EIT Food, part of the European Institute for Innovation & Technology, announces the expansion of its flagships programmes with fifteen new agri-food startups joining in
In brief
- EIT Food helps create easier access to new technologies and markets for entrepreneurs and professionals with the skills needed to transform the food system
- Last week, it announced it had selected 15 innovative agri-food startups for its flagship entrepreneurship programmes
- EIT Food runs three programmes helping entrepreneurs – the Seedbed Incubator, the EIT Food Accelerator Network and the RisingFoodStars association
EIT Food, part of the European Institute for Innovation & Technology (EIT), announced last week that 15 agri-food startups were joining its entrepreneurship programmes.
EIT Food claims to be Europe’s largest agri-food network, and by joining it startups are able to connect with world-leading industry, investors and research organisations transforming the global the global food system.
EIT, an independent EU body, was set up in 2008 to drive innovation and entrepreneurship across Europe. EIT Food invests in organisations with the goal of a healthy and sustainable food system.
Jayne Brookman, director of EIT Food North-West, told Impact Investor: “Through supporting agri-food startups, our aim at EIT Food is to help to create easier access to new technologies and markets, equip entrepreneurs and professionals with the skills needed to transform the food system, and provide tailored business support for them to attract investment and scale their solutions.”
To be selected teams must have a solution that addresses one of EIT Food’s innovation focus areas: sustainable agriculture, digital traceability, protein diversification, sustainable aquaculture, targeted nutrition, or circular food systems.
Brookman said: “Agri-food entrepreneurs and startups play a fundamental role in transforming the food system. Not only are they solving today’s immediate food challenges, but they are also innovating to future-proof the food system for generations to come. The focused vision and dynamism of start-ups allows them to create solutions in some of the most impactful food system areas.”
Amongst the companies chosen is Bright Biotech (UK) which has developed a technology which produces high-quality recombinant proteins for the agri-food industry. Other companies joining the programmes are EyeQ (Ireland) which uses data to predict the remaining shelf-life of fresh produce, and Little Finca (UK), a smart baby food brand using plant-based ingredients.
Brookman says she is “looking forward to seeing their impact”. She added: “EIT Food continually monitors impact by tracking real-world metrics such as how many new products and services we help to co-create with the public and launch to market.”
EIT Food programmes
The three programmes run by EIT Food are the Seedbed Incubator, the EIT Food Accelerator Network, and the RisingFoodStars Association.
The Seedbed Incubator is a 6-month programme that aims to “transform science and technology-based innovations into market-validated businesses”. Teams join one of five hubs across Europe.
Then Accelerator Network is a four-month equity-free grant funded programme, that connects impactful agri-food startups with industry-leading corporate and research partners, to pilot innovative technology.
Startups that join the RisingFoodStars receive individual support to scale up, raise investment, and tackle typical start-up growing pain points.
