Transform your agrifood innovation into an investment-ready venture
More time to apply: applications extended to 2 September 2026.
Due to increased interest in the programme, and to give prospective applicants additional time to complete their applications, the deadline has been extended to Wednesday, 2 September 2026 at 23:59.
Ground2Scale+ is an EIT Food-labelled entrepreneurship programme delivered under the EIT Food Challenge Labs framework that supports early-stage agrifood innovators as they validate, develop and prepare their ventures for investment and growth.
Whether you have an early-stage agrifood idea, are developing a sustainable food product, commercialising research or building a breakthrough agritech solution, the programme will help you turn your concept into a credible, market-ready venture.
Delivered by SocialTech Lab in its role as EIT Food Country Representative Cyprus, member of the EIT Community Hub Cyprus, the programme is designed for entrepreneurs, researchers, startups, SMEs and multidisciplinary teams developing solutions for the future of food.
Across eight weeks, participants will move from initial validation and business-model development to personalised mentoring, investment preparation and a final Demo Day.
Participants who successfully complete the programme will receive an official EIT Food-labelled certificate recognising the entrepreneurial knowledge, skills and competencies developed throughout the programme.
Programme at a Glance
Programme name
EIT Food Challenge Lab: Ground2Scale+
Programme period
12 September–early November 2026
Duration
Eight weeks
General agenda
Week 1: Challenge Lab Day
A one-day, in-person bootcamp focused on food-systems thinking, customer discovery, market validation, venture strategy, value-proposition development and business-model fundamentals.
Weeks 2–7: Online masterclasses, mentoring and venture development
Participants will take part in:
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Two expert-led online masterclasses
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A minimum of eight dedicated one-to-one mentoring hours
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Independent customer, market and venture-validation work
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Business-model, go-to-market and pitch development
The online masterclasses will focus on areas such as investment and funding readiness, commercialisation and scaling beyond Cyprus.
Week 8: Demo Day and awards
Participants present their ventures and progress to investors, industry representatives, researchers, mentors and ecosystem stakeholders.
Applications close
Wednesday, 2 September 2026 at 23:59
Programme begins / Challenge Lab Day
Saturday, 12 September 2026
Demo Day
Expected to take place in early November 2026. The exact date will be confirmed with selected participants.
Location
Nicosia, Cyprus —exact venue to be confirmed.
Language
English
Participation fee
Free
Participants
A minimum of 10 teams or individual innovators will be selected.
Prizes
First place
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€1,000 cash sub-grant
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Automatic entry into SocialTech Lab’s 2027 Venture Builder under the agrifood theme, offering a chance at additional expert training and more sub grants
Second place
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€1,000 cash sub-grant
Certification
Official EIT Food-labelled certificate upon successful completion of the programme.
Is the programme for you?
We are looking for ambitious innovators developing solutions for the future of food.
You are encouraged to apply if you are:
✔ Turning an early-stage agrifood idea into a venture or building an early-stage agrifood startup
✔ Developing an innovative food, agriculture, biotechnology or agritech solution
✔ Commercialising academic or scientific research
✔ Part of a university or research spin-off
✔ An entrepreneur tackling an agrifood challenge
✔ An SME developing a new agrifood product, service or technology
✔ Part of a multidisciplinary team creating solutions for the food system
✔ Validating an idea with strong environmental, economic or social potential
Why join EIT Food Challenge Lab: Ground2Scale+?
This is more than a training programme.
Ground2Scale+ combines practical learning, expert guidance, personalised mentoring, networking, and access to the EIT Food ecosystem to help participants build stronger and more investment-ready ventures.
Validate your innovation
Understand your target customers, test your assumptions and gather evidence that your solution addresses a genuine market or societal need.
01
Build a stronger venture
Develop a sustainable business model, refine your value proposition and strengthen your commercial and go-to-market strategy.
02
Learn from experts and receive personalised support
Work with experienced entrepreneurs, investors, mentors and agrifood professionals, and benefit from tailored guidance focused on your venture’s needs, challenges and stage of development.
03
Become investment ready
Strengthen your business case, develop your financial and growth narrative, refine your pitch and prepare for future funding opportunities.
04
Access prizes and further opportunities
Compete for cash sub-grants and the opportunity to continue developing your venture through SocialTech Lab’s 2027 Venture Builder.
05
Join Europe’s agrifood innovation ecosystem
Connect with researchers, startups, industry professionals, investors and ecosystem partners through EIT Food’s European network.
06
What you will leave with
By the end of the programme, you will leave with:
✓ A validated and more compelling value proposition
✓ Stronger evidence of customer and market demand
✓ A strengthened business model
✓ A focused go-to-market strategy
✓ A practical venture-development roadmap
✓ A clearer understanding of your funding needs
✓ An investment-ready pitch deck
✓ An official EIT Food-labelled certificate upon successful completion
Your Ground2Scale+ journey
The programme is structured as a connected venture-development journey, with each stage building on the progress made during the previous one.
