Through the collaboration, Mondelēz International will have unparalleled access and visibility to one of the world’s leading FoodTech ecosystems
Mondelēz International has reached a collaboration agreement with The Kitchen, Israel’s only FoodTech-focused incubator and one of the first FoodTech incubators in the world. This collaboration is led by Mondelēz International’s R&D and SnackFutures teams, the company’s innovation and venture hub aimed at unlocking snacking growth opportunities around the world.
Through the collaboration, Mondelēz International will have unparalleled access and visibility to one of the world’s leading FoodTech ecosystems. At the same time, Mondelēz International will offer technological and commercial expertise to entrepreneurs from The Kitchen and provide an opportunity to work in the company’s global Technical Centers, including access to pilot plants and internal experts across a variety of areas such as R&D, Food Safety, Marketing Insights and Operations.
Counting 12 portfolio companies so far, The Kitchen addresses global food challenges by nurturing and investing in cutting-edge technology startups. The goal is to nourish promising FoodTech ventures that can disrupt the global food system – making it more productive, more affordable, more sustainable, and healthier.
A key pillar of the company’s consumer-centric growth strategy, SnackFutures is designed as an independent hub that brings three core tenets of growth under one umbrella to accelerate innovation: invention of new brands and businesses; reinvention of small-scale brands with large-scale potential, and venture investments with start-up entrepreneurs to bring emerging brands and strategic capabilities. SnackFutures seeks to collaborate in three key strategic areas: well-being snacks, premium snacks, digital platforms and capabilities.
As part of the collaboration, Rob Hargrove, Executive Vice President, Research, Development and Quality at Mondelēz International, joined The Kitchen Advisory Council. “There’s no doubt that Israel is a world leader in food and agricultural innovation, and we’ve been truly inspired by the talented entrepreneurs that are part of The Kitchen,” said Rob Hargrove. “We’re looking forward to collaborate with those start-ups, be it to jointly develop new technologies or to provide help and expertise in specific fields.”