WHY A FOODTECH COMPANY?
Three primary reasons actually:
Impact – The food system is broken, and we are here to fix it. When we started on our entrepreneurship path, we saw how much impact our current food system has, and how equally effective our optimizations will be in countering it. The recent IPCC report has unequivocally established that dealing with the food waste problem is in fact the single most vital measure to avert global warming.
Durable – All of us need to eat every day for as long as we live. I felt this was an industry that will be around for a long time, so clearly worth specializing in. It also dovetailed with my professional career as well as my part-time experience in food service/hospitality and retail.
Passion – A great passion for food, beside the sustainability and profitability angle is an energy driver in its own right. This is the major difference from other industries such as energy or transportation that also need much attention. I thrive at working towards something where there is passion for a product that also presents a positive business case.
WHAT ARE THE TRENDS YOU BELIEVE WILL BE EVOLVING IN FOODTECH IN THE NEXT FIVE YEARS?
Autonomous cooking and dark kitchens seem to top the list alongside personalized yet scalable nutrition. All these work with data as the core capability, so there will need to be significant improvements in the data quality, which is why we do what we do.
HOW DID YOU ADJUST YOUR STRATEGY IN 2021?
We chose a more modular product offering many more opportunities for remote servicing, enlarging our international scope as a result. Now more than ever, as they come out of the COVID pandemic, our clients are faced with the challenge of operating more sustainably and profitably, to cover for the shortfall of the last 18 months. Our custom-tailored product provides the most efficient way to start back up with maximum efficiency.
WHAT’S A LESSON YOU HAVE LEARNED FROM LEADING A COMPANY DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC?
Primarily, the resilience and adaptability of human beings, if we work together. In retrospect, even as a young company, we were quite rigid in the way we worked because of our previous often office-based experiences where we were confined to particular structures. COVID has taught us how resilient our team can be, even remotely. People found ways to fulfil their responsibilities towards the team as a whole and towards each other as social beings, which really was a delight to see and more importantly to feel. I am very proud of the people I work with not just team members, but also clients/early adopters that supported us through hard times. We all learned a lot and have come out stronger.
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO A FOODTECH STARTUP FOUNDER TODAY?
Talk and listen, in particular in the early days of your company. At the very start, I was afraid to share my idea with others, worried that they would simply take my idea and run with it. Today I know that the chance of that happening is negligible. A great idea is most likely an accumulation of your particular talents, capabilities, and ambitions, and that cannot be duplicated. On the other hand, the risk of not sharing your idea is that the people around you cannot help to improve on it. Therefore, talk, listen and adopt the things people tell you that you think are right.
Orbisk is a FoodSparks® by PeakBridge portfolio company, using advanced technology to reduce food waste in food service sector.
About Olaf
M.Sc. in Pharmaceutical Chemistry, years of experience in hospitality.
Participant in the Ahold international graduate traineeship, 5 years of experience in data visualizing and advocating data-driven business practice at this large retailer. Last positions as data consultant and business analyst, trained in building bridges between data-insights and business. Experienced in the hospitality industry.
At Orbisk responsible for analytics, sustainability, business development and user experience. In personal life, an adventurer and adrenaline junkie.