[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":1537},["ShallowReactive",2],{"$fjWJnyrF-FbYR4Q5iHrCpEbavnrQ3YgXosrRvPVvcow4":3},{"success":4,"update":5,"relatedUpdates":1416},true,{"_id":6,"title":7,"slug":8,"excerpt":9,"contentText":10,"richContent":11,"featuredMedia":1363,"firstPublishedDate":1366,"lastPublishedDate":1366,"hashtags":1367,"tags":1368,"url":1409,"language":1410,"memberId":1411,"pinned":1412,"featured":1412,"commentingEnabled":4,"translations":1413,"categoryIds":1414,"relatedPostIds":1415},"1157ed70-59f4-49d6-8de1-ab206aa6cef0","Agriventures Awards: Recognising the Innovators Driving Sustainable Agriculture and Food in Bulgaria","agriventures-awards-recognising-the-innovators-driving-sustainable-agriculture-and-food-in-bulgaria","A New Recognition for a Sector in Transformation The agriculture and food sector is undergoing one of the most significant transformations in its history. Driven by the convergence of climate pressures, shifting consumer expectations, regulatory frameworks such as the European Green Deal, and an accelerating wave of technological innovation, the way food is grown, processed, and distributed is being fundamentally rethought. Yet the people and organisations at the forefront of this...","A New Recognition for a Sector in Transformation The agriculture and food sector is undergoing one of the most significant transformations in its history. Driven by the convergence of climate pressures, shifting consumer expectations, regulatory frameworks such as the European Green Deal, and an accelerating wave of technological innovation, the way food is grown, processed, and distributed is being fundamentally rethought. Yet the people and organisations at the forefront of this transformation — the farmers experimenting with regenerative practices, the startups developing precision agriculture tools, the food producers redesigning their supply chains around circularity — rarely receive the recognition their work deserves. Last week, that changed for a new cohort of Bulgarian agri-food innovators. The first edition of the Agriventures Awards was held as a centrepiece event of the Green Transition Forum — a four-day gathering dedicated to innovation, sustainability, and the future of key industries, bringing together leaders, institutions, entrepreneurs, and investors from Bulgaria and across Europe. Organised in partnership with Agriventures, the awards placed a deliberate and long-overdue spotlight on the agriculture and food sector: one of the key engines of the green transition, and one of the most underserved when it comes to institutional visibility and access to growth capital. This article presents the full results of the first Agriventures Awards, the stories behind each winner, and the broader context in which this initiative was created. About Agriventures: Connecting Innovation with Opportunity Agriventures is a cluster built around a clear mission: to support innovators in the agriculture and food sector by providing access to the resources, networks, and financing they need to grow. The cluster operates at the intersection of the farming community, the startup ecosystem, research institutions, and European funding frameworks — acting as a connective layer that many individual actors in the sector lack the capacity to build on their own. At the heart of this mission is agriventures.co — a platform designed to help farmers, agri-food startups, cooperatives, and food producers identify and access funding opportunities at a supranational level. Navigating the landscape of European programmes — from Horizon Europe and the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) to InvestEU and national co-financing instruments — is a complex undertaking that requires specialised knowledge. The agriventures.co platform addresses this gap directly, enabling users to match their project profiles against available funding streams and to take their first steps toward international-scale financing. The Agriventures Awards were conceived as an extension of this mission. If the platform provides the infrastructure for innovation to find funding, the awards provide the visibility for innovation to be recognised — by peers, by investors, and by the broader public. The Awards Format: Putting the Public at the Centre The Agriventures Awards were structured around a founding principle: that the agricultural and food community itself should have the primary voice in determining who its leaders are. Rather than relying exclusively on an expert jury operating behind closed doors, the awards used a public voting mechanism as the core selection method, with the final results reflecting the collective judgment of an engaged and informed audience. This approach was deliberate. Public voting serves multiple functions simultaneously: it generates awareness around nominated organisations, creates a measurable signal of community support, and ensures that the awards reflect genuine resonance within the sector rather than institutional consensus alone. For smaller companies and individual farmers — who may lack the marketing budgets to achieve wide visibility — the nomination and voting process itself represents a form of recognition and market exposure. Seven categories were defined to reflect the full breadth of innovation happening across the agri-food value chain, from primary production to technology development, and from corporate ESG practice to individual entrepreneurship. The ceremony was hosted by Dilyаna, Project Manager at Agriventures, and the awards were presented by Agriventures team members before an audience of forum delegates on the final evening of the Green Transition Forum. The Winners Circular Economy in Agriculture, Food and Technology Winner: УОН ООД (WON Ltd.) The circular economy is one of the most cited frameworks in sustainability policy, but its practical implementation in the food sector remains far less advanced than the rhetoric surrounding it. WON Ltd. is one of the organisations working to change that in Bulgaria. WON has built and maintains a national system for the circular management of used cooking oil, covering the entire lifecycle of the resource: collection from generators in professional kitchens, outreach to households, logistics, and final processing and recovery into usable outputs including biodiesel. What makes WON's model particularly significant is its systemic scope — rather than addressing one part of the chain, the company has constructed an end-to-end infrastructure that transforms a widely distributed waste stream into a consistently managed resource. Used cooking oil is among the most problematic food-sector waste products in terms of environmental impact when improperly disposed of, and among the most valuable when correctly recovered. UON's work demonstrates that circular economy in food is not a theoretical exercise but an operational and commercially viable reality. ESG Company in Agriculture and Food Winner: Хот Фарм (Hot Farm) Environmental, social, and governance criteria are increasingly central to how investors, retailers, and institutional buyers evaluate agri-food businesses. For most companies in the sector, ESG is still an adaptation challenge — something to be retrofitted onto existing practices. For Hot Farm, it is the founding logic of the enterprise. Hot Farm is a family-owned farm located in Strashimirovo, Bulgaria, specialising in the cultivation of hot peppers and the production of a wide range of artisanal food products using regenerative agriculture methods. Regenerative agriculture — which focuses on rebuilding soil organic matter, restoring degraded soil biodiversity, and improving the water cycle — goes beyond the sustainability baseline of simply reducing harm. It is an active, restorative approach to land management that delivers measurable improvements in ecosystem health over time. Hot Farm's recognition in the ESG category reflects not only its environmental practices but also its approach to social and governance dimensions: the transparency of its supply chain, its relationships with partners and distributors, and the integrity of its brand communications. As consumer demand for traceable, values-aligned food products continues to grow across European markets, Hot Farm represents a model that is both commercially relevant and ecologically responsible.  Innovative Farmer: Livestock Winner: Мандра Печеница (Pechenitsa Dairy) Innovation in livestock farming is often discussed in terms of technology adoption — sensors, data platforms, automated feeding and health monitoring systems. Pechenitsa Dairy's approach to innovation operates on a different but equally important axis: the redesign of the production process itself through the implementation of a closed-loop cycle that integrates traditional dairy craftsmanship with modern quality management. The farm has developed a production model in which by-products and waste streams within the dairy process are recovered and reintegrated, reducing external inputs and improving overall resource efficiency. At the same time, the core dairy products are processed according to traditional methods that preserve taste profiles and artisanal characteristics valued by consumers seeking authenticity and provenance. This combination — closed-loop efficiency on the production side, craft quality on the product side — positions Pechenitsa Dairy as an example of how livestock and dairy innovation can be achieved without requiring large capital investment in digital infrastructure. The innovation here is principally one of process design and systems thinking, and it demonstrates that sustainable livestock farming is accessible to operations of varying scale. Innovative Farmer: Crop Farming Winner: Петьо Киров \u002F Лиман 8 (Petyo Kirov \u002F Liman 8) Petyo Kirov farms inherited agricultural land in Bulgaria with a clear and considered conviction: that a restorative approach to crop production is not only the ethically correct choice for his region, but the agronomically sound one. Through his company Liman 8, he has developed a regenerative production model oriented around rebuilding