The Global Foodtech Accelerator program, launched by the Basque Culinary Center’s entrepreneurship initiative Culinary Action! and Impact Hub Madrid, is on the hunt across Europe for entrepreneurship projects engaged in Gastronomy 360º so as to promote innovation in the industry and new business models in fields such as health, digitization, sustainability, and sensoriality.

 

The goal is to strengthen gastronomy start-ups based in Europe by qualitatively improving their resilience and coherence, and preparing them for their future investment process. This effectively cultivates entrepreneurship and startups in the gastronomy industry and creates value for the food market as a whole. Impact Hub Berlin and Impact Hub Amsterdam are also lending their support to spread the word and facilitate the program’s rollout across Europe.

 

Startups or entrepreneurs who wish to apply must submit their applications by March 28th 2022. Applicants may be involved in any gastronomy sector and of any size. However, they must be in the Series A stage with a validated minimum viable product or proof of concept.  In addition, proposals must focus on the Gastronomy 360º ecosystem and develop technologies that promote the future of gastronomy and include a dedicated multidisciplinary team and an incorporated company, as well as market parameters and validation with real customers.

 

The acceleration program

 

12 applicants will be selected and announced on April 8th. These candidates will have the opportunity to attend a two-day in-person bootcamp in Madrid, Amsterdam, or Berlin.  The dates for the different bootcamps are as follows: Berlin, May 5th and 6th; Amsterdam, May 16th and 17th, and Madrid, May 26th and 27th. A variety of players from the entrepreneur ecosystem and the gastronomy and technology industries will come together to collaborate in these events. The expert guests will join the candidates in a range of dynamic activities to enhance their business models.

In addition, candidates will have access to the advanced plan of the digital platform GOe Community: the first Gastronomy 360º digital community. Candidates will also be invited to a one-month residency at the startup incubator LABe – Digital Gastronomy Lab, an open innovation gastronomic laboratory located in Donostia-San Sebastián. And, depending on where candidates participate, they will enjoy additional benefits. For example, in Madrid: a six-month membership to Connect Digital or a "Flex" membership to one of Impact Hub’s coworking Madrid locations; in Amsterdam, a three-month membership to Connect Digital with Impact Hub Amsterdam; and in Berlin, a one-month Connect Digital membership with Impact Hub Berlin.

 

Day two of bootcamp will be pitch day for candidates. One project will be selected as the winner in each city.

 

For the final stage, to be held July 6th to 8th 2022, the winners from the three different cities will be invited to Basque Culinary Center in Donostia-San Sebastián, where they will engage in various networking activities, hold consulting sessions with experts, and make contact with potential investors. These candidates will also enjoy an additional benefit of 20 hours access to BCC Innovation, the Gastronomy Technology Center of Basque Culinary Center.  The finale will be a final pitch day among the three city winners, during which a single project will be chosen as the grand winner.

 

The winning project will receive an additional 20 hours of access to BCC Innovation; along with access to a network of world-class corporate partners, R&D centers, mentors and investors; investment opportunities from the “Family, Food & Friends investment club; publicity from Basque Culinary Center; access to the largest source of international talent in ​​gastronomic sciences thanks to the BCC Faculty of Gastronomic Sciences. The winner will also receive support integrating into the BCC’s surrounding ecosystem: a region steeped in tradition, experience, and excellence in gastronomy; it is home to 23 Michelin-starred restaurants and five of the world's 50 best restaurants.

 

 

Interested entrepreneurs should complete the application form at https://globalfoodtechaccelerator.com or email tangram.aceleradora@impacthub.net for more information.