driving national innovation by co-creation, networking, fostering, and partnering different organizations from various fields such as academic, technology, industry, finance, and investment. Its focus is on utilizing knowledge management to achieve innovation, particularly to foster “innovation on cluster platform” which uses innovation as the principal tool in improving quality of life and driving towards an increasing competitive economy.
About Thai Union Group
Thai Union Group PCL is the world’s seafood leader, bringing high quality, healthy, tasty and innovative seafood products to customers across the world for 45 years.
Today, Thai Union is regarded as one of the world’s leading seafood producers and is one of the largest producers of shelf-stable tuna products with annual sales exceeding THB 141.0 billion (US$ 4.5 billion) and a global workforce of more than 44,000 people who are dedicated to pioneering sustainable, innovative seafood products.
The company’s global brand portfolio includes market-leading international brands such as Chicken of the Sea, John West, Petit Navire, Parmentier, Mareblu, King Oscar, and Rügen Fisch, Thai-leading brands SEALECT, Fisho, Qfresh, Monori, OMG Meat, Bellotta and Marvo, and ingredient and supplement brands UniQ®BONE, UniQ®DHA and ZEAvita.
As a company committed to innovation and globally responsible behavior, Thai Union is proud to be a member of the United Nations Global Compact, and a founding participating company of the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF). In 2015, Thai Union introduced its SeaChange® sustainability strategy. Find out more at seachangesustainability.org. Thai Union’s on-going work on sustainability issues was recognized when the company was listed on the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices (DJSI) for the eighth consecutive year in 2021 and was also named to the FTSE4Good Emerging Index for the fifth straight year in 2020.
About Thai Beverage
ThaiBev was established in 2003 to consolidate a number of leading spirits and beer businesses in Thailand belonging to our founding shareholders and other investors. In 2006, we registered ThaiBev's listing on the Singapore Exchange (SGX), and subsequently expanded to the non-alcoholic beverage and food sectors to diversify its product portfolio, enhance logistics efficiency, and mitigate business risks. Today, ThaiBev is not only Thailand's leading beverage producer, but also one of Asia's largest beverage producers. The business consists of four segments - spirits, beer, non-alcoholic beverages, and food.
About Deloitte
Deloitte provides audit & assurance, consulting, financial advisory, risk advisory, tax & legal related services to public and private clients spanning multiple industries. With a globally connected network of member firms in more than 150 countries and territories, Deloitte brings world-class capabilities and high-quality service to clients, delivering the insights they need to address their most complex business challenges.
Our Thailand practice has grown rapidly over the years to its current size of over 1,500 staff with over 50 partners.
Our Thailand practice, founded in 1939, is the first Thai accounting firm. With the depth of experience and quality of resources, Deloitte Thailand has been serving clients in Thailand, spanning various industries and sectors, for more than 80 years. Working as one Deloitte for the Asia Pacific marketplace enable us to leverage our size, scale and clients reap the benefit of our combined pool of expertise and specialist skills.
About Mahidol University
Mahidol University has its origins in the establishment of Siriraj Hospital in 1888 by His Majesty King Chulalongkorn (Rama V), and the hospital’s medical school is the oldest institution of higher learning in Thailand. This diversified institution now offers top quality programs in numerous social and cultural disciplines, including the most doctoral programs of any institution in Thailand, yet has maintained its traditional excellence in medicine and the sciences.
On 16 October 2007, the Thailand National legislative Assembly approved Mahidol University as an autonomous institution. This transformation will enhance the university’s efficiency, flexibility, and ability to innovate, and standardize its practices with those of other world-class universities. The ultimate goal is to promote healthy living and well-being for the benefit of people based on research, technology and innovation. Currently, Mahidol University is ranked No. 1 in Thailand by many internationally recognized institution rankings.
About Nest ASEAN (an XPDITE Company)
Nest is a global innovation platform with offices in Bangkok, Nairobi, and London. With a vision for technological disruption, and unconventional business practices, Nest ASEAN has supported over 50 corporate innovation programs that help corporations to engage with global deployable startups and drive ongoing commercial results. Nest ASEAN has been acquired by Xpdite Capital Partners in September 2020. To find out more about how we expedite growth in Asia, please visit http://www.xpditecapital.com