Food Hub

What Food Hub does

Food Hub Srl Società Benefit is an Italian benefit corporation and innovative startup founded in 2018 and headquartered in Cesena (Emilia-Romagna). It operates a professional-services and community platform for the agrifood sector, organized around three pillars. The Media/Academy pillar runs Food Hub Media (blog, vertical agrifood media agency, two podcast series — Pillole di Scienza at 67 episodes and News in Tavola at 79 episodes) and delivers corporate e-learning academies, workshops, focus groups, and the ChallengEat open-innovation program (6 editions completed, 240 participants, 7th edition running May-June 2026). The Consulting pillar provides R&D&I strategy consulting, B2B market research, ecosystem mapping, technology scouting, business matching, and open-innovation facilitation for large agrifood corporates, alongside scientific-dissemination support for universities and research centers. The Events pillar operates the annual Festival dell'Innovazione Agroalimentare (4 days, 32 hours of free online training, plus an in-person networking day), recognized as one of Italy's main agrifood innovation events.

The company monetizes through a diversified set of professional-services revenue streams: consulting retainers, ChallengEat participant fees (cited comparable programs at €1,500-5,000), Festival sponsor and patron partnerships, visibility partnership plans for solution providers, corporate training contracts, and grant-funded participation in six EU and national research projects (FRAME, HAMTRACE, CIRCULARBITES, HEMPRO, OPERA, YOUAREIN). The Festival is free to attendees (€0), supported by sponsors and patrons. Distribution is a hybrid of direct B2B enterprise sales and self-serve online onboarding (ChallengEat application portal, online Festival platform), amplified by a newsletter reaching 40,000+ agrifood stakeholders and a LinkedIn talent showcase with 26,000+ followers.

Customer evidence includes 50+ referenced logos spanning enterprise food and beverage (Barilla, Granarolo, Loacker, Dr. Schar), industrial and technology (COMSOL, Wiseside), and institutional research (CNR, Università di Bologna, Tecnopolo di Forlì-Cesena), alongside partnerships with Clust-ER Agrifood Emilia-Romagna, CONAT (National Council of Food Technologists), and Foodvalley NL (Netherlands). The team comprises 6 specialists including the two co-founders. Operating geographies are formally Italy and the Netherlands, with European reach through funded research partnerships. Note: revenue is not publicly disclosed and share capital is €10,000, so quantitative scale is not directly observable.

Name

Food Hub

Legal name

Food Hub Srl Società Benefit

Website

https://food-hub.it

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Food Hub is an Italian agrifood innovation startup and benefit corporation that runs a 40,000-stakeholder community, professional consulting, corporate training, and media services for large food and beverage corporates, universities, and research centers. Revenue is generated through consulting, the ChallengEat open-innovation program, the Festival, visibility partnerships, and EU-funded research projects.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agrifood Innovation Consulting

NAICS

Food Service Contractors (72231), Special Food Services (7223)

akta.pro primary industry

Food Systems & Value Chain Development for Nutrition (BPADAJAG)

Keywords

• Agrifood innovation consulting
• Open innovation programs
• Agricultural media services
• Corporate e-learning academies
• Ecosystem mapping services