soil potential and restoring biodiversity across his fields. Regenerative crop farming involves a set of practices — cover cropping, reduced tillage, crop rotation, the integration of livestock where possible, and the elimination or significant reduction of synthetic inputs — that work together to rebuild the biological activity and physical structure of agricultural soils. The benefits accrue over multiple seasons and years, meaning that regenerative farmers are making long-term investments in land productivity that sacrifice some short-term yield optimisation in exchange for substantially greater resilience and fertility over time. Petyo Kirov's work is particularly significant in the context of Bulgarian agriculture, where decades of intensive conventional farming have left many soils depleted and structurally degraded. The success of Liman 8 as a commercially viable regenerative operation provides an important proof point for other farmers in the region considering a transition, and his public recognition through the Agriventures Awards helps make that proof point visible. Technology Innovator in Agriculture and Food Winners (ex aequo): Ондо (Ondo) and Pollenity The technology innovator category produced an exceptional outcome: two companies receiving an identical number of public votes, resulting in a shared award. Both represent distinct and highly relevant threads of agri-tech development. Ondo develops intelligent farm management solutions centred on automated irrigation, precision fertilisation, and microclimate control. Using a combination of sensors deployed across field and greenhouse environments, real-time data collection, and software-driven automation, Ondo enables farmers to make resource allocation decisions — water, nutrients, energy — based on accurate, current conditions rather than scheduled routines or estimation. The practical outcomes include significant reductions in water and fertiliser usage, improved crop quality and consistency, and reduced labour requirements for routine monitoring tasks. As water scarcity becomes an increasingly acute constraint on agricultural production across Southern and Eastern Europe, Ondo's technology addresses a challenge that will only grow in urgency. Pollenity is a Bulgarian agri-tech company working at the intersection of precision technology and ecosystem services, specifically the monitoring and protection of bee colonies. Pollenity develops hardware and software tools that allow beekeepers to continuously monitor the health, weight, temperature, and acoustic profile of their hives remotely, detecting early signs of disease, swarming, or colony stress before they result in significant losses. Beyond the direct value to beekeeping operations, Pollenity's work contributes to the broader challenge of pollinator protection — a critical concern for agricultural productivity given that a substantial proportion of global food production depends on insect pollination. Their mission explicitly connects technological innovation with biodiversity outcomes, making Pollenity an important actor in the conversation about how agri-tech can serve ecosystem health rather than simply optimising yield.  Woman Innovator in Agriculture and Food Winner: Славена Родинова (Slavena Rodinova), Hot Farm Slavena Rodinova serves as CEO of Hot Farm and is the strategic and commercial driving force behind the development of the family's enterprise in Strashimirovo. In her role, she is directly responsible for sales strategy, marketing, brand development, and partner and distribution relationships — the external-facing functions that determine whether a farm with strong production capabilities can translate that quality into sustainable market presence. What makes Slavena's leadership particularly notable is the integration of commercial acumen with a deep commitment to the values that define Hot Farm's positioning: regenerative agriculture, artisanal quality, and transparent brand communication. Building a recognisable and credible brand in the food sector requires consistency not only in product quality but in story — in the way a company communicates who it is, what it stands for, and why it matters. Slavena has led that process for Hot Farm with visible results. Her recognition in the Women Innovator category reflects both individual achievement and a broader pattern worth acknowledging: women entrepreneurs in agriculture frequently operate in an environment that provides them with fewer institutional pathways, less access to peer networks, and lower baseline visibility than their male counterparts. Initiatives that explicitly recognise women leaders in the sector contribute to changing that dynamic — and to encouraging the next generation of women in agriculture to pursue leadership roles with the same ambition. Bio-Based Products, Bioeconomy and Longevity Winner: Българска Стевия ЕООД (Bulgarian Stevia Ltd.) The bioeconomy — defined broadly as the production of renewable biological resources and their conversion into food, feed, bio-based products, and bioenergy — is one of