The Drop
Ripples I’m looking forward to at The Drop 2026
I’m heading to the Drop this year and looking forward to connecting with founders, investors, and other key players in the deeptech ecosystem who focus on planetary health and resilience. Here are some of the roundtables and side-events I found to be interesting (will be a difficult choice to pick which ones to attend!)
Looking forward to run into and speak with others who share the same interests.
Natural Solutions: Valuable or Money Wasted? · Jeff Johnson (B Capital) and Kyle Teamey (RA Capital Planetary Health)
“Money to combat climate change is limited and must be spent in the most efficient manner possible.”
“Studies of marginal abatement costs indicate we can abate emissions much more efficiently via building insulation and vehicle emissions programs than via natural solutions.” · why are there so few successful examples of businesses leveraging natural solutions · is there a business model, or should this be the domain of philanthropies and governments · “Resources are scarce. In light of this should we make the hard choice to limit or exclude natural solutions?” · for individuals currently investing or contemplating investing time or money in natural solutions
Conventional agriculture: the efficiency myth · Sanne Bootsma (DOEN Ventures) and Erica van Eeghen (VP Capital)
“Heavy reliance on fossil-based inputs, degraded soils and inefficient land use are creating growing environmental and economic risks.”
Whether regenerative agriculture can become the economically superior model, and what it takes to realign finance, policy, technology and incentives · soil regeneration cycles of 7 to 10 years against capital cycles of 3 to 5 years · should the healthcare and insurance industries help fund food system resilience · how costs are shared across beneficiaries · core tension: short-term economic efficiency of the agricultural system v long-term ecosystem resilience · for investors, agtech founders, corporate sustainability leads, farmers, policymakers and financial institutions
Food to Fashion to Food: Bio Closed-Loop · Nic Gorini (Spin Ventures) and Michelle de Rijk (Fair Capital Impact Fund)
“The unfair advantage of waste to value models and insetting strategies versus offsetting ones.”
Closed-loop materials as an asset class, waste to value via industrial symbiosis, “lower impact 0 toxicity and better returns” · “The EU generates over 58 million tonnes of food waste annually, valued at about €132bn” · “the European textile and clothing sector comprises roughly 192,000 companies, 1.3 million workers, and around €167bn in turnover” · European bioeconomy “already valued at €2.7tn and supporting more than 17 million jobs in 2023” · which Food to Fashion to Food systems deliver venture-scale returns in Europe before 2030 · how feedstock aggregation locks in long-term input cost advantage · which infrastructure drives asset-level returns as textile collection volumes rise under 2025 EU rules · for biotech and deeptech ventures, agri, consumer and retail operators, LPs and GPs
Hardware & Biology: Durable Moats Beyond Code · Max Lebeau (Positron Ventures) and Isabel Zhang (HCVC)
“As AI commoditizes software features overnight, hardware and biological systems offer structural defensibility that code cannot match.”
How founders and investors build durable advantage while navigating capital intensity, regulatory complexity and physical constraints · “why the next decade of defensibility lives in atoms and cells, not algorithms” · for hardware and biotech founders, software people looking at deeptech, and investors refining their thesis
Food investment - the next wave (the Tsunami) · Johan Jörgensen (Sweden Foodtech) and Björn Öste (Good Idea)
“Food will be bigger than AI - remember where you heard it first!”
“Rethinking food is the most urgent topic there is - it’s the major source of climate change, destroyed nature and bad human health.” · “The dry and flaming summer of -26 has, together with the GLP-1 revolution, driven home the message.” · we actually don’t know anything about food and humans, and the science is developing at breakneck speed · “we’re facing a Copernican shift and a similar transformation” · “It helps if you’re somewhat versed in science and open to changing your worldviews.” · for investors looking for new hypotheses, food tech investors and entrepreneurs
What Nature Markets Need to Scale · Ed Thorne (Sand River) with Kevin Webb
“The clean energy transition didn’t happen because of wind farms”, “it happened because of batteries, turbines and PV cells.”
Nature markets in 2026 compared to clean energy in the early 2010s · companies building supply chain transparency, biological inputs that compete economically with synthetics, tradeable nature assets, transition risk assessment tools · which bottlenecks are blocking institutional capital and who is tackling them first · whether regenerative technologies can outcompete extractive alternatives on economics alone · what the nature markets landscape looks like by 2030 · for investors, founders, students, policymakers and capital stewards
Ocean tech: too early or mis-funded? · Jerome Ternynck (Rypples) and James Lindsay (Builders Vision)
“This isn’t an intro session, it’s a debate for people ready to take a position.”
