Shaping the future of frozen foods

Nomad Foods is recognized as Europe's leading frozen food company and ranks among the largest globally. The company is the driving force behind your preferred frozen food brands, operating in 22 markets across Europe.

A model where corporations leverage startup innovation by becoming first customers of a Startup. Through our program we become a reference client for your company. Receive real life work and the ability to grow your business within Nomad Foods.

At Nomad Foods, we partner with startups to drive innovation, accelerate growth, and create a dynamic ecosystem for the future. Startups bring fresh thinking, agility, and cutting-edge technology that allow us to scale great ideas faster and capitalize on emerging market opportunities. By working together, we introduce new capabilities with reduced risk, co-develop solutions that have the potential to become our future core, and create a win-win environment where the best ideas grow. Through these collaborations, we strengthen our portfolio, embrace new technologies, and shape the future of our industry.

Nomad Foods is actively seeking innovative startups that have developed new and compelling products. We prefer candidates that possess experience and are prepared for scaling operations. It is essential that these startups align with our organizational values and culture. We are searching for startups that can deliver significant incremental value and facilitate growth in untapped market categories. Sustainability is a core component of our mission; therefore, we are particularly interested in those that provide clean label products and offer healthy, sustainable ingredients.

To partner with Nomad Foods, the startup must meet these requirements:

• Full ownership of intellectual property and the ability to offer exclusivity.
• A commitment to honesty, teamwork, and collaboration.
• A shared understanding of the business model, branding, and overall commercial success.
• The ability to create a frozen product.
• A positive company culture that aligns with our core values, vision and purpose.
• A focus on achieving sustainable growth over a set period, with flexibility to change.
• A detailed plan for entering the market and launching products.
• Proof that the idea works for both customers and consumers.
• Agreement for Nomad Foods' policies and standards.
• A supply chain that can support current products, no matter the size.
• Compliance with food safety standards, encouragement of healthy options, and potential for clean label products.
• Startups must also have initial VC Funding and be in series C or B and a full-time team.

Partnering with Nomad Foods presents the Start Up with numerous advantages, including the utilization of Nomad Foods Brands, comprehensive branding support, and access to valuable knowledge and data pertaining to the frozen food industry, as well as expertise from us, a leading FMCG company. Although a direct investment will not be made at this stage, we are committed to investing resources to test and validate your solution. Nomad Foods offers scalability and access to diverse markets, consumer insights, market data, and efficient large-scale supply chains, along with a fasttrack program. Additionally, there is potential for further investment in the future.

The program spans an average duration of approximately 6 months. During this time, you will:
Validate your technology: Your primary focus will be to validate your product into our industry.
Learn: Immerse yourself in the Frozen Foods world as we provide insights into industry dynamics, development processes, manufacturing, and purchasing within the sector.
Network: Connect with key individuals who can accelerate your business growth both within Nomad Foods and the broader global industry.
Sell: Develop a compelling use case and business strategy to gain traction for your product within the frozen food context.

Nomad Foods becomes an early customer in the frozen food market, acting as a customer rather than a shareholder. Upon joining, you will be assigned a supplier number and receive a purchase order. Securing Nomad Foods as an early customer can enhance your credibility, making it easier to attract venture capital and boost your valuation. Nomad Foods may explore opportunities to invest in your startup as an extension of the Nomad Foods Venture Clienting program.

We employ a 5-step process:
Discover: We initiate the process by reviewing your submission and identifying potential opportunities.
Filter: We assess whether you meet our startup criteria, which include having a functional product or prototype, a dedicated full-time team, institutional funding, a legal entity, and product demonstrations.
Test & Learn: Should a business unit express interest in your product, we will proceed to the Test & Learn phase to develop a real-life Use Case. We will provide support throughout this process.
Long-Term Partnership: If the pilot project proves successful, we will continue to assist you in establishing a long-term partnership as a supplier for Nomad Foods.

If the pilot project is successful, there are multiple ways to build on the partnership. Normally, we become a longer- term client but in some cases we also offer options like VC investment, M&A or co-development.

Yes, we monitor startups that are not yet prepared, without any obligation.

We work with different numbers of startups at different stages.

Exclusivity serves to protect Nomad Foods' investment and fosters a culture of calculated risk-taking. We are committed to investing both human resources and capital to ensure the success and launch of this product. Furthermore, exclusivity reflects a significant commitment from your organization. Nomad Foods stands as an exemplary partner, with a proven track record and a dedication to purpose and ethics. Through our exclusive partnership, we can genuinely collaborate as partners.