What does 2026 have in store for AgriFood founders in Europe?

Annick Verween shared her perspective in a new guest post for vegconomist, zooming in on how the funding landscape is shifting, and what founders can do to stay ahead of it.

A few themes she highlights:

• Fundraising timelines keep stretching: plan runway around “cash-out dates,” not optimistic close dates.
• Risk aversion is real: investors want clearer proof points, earlier.
• Derisking has become part of the pitch: value propositions need to be simple, quantified, and grounded in reality.
• Six practical tips for 2026: from term sheets and lead investors to data rooms, investor clarity, and building a resilient capital stack beyond equity alone.

It’s a clear-eyed, founder-focused read, meant to help teams navigate a tougher market without losing momentum.