Ocean tech “has been on the periphery of climate investing for years despite its massive potential” · ocean ecosystems, “one of the biggest buffers we have”, remain chronically underfunded · the gap between what the science demands and where capital flows “is starting to look less like caution and more like a mis-pricing we can’t afford” · too early for venture, or measured with the wrong metrics · where the bottleneck sits, in technology readiness, patient capital or investor familiarity · which sub-sectors are closest to breakout · “Capital efficiency vs. planetary necessity” · for climate and deep tech investors “ocean-curious but haven’t yet made a bet”, plus adjacent verticals
Can Robots secure Europe’s Food System? · Julius Strauss (FoodLabs) and Philip Stark (Oyster Bay)
“Hormuz, Ukraine, AGI - threats to food supply are increasing, and Europe needs to make more of what we eat. But with labour costs rising and immigration rules tightening, can robots ride to the rescue?”
“Rising labour costs, rising input costs, rising transport costs; but robots are getting dramatically smarter and cheaper” · which are the best opportunities, the most urgent shortages and the most robotics-ready · what makes robotics startups uniquely hard, and the keys to winning · how Europe competes with China and the US · “Food sovereignty is never a priority until it’s too late.” · for founders and investors in ag robotics, and anyone interested in food security or dual-use defence applications
Is Resilience a Lie We Tell Ourselves? · Till Stenzel (SET Ventures) and Katharina Beitz (Vireo Ventures)
“Decentralization removes the honeypot but creates millions of entry points.”
Removing single points of failure while “replacing them with millions of new attack vectors” · “The planned cyberattack on distributed energy assets in Poland in late 2025” · “The gap between deployment speed and security readiness is widening - not closing.” · most energy tech investors still don’t look at cybersecurity when evaluating deals · “where is the line between civilian infrastructure and strategic assets” · are we building resilience or “just trading one set of risks for another” · for operators of distributed energy assets, energy tech investors and founders
Mine or Be Mined · Lasse Köhler (EIFO) and Johan Attby (Norrsken Evolve)
“Europe faces a strategic choice.”
Strengthen domestic extraction and processing, deepen partnerships with trusted allies, or accelerate investment in technologies that reduce reliance on scarce materials altogether · recent export controls on rare earth elements · implementation of the EU’s Critical Raw Materials Act · extraction, processing and refining are “capital-intensive, complex, and subject to long development cycles, making them a challenging fit for traditional venture capital” · what role sovereign wealth and philanthropic capital should play alongside VC · “decisions made over the coming years will likely shape the balance of industrial competitiveness for decades” · for climate, industrial, defence and energy transition investors, battery and advanced materials founders, corporates with supply chain exposure and policymakers
European Sovereignty Playbook · Maxi Pethö-Schramm (HV Capital) and Birthe Ross (SPRIND)
“A new generation of European companies is emerging across energy, critical minerals, semiconductors, robotics, defence, and compute.”
Building “European primes”, companies whose significance exceeds traditional venture outcomes · the right capitalisation structures for companies destined to be critical national or continental assets · building government relationships, winning contracts, navigating policy · foreign private capital or European public funding · European sovereignty v global integration · government process v startup speed · sovereignty still defined and funded nationally · for founders in dual-use technology, energy and industrial sectors, public sector operators, sovereign investors and policymakers
Climate Risk & the Insurability Crisis · Laura Fox (Streetlife Ventures) and Michael Langguth (Carbon13)
“25% of homes are at risk of uninsurability (and rising), and homes represent the greatest single share (40%) of household savings.”
Over $12 trillion in US home values projected at risk over the next 30 years · over €800 billion in European climate-related losses since 1980 · only about 25% of losses in Europe covered · nearly 40 million homes facing reduced insurance availability · two hurricanes in North Carolina, $80 billion in damages · which sectors face the most pressing insurability challenges · which approaches are economically viable and scalable · tension: significant changes to the built environment v unlivable areas · for investors, founders, corporates and family offices holding real estate, energy and transport assets, plus insurance professionals
Unlocking Hidden Innovation · Andrea Siciliani (Techenergy Ventures) and Leonardo Massa (MITO Technology)
“Universities and corporate R&D labs are sitting on a goldmine of innovation that never reaches the market, buried under slow IP deals, misaligned incentives, and ecosystems that don’t talk to each other.”
“In 2025, 76 university spin-outs crossed $1B valuations, VCs deployed over €8B into European deep tech” · Bosch and Tenova launched structured spin-out programmes · university spin-outs v corporate spin-outs, and whether a shared playbook could accelerate both · which best practices actually work, and why they haven’t spread · fix each side separately or connect them into one ecosystem · for deep tech investors, corporate innovation leads, university tech transfer officers and spin-out founders
De-risking the Dragon, embracing the Elephant · Divya Murthy (Oyster Bay) and Mark Kahn (Omnivore)
“China might be the global leader in climate tech, but it will inevitably treat Europe as a vassal state.”
“America has lost the plot and become a hegemonic predator state.” · “China wants to bury the EU in exports, completing the deindustrialization of Europe.” · the EU-India trade treaty, called “the mother of all deals” by von der Leyen · how European startups engage with India as customer, supplier and research partner · why India is a better partnership candidate than China · “Isn’t it too (fill in the blank - chaotic, corrupt, inefficient, etc)?” · for any European startup or VC investor
Infra-tech: New definitions & funding modes · Shakil Karim (Actia Capital Partners) and Toba Spiegel (Loom Ventures)
“AI demand > supply > planetary boundaries with current infra.”
