EIT Food

What EIT Food does

EIT Food, legally registered as EIT FOOD iVZW, is a Belgium-based consortium founded in 2017 that operates as the food-focused Knowledge and Innovation Community within the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), a body of the European Union. Headquartered in Leuven/Heverlee, the organization is positioned as Europe's largest food innovation community and serves four primary beneficiary groups: agrifood startups and entrepreneurs, young and next-generation farmers, large food and beverage corporations, and food-system policymakers and researchers. Its core activities span three pillars: innovation project coordination, education and training (including free regenerative agriculture and soil health courses), and entrepreneurship support through accelerator and venture-catalyst programmes.

EIT Food's operational model combines institutional grant funding from the EIT with philanthropic capital (e.g., PepsiCo Foundation for Future Harvest), corporate co-development partnerships (Corporación Hijos de Rivera for Impact Sips; Wolt and FEBA for food insecurity), and event-based engagement. Its product surface comprises accelerator programmes (Food Accelerator Network/FAN, Seedbed, EWA for women entrepreneurs, Sales Booster, and the Bilbao Campus Experience), open innovation calls, the Consumer Observatory (which runs the TrustTracker study of approximately 20,000 consumers across 18 European countries annually and the Citizen Participation Forum of ~300 participants in 13 countries), and a regional innovation scheme delivered through five offices covering South, North & East, West, Central, and Belgium HQ. Technology assets include the publicly available EIT Food LCA Methodology and the FoodHIVE community platform; EIT Food is not a software company but an ecosystem orchestrator that coordinates research, funding flows, and stakeholder convening.

The revenue model is institutional rather than commercial. Primary funding flows from EIT grant cycles, supplemented by philanthropic and foundation grants, corporate programme co-investment, and limited fees from select events and competitions. The majority of education programmes and accelerator participation are offered free of charge to selected beneficiaries. EIT Food's stated 2035 ambitions include mobilizing €1 billion in funding, attracting €10 billion in subsequent investment into sustainable agrifood businesses, equipping 35,000 farmers, bringing 350 innovations to market, and mitigating 35MtCO2e — targets that describe ecosystem-level outcomes rather than EIT Food's own income statement.

Name

EIT Food

Legal name

EIT FOOD iVZW

Website

https://eitfood.eu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

EIT Food is a Belgium-headquartered, EU-funded agrifood innovation consortium (founded 2017) that runs accelerator programmes, open innovation calls, and consumer research to connect startups, farmers, corporates, and policymakers across Europe's food system.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agrifood Innovation Services

NAICS

Food Manufacturing (311)

SIC

Food And Kindred Products (2000)

akta.pro primary industry

Food Systems & Value Chain Development for Nutrition (BPADAJAG)

Keywords

• Food innovation ecosystem
• Agrifood accelerator programs
• Consumer insights research
• Farmer training education
• Open innovation challenges

Headquarters

HQ city

Leuven

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices9 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. EU Institutional Funding (EIT): EIT Food is primarily funded by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), a body of the European Union. This constitutes the core funding mechanism for its operations, programmes, and innovation projects.
2. Philanthropic / Foundation Grants: EIT Food receives funding from philanthropic partners such as the PepsiCo Foundation to implement specific programmes like Future Harvest, targeting farmers across multiple European countries.
3. Programme Participation Fees: EIT Food runs open innovation competitions, accelerator programmes, and education courses. While many educational offerings are free, some programmes and events may charge fees or require co-investment.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels11 records

Core offering

EIT Food operates a pan-European food innovation ecosystem, running accelerator and venture catalyst programmes (FAN, Seedbed), entrepreneurship support initiatives (EWA, Sales Booster, Bilbao Campus Experience), open innovation calls, and consumer research services (Consumer Observatory/TrustTracker). It convenes agrifood startups, corporates, farmers, researchers, and policymakers across five regional offices in Europe, providing funding, mentorship, education, and market access to drive systemic change toward a sustainable, resilient food system.

