HENRi@Nestlé aims to shape next generation agripreneurs and to empower better nutritional health

by Startacus Admin

Startups take note!

Time is ticking to apply for two education and employability themed projects currently live on HENRi@Nestlé, the Nestlé innovation platform that partners with startups and entrepreneurs to create innovative, high-potential and scalable solutions to core social and business challenges.

To address these challenges, the HENRi platform promotes a range of innovation projects which each provide selected startups with $50k for the co-development of a solution and subsequent pilot. A great recent example of this is the KITKAT Sustainability project which saw London tech-for-good startup Good-Loop selected at ad:tech London. 

With this project still fresh in our minds, we thought it wise to update you all on two equally fab projects you might be interested in apply for; one which aims to nurture the next generation of farmers and one which aims to tackle malnutrition head-on by spreading nutritional knowledge and empower better health. 

Nurturing the Next Generation of Farmers 

The average age of farmers around the world is on the rise, with less than 5% of farmers in rural areas aged under 35. In Europe more than a third are over 65 and the averages in Japan (67) and the US (58) demonstrate a clear trend: the farming population is ageing fast. Jobs in agriculture are attracting fewer and fewer bright young people, and the shortage of talent entering the agri-food industry has become a growing concern and problem.

Step forward therefore this HENRi@Nestlé project that aims to inspire, train and empower the farmers of the future.

Collaborating with a startup, Nestlé want to provide young people with the knowledge, skills and entrepreneurial spirit that will help them thrive in an ever-changing farming industry - helping these young agripreneurs to establish and manage the farms of the 21st century. 

In the first instance, that will mean working with a startup to develop a modular training course that goes way beyond key agricultural know-how (such as administrative skills).

The goal here primarily is to provide the essential financial literacy, business acumen and strong leadership that will help shape true agripreneurs: knowledge of the latest innovations, cutting-edge digi-tech, automation and robotics, the use of data and more, with the ultimate ambition to then work out how to deliver their ‘agripreneurship’ training in a flexible, scalable and innovative way. 

Via this project, Nestlé are open to a whole host of innovative solutions, whether it be video content delivered online, an app, gamification, an inspiring EdTech platform, an SMS knowledge-sharing network or indeed anything else ingenious that can be created.

After initial testing in a pilot market, the aim then is to scale up the project across the globe, giving as many young farmers as possible the opportunity to succeed. 

As with each project on HENRi, there is a fund of US $50,000 to pilot a proof-of-concept in the market. For the full details and to apply click here. The closing date is 23:59 GMT on Sunday 4th February 2018, after which Nestlé will shortlist around five companies to continue to the next stage. 

Spreading Nutrition Knowledge & Empowering Better Health 

Malnutrition is unfortunately still far too common in much of the Equatorial African Region (EAR). As a leader in nutrition, health and wellness, one of Nestlé’s key ambitions is to democratise and share potentially life-saving knowledge in this area.

By sharing their decades of experience in nutrition, Nestlé hope to create a positive socio-economic impact, educate people with low levels of nutritional awareness, combat disease, nourish children’s social, mental and physical development, and save lives. 

With this project therefore, they are looking for startup partners to work with them to hone and deliver this information, the tools and tips that could save lives and who could plug any gaps in their nutritional know-how through the channels currently used and engage with the best.

How applicants propose to deliver this knowledge based content is up to them. Whether it’s technology integrated into mobile handsets, a voice-based story-sharing network, an SMS knowledge spreading solution, a networking tool that brings people together, an accessible information portal or perhaps even a gamified platform - Nestlé are keen to hear from a range of startups with a variety of solutions. 

For the full details and to apply to this particular project click here. As before, the closing date is 23:59 GMT on Sunday 4th February 2018, after which Nestlé will shortlist around five companies to continue to the next stage.

Best of luck to any of you startups that apply for one of these projects and please do spread the word to any startups that you think these fab initiatives may interest!

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Published on: 5th January 2018