In September 2017, at the invitation of Le Village by CA Nord de France and its partners, 283 students from 25 schools and universities from across 23 countries began a unique entrepreneurial adventure by participating in “European Student Challenge: Breaking new ground in plant-based proteins to help feed the planet.” The result of this challenge was unveiled on March 24, 2018, in Lille.

According to an estimate, by 2050, around 9 billion people will have to be fed. The global demand for protein is expected to soar 40% between now and 2030. Therefore, it is crucial to address these nutritional and environmental challenges in a sustainable way, along with focusing on food security, developing new products, recipes, processes and services around plant-based protein.

To come up with a solution for this, Le Village by CA Nord de France and its partners conducted a challenge for “Breaking new ground in plant-based proteins to help feed the planet” in September 2017. Supported and coached by qualified industrial players, researchers and trainers, 32 teams proposed their projects in the first round and 12 teams were selected for the finals.

The “Food for Future” team comprising Julien Pourtau from SKEMA and two other students from AgroParisTech and INP Toulouse won the second prize. Their project, named SOWCE, impressed the jury of professionals by reinventing the concept of the sauce that is used in pizzas, bruschetta, pasta and salads. The SOWCE range redesigned the sauce, which is often associated with a heavy and greasy product image, as a 100% full-fledged nutritional intake that is rich in protein, minerals and vitamins.

Other SKEMA students — Walid Belghali and Youna Le Goff from the “Spring Team” (who presented the ‘Lenteam’ concept) and Pauline Petitcolin and Marie Julie Lascot from the “Same same” team — also took part in the challenge.

The young entrepreneurs will now be able to practice their pitch at the STARTONIC Week-End event being held at SKEMA’s Lille campus on April 6.

Le Village by CA Nord de France, located in Lille, at the heart of EuraTechnologies, is a unique ecosystem dedicated to accelerating the development of innovative start-ups through the meeting and cooperation of start-ups, large companies, research and training institutions, investors and institutional actors. SKEMA is one of its partners.