“Timely (& urgent)” · “as infra tech evolves (including blurring dividing lines), so do business models and funding” · how infratech has evolved, practical definitions and lessons learned · what the emerging models look like · to what extent new ways are appearing to support these companies capital-wise · for founders comparing scaling options, investors comparing notes, and incubators, government organisations and ecosystem players
Amid Market Backlash: Pitching Climate 2026 · Philip Specht (AENU) and Hugo Rauch (New Wave and Climate Club)
“Does the climate movement have a marketing problem?”
“Over the last 2–3 years, climate has lost momentum on the geopolitical agenda. Political support has weakened in key markets” · “the AI wave is absorbing most of the tech ecosystem’s attention. Capital has become more selective, LP scrutiny has intensified, and many climate start-ups report longer sales cycles and tougher fundraising environments.” · how climate is currently pitched across founders, VCs, LPs and corporates, and what resonates · “Should we move beyond the term ‘climate tech’?” · for founders pitching climate tech, VCs pitching to LPs, and LPs and corporates pitching internally
What future will the boldest aspire to build? · Anna Ottosson (Mudcake) and Jonny Everett (Marble)
“How do we ensure that the smartest and boldest individuals are not spending that same decade heads down building wealth without a purpose?”
“In the coming decade, we’ll have to face not only the increasing consequences of a climate and planetary crisis, but also manage the ethical and practical implications of AGI.” · a new generation of founders and operators “being increasingly fed with the lure of building AI startups without any intention of making the world better” · “Can we instead leverage these technological leaps by shifting their attention towards the problems really worth solving?”
Side events
The Edge of the Possible with ARIA: Pitching the future of climate tech · Tuesday 10:00 · Advanced Research and Invention Agency (ARIA) and The Drop
“£50 million. One shot. What overlooked research would you fund to change the world?”
“ARIA is an R&D funding agency built to do things differently. We back high-potential research that’s under-explored, but if it works, could deliver major societal and economic impact.” · Ideas exchange, 45 minutes of bold, fast-paced sharing, “No panels - just sharp thinking and creative instinct” · Meet and mix, 45 minutes of networking · for “Founders. Innovators. Researchers. Bold VCs.” · “It’s a pitch night, but not as you know it.”
CVC Bridges @ The Drop 2026 · Tuesday 14:00 to 18:00 · co-host partners Pale Blue Dot, Deepsense and RosholmDell · community partners Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Southern Sweden and Hello Tomorrow
“In climate & deeptech, founders operate on long-term cycles and make decisions that compound over decades. VCs and CVCs must evolve into collaborative stewards that help de-risk the long-term growth of these startups.”
Agenda as listed:
- Introduction of agenda and partners, 15 min. Welcome from Anna Normann and Johan Eklund, Chamber of Commerce South Sweden. Inspiration from Heidi Lindvall, Pale Blue Dot.
- Fireside panel, 15 min. “The sovereign capital stack: Funding European deep tech to bankability.” Where EU deeptech stands today and where CVCs and VCs can collaborate more effectively · gaps in the partnership structures reflected in VC/CVC term sheets and board advisory · real stories of founder-first governance and long-term capital engagement. Speakers: Danijel Višević (GP, World Fund), Iris ten Have (Principal, Visionaries VC), Ethan Sohn (Principal, Toyota Ventures), Julien Fredonie (Head of Partnerships, Honda Xcelerator Ventures).
- Open ripples, 30 min. Securing access to the future of compute and semicon supply chain, Bailey Morrow (HSBC Innovation) and Daniel I-Fan Wu (Hyundai Cradle) · robots become reliable through operation, not demonstration, Isabel Zhang (HCVC) and Laura Coppen (H&M Ventures) · storage earns like infrastructure, but is funded like software, Elena Ballesteros (Voyager Ventures) and Celeste Galvani (A2A) · removing the bottlenecks with automating industry and infra, Philipp Buddemeier (Marvelous VC) and Finn Aretz (Deepsense).
- Reciprocity circle, 15 min. “One idea and one way to help someone in the room.”
- Networking, 90 min. Mocktails and snacks from the local regions of Malmö.
Cooking Dinner with Malmö Youth · Tuesday 18:00 to 21:00 · Alice De Schutter, Oscar de Giey (Edaphon) and Ola Jönsson, with Folkets Skafferi and Fryshuset
“The evening is meant to be simple and human: a chance to step outside the conference setting, meet young people from Malmö, exchange stories, and share perspectives across food, sustainability, and entrepreneurship.”
Cook a meal using ingredients rescued from local supermarkets with Folkets Skafferi · share dinner with young people from Fryshuset, “an organisation working with youth through culture, education, entrepreneurship, and community” · meet in the evening, cook together, sit down for dinner around 7pm · capacity limited to 20 Drop attendees, register with a short note on why you would like to join