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Twelve finalists of 2019 EIT Food Accelerator Network announced

The European Institute of Innovation & Technology (EIT) Food announced today the selection of the twelve finalists of its 2019 EIT Food Accelerator Network (EIT FAN) programme. The finalists are invited to compete for three financial prizes and support, worth EUR 100 000 each, at the EIT Food Venture Summit on 13 November 2019 in Lisbon.

18 Oct 2019

Leuven, 18 October 2019 - The European Institute of Innovation & Technology (EIT) Food announced today the selection of the twelve finalists of its 2019 EIT Food Accelerator Network (EIT FAN) programme. The finalists are invited to compete for three financial prizes and support, worth EUR 100 000 each, at the EIT Food Venture Summit on 13 November 2019 in Lisbon.

Held in Israel, Spain, Switzerland, Germany and the UK, the EIT FAN aims to make Europe the go-to innovation hub for the world’s most promising agrifood startups. The twelve finalists were selected from a group of 53 agrifood technology startups participating in the 2019 EIT FAN programme. The finalists were selected by experienced panels of investors, industry experts and entrepreneurs based on their positive impact on our food system as well as their economic viability. The selected finalists are active in various parts of the food supply chain with improving eating choices and health dominating. In particular, the selected startups are focusing on innovative processing technologies, functional foods and health, alternative proteins, smart farming, food waste reduction and the harnessing of waste side streams.

Over a four month acceleration period, these startups, selected from a record number of applications from around the world, have had access to tools, connections, mentors and expertise to help them succeed. Christoph Mandl, the EIT Food Accelerator Manager explained:

“Being embedded into a local startup ecosystem while at the same time forming close ties with the leading actors in the European and global agrifood space proves to be a winning model. Our acceleration scheme allows the startups to be in close touch with partners, leveraging their expertise, connections and infrastructure to further develop their projects. The selected finalists clearly demonstrate that transforming our food system in a positive way whilst being economically viable are complementary to each other and not contradictory.”

On announcing the EIT FAN 2019 finalists, Benoit Buntinx, Director of Business Creation at EIT Food said:
“I’m confident that with the help of these startups we are further contributing to the establishment of an innovation ecosystem that delivers new solutions to address some of today’s most pressing challenges in the agrifood space. With our help, these startups will become relevant actors within their markets and will create new business opportunities.”

For more information, please contact:
Dr. Christoph Mandl
Programme Manager Business Creation / EIT Food Accelerator Network
T: +49 (0) 172 4369825
E: christoph.mandl@eitfood.eu

EIT Food Accelerator Network Finalists of the 2019 Cohort

  • uFraction8 (United Kingdom) helps biomanufacturers to dewater and concentrate biomass with a sustainable and scalable system, outcompeting conventional technology.
  • LiVEON HEALTH-TECH (Switzerland): personalised nutritional therapy to improve early detection and treatment of malnutrition and metabolic dysfunction in cancer patients.
  • ORBEM A.I. (Germany) have developed a patented Al technology for the poultry industry.
  • Kaffe Bueno (Denmark) upcycles coffee waste into active and functional ingredients for cosmetics, nutraceuticals and functional foods.
  • Walding (Germany): have developed an innovative, vegan and additive-free meat alternative based on an unusual tree mushroom.
  • Trigger.systems (Portugal) provides a flexible webplatform to control several systems for the automatic and efficient control of water and energy consumer systems.
  • NOVAMEAT (Spain) produces 3D printed plant-based meat substitutes through advanced food printing.
  • Jellani (United Kingdom): an African inspired beverage brand that have created non-alcoholic adult beverages using ethically-sourced African superfruits.
  • Jelly Drops (United Kingdom): Designed for people with dementia, Jelly Drops are a fun and easy way to stay hydrated.
  • Laava Tech (Estonia) decreases grow light energy consumption by up to 90% and increases yield by up to 25% for indoor farmers.
  • FreezeM (Israel) develops novel technologies for revivable insect freezing in order to improve the use of insects in the feed industry.
  • Kray (United States) produces world-first industrial drones to replace ground sprayers and agriculture airplanes giving 1/10 of costs and +30% yields.
  • Menutech (Germany): Menutech is a Software-as-a-service (SaaS) for Food & Beverage professionals to automise the preparation of menu plans for individuals suffering from food allergies.
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