From pitching to practice: three innovators selected for Summer Park Festival TestLab 2025

Zomerparkfeest and its partners are again this year offering three entrepreneurs the chance to test their sustainable or social innovation live on the festival grounds in Venlo. During the pitch event on May 14, Dutch Food Inspiration Lab, NoA Biosciences and Van Abeelen secured a spot within Zomerparkfeest TestLab 2025.

Reflection on the pitch event

On May 14, innovative entrepreneurs were given the opportunity to present their concept to an expert jury consisting of representatives from Zomerparkfeest, Brightlands Campus Greenport Venlo, LIOF and Ondernemend Venlo. After an inspiring program and careful jury deliberations, three participants were selected based on impact, feasibility, originality and suitability for the festival environment.

From August 8 to 10, they will test their innovation live on the festival grounds, in front of an audience of nearly 100,000 visitors. Meet the three winners:

• Van Abeelen presents the Solarfridge: a mobile cooling and freezing container that runs entirely on solar energy. Ideal for festivals and areas without a stable power supply. The festival will test how this prototype performs in a crowded, realistic setting.
• Dutch Food Inspiration Lab is giving coffee grounds a second life by processing them into circular ingredients. During Zomerparkfeest, they will introduce visitors to their second life food ingredients, preventing food waste and reducing CO₂ emissions.
• NoA Biosciences is developing mushroom-based alternatives to meat and fish, grown on woody waste streams. In collaboration with regional food services, they are testing their first prototypes: circular, locally produced and with a focus on taste, texture and nutritional value.

Innovation in action

Summer Park Festival TestLab offers entrepreneurs the unique opportunity to test their innovation in a dynamic, real-life environment. Under the guidance of innovation experts, the three participants will prepare for their test case in the coming months. During the festival, they will collect feedback from visitors and partners, which they can use to further hone and scale up their product or service.

Zomerparkfeest TestLab is an initiative of Rabobank, Brightlands Campus Greenport Venlo, LIOF, Ondernemend Venlo, Fontys Venlo University of Applied Sciences, Bluehub, Circular Design Group and Zomerparkfeest.