Entrepreneurship

Startups play a fundamental role in building a future-fit food system that produces healthy and sustainable food for all.

EIT Food Entrepreneurship supports innovative, researchers, entrepreneurs, and impactful AgriFoodTech startups, every step of the way - from business propositions, market validation, business acceleration, tech validation to commercial upscaling.

Whatever stage you are at on your agrifood tech venture and journey - launch, accelerate or scale up - our three hands-on, equity-free programmes give the best chance for you to become a food system gamechanger and succeed.

Our agrifood tech entrepreneurship powerhouse connects thousands of startups to more than 200 leading corporations, universities, research centres, and investors, with the full support and resources of the European Union.

Applications open December 2023

If you are an aspiring agrifood entrepreneur, a startup, or a scaleup interested in one of our programmes, register your interest and we will notify you when our 2024 applications open.

REGISTER YOUR INTEREST

Our pan-European entrepreneurship programmes

LAUNCH - EIT Food Seedbed Incubator

For aspiring entrepreneurs and researchers looking for market-validated business propositions

Are you looking to explore and test the right product-market fit for your AgriFood Tech business innovation?

Connect with 100+ potential customers and stakeholders to validate your market

Develop a business model and receive 1:1 coaching and entrepreneurial training

Receive 10,000€* in equity-free funding for travel to networking events across Europe

Join the EIT Food Seedbed Incubator

ACCELERATE - EIT Food Accelerator Network

For impactful agrifood startups looking for tech validation and commercial acceleration

Are you looking to boost your go-to market readiness and validate your tech to tackle the biggest challenges within our Food System? 

(Re-)shape your product tech development roadmap and win up to 50,000 EUR

Grow and succeed with access to top-notch master classes, coaching and mentoring

Partner with experts and key players from our network of 200+ leading corporates, investors and research centres

Join the EIT Food Accelerator Network

SCALE - EIT Food RisingFoodStars

For aspiring agrifood scaleups looking to successfully upscale their commercial capabilities

Are you an impact driven venture looking for the tools and network needed to grow rapidly?

Get access to 100+ mentors to design, challenge and implement your scaleup plan

Get privileged access to 200+ leading corporates and investors through events and matchmaking

Get hands-on support on your fundraising journey and commercialisation roadmap

Join the EIT Food RisingFoodStars

REGISTER FOR OUR ENTREPRENEURSHIP PAN-EUROPEAN PROGRAMMES

If you are an aspiring agrifood entrepreneur, a startup, or a scaleup interested in one of our programmes, register your interest and we will notify you when applications are open

Register your interest

Discover our partner and network opportunities

Investment opportunities

We facilitate investment opportunities for Europe’s most promising agrifood startups through financing and connection with our venture partners.

Corporate Venturing

We facilitate corporate innovation by connecting world-leading industry with impactful agrifood startups.

Entrepreneurship community

Entrepreneurs can access all the support they need to create a thriving agrifood or FoodTech business.

Achieving sustainable and economic impact

+361

Companies supported by EIT Food from early entrepreneurs to companies that we support in scaling internationally

+€50M

direct support in grants and investments

+€407M

investments attracted by startups and scaleups supported by EIT

+193

designed and tested innovations

OUR REGIONAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP PROGRAMMES

Are you looking to get involved in the revolution of the agrifood system, but you are from a RIS country? We have everything you need.

Join one of our regional entrepreneurship programmes

Entrepreneurship programmes

EWA | Empowering Women in Agrifood

2020 > 2023

entrepreneurship programme

Training, mentoring, business coaching and networking opportunities for women entrepreneurs in the agrifood sector. Applications are closed.

Agrifood Futures Expert Community

2021 > 2023

entrepreneurship programme

The EIT Food Agrifood Futures Expert Community brings together agrifood experts from business, academia and research backgrounds to share and collaborate around the most pressing agrifood challenges. The objective of this project is to…

Challenge Labs

entrepreneurship programme

Creative workshops designed to find solutions to current and future challenges in the food and agriculture system

View all projects

Meet our Startups

LISAqua

France

Nangatech

Poland

Farmforce

Norway

Beworm

Germany

Fauna Smart Technologies

Denmark

Hai Tech Ltd

United Kingdom

Better Origin

United Kingdom

Circular Food Technology ApS

Denmark

Nerit'e

Germany

Greentech Innovators

Norway

Pollenity

Bulgaria

Biocode

Finland

Explore our network

Latest entrepreneurship news

News

Food Impact Conference (GEK) Invited Participants to Think of Food and Agriculture on the Axis of Impact in 2023

News

AOTECH and Innomy Forge Sustainable Partnership to Carry Out Fungi-based By-products revalorization with Real time Mentoring (FBRM) Project.

News

New European Bauhaus seeks a diverse cohort of mentors

News

Successfully Conclude the 4th Edition of EWA Programme in Portugal with a Hard-fought Pitching Day

View all EIT Food articles

On the blog

A chance to join EIT Food’s entrepreneurship powerhouse

March 20, 2023

blog

The 2023 Entrepreneurship Programmes provide targeted support to European startups at all stages of the innovation journey

Women leaders are transforming the food system

March 07, 2023

blog

Everyone stands to benefit from a transformation to a more equitable food system. International Women’s Day is a great opportunity to celebrate women leaders driving positive change.