EIT Food’s Entrepreneurship programmes cater for all stages of business growth: from market validation of novel research and tech innovations (EIT Food Seedbed Incubator); to tech validation and business acceleration (EIT Food Accelerator Network); to scaling up commercial capabilities (EIT Food RisingFoodStars).
The programmes are designed to launch, accelerate and scale impactful agrifood tech start-ups to solve global food system challenges and deliver new food innovations and businesses.
Besides benefitting from high-quality training, personalised mentoring and high-impact pilot projects, successful applicants will also have the opportunity to EIT Food’s Impact Fund and receive investments of up to €500K.
EIT Food Entrepreneurship Programmes
LAUNCH: EIT Food Seedbed Incubator
For technology developers who want to deeply understand their customers and validate whether there is the market need for their innovation before launching a commercial venture.
ACCELERATE: EIT Food Accelerator Network Programme
For impactful agrifood startups looking for tech validation and commercial acceleration to drive the ultimate goal: a successful market adoption.
SCALE: EIT Food Rising Food Stars
For impact-driven ventures on their journey to scaleup their commercial capabilities and grow exponentially.
‘Transform the food system’
Benoit Buntinx, director of business creation at EIT Food, said: “New ideas, innovations and technologies are essential if we are to transform the food system into one that produces healthy and sustainable food for all.
“Our Entrepreneurship Programmes empower and enable entrepreneurs to deliver agrifood solutions, connecting startups with finance, resources and support at the right time.”
In 2023, the EIT Food Entrepreneurship Programmes received around 1,000 applications from more than 30 countries and supported more than 123 startups. Since launching in 2017, 30 companies have received more than €12m in direct investment from EIT Food’s impact fund.
Biomass fermentation company Bosque Foods went through the three Entrepreneurship Programmes from 2021 to 2023 and is now a RisingFoodStar member.
‘The next generation’
Commenting on EIT Food’s support, Bosque Foods chief executive and founder Isabella Iglesias-Musachio said: “With the support of the programme we were able to expand our business creating the next generation of meat alternatives from Mycelium, accelerating the world's transition to environmentally sustainable, equitable, and animal-free protein".
Applications to EIT Food’s Entrepreneurship Programmes are open now and close on 19 February 2024. All applications to the programmes will be evaluated and the selected start-ups will be announced in stages, with the first announcements in April 2024.
Meanwhile, clean-label drinks firm Happy Drinks Company is to create 24 jobs to support the expansion of its bottling and manufacturing operations, after securing a £440k loan from Liverpool City Council.