Product overview

EIT Food is Europe's largest food innovation community, operating as a platform organisation rather than a single product. The core offerings include accelerator programmes (FAN, Seedbed), entrepreneurship support (EWA, Sales Booster, Bilbao Campus Experience), open innovation calls, and consumer insights services (Consumer Observatory). The organisation is structured around three strategic Missions (Healthier Lives Through Food, Net Zero Food System, Food System Resilience) and three Priority Areas (Protein Diversification, Resilient Agriculture, Agri-food Biotech), delivered through regional offices across Europe and events such as Next Bite. Support services include IP management tools, the Marketed Innovation Prize, and education programmes.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• FoodUnfolded: Public-facing brand of EIT Food that brings science-based insights to consumers about food origins, the broader food system, and latest food and agricultural innovations.
• FoodHIVE
• Consumer Observatory
• Next Bite
• EWA - Empowering Women in Agrifood
• Seedbed
• FAN - Food Accelerator Network

Products and services

• FAN - Food Accelerator Network An accelerator programme that supports agrifood startups through mentorship, training, and access to industry players to help scale their innovations. For early to growth-stage agrifood startups seeking acceleration, funding, and market entry support across Europe.
• Seedbed - Venture Catalyst A programme that supports early-stage entrepreneurs in developing and validating their agrifood business concepts through mentorship and resources. For early-stage agrifood entrepreneurs.
• EWA - Empowering Women in Agrifood A six-month programme supporting female entrepreneurs across 13 European countries to develop agrifood businesses with mentorship and visibility. For female entrepreneurs in the agrifood sector.
• Sales Booster A programme helping agrifood startups expand across European markets through tailored growth strategies, dedicated advisors, and industry stakeholder access. For agrifood startups seeking pan-European market entry.
• Open Calls Funding and support opportunities for organisations and individuals working on innovative food system solutions, including proof-of-concept co-financing instruments. For agrifood innovators, startups, and organisations.
• Consumer Observatory Europe's central hub for consumer insights on agrifood topics, providing research, analysis, and consumer behavior data including the TrustTracker study surveying approximately 20,000 consumers across 18 European countries annually. For food businesses, policymakers, and researchers.
• Bilbao Campus Experience (BCE) A post-accelerator programme hosted at the BAT Tower in Bilbao, Spain, offering bespoke mentorship and collaboration with local industry players. For agrifood startups seeking post-acceleration and access to Spanish, Portuguese, and Latin American markets.
• Regional Innovation Scheme Regional offices and initiatives including EIT Food South, North & East, West, and Central providing localised innovation support across Europe. For agrifood innovators across European regions.

Quantifiable outcome

• 35MtCO₂e mitigated by 2035 through resilient agriculture and next-generation biotechnology
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, regional, strategic, minor and core.

