Belgium-based EIT Food, a firm that accelerates innovation to build a future-fit food system, announced the winners of its 2022 Venture Summit held on October 27, in Lisbon, Portugal. EIT Food is supported by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), a body of the European Union.
Aiming to build a more reliable and sustainable food system, the EIT Food Venture Summit 2022 brings together influential corporates, innovative startups, and key investors. It is an inspiring and engaging invitation-only event for the European agrifood sector.
What happened at the event?
More than 300+ people gathered to listen to keynote lectures about the future of food and work with more than 40 agrifood entrepreneurs that EIT Food has been closely collaborating with over the past year.
Nine startups pitched for the award, each shortlisted for their positive impact on people and planet and working towards one of these three missions: healthier lives through food, a net-zero food system, and a fully transparent, resilient and fair food system.
From this shortlist, three winners were chosen following an audience vote of the 300 agri-food professionals and investors at the event.
Dr Andy Zynga, CEO of EIT Food, says, “Investing in agrifood innovation has never been more crucial. To overcome the challenges the world is facing in delivering a healthy and sustainable food system, we need to connect our brightest minds with the support they need, to bring innovative new ideas to fruition. That is why we are so proud to announce the winners of the 2022 Venture Summit – which represent just three of the brilliant and creative new solutions, products and approaches EIT Food is helping to bring to the agrifood sector.”
The winners
Here are the three category winners from the event:
Vini Mini
Healthier Lives through Food: Vini Mini is a startup that aims to stop the rising trend of the number of food allergies. Its products offer a healthy, easy and safe way of introducing allergens to babies, helping to reduce food allergies.
Laurie Lancee and Jozien Boersma, founders at Vini Mini, says, “One in four children have a food allergy, and this number has doubled in the past ten years. If we continue this way, by 2050 half of the population will have a food allergy. Vini Mini helps parents prevent food allergies in their children by offering an easy, healthy and safe way to give them allergens.”
Bio2Coat
A Net-Zero food system: Bio2Coat contributes to the battle against plastic waste from packaging and food waste. By using a 100 per cent natural, edible coating to increase the shelf life of fruits and vegetables and a 100 per cent natural, edible packaging material to replace single-use plastic in a variety of applications, this technical solution can minimise both food waste and the usage of single-use plastic.
Farayde Matta, co-founder of Bio2Coat, says, “We are very proud to receive this award from EIT Food. EIT Food has supported us from the beginning, from Seedbed to the Bilbao FAN Accelerator Programme, and it is thanks to them that we have achieved so much in such a short space of time. Bio2Coat edible coating can extend the shelf life of fruits and vegetables up to two weeks; this has a huge impact because it increases the availability of food across the whole supply chain, and reduces the use of water and energy.”
Toopi Organics
A fully transparent, resilient and fair food system: Toopi Organics. The startup is a sustainable and cost-effective agricultural solution provider that substitutes urine for pricey chemical fertilisers.
Alexandra Carpentier, CEO at Toopi Organics says, “Recycling urine could save the world. By using urine as a growing medium to produce biofertilizers, Toopi Organics addresses the urgent issues of climate change, biodiversity loss and closing the loop on the nutrients cycle.”
The world’s largest food innovation community
EIT Food claims to be the world’s largest and most dynamic food innovation community. The company accelerates innovation to build a future-fit food system that produces healthy and sustainable food for all.
In a statement, EIT Food says, “We unlock innovation potential in businesses and universities and create and scale agrifood startups to bring new technologies and products to market. We equip entrepreneurs and professionals with the skills needed to transform the food system and put consumers at the heart of our work, helping build trust by reconnecting them to the origins of their food.”
Supported by the EIT, a body of the EU, EIT Food backs projects, organisations and individuals that share goals and vision for a healthy and sustainable food system.
