LAUNCH - Seedbed Incubator
Are you an aspiring entrepreneur with an impactful innovation in AgriTech or FoodTech that has commercial potential? Turn your innovation into a market-validated business and help transform the food system.
About the EIT Food Seedbed Incubator programme
The Seedbed Incubator is an equity-free 4-6 month market discovery programme that aims to transform science and technology-based AgriFood and FoodTech innovations into market-validated businesses.
Why join the programme?
Receive € 7,000 in equity-free funding, and up to € 10,000 additional equity-free funding for teams eligible for Seedbed+
Attend free entrepreneurial training workshops, and access EIT Food networking and matchmaking events throughout the year
Connect and test your innovation with 100+ customers and stakeholders in the agrifood industry worldwide
Establish where there’s a viable market need for your innovation and evaluate the scale of its commercial potential
Collaborate and exchange knowledge with an active community of AgriTech and FoodTech founders
Apply for this programme
Start your market discovery journey and benefit from entrepreneurial training, exclusive networking, and tailored business support to build a successful AgriFood or FoodTech business.
Are you eligible?
The Seedbed Incubator is for researchers and aspiring entrepreneurs who are driven to solve the complex challenges facing our food system.
Do you have a novel science-based technology at lab proof of concept (TRL 4 min) that can help transform the food system?
Are you an individual, or a team either not yet founded, or a pre-seed startup?
Are you or a team member an EU resident or citizen with - or intending to incorporate - a company in the EU, or a Horizon Europe-associated country? Please refer to the terms and conditions to view the list of eligible countries.
Can you commit to a minimum of 8 hours per week between May and Dec to participate in this programme?
PROGRAMME TIMELINE
NOVEMBER - FEBRUARY - Call for Applications
MARCH - Evaluation of Applications
APRIL - Seedbed Stage I Team Announcements
MAY - 60 successful teams participate in Lean Startup Fundamentals, a 3-day online Bootcamp, where teams receive training and 1:1 business coaching to develop a hypothetical business model and a programme action plan. At the end of Bootcamp, the teams pitch to an expert panel, and 40 teams deemed to have the most impactful commercial potential are selected as the final cohort to proceed to Seedbed Stage II, where they are divided into one of the three EIT Food Mission groups.
JUNE - The Seedbed cohort, along with our team of Business Coaches, Industry Experts, Trainers, and Programme Managers meet in person at a European location to kick off the Seedbed Incubator programme.
JULY - OCTOBER - An entrepreneurial training schedule is offered in the way of 1:1 clinics and group workshops. All teams are assigned a Business Coach and work with Industry Experts to further develop their business models and action plans. Our Mission Community Managers offer support with connections to customers and stakeholders, and networking opportunities at industry events.
NOVEMBER - Everyone meets in person for the Seedbed Showcase, where the cohort presents their findings, and pitch to an expert panel, who select the teams to continue on to Seedbed+. Each successful Seedbed+ team will receive up to an additional €10,000 in equity-free funding and further support to build their business.
Our Startups
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“Thanks to Seedbed we made some really good connections and we managed to close a deal with our first pilot customer, which has led to requests from other potential customers.”
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“Thanks to all the training and events, over 500 people tested our products and we received two letters of intention to produce and distribute our products, plus interest from three global clients!”
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“Seedbed offered us the ability to meet other agtech startups. It was a fantastic opportunity to talk about our project with many people outside of our local market.“
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“As a result of our interviews, we pivoted in both market and technical concepts. We talked to very big corporates like John Deere, Bayer, Unilever, and PepsiCo to discuss their problems and receive feedback on our products.“
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“We met a lot of potential customers and investors. All the conversations we had challenged us to think about our business in a different way and to recognise opportunities we did not see before.“
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“Our business strategy radically changed! We learned industry insights which shifted us from being a team with one product concept to becoming a focused business with a full range of possibilities.“
How to apply
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.
Our Programme Partners
