EIC ePitching: Seven agritech innovators meet investors as Europe pushes food and agtech scaleups

Brussels, December 11th 2024

Summary

›Seven EIC-backed food and agritech companies pitched to a panel of more than 20 investors on 4 December 2024.
›The session produced over 30 one-on-one follow-ups and investor interest across technologies from microbiome feed additives to mycelium protein and satellite-enabled field mapping.
›Aviwell, an AI-driven microbiome platform for animal nutrition, was voted best pitch while Computomics took second place.
›The event is part of the EIC Investor Readiness and Outreach Programme within the EIC Business Acceleration Services that aims to prepare and connect EIC Accelerator innovators to investors.
›Investor responses were positive on deal flow quality but highlighted the usual scaling, regulatory and commercialisation risks that agritech deep tech faces.

EIC ePitching on Food and Agritech: what happened and why it matters

On 4 December 2024 seven companies from the European Innovation Council food and agritech portfolio presented investor pitches in an online ePitching session organised under the EIC Investor Readiness and Outreach Programme. The event drew more than 20 investors and generated over 30 one-on-one meetings and follow-ups between founders and potential backers. Presentations ranged across animal feed and aquaculture through precision agriculture, plant breeding, biologicals and alternative proteins. The session is a representative snapshot of where European agrifood tech innovation sits today: strong science and interesting technologies, matched with early market traction and familiar barriers on scale, regulation and commercial adoption.

The pitching cohort: technologies and claims

The seven presenting companies were all EIC Accelerator beneficiaries. Each combines deep domain knowledge with data or engineering to try to reshape parts of the food system. Investor feedback singled out the scientific depth and the quality of management teams, while also probing timelines to commercial validation, regulatory pathways and unit economics.

Company	Country	Technology / Focus	Notable claim or milestone
Aviwell	France	AI‑driven microbiome discovery platform (Aneto) for native bacterial consortia in animal feed	Voted best pitch; commercialising feed additives for poultry and aquaculture
Blue Planet Ecosystems	Austria	Vertically integrated, solar‑powered aquaculture systems with AI control	Self‑optimising RAS to produce seafood without exploiting oceans
Computomics	Germany	Machine learning to predict plant phenotypes for breeding	Second best pitch; integrates phenotyping, genotyping and environmental data
DigiFarm	Norway	Deep neural networks for field boundaries and satellite analytics	Claims world’s most accurate field boundaries at roughly 1% of cost of existing solutions
Lithos Crop Protect	Austria	Registration, distribution and commercialisation of natural plant protection and biostimulants; pheromone dispenser tech	Developed sprayable pheromone solution for maize rootworm protection
Millow	Sweden	Patented fermentation producing mycelium combined with local plants for meat alternatives	Claims low water use and energy, 95% lower CO2 vs other technologies; received EIC blended finance
Smart Farm Robotix	Bulgaria	Solar‑powered automated weeding robot using AI navigation and mechanical/non‑contact weeding	Targets herbicide replacement and labor reductions for organic and climate‑vulnerable farms

Company highlights and technical notes

Aviwell — microbiome engineering and Aneto

Aviwell presented Aneto, an AI and life‑sciences platform that identifies native bacterial consortia intended to improve animal growth, feed performance and resilience. The company traces its discovery roots to academic research on the gut microbiome and says it now targets scalable, nature‑based feed additives for poultry and aquaculture. Investors voted Aviwell the top pitch of the session and the company reported multiple follow‑ups and scheduled one‑on‑ones.

Regulatory and commercial considerations for microbiome feed additives:Microbiome‑based products for feed must navigate complex regulatory regimes across the EU and third countries. Approvals require safety and efficacy data and in many cases long field trials. Translating laboratory or rodent findings to livestock and scaled farm systems is not automatic. Investors looking at microbiome platforms typically prioritise reproducible field data, manufacturing consistency and IP around discovery and formulation.

Computomics — predictions for climate‑smart breeding

Computomics uses machine learning to predict plant physical characteristics and support breeding decisions under future climate scenarios. The company positions its models as an augmentation to classical statistical methods, offering breeders faster insight into crosses and performance where field testing cannot yet reproduce future conditions. Computomics was awarded the second best pitch at the event and said the session generated more investor interest than expected.

Why predictive breeding matters:Breeding cycles are long and expensive. ML approaches can speed candidate selection and reduce field trial counts by predicting phenotype from genotype, phenotype and environmental data. Key success factors include the quality of training datasets, the ability to generalise across geographies, and commercial integration with plant breeders’ workflows.

DigiFarm — high‑resolution field boundaries from satellites

DigiFarm claims a neural network that enhances Sentinel imagery spatial resolution from 10 meters to 1 meter per pixel and automatically detects field boundaries and seeded area with much higher accuracy than many existing services. Its product set covers crop classification, productivity zones, long time series of vegetation indices and compliance monitoring for payers and insurers.

The caveat on enhanced satellite resolution:Super‑resolution and synthetic high‑resolution products can reveal more spatial patterns but are dependent on robust validation against high‑quality ground truth. For regulatory or compliance use, providers must demonstrate consistent performance across seasons, sensors and environmental conditions. Integration, latency and cost are also determinants for adoption by paying agencies and insurers.

Blue Planet Ecosystems — solar powered aquaculture systems

The Austrian startup positions itself as delivering vertically integrated aquaculture systems that run on solar power and AI‑enabled control to produce seafood without ocean exploitation. The company emphasises pathogen‑free, land‑based production and reuse of energy.

Notes on land‑based aquaculture:Recirculating aquaculture systems can reduce pressure on wild stocks but require careful lifecycle analysis and energy management. Claims of low environmental impact depend on local electricity mixes, water use and system throughput. Investors focus on feed conversion ratios, capital intensity, operational costs and route to market for farmed species.

