Munich Startup: What does your startup do? What problem do you solve?
Catharina van Delden, Co-Founder & CEO: In the "new normal" of global volatility, supply reliability is the key success factor. No tomatoes: no ketchup. No rice: no sushi. No hops: no beer.
We are building a data-driven platform, which translates agricultural reality into operationally relevant KPIs and provides concrete, prioritized options for action. Risk is the driver: Climate extremes are one of the major causes, but price fluctuations, geopolitical disruptions, crop pests, logistics bottlenecks, and regulatory changes are equally relevant.
We make actionable signals from heterogeneous field data visible at an early stage and integrate them directly into existing procurement workflows, enabling buyers and agricultural managers to prioritize risks, make hedging or procurement decisions, and stabilize supply chains.
Munich Startup: But that's been around for a long time!
Catharina van Delden: There are tools for weather data, satellite images, and ERP reports. We combine this field reality with purchasing metrics such as price volatility and delivery reliability and embed the findings in operational procurement processes. In short, we translate the "approaching drought" warning into the concrete impact on costs, quantities, and delivery times – and provide prioritized courses of action for purchasing teams. Not just more data, but decisions that can be implemented immediately.
Real drought experience leads to the founding idea
Munich Startup: What is your founding story?
Catharina van Delden: We are the founders: Stefanie Seisenberger Glenn and I, Catharina van Delden. I am CEO and have Innosabi (also a Munich startup) I built an enterprise SaaS, and Steffi is a CTO with extensive data and tech experience and most recently worked at Google. The realization came on my family farm in Uruguay: In the first year, we experienced a drought the likes of which the country hadn't seen in decades. A striking example of how quickly field volatility threatens production and supply chains. After over 100 meetings with buyers and agricultural managers, we founded Finches to translate this new reality into concrete, prioritized procurement decisions.
Munich Startup: What have been your biggest challenges so far?
Catharina van Delden: Hiring was one of our biggest challenges. Especially in a young startup, it's essential to find employees you can trust 100 percent and who are willing to embark on the adventure of founding a company with you. To be successful, everyone has to put their ego aside and work together as a team. We invested a lot of time in designing our hiring process to ensure we selected the right talent and personalities. While this was difficult and took significantly longer than expected, the result was worth it.
Finches: Towards a global standard for climate risk-based procurement
Munich Startup: Where would you like to be in one year, where in five years?
Catharina van Delden: In one year: several co-creation partnerships with major customers underway, measurable reductions in supply shocks for pilot customers, and the first product subscription revenue. In five years: a standard stack for climate risk-based procurement in the CPG/agri-industry—embedded in the sourcing processes of large food and commodity companies. Global from the start: because so are agri-supply chains.
Munich Startup: How have you experienced Munich as a startup location so far?
Catharina van Delden: Munich is an ideal location for us: strong in deeptech, close to industry partners, and with a growing agri-food ecosystem. The support from UTUM – Funding for Innovators, who supported and funded us early on. The network surrounding TUM opens doors to research, talent, and pilot projects with leading food and agricultural companies. This combination of technical excellence, industry connections, and genuine startup support makes Munich the best place for us to build Finches, with the goal of building a global company out of Munich.
Munich Startup: Risk or security?
Catharina van Delden: Both. Our product reduces business risk for buyers—at the same time, building a data-connected product itself is a structural risk. Strategy: Minimize risk through rapid, customer-centric co-creation, thus providing security for our customers.
