Call for Applications: Sustainable Food Solutions Challenge 2025

Focus Areas

• Sustainable Food & Feed Solutions
  • Disruptive proteins/fats/Ingredients
  • Human health & nutrition
  • Animal feed and pet health & nutrition
  • Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG)
• AgTech
  • Regenerative agriculture
  • Precision farming
• Sustainable Supply Chain & Manufacturing
  • Supply Chain optimization
  • Decarburization of Manufacturing
  • Circular economy
  • Traceability/food safety/preservation technologies.
• Sustainable Packaging & Materials
  • Bio-based Chemicals
  • New materials and molecules
  • Sustainable Materials.
• Side-streams valorization
  • Side-streams: wheat, soy, corn, potato, etc. For a detailed list of areas please see application form.
  • Upcycled to the ag-tech & food industry, packaging, construction, personal care, and perfumery.

Benefits

• This Challenge allows them to work together, create a joint pitch, and scale up innovative solutions, faster than they could alone.
  • All startups participating in the Challenge will get:
    • A direct pathway to multi-national corporations: If shortlisted by the partners, Mass Challenge will introduce you to representatives of the partners, including senior R&D, open innovation managers, sustainability executives, and business unit heads. You will talk to the right stakeholders in these organizations, you will have their full attention from the start, and will explore ways to collaborate with them.
    • The ability to scale your technology with them: After the initial meeting they foresee a detailed sharing of information, most likely covered by a Non-Disclosure Agreement, and then the creation of a joint pilot to evaluate the scaling potential of the product. Startups could then become suppliers to the corporation, partners in some form of venture, or receive investment. Every step is totally at the corporation and startup’s discretion, and there is no obligation to proceed unless the startup and corporation wish.
    • Publicity and more connections: each corporate partner will invite one of the startups that they shortlisted to the flagship event, the MassChallenge Sustainable Food Solutions Challenge Day, in May 2025. There, the startup combined with their corporate partner will present their joint solution on how to feed the planet sustainably to all of the corporate partners, resulting in more connections and the potential to work with other corporates. This event will be subject to press releases from MassChallenge and some of the corporate partners, providing visibility to the startups. Selected startups will receive 1,000CHF to contribute towards travel to the event.

Eligibility Criteria

• They are looking for startups and scaleups that:
  • Have a product or idea: at the prototype stage or with a working proof of concept backed by data (ie Technical Readiness Level 5, where the technology has been validated in a relevant environment).
  • Are a strategic fit with the partners: In the application form, startups can note which specific partner(s) are a strategic fit for their solution. When discussing with a partner what’s important is an openness to collaborate and scale your idea.
  • Are from seed to series C+: What’s important is that your product is at least at the prototype stage or with a working proof of concept backed by data. You may already have some sales & traction. This enables you to validate that there is a need for your product and that you’re ready to work with the corporate partners. The next step is to work with the corporate partner to scale your technology.
  • Have Impactful, Viable, and Scalable ideas:
    • Impactful: to massively benefit society by extracting value whilst reducing the CO2 footprint and emissions of the entire food value chain;
    • Viable: be able to demonstrate traction amongst consumers; manufacturers, and their supply base (including farmers);
    • Scalable: be able to scale at the agricultural, manufacture, distribution, or disposal stage of food production.
  • Are from any geography: However, note that the partner corporations are headquartered in Europe, so physical collaboration would be mostly in Europe. Startups should ensure they are able to travel to Europe for discussions. The selection process will be carried out online.

For more information, visit MassChallenge.