NEW TECH FOODS

StartLife, an agrifood accelerator based in Wageningen, and EIT Food, a European food innovation community, have announced a strategic partnership aimed at supporting early-stage agrifood start-ups across Europe.

Under the agreement, start-ups participating in StartLife’s flagship programme will become eligible for investment funding from EIT Food, with amounts of up to €1.5 million. The collaboration combines StartLife’s expertise in accelerating agrifood start-ups with EIT Food’s pan-European investment network.

“We are very excited about our partnership with EIT Food,” said Nikki Harrison, managing director of StartLife. “By combining the strengths of two European agrifood powerhouses in a first-of-its-kind collaboration, we can offer start-ups unprecedented access to funding and growth opportunities.”

EIT Food, supported by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), shares StartLife’s mission of promoting healthy, sustainable and resilient food systems through entrepreneurship and collaboration.

Benoit Buntinx, director of business creation at EIT Food, added: “Having worked with StartLife for years, this partnership was a natural next step. StartLife’s start-up support is top notch, and through our collaboration we can make a big step forward in our joint mission to accelerate the growth of agrifood start-ups that help build healthy and resilient food systems.”

Previously, only graduates of EIT Food’s own accelerator programmes were eligible for funding. The partnership now opens this opportunity to StartLife Accelerate alumni, provided their application and selection meet Horizon Europe guidelines.

In addition to funding, start-ups will gain access to shared resources, industry expertise and a Europe-wide network across the agrifood value chain. The partnership aims to strengthen Europe’s innovation ecosystem and help entrepreneurs bring breakthrough ideas to market.