Malin Helsing and Andrea Lindgren run the company Lindsing. They have developed a completely new, protein-rich and climate-smart breakfast cereal that they have named Knaprig.
-"It feels fantastic that we have received this money. It's been tough and we were going to take a break because of the state of the world. Now we can continue to move forward," says Andrea Lindgren.
In the fall of 2023, Sweden's innovation agency Vinnova awarded almost SEK 22.5 million to innovative startups whose entire business concept contributes to solving a global societal challenge, so-called impact startups. The founders of Lindsing think it feels good to be included in this category.
- "We ourselves think that we contribute to solving social problems because this product contains a full-fledged plant-based protein that was previously only available through animal protein such as eggs," says Andrea Lindgren.
Most plant proteins available today have to be eaten in large quantities to get enough. Lindsing's full-value protein is also a residual product from the manufacture of other food production.
- "With our product, we can ensure that people get enough nutrition and at the same time reduce the climate footprint. And our plan is to make more products from this protein in the future," says Malin Helsing.
Reducing the climate impact of food consumption is an important part of solving society's climate challenges. The most effective measure is to reduce meat consumption. According to the UN, we as individuals can reduce our climate footprint by as much as 2.1 tons of carbon dioxide per year if we switch to a completely plant-based diet, or 1.5 tons if we choose to eat vegetarian.
Lindsning has gone through BizMaker's incubator program but is now on its own. The application to apply for Vinnova's call is extensive and requires several hours of work. The first time Lindsing applied, they got help from BizMaker.
- It is thanks to BizMaker that we know about this call, but this time we made the application entirely ourselves, says Andrea Lindgren.
A large part of what startup companies get help with at BizMaker is about how to finance their company. Financing can be done, for example, through equity, ownership capital from external owners, bank loans or various types of regional, state or EU funding.
- With our tools, we can find out what type of financing best suits each company. We can also equip our companies with basic financial understanding to be able to apply for grants, attract external financiers or apply for bank loans," says Erica Markusson, business advisor in financing at BizMaker.
Andrea Lindgren and Malin Helsing have found a manufacturer in Germany and, thanks to this capital, they will now produce a batch of the cereals to be tested against their intended target group.
- "We will also use the money to network, find collaboration partners and develop a marketing plan," says Malin Helsing.
Contact
Andrea Lindgren, founder of Lindsing
andrea.lindgren(@)lindsing.se
Malin Helsing, founder Lindsing
malin.helsing(@)lindsing.se
Erica Markusson, Business Advisor Finance, BizMaker
erica.markusson(@)bizmaker.se
