Upcycling waste, 3D printing and patented AI tech: Start-ups of the EIT Food Accelerator Network revealed

21 Oct 2019 --- The European Institute of Innovation & Technology (EIT) Food has revealed the twelve finalists of its 2019 Food Accelerator Network (EIT FAN) program which aims to make Europe the go-to innovation hub for the world’s most promising agri-food start-ups. The finalists, which include companies specializing in personalized nutritional therapy, 3D printed plant-based meat substitutes and patented artificial intelligence (Al) technology, are invited to compete for three financial prizes, worth €100,000 each, at the EIT Food Venture Summit on November 13, 2019, in Lisbon, Portugal.

The twelve finalists were selected from a group of 53 agri-food technology start-ups participating in the 2019 EIT FAN program, held in Israel, Spain, Switzerland, Germany and the UK. The finalists were selected by a panel of investors, industry experts and entrepreneurs based on their impact on food systems as well as their economic viability.

The finalists of the 2019 Cohort are:

• uFraction8 (UK) helps bio manufacturers to de-water and concentrate biomass with a sustainable and scalable system, outcompeting conventional technology.
• LiVEON HEALTH-TECH (Switzerland) has developed personalized nutritional therapy to improve early detection and treatment of malnutrition and metabolic dysfunction in cancer patients.
• ORBEM AI (Germany) has developed a patented artificial intelligence (Al) technology for the poultry industry.
• Kaffe Bueno (Denmark) up-cycles coffee waste into active and functional ingredients for cosmetics, nutraceuticals and functional foods.
• Walding (Germany) has developed an innovative, vegan and additive-free meat alternative based on an unusual tree mushroom.
• Trigger.systems (Portugal) provides a flexible web-platform to control several systems for the automatic and efficient control of water and energy consumption systems.
• NOVAMEAT (Spain) produces 3D-printed plant-based meat substitutes through advanced food printing.
• Jellani (UK) is an African inspired beverage brand that has created non-alcoholic adult beverages using ethically-sourced African superfruits.
• Jelly Drops (UK) are 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 percent and increases yield by up to 25 percent for indoor farmers.
• FreezeM (Israel) develops novel technologies for revivable insect freezing to improve the use of insects in the feed industry.
• Kray (US) produces world-first industrial drones to replace ground sprayers and agriculture airplanes.

The selected finalists are active in various parts of the food supply chain with improved eating choices and health consciousness dominating. In particular, the chosen start-ups 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 start-ups, selected from a record number of applications from around the world, have had access to tools, connections, mentors and expertise to help them succeed. 

“Being embedded into a local start-up ecosystem, while at the same time forming close ties with the European and global agri-food space, proves to be a winning model,” Christoph Mandl, the EIT Food Accelerator Manager explains. 

“Our acceleration scheme allows the start-ups to be in close touch with partners, leveraging their expertise, connections and infrastructure to develop their projects further. The selected finalists demonstrate that positively transforming our food system while 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, also says: “These start-ups 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 agri-food space. With our help, these start-ups will become relevant actors within their markets and will create new business opportunities.”

Edited by Elizabeth Green