• Corporación Hijos de RiveraflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 June 2026EIT Food and Corporación Hijos de Rivera co-launched the second edition of Impact Sips, an open innovation programme seeking science-backed functional beverage ingredients and drink concepts. The inaugural edition attracted nearly 90 applications from startups across 39 countries. Finalists pitch at Demo Day in A Coruña, Spain, with pilot collaboration valued from €50,000.
• Local Partners across France, Spain, Netherlands, Poland, and TürkiyeregionalStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 May 2026Future Harvest is implemented by EIT Food with local partners in each of the five target countries (France, Spain, the Netherlands, Poland, and Türkiye) to deliver hands-on farm experiences and training to young farmers.
• AgSpherestrategicStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 May 2026AgSphere (Alberta, Canada), launched with $2.75 million from The Opportunity Calgary Investment Fund, partnered with EIT Food to facilitate cross-border collaboration between Canadian and European agrifood ecosystems. Activities include startup immersion, training, skills development, and strategic exchanges. A Canadian delegation is planned for EIT Food's Next Bite event in Poland, October 2026.
• VTT Technical Research Centre of FinlandminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 January 2026VTT Technical Research Centre partnered with Time-Travelling Milkman on the Sunflopro project (€700,000 EU-backed) to convert sunflower fat production sidestreams into plant-based protein powder, with EIT Food ecosystem connections supporting the initiative.
• WoltstrategicStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 August 2025Wolt announced a strategic partnership with EIT Food to advance sustainable and inclusive food systems across Europe, focusing on reducing food waste through sustainable packaging initiatives and strengthening food assistance systems to address food insecurity affecting nearly 38 million people in the EU.
• European Federation of Food Banks (FEBA)strategicStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 August 2025Wolt's partnership with FEBA (co-announced alongside EIT Food) focuses on strengthening food assistance systems and addressing EU food insecurity. EIT Food collaborates on systemic change from farm to fork, including virtual food banks and emergency preparedness.
• Basque Government and Provincial Council of BizkaiaregionalStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Basque Government and Provincial Council of Bizkaia back EIT Food's Bilbao Campus Experience (BCE), a post-accelerator programme at the BAT Tower, offering 80% customised curriculum for agrifood startups and access to Spanish, Portuguese, and Latin American markets.
• Basque Country Industry Partners (Eroski, Biolan, Conservas Arroyabe)regionalStrategic or Co-development PartnerEroski, Biolan, and Conservas Arroyabe serve as local industry collaborators in the Bilbao Campus Experience, providing startups with mentorship, industry expertise, and market access in the Basque Country.
• Consumer Observatory Partners (Aarhus University, AZTI, University of Reading, Wageningen Economic Research, Future of Food Institute, Greenhouse Communications, House of Insights, The REAL Leadership Consultancy, Thinktank International Research, Your Allies)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Consumer Observatory is led by a consortium of 11 organisations including Aarhus University, AZTI, University of Reading, and Wageningen Economic Research, among others, producing consumer insights and research on agrifood topics.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• EIT Climate-KIC: EIT Climate-KIC is a sibling Knowledge and Innovation Community under the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), operating with the same institutional structure, EU grant model, and pan-European mission-and-priority-area framework as EIT Food. The most direct structural peer.
• Food Valley: Food Valley is the Netherlands' flagship agrifood innovation ecosystem, convening corporates, startups, researchers, and government around food innovation. Highly comparable to EIT Food's regional ecosystem model, though smaller in geographic scope.
• Plug and Play Food & Beverage: Plug and Play operates a global Food & Beverage accelerator programme connecting agrifood startups with corporate partners for pilots and investment. Closely comparable in accelerator/cohort design and corporate-startup matchmaking, though privately funded rather than EU-backed.
• Startupbootcamp FoodTech: Startupbootcamp FoodTech runs accelerator cohorts for early-stage food and agriculture startups with mentor networks and corporate partner access. Directly comparable to EIT Food's FAN and Seedbed programmes in cohort structure and target founders.
• Rockstart AgriFood: Rockstart's AgriFood accelerator supports early-stage startups across the food value chain with mentorship and investor connections. Comparable in accelerator design and agrifood focus, though operates at smaller cohort scale than EIT Food's network.

Broad incumbents

• EIT Manufacturing: EIT Manufacturing is another EIT Knowledge and Innovation Community supporting industrial innovation across Europe. Comparable as an EIT KIC sibling, though its sectoral focus is broader industrial manufacturing rather than agrifood specifically.
• Innovate UK: Innovate UK is the UK's national innovation agency funding and connecting innovative businesses. Comparable in its role as a publicly funded innovation ecosystem builder, though broader than agrifood and national rather than pan-European.
• Rabobank FoodBytes!: Rabobank's FoodBytes! is a food and agtech innovation platform connecting startups with corporate partners and investors. Comparable in agrifood-startup-corporate matchmaking, though run by a single commercial bank rather than a multi-stakeholder consortium.

Others

• AgFunder: AgFunder is a venture capital firm and agrifood innovation media platform covering the global agrifood tech ecosystem. Comparable as a connector in the agrifood innovation space, though it operates as an investor/news outlet rather than an accelerator consortium.
• European Food Banks Federation (FEBA): FEBA is a partner of EIT Food in food-assistance and food-waste initiatives. Adjacent rather than directly competitive; shares the food-system-resilience mission and is a co-collaborator on EIT Food programmes.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/follow
• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/EITFood
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/eit-food
• Facebookfacebook.com/EITFood.eu

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments133 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about EIT Food