From a global pool of 300+ qualified applicants, five start-ups were selected for their ability to combine impact, scalability and investability. Together, these five winners span regenerative agriculture, biotech, ingredient development, supply-chain transparency and food-sector finance:
Capsber Agriscience
California Cultured
Hailia Nordic
Edacious
XChangebox
Food system change won't come from one breakthrough. It will come from many solutions working together.
The winners will be presenting at Norrsken Impact/week in Barcelona Oct 14-15, unlocking further support and tailored network access from Norrsken and Katapult, as well as strategic coaching from Accenture.
See Media Assets and Press Release
winners 2026
ABOUT the Winners
CAPSBER AGRISCIENCE
Biological inputs in agriculture that reduce chemical use and restore soil health.
Capsber Agriscience is a Bengaluru-based agri-biotech company using microbes to make farming more regenerative. Its intel platform discovers soil-native, plant-symbiotic microbes that fix nitrogen, unlock bound nutrients, and strengthen plant immunity. Capsber produces them with their precision fermentation platform as crop-specific cocktails, biostimulants, and residue-free bio-protection products. These solutions can cut chemical inputs by up to 70% while restoring soil health, lowering costs, and building resilience to climate stress. Through its partnership with IFFCO, the world's largest fertiliser cooperative, Capsber reaches farmers via a network of over 35,000 outlets and is looking to expand to international markets.
www.capsber.ag
Follow on LinkedIn: @Capsber Agriscience
CALIFORNIA CULTURED
Real cocoa produced from plant cell cultures in low-cost bioreactors.
California Cultured is a California-based food technology company pioneering cultivated cocoa. Using plant cell culture and fermentation, it grows cocoa in controlled, low-cost plastic tanks instead of on tropical farms, turning cells into real cocoa and chocolate ingredients in a matter of days instead of months. This approach eases pressure on rainforests, shields supply from climate and crop instability, and reduces contaminants such as heavy metals. With a competitive operating model, California Cultured is building a more resilient and regenerative future for chocolate.
www.cacultured.com
Follow on LinkedIn: @California Cultured Inc.
HAILIA NORDIC
Resource-efficient processing technology that upcycles fish sidestreams into high-value food products.
Hailia Nordic is a Finnish food tech company that makes the seafood industry more resource efficient. Up to half of processed fish ends up as waste or low-value product, but Hailia's patent-pending technology upcycles these sidestreams, such as salmonid trimmings and small pelagics, into tasty, easy-to-use food with appealing taste and texture proven in customer tastings and through repeated sales in Finnish retail. With global blue food demand set to double by 2050, Hailia enables production of more food with fewer emissions while protecting biodiversity and turns processors' waste into value.
www.hailia.fi
Follow on LinkedIn: @Hailia Nordic
EDACIOUS
Nutrient-density testing and food quality software that measures and communicates nutrition quality at one-tenth of the price.
Edacious is a mission-driven US-based startup that makes food quality measurable and verifiable. A focus on quantity has eroded food quality, and key nutrients can vary up to tenfold between similar foods like apples, yet retailers and consumers often treat them as identical. Edacious' accredited Food Lab tests nutrient density at around one-tenth of the price vs traditional labs, and its user-friendly software turns results into insight, benchmarks, accurate nutrition labels, and evidence-based claims. With testing being made affordable and actionable, farmers, brands, and retailers can prove quality, earn premium prices, and build a healthier food system.
www.edacious.com
Follow on LinkedIn: @Edacious
XCHANGEBOX
A financing platform offering faster payments and micro-loans to African agri-suppliers and women traders.
XchangeBox is a Nigerian trade financing marketplace and licensed crowdfunding intermediary, that connects investors with high-impact SMEs across West Africa. It provides micro-loan to agri-suppliers, with a special focus on women, to fund real trade such as grain deliveries from smallholder farmers to commercial millers and processors. Each deal is backed by a confirmed purchase order, and capital moves through ring-fenced bank accounts that prevent fund diversion. Money reaches SMEs in three days, not the usual 90. Live for 18 months, XchangeBox has onboarded over 800 farmers and works with five anchor offtakers.
www.xchangebox.ng
Follow on LinkedIn: @XChangebox – (MTN ’25)