With an initial investment that this year reaches €250,000 per startup, the selected projects bring concrete solutions to market to support the digital and sustainable transition of agrifoodtech.
Milan, 28 October 2026 – The fourth edition of FoodSeed, the foodtech accelerator of CDP Venture Capital SGR’s National Accelerator Network, promoted and co-invested by Fondazione Cariverona, UniCredit and Eatable Adventures, which is also the programme’s operating manager, is now in full swing. The new cohort, presented yesterday, 27 October, at the Demo Day in Verona, welcomes 7 startups with high technological potential, selected from 225 applications, the highest number in the programme’s history. For these companies, the 2026 edition provides a total initial investment of €1.75 million, equal to €250,000 per startup. The selected startups (5 made in Italy and 2 made in the US, both of which will open an operational base in Italy) offer innovative solutions to meet the needs and the most pressing challenges of the agrifood supply chain, from agricultural production and livestock management to the development of innovative ingredients and improved food preservation.
FoodSeed’s Growth and Synergy with the Italy Agrifood Innovation Hub (ITAIH)
In its four years of activity in Italy, FoodSeed has evaluated a total of 713 projects and accelerated 28 startups. It is a successful model that, in 2026, confirms its international appeal, with 49% of applications coming from abroad (+15.9% compared with the previous cycle) and growing interest from emerging hubs in Africa and South America. The fourth Call4Startups also reveals signs of change in the make-up of the ecosystem: 38% of applicant startups have at least one female founder and, of the seven selected companies, three have at least one woman among their founders. Although women remain a minority, the share of applicant startups with at least one female founder has risen from 35% in the previous edition, a positive signal for broader female participation in the agrifood innovation ecosystem.
More Funding for Startups: €250,000 Initial Investment and Follow-on Up to €500,000
There is also news on the financial support front: drawing on the €15 million total endowment of CDP Venture Capital’s National Accelerator Network, FoodSeed 2026 raises the initial investment for each selected startup to €250,000 (up from €170,000 in previous editions), with follow-on funding of up to €500,000 planned for the most promising companies. The first 21 startups accelerated in previous cycles have already proven the strength of the model, raising more than €20 million in investment during and after the programme and securing over 60 commercial and industrial agreements with leading players in the sector.
Alongside this financial boost comes the consolidation of the agrifood innovation pipeline built locally with the national incubator Italy Agrifood Innovation Hub (ITAIH): an integrated model confirmed by this fourth edition of FoodSeed, whose new batch includes three startups that completed their initial journey within ITAIH. Promising projects identified at an early stage can thus continue their development through an effective path that leads from incubation directly to FoodSeed’s industrial acceleration, easing their market entry and integration with major corporates in the sector.
Meet the 7 Startups of the Fourth FoodSeed Edition
Agrisky (Rome, Lazio) – Robotics and Artificial Intelligence for Greenhouses
In greenhouse cultivation, plant stress and disease are often detected only once the damage is already visible, while satellites and drones cannot monitor crops inside these structures. Agrisky, which took part in the incubation programmes of the Italy Agrifood Innovation Hub (ITAIH), has designed AGRI-EYE (patent pending), an autonomous rail-mounted robotic scanner that continuously scans every single plant 24/7, using the NDVI vegetation index to monitor plant health directly inside the greenhouse. Thanks to proprietary artificial intelligence algorithms, the system detects water stress and disease early, with 99.4% accuracy, before they turn into economic losses. The business model combines retrofitting existing structures with partnerships with greenhouse manufacturers (with Proofs of Concept – PoCs – already underway).
Altered Materials (Turin, Piedmont) – Smart Nano-encapsulation for Biopesticides
A spin-off of the Politecnico di Torino and the University of Turin, Altered Materials comes from the incubation programmes of the Italy Agrifood Innovation Hub (ITAIH) and tackles one of the main limitations of natural biopesticides: their dispersion in the environment, which causes the loss of up to 80% of the active ingredient within 24–48 hours of application. The startup develops biodegradable, microplastic-free nanocapsules that protect the active ingredient and guide its targeted, plant-responsive release in response to root exudates emitted by the plant or to pathogen enzymes. Working with already registered molecules such as neem oil and essential oils, the technology reduces the frequency of field treatments and management costs for farmers, and has a PoC underway with Greenhas Group.
Anostra (L’Aquila, Abruzzo) – Plug & Play Autonomous Driving for Agricultural Machinery Without RTK Networks
The adoption of autonomous driving in agriculture faces a double obstacle today: on the one hand, more than 66% of fields lack the network coverage or RTK infrastructure required; on the other, developing proprietary systems takes manufacturers (OEMs) an average of four years. Anostra addresses this challenge by developing and patenting a “plug & play” autonomous driving and robotisation hardware and software platform compatible with different types of tractors and agricultural machinery. The technology works outdoors as well as in greenhouses and covered environments, with no need for RTK stations or external networks. It cuts OEM development time by 50% and can be deployed either through retrofit kits for existing vehicles or integrated directly into new machines.
Looops (Bolzano, Trentino-Alto Adige) – Less Sugar, Without Compromising Taste and Texture
Traditional sugar alternatives maintain sweetness but often fail to replicate the texture, volume and technological functionality of foods. Looops develops next-generation functional ingredients that reduce sugar content without compromising the taste and structural properties of products. Leveraging fermentation and the upcycling of agrifood by-products, the startup has created its first proprietary ingredient, BITELOOP, derived from the fermentation of broken rice, which reduces sugar by around 30% while enriching foods with fibre, protein and essential micronutrients.
