Women Shaping the Future of Agrifood: Key Highlights from Romania’s EWA Demo Day 2025
The EWA Romania 2025 Demo Day gathered inspiring female founders in Bucharest, offering a platform to present the agrifood innovations refined throughout the programme and to recognise the standout business ideas shaping the future of the sector.
Bucharest, 21 November 2025 – The fifth edition of the Agrifood Innovation Summit (AFIS) gathered over 100 participants—including startup founders, public sector representatives, and agrifood specialists—for a full day of insights, networking, and innovation. Organized by Impact Hub Bucharest in partnership with EIT Food and supported by Bayer, the summit focused on scaling innovation, advancing on-farm technologies, and strengthening female entrepreneurship in agrifood. As part of the programme, the summit also featured the Demo Day of the Empowering Women in Agrifood (EWA) programme, presenting the results of six months of mentoring and business development. The event was moderated by Vlad Andriescu, Editor-in-Chief at start-up.ro and green.start-up.ro.
Innovation and Collaboration at the Heart of Agrifood
The event opened with keynote remarks from Oana Craioveanu (Impact Hub Bucharest), Emma Manolache (Bayer), and Paul Eduard Kmen (APIA), who highlighted the need for stronger collaboration across the agrifood ecosystem and the role of public institutions in driving green and digital agricultural transformation.
Throughout the day, panel discussions explored some of the sector’s most pressing topics:
- Scaling Innovation: Experts from corporations, startups, and innovation hubs reflected on the challenges of turning ideas into real-world solutions, noting slow technology adoption and the barriers to effective collaboration.
- Agritech Trends: Speakers shared insights on carbon farming, farmer marketplaces, sustainable investments, and how generational differences shape technology uptake. They stressed the importance of practical, accessible solutions for small and medium-sized farms.
- Female Entrepreneurship: Women founders highlighted their own paths to building sustainable brands and the realities of growing agrifood businesses.
A key message echoed across conversations: Romania has strong talent and promising startups, but progress depends on closer cooperation and solutions that truly fit farmers' needs.
Celebrating Women-Led Innovation: EWA Demo Day 2025
The EWA Demo Day marked the culmination of six months of mentoring, business development, and testing for women entrepreneurs shaping the future of agrifood. From a strong and diverse cohort, the jury selected two standout innovators:
First Prize (€10,000) – Ioana Mihai, MORI
A modern take on traditional coliva desserts, blending premium ingredients with contemporary branding and storytelling.
Second Prize (€5,000) – Nona Rotariu, PasiSera
Creator of an emissions-free underground greenhouse system enabling year-round vegetable production using natural soil heat, compost, and solar energy.
Jury members:
- Ilinca Păun, Founder, Bravva Angels & Bravva Female Founders
- Gabriela Ciripială, Executive Director, Ameropa Foundation Romania
- Mircea Farcău, Attorney, Deloitte Romania
The EWA programme supports women with early-stage agrifood ideas or ventures under three years old and with no more than €60,000 in previous funding. To date, EWA has empowered 40 women entrepreneurs in Romania, providing €60,000 in grants to help accelerate their solutions.
About the Impact Hub Bucharest
Impact Hub Bucharest is a leading organization supporting entrepreneurial initiatives with positive social impact in Romania. Since 2012, it has been part of the global Impact Hub network and provides coworking spaces, growth and incubation programs, events, and a crowdfunding platform. With over 5500 events hosted, 3000+ members, and more than 1000 startups supported, Impact Hub Bucharest fosters innovation and partnerships across sectors. The organization has facilitated over 5.5 million euros in funding and created valuable resources like the Startarium platform. As a key player in the local ecosystem, it represents EIT Food in Romania and partners with over 200 stakeholders, strengthening the agri-food and entrepreneurial communities.
Learn more about Impact Hub Bucharest on their webpage.