AseBio Investor Day 2024 focuses on the increasing interest of investors in the bioeconomy through the European project ShapingBio
The benchmark event for investors and biotechnology companies will host a panel discussion focused on the challenge of investing in start-ups and companies active in the bioeconomy sector in Spain.
Historically, investors' focus in the biotechnological sector has been directed towards the realm of healthcare. However, biotechnology is a deep tech that is transforming the world through multiple technologies that have a significant impact on various sectors beyond healthcare, such as agriculture, food, or the bioeconomy. This is why, in recent years, we have witnessed the emergence of venture capital funds specialized in the agri-food industry.
A clear example of the transition occurring in the bioeconomy sector regarding its financing can be found in the step taken by the European Commission and the partial funding of the European Circular Bioeconomy Fund (ECBF), which finances growing companies in the areas of bioeconomy and biological-based circular economy in Europe. It is the first private venture impact fund dedicated exclusively to these fields.
The transition towards a circular bioeconomy and sustainable food systems has great potential to contribute to global challenges we must address, such as climate change, the quest for new energy sources to replace fossil fuels, or the challenges posed by food in a scenario of global demographic growth and scarcity of raw materials.
This photograph illustrates the pressing need to accelerate innovations in the field of the bioeconomy. A goal that can only be achieved through financing that enables disruptive ideas emerging within biotechnological companies to transform into tangible benefits for societies, economies, and the sustainability of the planet.
In this regard, the ShapingBio project stands out. A European initiative whose mission is to support and accelerate innovation in the bioeconomy within the European Union. The work being carried out through this project aims to provide specific and evidence-based information to achieve better alignment of policies and actions of all stakeholders to harness the cross-sector potential of the bioeconomy, thus reducing fragmentation among different sectors.
This work is necessary because the extensive innovation generated in the bioeconomy sector faces barriers such as limited information exchange between different sectors such as the chemical, food, or agriculture industries, as well as challenges in financing, public regulation, and promotion policies, as these present significant differences and inconsistencies not only among different administrations but also among different EU member states.
That is why ShapingBio will participate on May 15, 2024, in the AseBio Investor Day, which will take place in San Sebastián (Donostia), a meeting point between investors and Spanish biotech companies with a common nexus: biotechnological innovation.
This participation will materialize in a panel discussion focused on the challenge of investing in start-ups and companies with activity in the bioeconomy sector in Spain. Through a diverse group of experts, issues such as the current limits of public policies to support the bioeconomy in Spain, the investment ecosystem in sectors such as agri-food, the main barriers identified when investing in Spanish start-ups focusing on the bioeconomy, or the future of investment in these companies will be discussed, among others.
A session that will allow us to delve not only into the challenges but also into the potential of the bioeconomy with a focus on the growing interest in investments in projects that contribute to environmental sustainability, healthier food, and the sustainability of the planet.