EWA 2025 Greece: Kicking off a new cycle of female-led agrifood innovation

This year’s cohort showcases the diversity and creativity of women-led innovation in the agrifood sector. The selected entrepreneurs are working on projects ranging from smart farming systems and sustainable ingredients to digital platforms and alternative proteins.

Here is an overview of the 10 women-led initiatives selected in 2025:

› Home Sweet Grow (Evmorfia Bataka) – An open-source, soil-free indoor farming system using aquaponics and smart lighting to promote decentralised food production in urban environments.
› Cricketos (Anastasia Fountouli) – An insect farming company producing frass, sustainable feed and high-protein snacks made from edible insects, while reducing food waste.
› SYNBIOSI (Ellie Gidakou) – A circular economy initiative transforming coffee waste into handcrafted natural soaps, with profits supporting social causes and women’s empowerment.
› Maria Boti – Millet Producer – Cultivating millet as a climate-resilient crop rich in nutrients, offering a gluten-free, protein-rich alternative to mainstream grains.
› PestAgroFoodNIR (Chrysi Papagiannaki) – A portable device using NIR spectroscopy and AI to detect pesticide residues on fruits and vegetables in real time.
› Mobile Olive Harvester (Theodora Stefanou) – A mobile tool that simplifies olive harvesting and bagging, making the process more efficient for small-scale producers.
› HydroDama (Vasiliki Triantafyllou) – A premium tomato production system using clean water, solar and geothermal energy, and bee-supported pollination in a sustainable greenhouse environment.
› Peace By Peas (Julija Volobujeva) – A fermented, plant-based paste packed with probiotics and protein, inspired by traditional food techniques and designed for health-conscious consumers.
› AgroLink (Eirini Zoumboulidou) – A digital platform connecting small-scale producers directly with buyers, ensuring fair prices, transparency and better market access.
› Bites of Greece (Anna Ierodiakonou) – Producing nutritious snack bars and artisanal honey in compact formats for wellness-focused consumers and the hospitality sector.

Each participant presented herself and shared her expectations for the programme, giving mentors an initial overview of their ideas and aspirations. Short messages of advice from the mentors closed the session, offering encouragement and perspective for the journey ahead.

The training roadmap for the coming months was also introduced, including sessions delivered in collaboration with the University of Thessaly. With matchmaking completed, the mentoring phase is now underway.