Madrid Food Innovation Hub, the City of Madrid’s food sector business incubator, has welcomed the new startups in its fifth edition of the Foodtech Acceleration Program. Aimed at early-stage startups and entrepreneurs, the program is designed to boost talent, innovation, and entrepreneurship in the agrifood sector, promoting the development of solutions that help address the main challenges of the food system.
In a context marked by the need to transform global food systems, affected by population growth, the pressure on natural resources, supply chain volatility, and the urgency to move toward more sustainable and resilient models, technology becomes a key driver to guarantee food security, improve productive efficiency, and reduce the environmental impact of the agrifood sector. The 12 selected startups feature a strong technological component and propose innovative solutions with impact across the entire agrifood value chain.
The City Councilor for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Ángel Niño, has highlighted that starting the fifth edition of this program is “an unequivocal sign of its maturity and success.” “The program works; the projects find in Madrid Food Innovation Hub a useful environment to grow and, edition after edition, we expand the network and build an ever-broader ecosystem of startups that grow hand in hand with Madrid,” he added.
Niño emphasized that this edition centers on solutions around alternative protein, digitalization and artificial intelligence, as well as niche proposals with high culinary and export potential, signaling the relevance and quality of the projects.
Benefits for the Selected
The selected entrepreneurs will gain free access to a mentorship and strategic guidance program designed to support the validation of their innovative proposal and accelerate their growth. Throughout the program, weekly sessions will cover business model, product-market fit, marketing and finances, among other key areas for the consolidation of their projects.
Moreover, each startup will receive individualized follow-up and the opportunity to interact with experts from different fields, who will contribute to driving their development and scaling. As part of the program, startups will have free access to the incubator facilities, which include a kitchen-laboratory of more than 300 m² designed for prototype creation, as well as conducting tests and sensory panels.
The selected startups stand out for the diversity of their proposals and their application of advanced technologies across the entire agrifood value chain:
- Spacemall is an app that digitalizes the restaurant industry in a single integrated ecosystem, combining an interactive menu, QR-based ordering, payments, cost control, and immersive 3D experiences to optimize operations and profitability for establishments.
- Fungal Future valorizes agro-food waste for sustainable mycoprotein production, rich in fiber and antioxidants, offering a healthy alternative to animal protein within a circular economy model.
- Flint accelerates the development of functional foods by translating scientific, regulatory, and market complexity into solid decisions that enable scaling of products focused on health and longevity.
- Owe Technologies develops an AI- and IoT-based precision livestock system to automate industrial insect breeding, driving new sources of sustainable protein.
- Ingenicrop is a digital platform for smart farming that enables real-time management and traceability of agricultural production, optimizing inputs and improving decision-making through AI.
- Omnis Gin is a Mallorca-origin premium gin, with a natural blue hue and quadruple distillation, incorporating a patented enzymatic formula to offer a distinctive consumer experience within the spirits category.
- El Pez Jardinero develops modular home and community aquaponics systems that enable local food production, integrating IoT sensors to monitor and optimize the sustainable cultivation of plants and vegetables.
- Eruvestre specializes in growing and marketing tender sprouts, leafy greens, and microgreens derived from edible wild plants, contributing biodiversity and gastronomic value to the market.
- Léemba offers cooking kits that substitute traditional proteins with nutrient-rich spirulina, facilitating access to healthy and natural foods through additive-free and more affordable products.
- Vianda Sin Sacrificios develops 100% plant-based meat analogs of a new generation, with high protein content and ready-to-consume formats, accelerating the protein transition in the foodservice and food manufacturing sectors.
- Fresimple produces traditional Indian dairy foods such as paneer, probiotic lassi, and ghee, combining culinary tradition, nutrition, and scalable processes for the European market.
- Kopi Krate develops 100% natural specialty coffee through a digital subscription model that brings to the consumer a curated experience of premium coffees from different roasters.
