14 agrifood tech startups selected to join Europe’s RisingFoodStars Association

/ in E-News

EIT Food’s RisingFoodStars Association is set to welcome 14 new agrifood tech scaleups from across Europe, following a meticulous selection process with applications from over 130 companies. EIT Food is supported by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), a body of the European Union.

As part of the RisingFoodStars network, these fledgling companies will receive guidance and support from established leaders in the industry, as well as access to additional investment to help them grow and scale. The scaleups will have the opportunity to network with major agrifood companies, educational and research institutions within the EIT Food community.

Former RisingFoodStars include the 3D-printed plant-based ‘meat’ company Redefine Meat, which recently raised $135 million in what is said to be one of the largest financing rounds by an Israeli alternative meat company. Redefine Meat steaks are already available at several high-end restaurants in Israel, the UK, Germany and the Netherlands, and the company has planned to expand globally.

“We are delighted to officially welcome the RisingFoodStars cohort of 2022 and be the trusted partner in their scaling journey. As we return to in-person events, making meaningful connections and raising the profiles of the members at an international scale will be our main priorities this year. I am looking forward to working together to build more stories of success and impact in the agrifood space, ” said Narjis Chakir, RisingFoodStars Manager.

The 2022 cohort of startups joining RisingFoodStars Association

These are the newest startups to join the RisingFoodStars Association, organised according to EIT Food’s focus areas:

Targeted nutrition

• Verdify (The Netherlands) – its AI engine powers a personalised recipe platform to match consumers’ nutrition profiles based on their needs and preferences.

• Complete Organics (Germany) – this scaleup brings fermented vegetables to a new level without the use of preservatives, colouring or other flavourings.

Circular food systems

• Kern Tec  (Austria) – a unique upcycling company that focuses on bringing plant-based ingredients and products to the global food market. These products are created using pits from apricots, cherries, and plums.
• Circular Food Technology (Denmark) – transforms the spent grains from beer production into a versatile super flour, rich in protein and fibre.

Sustainable agriculture

• Farm21 (The Netherlands) – its data-driven insights enable farmers to optimise their farming practices and become more efficient with water, crop protection, fertiliser, fuel and labour, helping them to cut costs.
• Bee Smart Technologies AD (Bulgaria) – its main goal is to help beekeepers take better care of their bees through IoT (Internet of Things) solutions.
• Seed-X (Israel) – it has developed AI driven image analysis technology systems for seed and grain quality prediction to maximize seed quality.
• Ace Aquatec (United Kingdom) – this company partners with world leading experts in different scientific fields to apply their breakthrough technology developments to aquaculture and marine industries.

Protein diversification

• Aliga (Denmark) – this scaleup’s focus lies in developing, cultivating and producing premium-quality functional and protein-rich Chlorella algae ingredients for food, feed and dietary supplement applications.
• Happy Ocean Foods (Germany) – its plant-based Happy Shrymps are both tasty and good for our oceans.
• Mushlabs (Germany) – its mission is to produce nutritious and sustainable foods that appeal to both meat-eaters and vegetarians, by growing mushroom mycelium to create delicious and healthy raw ingredients for meat alternative products.
• CUBIQ FOODS (Spain) – it is on a mission to improve the nutritional profile of food and make Omega-3 consumption more accessible.

Digital Traceability

• NEMIS Technologies (Switzerland) – it is committed to empower food producers to minimise microbiological risk by providing a unique lab-free detection system that is simple to use.
• Delicious Data (Germany) – its forecast solution uses machine learning to combine historical data of catering businesses with additional external factors to calculate future sales figures, helping businesses to reduce food waste.

Renewed memberships of 32 startups

In addition to the 14 new members, the RisingFoodStars Association has renewed the memberships of 32 startups who are existing or former members of the cohort. The full list of members is available here.

“Being a RisingFoodStar is a solid recognition of the business we do. In Agrain by Circular Food Technology, our hope and ambition is to be introduced to the right international community of food producers and to be able to grow our business internationally in strong commercial partnerships with this community,” said Aviaja Riemann-Andersen, CEO and Co-founder of Circular Food Technology

David Erlandsson, Sales Director of Aliga, commented: “We at Aliga Microalgae are thrilled to have been chosen as a RisingFoodStar member. Over the last few years have we been working very hard in developing our proprietary white Chlorella ingredient as we see new sources of protein-rich and plant-based crops being a game changer when disrupting the global food industry. As an EIT Food community member we are looking forward to being supported in scaling our operations and connecting to new partners and opportunities as we expand our business internationally.”