Millow — mycelium and oat fermentation for alternative protein

Millow presented a patented dry fermentation that combines mycelium with locally sourced oats to create a meat‑like ingredient. The company highlights nutrition and clean‑label benefits, low water use and a claimed 95 percent CO2 reduction versus unspecified alternatives. Millow has previously attracted EIC blended finance and is public about commissioning a factory designed to scale.

Scaling and claims on mycelium foods:Mycelium ingredients are gaining traction, but unit economics, supply of feedstock, food safety approvals and consumer acceptance are active business challenges. Production claims like water and emissions reductions should be interpreted with a transparent life‑cycle assessment. Investors will want to see consistent product quality, validated nutrition data and credible commercial agreements with foodservice or retail partners.

Smart Farm Robotix — autonomous weeding

Smart Farm Robotix showcased a solar‑powered robot that uses AI navigation and mechanical or non‑contact methods to remove weeds, aiming to replace herbicides and manual labour. The company positions the product for organic growers and climate‑vulnerable farmers.

On‑farm robotics realities:Field robots face hard engineering constraints: reliability across soil types, battery capacity, maintenance costs and operator training. Packaged economics versus conventional herbicide or tillage solutions will determine farm adoption. Proof of return on investment at scale and service models are decisive for farm managers and investors.

Lithos Crop Protect — natural plant protection and pheromones

Lithos works on registration, marketing and distribution of sustainable crop protection and biostimulant products built around natural zeolite and a lithos micro dispenser technology used for pheromone delivery. It highlighted a sprayable pheromone solution for maize rootworm as an innovation targeted at reducing chemical pesticides.

Regulatory push and IP expectations:Biologicals and pheromone‑based pest control can face faster acceptance in some markets but must still demonstrate consistent field efficacy and cost competitiveness. Intellectual property can cover formulations and delivery systems but open competition from low‑cost biological producers is rising.

Investor reactions and the EIC connection

Investors at the session praised the targeted deal flow and the quality of pitches. Wouter van de Putte from Capricorn emphasised the advantage of topic‑focused pitching for fund managers who are sector specific. Ute Theel from Matterwave Ventures highlighted the event organisation and geographic diversity as proof of a coherent European pipeline in agritech and food. Several investors noted Aviwell’s combination of AI and microbiome science as distinctive.

Which investors took part:The jury and investor attendees included representatives from Astanor, Blue Dome Capital, Capricorn Partners, Creas, Demeter, Eurazeo, Givaudan International SA, Inclimo Climate Tech Fund, Indaco Venture Partners, Matterwave Ventures, MVP Munich Venture Partners, Planet A, Progress Tech Transfer, Speedinvest, Telos Impact, G‑Force, Voima Ventures and World Fund among others.

Investors gave practical advice. Capricorn’s Wouter van de Putte emphasised strong management teams and technologies that are simple to scale and fit the value chain. This echoes a broader investor discipline that prizes predictable unit economics and clear paths to commercialization for agritech deep tech.

About the EIC Investor Readiness and Outreach Programme and BAS

EIC Business Acceleration Services (BAS):The event was run under the EIC Investor Readiness and Outreach Programme, one of the EIC Business Acceleration Services. The BAS portfolio includes coaching, matchmaking, procurement support, trade fair participation and targeted investor outreach intended to help EIC awardees commercialise and raise capital.

EIC Investor Readiness and Outreach Programme:The programme provides investor readiness activities such as pitch deck reviews, benchmarking and access to VC resources, plus outreach, tailored investor lists, matchmaking and investor days. Since 2021 EIC BAS initiatives report thousands of one‑to‑one meetings and hundreds of deals and introductions, though outcomes vary widely by sector and company stage.

Sceptical perspective: claims to watch and longer term risks

Events like this provide useful early introductions but do not by themselves de‑risk the hard problems these companies must solve. Typical challenges include regulatory approval times and costs for biologicals, capital intensity and energy sensitivity of land‑based aquaculture, the need for independently validated life‑cycle analyses for sustainability claims, and the operational robustness required for on‑farm robotics. Satellite super‑resolution and ML model generality both demand rigorous external validation. Investors will be watching for reproducible field data, credible manufacturing or deployment plans, and first commercial contracts that demonstrate willingness to pay.

What comes next and EIC pipeline

Organisers reported more than 30 follow‑ups and several scheduled one‑to‑one investor meetings after the pitch session. The EIC plans additional ePitchings and investor outreach in 2025 across topics including energy transition, industrial biotech and new materials, agritech and food, green mobility, AI, quantum and industry 4.0. For founders the immediate priorities are to convert interest into due diligence, produce third‑party validation data where relevant, and tighten commercial milestones for investor conversations.

Practical takeaways for founders and investors

Founders: be ready to show independent field validation, detailed regulatory roadmaps and scalable manufacturing or deployment economics. Investors: sector specificity and operational due diligence are essential to separate promising science from investable businesses. For policy and programme designers: continuing to connect high‑quality science to investors is valuable, but measurable success depends on follow‑through support that reduces regulatory, manufacturing and route‑to‑market risk.

Final note on claims and evidence:Many companies at this stage present promising lab or pilot results. Independent replication, transparent life‑cycle assessments and clear customer commitments are the strongest signals of commercial potential. Healthy scepticism and detailed technical scrutiny help investors and public programmes prioritise finite capital for the firms most likely to scale and deliver verified environmental or productivity benefits.

More information and how to follow upcoming EIC activities

The EIC Business Acceleration Services publish open calls and event information on the EIC Community Platform and through the EIC BAS newsletter. The Investor Readiness and Outreach Programme supports EIC Accelerator awardees with coaching and introductions and continues to schedule themed ePitchings in 2025.