WeWork Labs, the startup accelerator owned by coworking space operator WeWork, is to open a Thailand-based program focused on foodtech with partners including seafood product manufacturer Thai Union Group, Tech in Asia reported today.
Thailand’s National Innovation Agency (NIA) and the science faculty at Mahidol University are also backing the scheme. The deadline for applications will close on July 31.
The Space-F accelerator will focus on nine subsegments of foodtech; health and wellness, alternative proteins, smart manufacturing, packaging solutions, novel food and ingredients, biomaterials and chemicals, restaurant tech, food safety and quality, and smart food services.
Space-F will have early-stage and growth-stage sections, with the two bands expected to run for up to 15 months and three to eight months respectively.
The program will be situated at Mahidol University and will provide portfolio companies with lab space, machinery and instrumentation, in addition to contacts with mentors, and investors from both Thai Union Group and unnamed external venture capital firms.
Participants will also have the opportunity to scale through connections to WeWork’s coworking business, as well as through Thai Union Group’s network and an unspecified NIA initiative that promotes local startups internationally.