Calling all ambitious, innovative health and nutrition startups: entries for the Vitafoods Europe Startup Challenge are now open. Apply now!
The Vitafoods Europe Startup Challenge is back for 2025!
Offering health, wellbeing, and nutraceutical startups a unique opportunity to develop their innovative projects through a specialised support programme, the Challenge is open to relevant companies that have been active for seven years or under.
Winning startups can choose from a range of prizes curated by the organisers and expert judges.
Startups will pitch their product or service before a panel of expert judges behind closed doors on 19 May, and on stage in front of the audience at Vitafoods Europe, held in Barcelona from 20 to 22 May, giving all finalists unparalleled exposure and networking opportunities with key nutraceutical industry stakeholders.
The judges are looking for entrepreneurs making ground-breaking finished products and ingredients for nutraceuticals, supplements, or functional food and beverages, as well as those with a focus on innovative technologies, services, and digital solutions that support the health and wellbeing industry.
Entries are open until 2 March. To apply for free, click here.
Startups can apply to one or more of the categories below.
1. Most Innovative Finished Nutraceutical Product
This category covers finished nutraceutical products offering innovation in ingredient composition, consumer focus, or delivery format.
2. Most Innovative Nutraceutical Ingredient
This category covers innovative ingredients for nutraceuticals, supplements, or functional food and beverages that can offer scientific substantiation of their efficacy.
3. Most Innovative Service, Technology, or Digital Solution Supporting the Nutraceutical Industry
This category covers innovations that support improvements in ingredients sourcing and production, food safety and quality, traceability, transparency, smart packaging, supply chain management, personalisation services, and/or digital and AI solutions supporting the nutraceutical industry.
In addition, one of the finalists will receive a special jury’s choice prize for the Most Innovative Sustainable Solution, an award that considers the startup’s overall sustainability efforts.
Taking part in the Vitafoods Europe Startup Challenge offers unique exposure and the opportunity to make invaluable industry connections from experts at Europe’s leading nutraceutical trade show.
Participating startups stand to gain free access to Vitafoods Europe 2025 in Barcelona, giving them essential exposure to some of the biggest stakeholders in the global nutraceutical industry.
Startups can also benefit from free stage time to pitch their innovations to attendees of Vitafoods Europe.
The Vitafoods Europe Startup Challenge is organised by Informa, the company behind the Food Ingredients Startup Challenge, which has been propelling food ingredient startups to success since 2016 – as previous participants can testify.
Adi Yehezkeli, CEO and co-founder of Fabumin and 2024 Food Ingredients Startup Challenge winner, said: “Everybody is here – all the stakeholders, manufacturers, and creators. I'm getting such great attention and traction here because I met so many people that we can do business with. And this is what Fi Europe is for me: oceans of opportunities.”
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Vitafoods Startup Challenge
