VALIDATE
Validate your breakthrough business idea in FoodTech
Want to make your FoodTech innovation come to life?
Join FoodTech Bootcamp to take the next step in advancing your FoodTech idea. With the support of SmiLe Venture Hub and Genopole – leading life science and research hubs in Europe – we provide you with the essential knowledge, skills, and industry connections needed to transform a breakthrough FoodTech idea into a successful and scalable business. Apply for our free hybrid business training program designed specifically for aspiring FoodTech entrepreneurs and innovators. The program runs over 12 weeks, 10 weeks online and 2 weeks on-site. The first introduction week will be on-site in Sweden and the final demo-week will be on-site in France.
Application deadline: Oct 6 2024
This is what you get
With a dynamic mix of live and prerecorded lectures, delivered in both group and one-on-one settings, here is what you will get:
- guidance from a personal mentor and pitch coach
- opportunities to participate in interactive expert Q&A sessions and panel discussions
- opportunities to network and interact with peers and partner experts
- an on-site visit to two life science hotspots: SmiLe in Sweden and Genopole in France
DEVELOP
Develop knowledge and entrepreneurial skills
CONNECT
Connect with business mentors, life science experts, industry professionals and fellow FoodTech innovators
ACCESS
Access a large international network of industry partners
Are you the innovator we’re looking for?
We invite applications from researchers, PhD students, MSc graduates, life science professionals, early-stage entrepreneurs, company founders, start-up CEOs – anyone with a passion for innovation! This program is tailored to support startups and innovators working on groundbreaking FoodTech ideas in Food Processing Technology, Food Safety, Food Nutrition, and Food Waste Management. Don’t miss this opportunity—only ten teams will be selected for the program. Give it your best shot!
Food Processing Technology
Food processing technology transforms raw ingredients into safe, tasty, and convenient food products using advanced techniques. It includes methods like pasteurization, fermentation, packaging, enhancing shelf life, flavor, and nutritional value. This technology ensures high-quality, innovative food solutions for consumers.
Food
Safety
Food safety ensures the production of safe, contamination-free food through advanced methods like sanitation, testing, and traceability. It includes innovations that detect pathogens, monitor hygiene, and maintain quality, safeguarding consumer health and compliance with safety standards.
Food
Nutrition
Food nutrition enhances food’s nutritional value through advanced methods like fortification, bioengineering, and personalized nutrition. It focuses on creating healthier, nutrient-rich products that meet dietary needs and improve overall well-being.
Food Waste Management
Food waste management optimizes the reduction, recycling, and reuse of food waste through innovative methods. It includes composting, anaerobic digestion, and waste-to-energy processes, aiming to minimize environmental impact and promote sustainability. This technology turns waste into valuable resources, contributing to a sustainable future.
Accelerate your journey to becoming a FoodTech entrepreneur
Your FoodTech startup journey starts here
Get access to the partners vast network
SmiLe is a leading venture hub that specializes in advancing life science startups from concept to commercialization. We offer comprehensive support through every stage of entrepreneurship, including tailored incubation and acceleration programs, a variety of educational courses, and access to top-tier lab facilities. To date, our flagship incubator program has supported over 100 startups, facilitating their collective acquisition of more than EUR 841 million in venture capital and contributing to 21 successful IPOs. Recognized as one of Europe’s leading startup hubs in 2024 by the Financial Times and Statista, SmiLe continues to be a catalyst for innovation in the life sciences sector.
Genopole is a French biocluster dedicated to research in genetics and biotechnologies in healthcare and the environment. It unites 66 biotech companies, 17 research laboratories and 24 technical platforms, as well as a range of tertiary-level training programs with the University of Évry-Paris Saclay. Genopole’s objectives are to support biotech companies and the transfer of technologies to the industrial sector, favor the development of life sciences research, and promote advanced training programs for those domains. Genopole is headed by Gilles Trystram and supported mainly by the French State, the Île-de-France Administrative Region, the Grand Paris Sud Urban Area and the AFM-Téléthon.
ANY QUESTIONS?
Barbara Klein
Project Manager, SmiLe
barbara@smileincubator.life
Applicants from France can also reach out to Olivier
Olivier Tomat
Executive Director, Entrepreneurship and Acceleration, Genopole
olivier-tomat@genopole.fr
APPLY TO FOODTECH BOOTCAMP 2024
Frequently Asked Questions
Application
Who is eligible to apply?
An entrepreneur, a scientist, a professional, a founder, or a CEO committed to attend the full 12 weeks of the program, with an innovative business idea in FoodTech. We encourage more than one team member to participate
Do I need to have a registered company to apply?
No
I don’t fully understand the application questions. What should I do?
Please contact Barbara Klein at barbara@smileincubator.life
I have submitted my application. What happens now?
You should have received a confirmation e-mail (if not, please check your spam inbox and contact barbara@smileincubator.life if necessary). Once we have reviewed all of the applications you will receive an e-mail with our decision
Can my application be written in Swedish or French?
No. The program is all run in English, therefore applications need to be written in English too
Program
Is the full program online?
No. We will run 10 weeks online and 2 weeks on-site. The first week will be on-site in Sweden and the final week will be on-site in France. Note, travel costs will not be covered by the program
What does the program consist of?
The program is scheduled to run one day per week. This day includes a mix of live and recorded sessions, expert Q&As, personalized 1:1 coaching, and skills training. There are also networking events where you get to interact and connect with key people in our community. The program will run 10 weeks online and 2 on-site. The first week will be in Sweden and the final week will be on-site in France. Note, it is mandatory to participate in the on-site weeks. However, a maximum of two participants from each company. Please also note that the travel costs will not be covered by the program
What makes this program unique?
This program is a unique collaboration between SmiLe Venture Hub and Genopole, where two leading startup and research hubs give access to their expertise for free. Including not only experts from our networks but industry experts in an online-onsite setting.
We are two or more in the team. Can we all participate?
Yes, you can all participate. To be able to grow as a team we recommend that more than one team member attends the program. However, there needs to be one person per team that is fully committed to the program and responsible for the communication with the organizers
I can’t attend all of the sessions. Can another team member participate?
Yes, with the exception of the pitch training
Will I receive a certificate?
Yes
If I join, will I have to complete the full program?
Yes. If you apply and are accepted into the program, you are required to complete it. There is a dropout fee of 500 Euros.
Disclaimer:
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.