Migma (founded in the US) – Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Chemistry for Tailor-made Antioxidant Systems
Oxidation is one of the main causes of deterioration in quality, sensory profile and shelf life across the food, pet food and cosmetics sectors. Today, identifying the right combination of antioxidants requires between 12 and 24 months of trial-and-error lab testing. Migma revolutionises this process by combining molecular chemistry, experimental data and artificial intelligence to design synergistic antioxidant formulations tailored to each specific matrix. By exploring billions of combinations among more than 60,000 known antioxidants and validating the best ones in just a few weeks, Migma eliminates the need for synthetic additives and extends product shelf life while preserving taste and nutritional value.
MooNitoring (founded in the US, with operations in Veneto) – Integrated Platform for Livestock Data and Agrifinance
Although more than 90% of European farms use digital tools, milking systems, lab data, health records and insurance policies remain siloed. MooNitoring develops an advanced data analytics platform for the dairy sector that unifies farm data and makes it directly comparable and verifiable. By integrating health and production information into a single digital dashboard, MooNitoring gives farmers clear metrics to optimise herd management and provides insurance companies and financial institutions (agrifinance) with a transparent data foundation for risk assessment and the delivery of tailored financial products.
NewOil Technologies (Turin, Piedmont) – Sustainable, Clean-label Functional Fats
A spin-off of the Politecnico di Torino, NewOil Technologies comes from the incubation programmes of the Italy Agrifood Innovation Hub (ITAIH) and responds to the food industry’s need to remove tropical saturated fats and synthetic additives (E-numbers) from its products. The startup has developed and patented an innovative technology that turns liquid vegetable oils into self-structuring, clean-label oleogels, reducing saturated fat by up to 80% while preserving product texture and stability. Available in multiple formats (oleogels, emulsions, foams), NewOil’s solutions have already been successfully tested in bakery, spreads, ice cream and dairy alternatives, with strong industrial interest reflected in 3 Letters of Interest (LOIs) and 6 non-disclosure agreements (NDAs).
An Open Innovation Ecosystem for Made in Italy Agrifoodtech
With FoodSeed’s support, these projects can count on a high-impact acceleration programme that fosters the development of new solutions and supports their entry into an industry still characterised by traditional production models.
Through its Open Innovation approach, FoodSeed has created an integrated ecosystem in which startups, companies, research centres and investors work together to turn innovation into real economic value, sustainable growth and competitiveness for Made in Italy.
Since its launch, the accelerator has relied on the support of its strategic promoting and co-investing partners, joined by Gruppo Amadori, Veronafiere, the Accelerate for Impact Platform of CGIAR and the University of Verona. Over the years, the ecosystem has been further strengthened by leading players such as Joule, Eni’s school for enterprise, Revo Insurance, Enologica Vason, NOI Techpark and Fondazione Bruno Kessler.
What the Partners Say
“FoodSeed has had a tangible impact on the evolution of Italian AgriFoodTech, helping to accelerate the sustainable transformation of the agrifood supply chain. Over these years, it has created virtuous connections between research, business and innovation and fostered an ecosystem in which all players along the supply chain work together to support the sector’s growth,” said Stefano Molino, Head of the Accelerator Fund at CDP Venture Capital. “We are particularly pleased with the companies selected for this fourth edition. Among the most positive signals is the steady growth of female participation within the ecosystem, an encouraging sign that reflects the evolution of the agrifood innovation landscape and the progressive development of the sector.”
Bruno Giordano, President of Fondazione Cariverona, commented: “The value of FoodSeed is measured by its ability to turn innovation into concrete opportunities for businesses and communities. In four years, we have helped build an agrifood technology ecosystem that connects research, startups, industry and capital, creating the conditions for the most promising ideas to develop and compete on the market. The results achieved confirm the validity of this approach: it is not only about supporting new entrepreneurial ventures, but about strengthening a strategic supply chain for our country and supporting its transition towards more sustainable and competitive models. This is how Fondazione Cariverona sees its role: building alliances, sharing the risk of innovation and generating lasting benefits in terms of development, skills and employment. Because the real challenge is ensuring that technological progress translates into economic and social value for our communities.”
“Having stood alongside FoodSeed and the Italy Agrifood Innovation Hub since their beginnings is a source of great satisfaction for UniCredit. Born in Verona and the North-East, the project has, thanks to the quality of the ecosystem built over the years, grown to a national scale, contributing to the development of technological innovation applied to agrifood. Through initiatives such as Start Lab, UniCredit has supported the growth of startups and innovative entrepreneurship for more than a decade, with the aim of also supporting the transformation of the agricultural and agrifood sector. Finally, we are delighted to host the Demo Day at our Verona offices, a symbolic place on a journey that continues to generate opportunities for the region and for the entire Italian production system,” said Francesco Mario Iannella, Regional Manager North-East at UniCredit.
“The seven startups selected for the 2026 batch show how scientific research and technological innovation can translate into concrete solutions for the agrifood supply chain. With FoodSeed, we work to turn these insights into companies able to grow and meet market needs, connecting them with companies and industrial players in the sector. Our collaboration with the Italy Agrifood Innovation Hub further strengthens this path, creating continuity between incubation and acceleration and giving the most promising projects the conditions to realise their potential and contribute to the evolution of Italian agrifoodtech,” concluded Alberto Barbari, Regional VP Europe at Eatable Adventures.
About FoodSeed
FoodSeed is the foodtech accelerator of Cassa Depositi e Prestiti’s National Accelerator Network, promoted by Fondazione Cariverona, UniCredit and Eatable Adventures, the programme’s manager and co-investor. FoodSeed’s goal is to support and encourage the growth of Italian agrifoodtech startups through effective and sustainable initiatives, with the contribution of major industry partners such as Amadori, Veronafiere, the Accelerate for Impact Platform of CGIAR, Joule – Eni’s school for enterprise, Revo Insurance, Enologica Vason, NOI Techpark, Fondazione Bruno Kessler and its scientific partner, the University of Verona.