Step 1: Challenge Lab Day
Saturday, 12 September 2026
Kick-start the programme through an intensive, in-person Challenge Lab Day designed to help you assess your innovation, validate its relevance and establish a strong foundation for development.
Working alongside experienced facilitators and fellow innovators, you will explore:
- Food-systems thinking
- Problem definition
- Customer discovery
- Market validation
- Venture strategy
- Product–Market–System Fit
- Value-proposition development
- Business-model fundamentals
- Pitch fundamentals
By the end of the day, you will have identified your most important assumptions, development priorities and next validation steps.
Step 2: Expert-led masterclasses and personalised mentoring
Continue developing your venture through two practical online masterclasses and tailored one-to-one mentoring.
The masterclasses will be delivered by experienced founders, investors and ecosystem leaders and may cover:
- Investment and funding readiness
- Commercialisation strategies
- Financial planning
- Intellectual property and innovation protection
- Scaling beyond Cyprus
- International market opportunities
- Founder experiences and lessons learned
- Building partnerships within the agrifood ecosystem
Alongside the masterclasses, each participating team or individual will receive a minimum of eight dedicated mentoring hours from experienced mentors and the SocialTech Lab team.
Your mentoring journey will be tailored to your venture’s needs and may focus on:
- Validating your business model
- Defining your target customer
- Strengthening your value proposition
- Refining your go-to-market strategy
- Developing commercialisation pathways
- Improving customer and market insights
- Assessing financial and funding needs
- Strengthening investment readiness
- Preparing your pitch and supporting materials
This stage will allow you to apply what you learn, test assumptions, receive feedback and make measurable progress before Demo Day.
Step 4: Demo Day and awards
The programme concludes with a final Demo Day and awards ceremony.
Participants will present their ventures and progress to an audience of investors, industry representatives, researchers, mentors and ecosystem stakeholders.
Demo Day will give you the opportunity to:
- Showcase your progress
- Present your venture and impact potential
- Demonstrate evidence of validation
- Receive expert feedback
- Develop new partnerships
- Expand your professional network
The two highest-performing teams will each receive a €1,000 cash sub-grant.
The first-place team will also gain automatic entry into SocialTech Lab’s 2027 Venture Builder under the agrifood theme, providing further training and potential funding opportunities.
Demo Day is expected to take place in early November 2026. The exact date will be announced to selected participants.
Selection criteria
Applications will be assessed by the programme team using the following criteria.
1.Relevance to the agrifood sector
The proposed solution must address a challenge or opportunity within food, agriculture, biotechnology, agritech or the wider food system.
2.Innovation potential
Applicants should demonstrate how their product, service, technology, research or business model offers a new or meaningfully improved approach.
3.Problem and market understanding
Applicants should show a clear understanding of the problem they are addressing, who experiences it and why solving it matters.
4.Impact potential
The proposed solution should have the potential to generate measurable environmental, economic or social value.
5.Feasibility
Applicants should demonstrate that the idea can be developed, validated or commercialised with appropriate resources, partnerships and expertise.
6.Team capability
Applications will be assessed according to the experience, commitment and complementary capabilities of the applicant or team.
Team applications are preferred, but individual innovators with strong expertise, commitment and development potential are welcome to apply.
7.Growth and commercialisation potential
Applicants should demonstrate ambition to develop a sustainable venture, commercialise their innovation or scale their solution beyond its current stage.
8.Programme readiness
Applicants must be available to participate actively in:
- The Challenge Lab Day
- Expert-led masterclasses
- Personalised mentoring sessions
- The final Demo Day
9.Commitment to learning
Applicants should demonstrate openness to feedback, experimentation, customer discovery and the ongoing development of their venture.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is EIT Food Challenge Lab: Ground2Scale+?
EIT Food Challenge Lab: Ground2Scale+ is an EIT Food-labelled eight-week entrepreneurship programme delivered under the EIT Food Challenge Labs framework. It helps early-stage agrifood innovators validate their ideas, strengthen their ventures and improve their investment readiness.
How long is the programme, and what does it include?
The programme runs for eight weeks, beginning with the Challenge Lab Day on Saturday, 12 September 2026 and concluding with a final Demo Day expected to take place in early November 2026.
It includes:
- An intensive, in-person Challenge Lab Day
- Expert-led masterclasses
- A minimum of eight dedicated mentoring hours
- Independent venture-development and validation work
- Pitch preparation
- A final Demo Day and awards ceremony
Is participation free?
