Domain: Developing businesses

Action: Develop structures for people to create their businesses

Best practice title: SeedBed incubator

Best practice summary: World class incubator programme for technology commercialization in the food system

By whom: EIT Food

Key ingredients / description: The EIT Food Seedbed Programme provides participants with world-class start-up training and coaching to identify their core business assumptions and the support to refine their business value propositions. Seedbed Hubs provide participants with the skills, personalised business coaching, industry connections and funding to test innovative ideas directly with 100+ potential customers and end-user. The programme includes:

• Training at a 4-day online bootcamp based on a unique customer-oriented methodology to allow participants to define clear value propositions; winning business models, and a market validation plan to better understand the needs of the market and develop a solution customers are willing to pay for
• Coaching from seasoned entrepreneurs and leading experts in the agrifood sector
• Funding of up to €6,000 to facilitate market testing activities and to speak to potential customers, stakeholders and end-users to validate business ideas; plus the opportunity to access follow-on EIT Food funding and support through the Startup Launch Grant.
• An opportunity to pitch to a panel of industry experts and receive constructive feedback.

Ultimately, Seedbed is designed to produce independent, creative, and market-aware entrepreneurs with the necessary multi-disciplinary skillset to address not only key challenges in the agri-food sector but make important contributions to ensure our food system is secure and trusted. Most importantly, participating teams finish with a validated business model primed for attracting follow-on support and investment that will help take their proposition closer to market. As a Seedbed alumnus, they have continued access and opportunities within the EIT Food network including access to EIT Food investment schemes.

Context (if applicable): Startups

Audiences (if applicable): Founders

Documents (if any): NA

Links (if any):

Key success factors / How to replicate:

Contact person: Lukxmi Balathasan, lukxmi.balathasan@eitfood.eu

Keywords (at least 5): Incubation, Venture Support, Market validation, Venture growth, Technology commercialisation