After the Challenge - Pantelis Agianidis
Meet Pantelis, participant in the Circular Biobased Economy Challenge and finalist in the Rethink Waste Challenge of 2023 with his team Fermentera. Born out of these challenges came the startup Fermentera which is rooted in sustainability and circularity, utilising cutting-edge fermentation techniques to unlock the hidden flavours and nutritional benefits of organic by-products. Pantelis will share his entire experience of the challenge and of course the exiting under findings after!
What was your experience of the challenge?
Participating in the ReThink Waste challenge was an incredible journey that really helped us to structure our company on a more professional level. Utilising the tools and mentorship of the university was incredibly valuable for improving our product.
But not only the WUR was of great help. Seeing so many young, inspired students with so much passion and identity made it a lot easier to stay creative and think out of the box. It was special to see how quickly ideas came to reality through working with interdisciplinary groups and how great the collaboration was between the teams, we helped each other forward.
What are you up to after the challenge?
After the Rehink Waste challenge we continued learning and won the first prize in another hackathon organised by Lineage Logistics, earning 6 months of mentorship! Even though we did not win the ReThink Waste Challenge, we still embrace all the lessons we learned and take these with us further down the road of launching our startup.
For now we are continuing optimising the prototype of Fermentera and exploring new flavours beyond pineapple. Additionally, we are seeking for collaborations and are launching a Kickstarter campaign through crowd funding. Our goal is to use these resources to scale up production, further our research initiatives, and secure legal support.
How can we follow your next steps?
For those who would like to follow our journey, you can do this via Instagram and LinkedIn.
What is your ultimate tip to other students?
Have an open mindset in learning and absorb as much as you can. The university provides great in-depth knowledge but also try to learn outside; from the challenge, your teammates, other teams and from mentors. Ask a lot of questions and embrace the feedback because that is how you develop. This holistic approach is key to your growth and success.
