Eatable Adventures launches NOVO accelerator to bring AI, biotech and robotics into agrifood

Eatable Adventures has launched NOVO Agrifoodtech, a new international accelerator designed to help deeptech startups apply technologies developed outside the food sector to agriculture and food production.

Backed by the Provincial Council of Bizkaia and developed in collaboration with the Basque technology center AZTI, the equity-free program will select 10 international startups for a 12-week hybrid accelerator based in Bilbao.

• Eatable Adventures launched NOVO Agrifoodtech to support deeptech startups adapting technologies from other industries for food and agriculture.
• The 12-week equity-free accelerator will select 10 international startups with proof-of-concept technologies targeting the European market.
• The program focuses on AI, biotechnology, robotics, advanced materials and quantum computing, with support from Bizkaia and AZTI.

Unlike traditional food-focused accelerators, NOVO is targeting companies developing technologies in sectors including healthcare, aerospace, defense, advanced manufacturing and finance that could address challenges across the agrifood value chain.

The initiative comes as investment in science-based food innovation continues to grow. According to AgFunder's Global AgriFoodTech Investment Report 2026, global agrifoodtech funding remained broadly stable at US$16.2 billion in 2025, while deeptech accounted for 32% of total investment, up from 22% a decade earlier. The report also found that seed-stage deeptech startups secured funding rounds at a 78% premium compared with non-deeptech companies.

"Deep technologies are transforming every industrial sector, and food should be no exception," said Mila Valcárcel, Managing Partner and co-founder of Eatable Adventures.

"Many of the most promising solutions for agriculture and food were originally developed elsewhere, and turning them into real businesses means testing them in real market conditions. That's exactly what NOVO is built for: our methodology, refined across more than 50 acceleration programs we've run worldwide, our global ecosystem of investors and corporates, and a genuine opportunity for founders to run pilots with leading industrial companies here in the Basque Country."

The program is aimed at startups whose technologies have already been validated at proof-of-concept stage and are seeking to expand into the European market.

Priority areas include artificial intelligence and data technologies for agrifood applications, biotechnology including precision fermentation and cultivated meat, robotics and industrial automation, advanced materials for food packaging and preservation, and advanced and quantum computing for applications such as molecular discovery and supply chain optimization.

Successful applicants will take part in a hybrid 12-week program that combines online mentoring with two in-person bootcamps in Bilbao. Participants will also receive technical validation support from AZTI, opportunities to develop pilot projects with agrifood companies in the Basque Country, access to Eatable Adventures' international investor network, and post-program support after completing the accelerator.

Eatable Adventures said NOVO is intended to give startups access to the Basque Country's research infrastructure, corporate partners and industrial capabilities, providing opportunities to test and scale emerging technologies in collaboration with established food companies.

Applications for the first cohort are open until September. Apply here

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