Headquarters

HQ city

Cesena

HQ country

Italy

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Professional Services & Consulting: R&D&I consulting, ecosystem mapping, B2B market research, and open innovation facilitation services for large agrifood corporates.
2. Training & Academy Services: Corporate e-learning academies, ChallengEat program fees, workshops, focus groups, and company-specific training courses in agrifood.
3. Communication & Media Agency Services: Vertical agrifood media agency services including SEO, social, web content, events, and newsletter promotion to over 40,000 stakeholders; partnership plans for solution providers.
4. Scientific Dissemination for Universities & Research Centers: Support for universities and research centers to maximize visibility and impact of project results, reaching 40,000+ agrifood stakeholders.
5. Event Management: Organization and management of agrifood events (online/presential), webinars, workshops, and conferences including the Festival dell'Innovazione Agroalimentare.
6. Festival dell'Innovazione Agroalimentare: Free online festival (4 days, 32 hours of training) supported by sponsors and patrons from the agrifood industry. Revenue generated through sponsor partnerships, media partnerships, and patron affiliations.
7. ChallengEat Program: 5-week online open innovation challenge program where teams work on real agrifood company challenges. Participants pay a fee (with Klarna 3-installment option available). The program also serves as employer branding and talent acquisition tool for corporate partners.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Food Hub is an Italian benefit corporation startup that provides agrifood innovation services to large food and beverage corporates, research institutions, and professionals. Its offerings include R&D&I consulting, B2B market research, ecosystem mapping and technology scouting, open innovation facilitation, corporate e-learning academies and training, a vertical agrifood media agency, and the annual Festival dell'Innovazione Agroalimentare plus the ChallengEat open innovation challenge program.

Product overview

Food Hub operates as a benefit corporation startup offering a comprehensive agrifood innovation ecosystem comprising three core pillars: (1) Communication and media services including a specialized agrifood media agency, the Food Hub Media platform with podcasts and blog content, and community visibility promotion; (2) Training and talent development through corporate academies, professional training programs, the ChallengEat open innovation challenge program, and workshops using design thinking; (3) Strategic consulting and innovation services including R&D&I consulting, B2B market research, ecosystem mapping, technology scouting, business matching, project partnerships, and open innovation facilitation. The company also organizes the Festival dell'Innovazione Agroalimentare as its flagship annual event and manages multiple EU-funded research projects. Their services are designed for agrifood companies, research institutions, universities, and professionals seeking to innovate in the sector.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ChallengEat Open Innovation Program 5-week open innovation challenge program where teams of 5 work on real agrifood company challenges, guided by mentors with 10+ years of experience, delivered 100% online; for agrifood professionals, students, recent graduates, and talent-seeking corporate partners.
• Festival dell'Innovazione Agroalimentare Annual online agrifood innovation festival with 32 hours of free training sessions and an in-person networking day, recognized as one of Italy's main agrifood innovation events; for agrifood professionals, corporates, researchers, and startups.
• Food Hub Media Platform Digital media platform featuring a blog covering R&D, Quality, Production, Sustainability, Regulations, Logistics and Marketing, plus podcasts Pillole di Scienza (67 episodes) and News in Tavola (79 episodes), and agrifood magazine content; for agrifood professionals and consumers of agrifood content.
• La Casa dell'Innovazione Agroalimentare Online subscription platform offering agrifood innovation training content with gamification and open badges, funded by PR-FESR Emilia-Romagna 2021-2027; for professionals and companies seeking continuous learning on agrifood topics.
• R&D&I Strategic Consulting Strategic R&D and innovation consulting engaging top management of large companies to analyze agrifood market trends, identify growth opportunities, and develop innovation roadmaps using advanced methodologies; for large agrifood corporates.
• B2B Agrifood Market Research B2B agrifood market research service focused on lead generation, investigating target problems and gathering strategic feedback from key agrifood stakeholders; for large agrifood corporates and solution providers.
• Agrifood Ecosystem Mapping and Technology Scouting Ecosystem mapping and technology scouting service that systematically identifies agrifood startups, innovative SMEs, technologies, patents and research projects relevant to client strategy, delivered as a customized analytical database; for large agrifood corporates and institutions.
• Vertical Agrifood Media Agency Services Specialized agrifood media agency offering SEO strategies, social media management, web content, podcast, and event organization for authoritative positioning and networking in the agrifood sector; for agrifood solution providers, startups, and SMEs.

