The renewed EIT Food Accelerator Network acceleration programmes have officially been kickstarted; welcome onboard!
This year, the FAN hubs are focusing on specific topics and have been seeking startups accordingly. The EIT FAN Helsinki hub is led by VTT in collaboration with the University of Helsinki, and the topic for this year’s programme is Scaling the alternative protein revolution.
The FAN Helsinki hub received applications literally all over Europe and from very high-quality applicant teams, so the bar was set very high. As a result of the meticulous evaluation process, ten startups with the most promising innovations and suitable maturity levels were selected for the Helsinki acceleration programme.
The ten selected startup teams come from ten different European countries.
Each year over the Helsinki hub’s four-year history, diversity has been increasing within the selected startups, and 2023 is no exception. So we are thrilled to announce that the ten teams of the 2023 EIT FAN Helsinki cohort are from ten different countries!
We want to thank all the teams who showed interest in the Helsinki hub and left their applications. Many EIT FAN Helsinki alumni have applied for the programme more than once; hence we encourage you to apply again next year!
Meet the EIT FAN Helsinki hub 2023 cohort
Adamo Foods (UK) is a food technology company developing the most innovative alternatives to meat whole cuts. They are launching the world’s first sustainable and delicious steak, entirely made from fungi.
äio tech’s (Estonia) mission is to change the way we produce, consume and perceive foods and other products on the oil drop level. By recognising the full worth of microbial oils, they deliver tailored solutions for industries such as food, feed and cosmetics.
Cultimate Foods (Germany) creates a game-changing cultivated fat technology to provide alternative meats with authentic taste and texture.
https://www.cultimatefoods.com/
Cultivated Biosciences (Switzerland) is developing a fat ingredient from oleaginous yeast, which offers the creaminess needed for plant-based dairy. This ingredient has a clean label and a sustainable production process.
Econutri (Austria) specialises in producing sustainable proteins through the fermentation of organisms that can efficiently utilise CO₂, helping to reduce carbon footprint and promote a healthier planet.
Mewery (Czech Republic) is developing cultivated pork on a microalgae base, using their own hybrid culture medium with microalgae extracts and developing 3D structures on microalgae scaffolds.
Nordic Umami Company (Finland) is the developer of revolutionary food technology that can extract umami – a naturally delicious, appetitive taste – from plant-based side streams that would otherwise go to waste.
Nutropy (France) produces real milk ingredients, identical to those produced by cows, to enable the development of cheese alternatives that taste just as good as cow’s cheese but are more sustainable, healthier and better for the animals. No animals involved, full cheese experience.
Time-travelling Milkman (Netherlands) is a B2B company that produces and sells stable plant-based fat ingredients for sustainable and appetising dairy alternatives.
https://www.timetravellingmilkman.com/
Yeastime (Italy) is an innovative startup that uses sensors and mechanical stimulation to reduce the time, consumption and energy costs of the fermentation process.
More comprehensive team introductions will follow later on! In the meanwhile, read more about the EIT FAN programmes here, and follow the Helsinki hub’s journey on Food & Beyond’s LinkedIn and Twitter accounts.
