Articles

Companies in the food and agriculture space recognise that staying competitive requires looking beyond their internal teams and engaging the broader ecosystem of start-ups, researchers and industry experts. However, finding the right partner at the right time is a major challenge, and all stakeholders are actively seeking better ways to identify high-impact partners with strategic alignment.

At Kraft Heinz, external partnerships are a long-standing cornerstone of the company’s innovation strategy. To strengthen this approach, it has partnered with Halo, a global network of innovators and R&D partners with a strong presence in food and agriculture.

Maxine Roman, Innovation Collaboration and Partnerships Lead at Kraft Heinz, and Kevin Leland, CEO of Halo, share insights on how to build effective partnerships that unlock breakthrough solutions, accelerate time-to-market and create long-term value.

There are many channels to find external partners in innovation. How can food and agriculture companies be most effective at identifying successful partnerships in 2025?

Maxine: Kraft Heinz has embraced external partnership to fuel innovation that addresses consumers' evolving preferences for decades, and we embrace a holistic approach that prioritises true win-win partnerships. Traditionally, you might identify partners by hiring consultants, networking or searching through databases. However, there is still a gap in consistently surfacing those unexpected connections that deliver truly novel approaches while staying highly relevant to our business needs. This is where we get the most value from a partnering platform like Halo and why it’s such an important tool for our team.

Because innovators submit proposals in direct response to our needs, we learn about solutions we can’t find just by searching through public databases. These proposals live in the heads of these innovators, so even AI can’t find them. As a result, we’ve been able to identify solutions that none of our other tools could find. These are from start-ups and suppliers that we don't know, that our network doesn’t know, and from labs that we've never heard of before.

Kevin: We work with some of the biggest players in food and ag – Kraft Heinz of course as well as Bayer, Corteva, PepsiCo, Mars, General Mills, Nestlé, Unilever, Givaudan and others – and what we find is that the ability to identify the right partner at the right moment in time is in itself a competitive advantage.

For those we don’t work with, the biggest barrier isn’t a lack of interest in partnering. Most companies understand that they’re missing out on partners that could impact their business, but when they weigh that risk against the resources it would take to find them, they can’t justify the effort. For researchers and start-ups, standing out in a crowded industry is equally challenging. Halo was built to bridge this gap and create a dedicated space where companies and innovators can easily connect and work toward mutually-shared goals.

Whether you’re developing a next-gen food ingredient or a new form of sustainable packaging, the ability to identify the right partner at the right moment in time will increasingly serve as a competitive advantage separating industry leaders from those playing catch-up.

Many teams grapple with the “build it ourselves vs. find a partner” dilemma. How can companies determine if an external partnership is the right solution to their challenge?

Maxine: At Kraft Heinz, we believe if someone else can solve a challenge better, faster, or in a unique way, collaboration is the right choice. Historically, many companies prioritised owning everything to protect competitive assets, but today, speed-to-market and an exclusivity period can be just as valuable as owning intellectual property.

A successful innovation strategy isn’t built on total ownership but on balance and embracing a flexible partnership model where partners add meaningful value in strategic ways. It takes years and considerable expense to create an innovation community with the right specialised skills. If we want to scale new innovations quickly, using an external partner saves us time and resources, and Halo already has a global network of thousands of academic scientists, start-ups and suppliers actively looking to partner with companies like Kraft Heinz.

Additionally, we look to reduce the administrative burden on employees involved in the partner identification process. With Halo, innovators come to us, allowing for a more thoughtful and organised evaluation process, with workflow tools that streamline some of the most time-consuming aspects of external partnering, like getting feedback from colleagues and evaluating opportunities.

Kevin: A company that only looks inward risks stagnating, while one that actively builds robust external partnerships stays ahead of the curve. When evaluating the best approach, organisations should make sure to not limit themselves and consider the value of external partnerships across the entire value chain, from early-stage research to late-stage development.

For example, https://www.halo.science/marketplace/partners – companies have used Halo to find partners to develop encapsulation technologies for probiotics, supply ingredients for flavour modulations, build AI/ML models for food safety analyses and https://www.halo.science/application/food-nutrition – everything in between.

Now, a common concern we hear is around confidentiality. Even if teams have a clear need to identify a collaborator, they can be understandably hesitant about exposing their strategic initiatives. That’s why we designed Halo to support the unique confidentiality requirements of each customer.

What makes a good external partner and what are the most important qualities in a successful partnership?

Maxine: The most successful partnerships are those where each party brings their unique expertise to transform a good idea into a great one. True innovation rarely comes pre-packaged, and it requires collaboration.

We seek partners who share our passion for creating win-win opportunities, where both sides actively contribute and benefit. We’re not just looking for ideas; we aim to build long-term relationships that foster mutual success. When our partners succeed, we succeed.

Kevin: Successful partnerships depend on trust, transparency, and aligned incentives. Rather than leaving connections to chance, we try to foster these qualities by structuring the collaboration process in a way that ensures clear expectations and communication.

It’s also important for all stakeholders to remember that the return in finding the right partner goes well beyond the initial match. Some of the partnerships we’ve seen formed on Halo started with a single project and have evolved into a multi-year collaboration, spanning several initiatives and driving continuous value for both parties. There’s been research findings published, mentorships established, and even new start-ups formed.

When partners are strategically matched, everyone benefits. Companies innovate faster, start-ups get noticed, and the entire industry moves forward together.