RisingFoodStars Reveals AgriFoodTech Scaleups to Confront EU’s RisingFood Prices and Climate Crisis

EIT Food RisingFoodStars, Europe’s premier scale-up programme for agrifoodtech ventures co-funded by the European Union, today announces its 2025 cohort. These 16 innovative companies join an exceptional cohort of scaleups already continuing in the programme this year and are developing breakthrough solutions across sustainable agriculture, functional ingredients, foodtech, and packaging, directly addressing some of the most pressing challenges in the EU's food sector. With food prices in the eurozone continuing to rise year-on-year – remaining the top inflation driver even as overall rates decline – consumers are still facing affordability pressures. In further challenges, 96.5% of EU cocoa imports come from regions unprepared for climate change, threatening key food supply chains like chocolate. Additionally, agricultural emissions have stagnated since 2005, showing only a 2% reduction by 2022 – a trajectory that falls far short of the EU’s climate goals. These issues directly impact food consumers and producers across Europe.  

The scaleups selected for the 2025 cohort are addressing these systemic risks head-on, developing next-generation plant proteins to reduce meat dependence, biodegradable packaging to help reduce Europe’s 59 million tonnes of annual food waste, which costs €143 billion, and biotechnologies to restore soil health and curb emissions. 

“With food inflation at 3.3% year-on-year — still the EU’s top cost-of-living driver — and climate disruption threatening core ingredients, the need for scalable agrifood innovation is more urgent than ever,” said Narjis Chakir, Programme Lead at RisingFoodStars. “Our 2025 cohort brings tangible, science-led solutions, from carbon-smart farming to sustainable proteins, and we’re here to help them scale fast, access markets, and drive real transformation.”

Since its inception in 2018, RisingFoodStars has supported over 146 scaleups, leading to 33 commercialised innovations, 7 successful exits, and the creation of more than 1,140 jobs across Europe. Alumni have collectively raised €870 million in funding, underscoring the programme’s effectiveness in scaling agrifoodtech solutions.

The programme’s impact is already evident through its alumni. Notable success stories include Notpla, which secured €23 million to scale its seaweed-based biodegradable packaging, and Verley, which is preparing to launch the world’s first functionalised recombinant dairy proteins in 2026 – offering a sustainable alternative to traditional dairy.

This year's cohort is primarily focused on sustainable agriculture, functional ingredients, precision fermentation, upcycling, and circular food technologies. Below is a spotlight on 16 promising scaleups selected for the 2025 RisingFoodStars programme:

Sustainable & Regenerative Agriculture, Digital Ag

• FA Bio – UK-based biotechnology company unlocking soil microbiome diversity to discover and develop novel bioproducts based on fungal microbes. By replacing conventional chemicals with biofungicides and biostimulants, FA Bio supports healthier soils and improves crop resilience.
• Resurrect Bio – UK-based startup engineering disease resistance in crops by leveraging AI and synthetic biology to restore native resistance genes. Their mission is to restore the ability of crops to defend themselves against pathogens and pests, reducing pesticide use and increasing yields.
• AgroSustain – Switzerland-based agritech company offering biological crop protection solutions that extend shelf life and reduce food waste. Their treatments enable supply chain stakeholders to minimise post-harvest losses and reduce reliance on synthetic inputs.
• Hudson River Biotechnology – Netherlands-based company advancing crop performance through CRISPR-enabled tools. Their platform facilitates non-GMO trait development to boost resilience, yield, and nutritional value in plants.
• CroBio – UK-based biotech startup developing microbial soil amendments that form a sponge-like biomaterial around plant roots, improving water retention and nutrient availability. Their enhanced microbes boost drought resilience and support soil biodiversity, helping farmers grow more with fewer inputs.

FoodTech: Fermentation, Cellular Agriculture & Functional Nutrition

• Clean Food Group Ltd – UK-based foodtech manufacturer of sustainable oils and fats for the global food, cosmetic and pet food industries. CFG produces oils and fats from food waste, using scalable yeast strains and fermentation technology to offer sustainable alternatives to traditional agricultural ingredients such as palm oil.
• ImaginDairy – Israel-based foodtech company producing sustainable, animal-free dairy proteins. These proteins have the same flavor, mouthfeel, functionality, and nutritional properties of traditional dairy. ImaginDairy’s proprietary AI-driven platform enables cost-effective production, and the company is the first in its category to acquire its own fermentation production lines and receive a ‘No Questions Letter’ from the FDA for its whey protein.
• PFx Biotech – Portugal-based startup producing specialty bioactive proteins through precision fermentation for advanced nutrition applications. By leveraging engineered biology, they create high-value, animal-free ingredients that protect planetary health. Their approach delivers clean, effective protein solutions for a healthier, more sustainable future.
• Kokomodo – Israel-based startup crafting real, climate-resilient cacao using cellular agriculture. Their cacao is grown year-round in controlled environments and optimised for functional health benefits in food and nutraceutical applications.
• Celleste Bio – Israel-based startup producing a consistent, resilient supply of real cocoa butter and powder using cell-cultured technology. Their model is designed to mitigate supply chain risks driven by deforestation and climate change, while also applying computational models to drive chocolate innovation.
• KÄÄPÄ Biotech – Finland-based biotechnology company developing functional mushroom products across three divisions: KÄÄPÄ Forest, KÄÄPÄ Mushrooms and Nordic Mushrooms. KÄÄPÄ Forest manages the world’s largest chaga cultivation network and promotes versatile use of forests. KÄÄPÄ Mushrooms offers Finnish-origin organic mushroom extracts, while Nordic Mushrooms supplies EU-certified extracts at wholesale. Both Nordic Mushrooms and KÄÄPA Mushrooms use functional mushroom extract powders and liquids created using KÄÄPÄ’s proprietary NordRelease™ extraction process.
• Perfat Technologies –  Finland-based company leveraging advanced oleogel technologies to create nutritionally superior solid fat substitutes to replace conventional fats such as butter, palm oil and coconut oil.

Alternative Proteins

• Adamo Foods – UK-based food and biotech startup developing authentic whole-cut meat alternatives from fungi using a proprietary fibrous structure. These clean-label, protein-rich products replicate the texture of animal muscle and support the transition to sustainable diets.

Upcycling & Sustainable Packaging

• ProteinDistillery GmbH – Germany-based foodtech company turning fermentation sidestreams into multi-functional proteins. Their approach valorises underutilised microbial biomass and enables new clean-label applications for the food industry.
• Greentech innovators AS – Norway-based cleantech startup valorising food processing by-products into high-value feed and fertiliser. This circular model reduces emissions and increases the value of underutilised biomass.
• Kelpi – UK-based sustainable packaging innovation company developing biodegradable coatings from seaweed. Their renewable materials are designed to meet demanding industrial standards and offer a plastic-free alternative for food packaging.