EIT Food RisingFoodStars is Europe’s top scale-up programme for agrifoodtech startups. Co-funded by the European Union, it adds 16 new companies this year. They work on solutions in sustainable farming, ingredients, foodtech, and packaging. These innovations aim to solve urgent food issues in the EU.
Food prices in the eurozone keep rising. They are the main cause of inflation. Consumers struggle with affordability. Meanwhile, 96.5% of EU cocoa imports come from regions unprepared for climate change. This risks chocolate supply. Agricultural emissions have barely decreased since 2005. Only 2% reduction by 2022. This is far from the EU’s climate goals. These problems affect farmers and consumers across Europe.
The new scaleups are tackling these risks directly. They develop plant proteins to cut meat consumption. They create biodegradable packaging to reduce 59 million tonnes of food waste each year. This waste costs €143 billion. They also work on biotech solutions to restore soil health and lower emissions.
Narjis Chakir, Programme Lead, said, “Food inflation is still 3.3% yearly. Climate change threatens key ingredients. Innovation is more urgent than ever.” She added, “Our 2025 cohort offers science-based solutions. From smart farming to sustainable proteins. We want to help them grow fast and make real change.”
Since 2018, RisingFoodStars has helped over 146 startups. It has created 33 innovations, 7 exits, and over 1,140 jobs in Europe. The alumni have raised €870 million. That shows how effective the programme is.
Notable successes include Notpla. They raised €23 million to scale seaweed-based packaging. Verley plans to launch the world’s first recombinant dairy proteins in 2026. This provides a sustainable dairy alternative.
This year’s cohort focuses on sustainable farming, ingredients, fermentation, upcycling, and circular food tech. Here are 16 promising startups for 2025:
Sustainable & Regenerative Agriculture, Digital Ag
- FA Bio (UK) – Uses soil microbes to develop biofungicides and biostimulants. Supports healthy soils and crops.
- Resurrect Bio (UK) – Uses AI to restore crop disease resistance. Aims to reduce pesticides and increase yields.
- AgroSustain (Switzerland) – Offers biological crop protection. Extends shelf life and reduces waste.
- Hudson River Biotechnology (Netherlands) – Uses CRISPR to improve crop resilience and nutrition. Develops non-GMO traits.
- CroBio (UK) – Creates microbial soil amendments. Improves water retention and drought resistance.
FoodTech: Fermentation, Cellular Agriculture & Nutrition
- Clean Food Group (UK) – Produces sustainable oils from food waste. Replaces palm oil and other ingredients via fermentation.
- ImaginDairy (Israel) – Makes animal-free dairy proteins. Uses AI and owns fermentation lines. FDA-approved.
- PFx Biotech (Portugal) – Produces bioactive proteins through fermentation. Creates animal-free ingredients for health.
- Kokomodo (Israel) – Grows climate-resilient cacao in controlled environments. Focuses on health benefits.
- Celleste Bio (Israel) – Produces cocoa butter and powder from cell culture. Reduces supply risks and uses computational models.
- KÄÄPÄ Biotech (Finland) – Develops mushroom products. Manages large chaga farms and offers organic extracts.
- Perfat Technologies (Finland) – Uses oleogel tech to create healthy fat substitutes. Replaces butter and oils.
Alternative Proteins
- Adamo Foods (UK) – Makes whole-cut meat from fungi. Uses proprietary fiber structures. Supports sustainable diets.
Upcycling & Packaging
- ProteinDistillery (Germany) – Converts fermentation sidestreams into proteins. Adds value to microbial biomass.
- Greentech (Norway) – Turns food by-products into feed and fertilizer. Promotes circular economy.
- Kelpi (UK) – Develops biodegradable seaweed coatings for food packaging. A plastic-free alternative.
