EIT Food
Seedbed Incubator
Watch the testimonials of startups, mentors and organizers of EIT Food Seedbed, Warsaw Hub, 2019
“In Seedbed, we take the best seeds, top-notch startups from Europe, we provide them water and sun, so best knowledge, tools and techniques to grow their businesses. We also use carefully selected fertilisers – business mentors, coming from all over the world, leveraging the partner base of EIT Food” (Prof. Krzysztof Klincewicz, Manager of EIT Food Seedbed Warsaw Hub)
About EIT Food
EIT Food is one of the largest and most impactful food-related initiatives worldwide. As a part of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), EIT Food connects partners from leading businesses, universities and research centres across Europe. It is a people-centric and resource-smart transformer of the European food system, driving consumer confidence and improved global health.
EIT Food wants to transform Europe’s food system, making it better for people’s health and better for the environment. EIT Food is a pan-European partnership designed to empower innovators, entrepreneurs and students to develop world-class solutions to food challenges, accelerate innovation, create jobs and increase Europe’s competitiveness. As one of the largest food-related initiatives worldwide, EIT Food wants Europe to lead a global revolution in food innovation and production, improve nutrition and make food systems more resource-efficient, secure, transparent and trusted. Support for entrepreneurial talents and startups belongs to EIT Food’s key strategic directions, and it is accomplished through a portfolio of instruments, offered for beneficiaries at different levels of maturity, diversified needs and types of technologies.
About EIT Food Seedbed
EIT Food Seedbed Incubator Programme supports aspiring entrepreneurs to determine whether there is a market for products or services that utilise innovative agri-food technologies set to make a big impact on any part of the food sector, including the way we produce, deliver, consume, recycle and value our food. The programme supports teams in multiple locations across Europe, through validation of early stage business ideas and development of disruptive technologies customers are willing to pay for. Selected teams will be provided with the tools, expertise, connections and mentors to help them better understand the needs of their customers and validate their business idea. Through structured conversations with up to 100 relevant customers and mentoring, participants gain invaluable insights to help them build something that customers are willing to pay for, the key requirement to successfully launch a scalable business. At the end of the programme, participants will pitch their ideas to a panel of industry experts, receiving constructive feedback and the chance to win equity-free cash prizes.
You will receive:
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training at a residential bootcamp in Warsaw, based on unique customer-oriented methodology, supporting the development of a startup business model;
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budget covering travel costs to attend project meeting and go out to speak to potential customers;
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an invitation to a final event where you will pitch your validated business idea to a panel of industry experts;
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mentorship by experts with specialised knowledge and skills to develop agri-food sector innovation;
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the opportunity to win up equity-free cash prizes.
Project partners:
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About Warsaw Hub
Central and Eastern Europe is a cradle of brilliant initiatives in the food sector and, in particular, many early stage business ideas need to be tested and guided in their development to make a significant impact on the industry. University of Warsaw is the leading research university in Poland, and one of the most active supporters of entrepreneurial initiatives in the country, including through multiple EIT Food programmes. We leverage our competences to coordinate the Warsaw Hub of EIT Food Seedbed, providing training, mentoring and financial support to startup teams participating in the programme. In Warsaw Hub of EIT Food Seedbed, we work with startups from Central and Eastern European countries (startups from other regions should apply to other Hubs, as described in the application form).
Hub manager – Dr. Olha Pelekh
News
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Video Gallery
EIT Food Seedbed helps entrepreneurial teams refine their value propositions and business models, reach out to 100+ potential customers to discover their specific needs and ways of addressing them, and improve the business pitching skills. In 2019, startups mentored in Warsaw Hub went through impressive business transformation, coming with promising technological ideas and leaving the cycle of trainings, mentoring and customer discovery as mature and self-confident entrepreneurs, with network of contacts in the European agri-food industry.
Watch the early stage pitches, recorded by some of startups from EIT Food Seedbed Warsaw Hub in the beginning of their customer discovery journeys, during the initial bootcamp at University of Warsaw, before the development of business models, value propositions and prior to the customer discovery phase:
AstroPlant
(the Netherlands)
BalticFreya
(Lithuania)
COWOW
(Latvia)
FeJuice
(Serbia)
Testimonials of startups, mentors and organizers of EIT Food Seedbed, Warsaw Hub, 2019
Interview with Kerri Crossey, Seedbed programme manager, Queen’s University Belfast
Interview with Krzysztof Klincewicz, manager of Seedbed Warsaw hub, University of Warsaw
Interview with Damien Jourdan, Seedbed mentor, Danone
Photo Gallery
4-days startup bootcamp in Warsaw, July 2019, was highly interactive and included team building exercises, dumpling cooking competition, training sessions on customer discovery/design thinking, business model development and intellectual property, as well as intensive work on preparing business model canvases, value propositions, customer discovery plans and travel budgets. See selected photos from the bootcamp:
Seedbed bootcamp – team integration
Seedbed bootcamp – business planning session
How to Apply
We are looking for motivated individuals, teams or legal entities that:
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Have a disruptive early stage business idea that has the potential to transform the agri-food tech space
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Are a resident, citizen or legal entity based in a Member State of the European Union (EU) or Horizon 2020
associated countries
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Are passionate about transforming our food system and highly driven to enhance their business skills
Proposed innovations must fall into one of the strategic objectives of EIT Food, listed below:
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Overcome low consumer trust: Support Europeans in the transition towards a smart food system that is inclusive and trusted
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Create consumer valued food for healthier nutrition and affordable personal nutrition choices
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Build a consumer centric connected food system: Develop a digital food supply network where consumers and industry are equal partners
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Enhance sustainability: Develop solutions to transform from the traditional ‘produce-use-dispose’ model into a circular bio-economy.
Ultimately, you can apply if you have an early stage business idea for an agri-food technology which can make the food system better for people’s healthy; better for the environment; and more trusted, transparent and valued.
Please note: We are not seeking to fund new consumer food products or support brand development through the Seedbed programme. If you are unsure whether you are suited to apply to the Seedbed programme, please just get in touch to discuss your idea.
EIT Food Seedbed Warsaw Hub works with startups from the following Central and Eastern European countries:
Eligibility Requirements
We are looking for teams that:
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are ideally composed of at least two highly-motivated and committed members
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are developing an innovation set to make a big impact on any part of the food sector including the way we produce, deliver, consume and recycle our food
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have not previously been awarded significant funding to support market validation of their idea or innovation.
Please note that we expect active, consistent engagement in the programme – this requires physical presence from the team members at one of our bootcamp locations and at the final pitch event.
The application phase in 2021 for the Seedbed Incubator Program, will be open on Feb 14. 2021. You can already express your interest via the link https://eitfood.secure.force.com/LExpressionofInterest/ and you will get an email as soon as the application can be submitted.
Contact
If you would like to know more about the project,
please do not hesitate to get in touch with our team.
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