Yes. Participation is free for all selected teams and individual applicants.
Who can apply?
Applications are open to entrepreneurs, founders, researchers, research spin-offs, startups, SMEs, innovators and multidisciplinary teams developing innovative agrifood solutions.
Can individuals apply, or do I need a team?
Both teams and individuals are welcome to apply.
Team applications are preferred because complementary skills and experience can strengthen a venture’s ability to develop and commercialise its innovation. However, individual applicants with a strong idea, relevant expertise and the commitment to participate fully are encouraged to apply.
How many applicants will be selected?
A minimum of 10 teams or individual innovators will be selected.
Do I need to have a registered company?
No. You may apply even if you have not yet registered a company, are still validating your idea or are working to commercialise research.
What stage should my innovation be at?
The programme is designed primarily for early-stage innovations and ventures.
You may apply if you are:
- Developing an initial concept
- Validating a solution
- Commercialising research
- Testing a business model
- Preparing your venture for its next stage of growth
Is there an age limit?
No. There is no age limit for applicants.
Applications will be assessed based on the quality and relevance of the agrifood innovation, the applicant’s or team’s capabilities and their commitment to participating fully in the programme.
Where will the programme take place?
The in-person elements of the programme will take place in Nicosia, Cyprus.
The venue is to be confirmed and will be communicated to selected participants before the Challenge Lab Day.
Is mentoring included?
Yes. Every selected team or individual will receive a minimum of eight dedicated mentoring hours.
Mentoring will be tailored to the venture’s needs and may cover customer validation, business modelling, commercialisation, go-to-market strategy, financial planning, investment readiness and pitch preparation.
Do I need to attend every stage?
Selected participants are expected to take an active part in the Challenge Lab Day, masterclasses, mentoring sessions and final Demo Day.
Participants will also be expected to apply what they learn and continue developing their ventures between scheduled sessions.
Full participation is required to successfully complete the programme and receive the official EIT Food-labelled certificate.
Will I pitch my venture?
Yes. All participating teams and individuals will present their ventures during the final Demo Day.
Participants will pitch to an audience that may include investors, industry representatives, researchers, mentors and ecosystem stakeholders.
Are there prizes?
Yes. The two highest-performing teams will each receive a €1,000 cash sub-grant.
The first-place team will also receive automatic entry into SocialTech Lab’s 2027 Venture Builder under the agrifood theme, providing further training and potential funding opportunities.
How will the winners be selected?
Winners will be assessed based on their overall progress during the programme and their final Demo Day presentation.
Criteria may include:
- Innovation
- Problem–solution fit
- Customer validation
- Commercial feasibility
- Impact potential
- Scalability
- Team capability
- Progress achieved during the programme
- Pitch quality
Will I receive a certificate?
Yes. Participants who successfully complete the programme will receive an official EIT Food-labelled certificate, recognising the knowledge, skills and entrepreneurial competencies developed through this programme delivered under the EIT Food Challenge Labs framework.
What happens after I apply?
Applications will be reviewed against the published selection criteria.
Shortlisted applicants may be contacted if additional information is required. Successful applicants will receive confirmation of their place, the programme schedule, participation requirements and details of the next steps.
Yes. Participants who successfully complete the programme will receive an official EIT Food-labelled certificate, recognising the knowledge, skills and entrepreneurial competencies developed through this programme delivered under the accredited EIT Food Challenge Labs framework.
Ready to scale your agrifood innovation?
EIT Food Challenge Lab: Ground2Scale+ gives you the expert support, mentoring and ecosystem connections needed to move your agrifood innovation forward.
A minimum of 10 teams or individual innovators will be selected.
Following strong interest in the programme, the application deadline has been extended to give prospective applicants additional time to complete their applications.
Applications now close at 23:59 on Wednesday, 2 September 2026.
If you have not applied already, submit your application today.
Delivered by SocialTech Lab
EIT Food Challenge Lab: Ground2Scale+ is delivered by SocialTech Lab in its role as EIT Food Country Representative Cyprus.
SocialTech Lab strengthens Cyprus’ agrifood innovation ecosystem by connecting entrepreneurs, researchers, startups, SMEs and ecosystem partners with EIT Food’s European network.
Through capacity building, mentoring and collaborative innovation programmes, SocialTech Lab supports the development of scalable agrifood ventures and helps accelerate innovation across the food system.
About EIT Food
EIT Food is growing Europe’s food innovation ecosystem to build a healthy, sustainable and resilient food system. We empower innovators and entrepreneurs, invest in ideas and talent, and we create space for science, research, industry, and policymakers to accelerate systemic change across the food sector. Supported by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), a body of the European Union, EIT Food has been at the forefront of food system innovation in Europe since 2016.
