Seedbed Venture Catalyst

Seedbed Venture Catalyst is EIT Food's pre-seed venture-builder program for founders and early-stage teams in agrifood. It is built around catalytic funding and hands-on venture-building support, with the stated aim of helping teams overcome early blockers on the path to a company. The support is delivered through EIT Food rather than through a conventional standalone prize. The program works through seven specialist venture-builder partners: Carbon13, Enviu, FOOD FOUNDERS Studio, Fresh Ventures Studio, Ivoro Ventures, Kost Studio, and Zinc. The 2026 cycle accepts Expressions of Interest through companion calls for business co-founders and technical co-founders, with a June 1 deadline. The published materials do not name a fixed award amount, but they do make clear that the support is meant to cover early costs such as IP licensing, prototyping, and initial hires. This is the right route for founders who need more than money alone. The best fit is a team that can use venture-builder guidance to sharpen the concept, assemble the right co-founder mix, and push through the first practical barriers to launch. Agrifood is the core sector, and the program is most useful when the team is still early enough to benefit from structured builder support and partner networks.

Each grant below is a distinct funding opportunity with its own eligibility, scope, and deliverables.