The agri-food innovation accelerator Eatable Adventures has opened the call for NOVO Agrifoodtech, a new international acceleration program designed to boost the adoption of cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence, biotechnology, robotics, or quantum computing in the agri-food sector, promoting the transfer of innovative solutions from other technological domains.
The initiative, backed by the Diputación Foral de Bizkaia and developed in collaboration with the AZTI technology center, aims to attract 10 international startups with validated technologies that want to develop solutions for some of the major challenges across the agri-food value chain. With this launch, Eatable Adventures broadens the traditional focus of food innovation to foster the transfer of technologies developed in industries such as healthcare, advanced manufacturing, the aerospace sector, defense, or finance toward one of the sectors most strategic for the economy and sustainability.
The NOVO launch comes at a moment of transformation in the global agri-food innovation ecosystem, where science-based technologies are drawing increasing investor interest. According to the Global AgriFoodTech Investment Report 2026 by AgFunder, while global investment in agrifoodtech remained essentially flat at $16.2 billion in 2025, deeptech technologies already accounted for 32% of sector investment, up from 22% a decade ago. Moreover, deeptech startups in early stages secured rounds 78% larger than the rest of companies, reflecting growing market confidence in these solutions.
Food Cannot Stay on the Sidelines of Deep Tech
“Deep tech is transforming all industrial sectors and food cannot stay on the sidelines,” explains Mila Valcárcel, cofounder and Managing Partner of Eatable Adventures. “Many of the solutions with the greatest potential for the agri-food industry originated outside this field, and the challenge now is to accelerate their arrival to the market through pilots in real industrial environments. With NOVO we put at the service of these companies our methodology, honed after more than 50 acceleration programs run worldwide, our global ecosystem of investors and corporate partners, and a unique opportunity for entrepreneurs to launch pilot projects with leading industrial companies in the Basque Country.“
The program will select ten international startups with technologies already validated at the proof-of-concept level and with ambitions to expand in the European market.
Priority areas include:
- Artificial intelligence and data technologies applied to the challenges of the agri-food value chain. Tech solutions drawn from sectors such as software, retail and fashion, automotive, or health.
- Biotechnology, including precision fermentation and cell culture. Technologies that could originate from fields like biopharma, synthetic biology, or clinical diagnostics.
- Robotics and industrial automation applied to the production and distribution of food. Technologies drawn from sectors such as manufacturing, automotive, logistics, or defense.
- Advanced materials for packaging and preservation of foods. Innovations based on developments from chemistry, industrial packaging, aerospace, or electronics.
- Advanced computing and applied quantum computing to challenges such as molecular discovery and supply chain optimization. Technologies that could originate from fields like the pharmaceutical industry, chemistry, or finance.
The selected companies will participate in a twelve-week hybrid program combining specialized mentoring with two bootcamps in-person in Bilbao. In addition, they will receive technical support from AZTI, have access to pilot opportunities with leading agri-food sector companies, will connect with the international investor network of Eatable Adventures, and will have ongoing support after the program ends. Participation will be equity-free.
