Nexture opens 2026 Generate call to fast-track ingredient startups

Nexture has opened applications for the 2026 edition of Generate, its startup innovation hub, as the food ingredients group looks to deepen ties with early-stage companies working on next-generation ingredients.

• Nexture launched the 2026 Open Call for its Generate innovation hub, inviting food-tech and ingredient-tech startups to apply between March 16 and May 4.

• The 12-18 month program provides selected startups with access to R&D facilities, application testing and commercial support across Nexture’s global ingredient ecosystem.

• The call focused on five areas: bakery innovation, oils and texturization, alternative carbohydrates and proteins, nutrition solutions, and future-proofing ingredients including cocoa replacements and natural preservatives.

The new Open Call for Startups launched on March 16 and will accept applications through May 4, with the program aimed at companies developing technologies across bakery, oils and texturization, alternative carbohydrates and proteins, nutrition solutions, and ingredients designed to strengthen supply resilience and clean-label performance.

Generate is positioned as Nexture’s open innovation platform, built to connect startups with the group’s research, application and commercial capabilities. The company said the initiative is intended to help move promising ingredient technologies from concept stage toward industrial validation and market launch.

The hub offers tailored programs lasting between 12 and 18 months, giving participating startups access to R&D facilities, application testing and commercial support. Nexture said the model is designed to validate proof-of-concept work and support industrial scale-up through its broader ecosystem, which includes CSM Ingredients, HIFOOD, Frulact, Vitalfood by Italcanditi, Comprital and Prodotti Rubicone.

“Through Generate, we aim to identify and partner with the most promising ingredient innovators tackling the key challenges of our industry,” said Emanuele Pizzigalli, chief innovation officer at Nexture. “The 2026 Open Call reflects the strategic areas where we see the strongest need for transformation – from healthier formulations and advanced functionality to resilient supply chains and sustainable fat solutions. We are looking for bold, science-driven startups ready to scale their impact together with us.”

The scouting and evaluation process will again be carried out with URIKA Partners, a firm focused on innovation strategy, venture building, strategic investments and technology collaboration, particularly in the agri-food and climate sectors.

This year’s call is built around five technology areas that Nexture says reflect its current innovation priorities.

In bakery, the company is seeking ingredients and enabling technologies that could improve performance and quality in baked goods. That includes freshness and softness enzymes, along with new gluten-related technologies that can enhance texture, structure and nutritional profiles.

In oils and texturization, the focus is on alternatives to palm oil, laminated fats and lipid structuring technologies that can match functionality, stability and mouthfeel while improving sustainability credentials and supply resilience. The search reflects a wider push across food manufacturing to reduce reliance on ingredients exposed to sourcing volatility and environmental scrutiny, without sacrificing performance in finished products.

Alternative carbohydrates and proteins form the third pillar of the 2026 call. Here, Nexture is looking for fiber enrichment solutions, proteins with high digestibility and sugar reduction technologies. It is also targeting cost-effective bulking agents and functional proteins and fibers that can perform in emulsifying, gelling and advanced texturizing applications, areas that remain central to reformulation efforts across categories ranging from bakery to dairy alternatives and snacks.

The nutrition category is centered on ingredients backed by scientific evidence. Nexture said it is interested in solutions tied to metabolic health, including GLP-1 boosting and low glycemic index approaches, as well as microbiome-focused ingredients and healthy aging solutions supported by robust data. That emphasis suggests the group is looking beyond simple fortification and toward ingredients able to tap into fast-growing health platforms with stronger scientific substantiation.

The fifth area, future-proofing, casts a wider net over ingredients intended to help manufacturers respond to cost pressures, formulation challenges and label demands. This includes cocoa replacements and natural preservative systems, including bioactive peptides and alternatives to potassium sorbate, with the goal of improving product stability while aligning with clean-label expectations.

Nexture said the 2026 intake will join a growing network of companies already linked to the Generate platform. Since launch, the hub has built a pipeline of startups including Green-On, Kokomodo, YEAP, PoLoPo, Ingrediome and ImaginDairy.

The program sits within a broader group structure that has brought together several ingredient businesses under the Nexture name. The Milan-headquartered holding company combines CSM Ingredients Group, Italcanditi Group and Frulact, and describes itself as a global integrated player in high-quality food ingredients and value-added solutions.

As of March 11, 2026, the company said it operated in more than 120 countries, with 24 production plants, 20 innovation centers and more than 2,700 employees. Its portfolio spans brands including CSM Ingredients, HIFOOD, Frulact, Vitalfood by Italcanditi, Comprital and Prodotti Rubicone.

Generate, meanwhile, is meant to serve as the open-innovation front end of that network, giving startups access to industrial infrastructure that can be hard to reach independently. For young ingredient companies, one of the biggest barriers to growth often lies in proving a technology can move from lab-scale promise to manufacturing reality while still meeting customer expectations on cost, performance and formulation compatibility. Nexture’s pitch is that its platform can help close that gap.

Applications for the 2026 Generate program are now open at a time when food manufacturers are under pressure to reformulate for health, sustainability, cost and resilience all at once. By focusing its call on a narrow set of ingredient challenges, Nexture is signaling where it believes the next wave of commercially relevant food-tech innovation is likely to emerge.