Ekolive: growing a greener future from the ground up
Ekolive has devised a way to replicate nature’s own soil-making process, turning degraded soils into healthy, living ecosystems in just a fraction of the usual time. By restoring soil life and boosting fertility, the InnoBioTech® technology supports biodiversity, stronger crops, and a more sustainable food system.
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ekolive
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The ground beneath our plates 
With 90% of the Earth’s soil on course to be degraded by 2050 (1), our food system is quite literally crumbling beneath our feet. Depleted nutrients, pollution, and erosion are threatening both yields and long-term resilience, and traditional inputs like chemical fertilisers are only making the problem worse.
In Europe, soil is the foundation of our food system, but we are running out of time and nutrients. Across the EU, an estimated 61% of soils are degraded (2), weakened by decades of intensive farming, synthetic fertiliser use, erosion, and contamination. Once damaged, soil can take centuries to regenerate naturally, a rate far too slow to support the growing global demand for food.
Soil degradation: the numbers are stark
This degradation doesn’t just threaten yields. It also accelerates climate breakdown, reduces biodiversity, and increases the risk of pests, disease, and crop failure. In nutrient-poor or chemically polluted soils, plants are weaker, food quality suffers, and farmers are forced to use more inputs just to maintain basic productivity.
The cycle is unsustainable.
Solving the soil crisis is essential to transforming the food system. Healthy soil holds carbon, stores water, supports microbial life, and helps plants resist disease and drought. It reduces dependency on agrochemicals and builds long-term resilience from the ground up. The beneficiaries are wide-reaching: farmers who gain more stable yields and lower costs; food companies, who benefit from secure supply chains; and ecosystems, which recover faster under regenerative practices.
Any vision for greener and more resilient food future must begin with restoring the health of the soil quickly, effectively, and at scale.
Breaking new ground with bacteria 
Ekolive’s InnoBioTech® technology uses a patented EU-certified Eco bioleaching process the mimics the natural weathering of minerals, which is the very mechanism by which soil is formed. But while natural soil formation takes hundreds (sometimes thousands) of years, InnoBioTech® can replicate and accelerate this process within days, using naturally occurring probiotic bacteria to unlock nutrients, restore microbial diversity, and rejuvenate degraded soil ecosystems. (5)
Initially developed for processing low-grade ores, this innovative technology has been reimagined for agriculture, turning mineral waste into nutrient-rich probiotic stimulants. These bio stimulants help regenerate soil health, promote plant growth, and significantly reduce the need for synthetic fertilisers, paving the way for more sustainable farming practices. This approach now powers a new generation of biome stimulants that enhance crop health and boost resilience to environmental stress.
Their flagship product, Ekofertile™, is a liquid bio fertiliser containing trained bacteria, organic acids, and dissolved micronutrients. Proven to increase yields, boost plant immunity, and improve soil water retention, it offers farmers a low-cost, synthetic chemical-free alternative in an era of growing input and climate pressure.
This approach also contributes to circular economy goals by upgrading waste minerals, reducing CO2 emissions from fertiliser use, and keeping critical raw minerals in local value chains.
In Europe, farmers using Ekofertile™ have demonstrated significant improvements in soil health, with farmers reporting up to 40% higher yields, 50% reduced agricultural costs, and a 90% reduction in conventional fertiliser use. Trials with A Chance For Change Foundation in Zambia gave farmers access to certified organic fertilisers for the first time, helping them grow diverse and export-ready crops while improving long-term soil health.
Today, Ekolive stands as an example of how mining innovation can be redirected to solve pressing food system challenges, and how partnerships can unlock transformation from unexpected places.
Ekolive joined the EIT Food Accelerator Network in 2021. The network provides access to specifically tailored mentoring, technical validation, and a network of researching industry partners. Since May 2023, they also became a member of the Rising Food Stars Programme, EIT Food’s flagship scale supporting system. With this support, Ekolive was added to the European Input List For Organic Production, secured strategic partnerships with organisations, including A Chance For Change Foundation and the Bioeconomy Cluster, and grew its team two over a dozen employees.
EIT Food continues to support Ekolive’s mission by facilitating visibility, certification, and strategic partnerships through the Rising Food Stars programme. This includes introductions to impact investors, matchmaking with international distributors, and continued engagement through community building and policy advocacy.
Digging Into Regeneration 
As one of the most promising sustainable scaleups in the agritech space, Ekolive is entering a new phase of global growth. With its patented InnoBioTech technology now proven across multiple geographies and crops, the company is expanding both its production capacity and international footprint to meet increasing demand for regenerative solutions.
From its operational sites in Slovakia and Germany, Ekolive is now negotiating the establishment of three new bioleaching facilities outside of Europe, focusing on regions with severely depleted or contaminated soils. These facilities are designed to bring the benefits of bioleaching to new farming communities.
Ekolive is developing tailored formulations of Ekofertile™ biome stimulants adapted to local crop needs and environmental conditions. This includes region-specific bacterial strains and nutrients designed to support diverse ecosystems from drought-prone areas in sub-Saharan Africa to intensively farmed land in Southeast Asia.
With these expansion efforts underway, Ekolive is scaling breakthrough innovation and redefining what the future of soil health can look like. It is imagining a future with reduced dependency on chemical fertilisers, a revival of contaminated land, and the unlocking of sustainable food production across borders.
As momentum builds, continued investment in infrastructure, regulatory alignment, and R&D will be critical to fully realise this potential and ensure that science back solutions reach every field that needs them.
Lessons from Ekolive’s Path to Regeneration:
- Observe anomalies and then investigate them: Ekolive’s flagship product, Ekofertile™, was born when researchers noticed grass growing rapidly where mineral residue had been spilled. Instead of ignoring the outlier, they studied it, and those studies lead to a revolutionary breakthrough.
- Rigorously test in the real world: Moving from laboratory discovery to international application required more than just a good product. Ekolive combined EU certifications, rigorous field trials, and partnerships with groups like the A Chance for Change Foundation to ensure their solution was both scalable and trusted.
- Tailor innovation to local needs: Ekolive’s success in Zambia hinged on adapting their biofertiliser to meet organic standards and crop diversity requirements. This localisation made the difference between proof of concept and real-world impact.
- Connections open doors: With support from EIT Food, Ekolive was fast-tracked onto the European Input List for Organic Production, a move that gave them more credibility and market access in the EU and beyond.
The encouraging news is that the shift has already begun. Farmers are asking for change. Soil is being restored. Partnerships are being formed across continents. What once sounded like a near impossible task is now becoming a tangible reality. A regenerative food system is within reach, and when the right people, ideas, and support come together, the future becomes fertile.
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