World’s First IP Factory with the EIT Community
In less than a year, MeNow has evolved from an AI-powered ingredient discovery startup into a world-class IP factory. With over five patent applications filed, MeNow’s portfolio spans high-impact innovation areas including longevity (SIRT1 activators), next-generation retinol alternatives, and GLP-1 pathway activators, addressing one of the fastest-growing global markets in appetite regulation, metabolic health, and weight management. MeNow exemplifies how EIT Community programmes empower startups to move beyond services and become true creators of category-defining intellectual property.
From acceleration and strategic mentoring to global market access, EIT Community programmes support startups in refining breakthrough technologies, validating market demand, securing international partnerships, and generating tangible commercial impact. By combining Catalyse NEB’s sustainability-driven innovation framework with Calling2Scale Japan’s structured internationalisation pathway, the EIT Community has empowered MeNow to transform advanced AI research into a market-ready ingredients, developed for rapid commercialisation through industry partnerships with measurable economic and environmental impact.
MeNow is a deep-tech startup redefining how the food, cosmetics, and materials industries discover, validate, and upcycle natural ingredients. Through its AI-driven ingredient discovery and upcycling platform, MeNow scans millions of molecules to identify high-value, bioactive compounds up to ten times faster than traditional R&D approaches. This capability dramatically reduces development costs and environmental footprint, while enabling the creation of truly disruptive, next-generation ingredients with superior performance and differentiated functionality.
Bringing Disruptive Ingredients to Market
MeNow’s business model is built on strategic partnerships with ingredient suppliers, manufacturers, and consumer brands seeking differentiated, science-backed innovation. Through co-development, licensing, and joint go-to-market models, MeNow enables the rapid commercialisation of novel, IP-protected ingredients.
The company has already signed multiple strategic partnerships with industry players and continues to actively seek additional partners to scale its next-generation ingredients globally
MeNow’s growth trajectory has been strongly shaped by its engagement with the EIT Community. The company benefited from the Catalyse New European Bauhaus (NEB) acceleration programme, complemented by international exposure and market access through EIT Community global initiatives such as Calling2Scale Japan.
“Through Catalyse NEB, MeNow received a unique combination of strategic mentoring and capacity building across sustainability, go-to-market strategy, and AI-driven innovation, alongside high-level visibility at flagship European events and “direct access to investors, corporates, and potential commercial partners actively exploring joint ingredient development and market launch”
This comprehensive support enabled MeNow to significantly enhance its platform, expand its application domains, including skin health, longevity, and metabolic pathways, and sharpen its commercial positioning to better address evolving market needs.
More importantly, this support enabled MeNow to unlock its full potential. By combining a first-class scientific team with strong business expertise, the company strategically chose to address some of the most urgent challenges in the food and cosmetics industries. These include weight management — through food-grade probiotics acting as GLP-1 activators — anti-aging solutions, such as natural alternatives to retinol that deliver comparable efficacy with fewer side effects, and longevity-focused innovations, including SIRT1 activators.
International Scaling via Calling2Scale Japan
A key milestone in MeNow’s international growth was its participation in Calling2Scale Japan, which provided direct access to the Japanese innovation ecosystem and facilitated high-value corporate connections.
During its engagement in Japan, MeNow:
- Participated in industry conferences and targeted business meetings
- Established strategic relationships with leading Japanese corporates
- Advanced discussions that have led to a major collaboration currently in progress with Mitsubishi Pencils, opening new commercial pathways in Asia
This experience further confirmed the global relevance and scalability of MeNow’s technology, particularly in markets seeking sustainable, high-performance ingredient solutions.
“Entering the Japanese market would have been extremely challenging without a structured soft-landing programme. Even with prior business experience in Japan, Calling2Scale Japan proved to be highly impactful, providing us not only with access to the right corporate partners, but also with deep, actionable insights into how to position advanced AI technologies within one of the world’s most demanding and sophisticated innovation ecosystems”
MeNow’s journey highlights the transformative power of an integrated EIT Community approach. By aligning sustainability-driven innovation support with structured internationalisation pathways, the EIT Community enabled MeNow not only to refine its technology and validate market demand, but also to take a strategic leap toward becoming a global IP factory. Today, MeNow focuses on building a strong patent portfolio around high-impact, scientifically complex, and often controversial ingredients - turning regulatory and scientific uncertainty into protected, scalable innovation with real commercial value.
“What truly excites us is the new scientific ground we are uncovering. The support of the EIT Community gave us the confidence and the framework to explore bold new directions, including the evaluation of entirely new business models, such as the potential creation of a dedicated subsidiary for the independent development and production of our GLP-1–related IP. This ability to think beyond projects and move decisively toward long-term, patent-driven value creation has been a game changer for MeNow”