Quantifiable outcome

• 40,000+ stakeholders reached through communication channels and partnership plans
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability9 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• CNR-UVR (National Research Council - Unit for Technology Transfer and Researchers Valorisation)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Food Hub signed an agreement with CNR-UVR to valorize research and support technology transfer, gaining access to the competencies of over 9,000 researchers. This partnership strengthens Food Hub's connection to Italian public research.
• Clust-ER Agrifood Emilia-RomagnacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Food Hub is a member of Clust-ER Agrifood, a private association of agrifood research centers and enterprises in Emilia-Romagna, enabling dialogue with hundreds of organizations across the region.
• Consiglio dell'Ordine Nazionale dei Tecnologi Alimentari (CONAT)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Food Hub is accredited as a training provider authorized to deliver professional education to CONAT members. Festival dell'Innovazione Agroalimentare is patronized by CONAT, offering 1 professional credit per hour of training.
• Foodvalley NL (Netherlands)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Food Hub is a partner of Foodvalley NL, the leading Dutch hub for food transition, connecting to a global network of companies and knowledge centers. This represents Food Hub's key international partnership for European reach.
• EUFIC (European Food Information Council)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Listed as a project partner in the geographic distribution map of Food Hub's funded projects. EUFIC is a European food communication organization.
• University of Bologna (Università di Bologna)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Key Italian university partner in multiple funded projects (HAMTRACE, YOUAREIN). Listed as project partner in the geographic distribution map of Food Hub's funded projects.
• AlmavivaminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Festival sponsor and partner. Almaviva is an Italian ICT company. Listed as a sponsor of the Festival dell'Innovazione Agroalimentare 2025.
• ENEA (Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Festival patron and supporter. Listed as a patron of the Festival dell'Innovazione Agroalimentare 2025 alongside CNR and other institutions.
• FederalimentareminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Festival patron. National federation of Italian food industries listed as a patron of the Festival dell'Innovazione Agroalimentare 2025.
• Clust-ER AgrifoodminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Festival patron and supporter. Listed as a patron of the Festival dell'Innovazione Agroalimentare 2025 alongside CLAN and other industry organizations.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Eatable Adventures: Spain-based agrifood innovation hub, accelerator, and consulting firm. Directly comparable to Food Hub as a vertically-focused agrifood innovation intermediary offering consulting, open innovation programs, and corporate-startup matchmaking.
• Forward Fooding: UK-based food tech innovation platform known for its FoodTech 500 ranking and corporate-startup collaboration programs. Comparable to Food Hub's open innovation facilitation and stakeholder community-building focus.
• FoodHack: European food-tech community and events platform connecting startups, corporates, and investors. Overlaps with Food Hub's community-led GTM, vertical media presence, and agrifood event programming.

Broad incumbents

• Foodvalley NL: Leading Dutch food-transition hub connecting companies, knowledge centers, and government. Food Hub lists it as a strategic partner; highly comparable as a national-level agrifood innovation ecosystem player, though larger and broader in scope.
• Rethink Events (Rethink Agrifood): Global events and media company focused on agrifood and food-tech summits. Comparable to Food Hub's flagship festival model and vertical media-agency service line, though operating at a larger international scale.
• Foodbytes by Rabobank: Rabobank's food and agriculture innovation platform running startup challenges and corporate matchmaking. Comparable to Food Hub's ChallengEat program and B2B open innovation facilitation, backed by a major global agribusiness bank.
• AgrifoodTEF: Pan-European network of agrifood testing and experimentation facilities funded under the Digital Europe Programme. Overlaps with Food Hub's role in EU-funded agrifood innovation projects and research-to-market facilitation.

Emerging players

• The Good Food Institute (GFI): International nonprofit accelerating alternative protein innovation through consulting, science programs, and corporate engagement. Comparable as an agrifood innovation intermediary, though focused on a narrower vertical (alternative proteins) and operating as a nonprofit.
• Big Idea Ventures: Global food-tech venture fund and accelerator running challenge programs for agrifood corporates. Comparable to Food Hub's open innovation challenge format (ChallengEat), though Big Idea Ventures is a fund-first model rather than services-first.
• ProVeg Incubator: European alt-protein and food-tech incubator supporting early-stage startups. Comparable to Food Hub's startup-facing open innovation and ChallengEat programming, though more narrowly focused on plant-based and fermentation categories.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/food-hub

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Food Hub