Warsaw welcomes new agri-tech accelerator hub to propel sustainable food solutions

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is partnering with food innovation community EIT Food to launch an accelerator hub for start-ups in EBRD’s EU economies. The early-stage startups will receive assistance to scale sustainable solutions addressing global food system challenges.

The new accelerator hub, titled “Future Resilient Agriculture,” will operate from Warsaw, Poland, and will run over a three-year period. Start-ups will be selected for their innovative approaches to sustainable agriculture, climate change mitigation and resilience.

The selected companies will participate in a “robust capacity-building program,” which will include workshops, mentorship, networking opportunities and access to “industry-leading” corporates and investors.

“Locating the Hub in Warsaw allows us to leverage our strong regional expertise in regenerative agriculture, our longstanding collaboration with agri-tech innovators, and the region’s rich heritage in primary production,” says Marja-Liisa Meurice, director of EIT Food North-East.

EIT Food is supported by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), an EU body. Applications to the new hub will open early next year.

Ties with global accelerator network

The accelerator will be part of the EIT Food Accelerator Network, which includes innovation hubs in Helsinki, Munich, Paris, Bilbao, Haifa and Brazil. 

“By joining the EIT Food Accelerator Network, the new hub in Warsaw will open up opportunities for start-ups not only locally but across Europe and beyond,” says Benoit Buntinx, director of Business Creation at EIT Food.

“Start-ups selected for this accelerator will benefit from the extensive expertise and resources of EIT Food’s network, which includes industry-leading corporates, research institutions and universities. In addition, these start-ups will have the unique opportunity to access potential investments of up to €1.5 million [US$1.6 million] from EIT Food, helping them scale their innovations more rapidly.”

Last week, EIT Food injected €900,000 (US$965,387.52) to fund solutions accelerating the commercialization of agri-food products and services in Europe. Its “Fast Track to Market” initiative has chosen four start-ups working on pest detection and tools to simplify food safety inspections.

In an October awards ceremony during its new flagship event, Next Bite, in Rome, Italy, EIT Food awarded €80,000 (US$84,370.40) to 15 European start-ups. The winners are developing innovative solutions, including bio-based ingredients, plant-based seafood, pheromone-based pest control, packaging sensor technology, bioactive infant nutrition, cultivated meat, agricultural carbon reduction and toxin removal technologies.