the strategic frameworks at the heart of the European Union's sustainability agenda. Bulgarian Stevia Ltd. operates at a compelling intersection within this space: the cultivation of Stevia Rebaudiana Bertoni and the production of natural, zero-glycaemic-index sweeteners derived from it. Stevia is a plant native to South America whose leaves contain compounds — steviol glycosides — that are intensely sweet but have no effect on blood glucose levels, making them of significant interest for populations managing diabetes, obesity, or metabolic syndrome, as well as for food manufacturers reformulating products to reduce sugar content. The global market for natural sweeteners is growing rapidly, driven by regulatory pressure on added sugars and consumer demand for clean-label food products. Bulgarian Stevia's decision to cultivate stevia in Bulgaria and to develop a domestic processing and production capability positions the country within a high-value, science-backed agricultural category that has historically been dominated by producers in Asia and South America. The company's work is simultaneously an agricultural innovation, a bioeconomy contribution, and a demonstration that Bulgarian farming can compete in niche, premium international markets given the right combination of agronomic expertise, product development, and market access. The Broader Significance: Visibility, Funding, and the Infrastructure for Scale Recognising individual innovators and organisations is necessary but not sufficient. The most important question that follows any award ceremony is: what happens next? How do the winners, and the finalists, and the broader community of agri-food innovators in Bulgaria translate visibility into resources, partnerships, and growth? This is precisely the gap that Agriventures is built to address. The agriventures.co platform provides a structured pathway from innovation to funding — mapping the profiles of agri-food projects and businesses against the landscape of European and international financing instruments, and providing the guidance needed to navigate application processes that are often technically demanding and resource-intensive for smaller organisations. The winners of the first Agriventures Awards represent the quality of innovation that already exists in the Bulgarian agri-food sector. Pollenity and Ondo are developing technologies with clear potential for European and global market expansion. Hot Farm has built a brand with the authenticity and values alignment that premium food markets reward. Bulgarian Stevia is entering a growing global category with a locally produced, competitively positioned product. UON is operating infrastructure that could serve as a model for circular economy implementation in other markets. The challenge for all of them — as for most innovative SMEs in the sector — is not a shortage of ambition or capability, but access to the capital and networks needed to scale. Agriventures exists to help close that gap. Acknowledgements The first Agriventures Awards would not have been possible without the partnership and generosity of the Green Transition Forum team, who provided both the platform and the audience that a debut initiative of this kind requires. The forum's commitment to bringing together innovators, investors, and institutional actors from across Bulgaria and Europe created exactly the context in which the awards could carry weight. Equal thanks are due to every individual who participated in the public voting process. The quality and breadth of participation was a meaningful signal of the appetite within the sector for a dedicated recognition initiative — and a strong foundation on which to build future editions. About Agriventures Agriventures is a cluster with a mission to support innovators in the agriculture and food sector. Through community building, events, and the agriventures.co platform — dedicated to helping agri-food businesses discover and access supranational funding opportunities — Agriventures works to ensure that the best ideas in Bulgarian and European agriculture have the resources and visibility they need to create lasting impact. Farmers, startups, food producers, and agri-tech companies looking to explore European and international funding opportunities are invited to visit agriventures.co. The role of Agriventures in supporting agrifood innovation As the agritech startup ecosystem grows across Europe, initiatives such as Agriventures are helping connect entrepreneurs, researchers, investors, and policymakers working in agriculture and food innovation. Agriventures focuses on supporting agrifood startups, biotechnology innovation, and access to European funding for agriculture, while also helping entrepreneurs navigate the complex landscape of startup financing, venture capital, and research commercialization. By strengthening connections between startups, research institutions, investors, and farmers, Agriventures contributes to building a stronger agricultural innovation ecosystem that can accelerate the transition toward sustainable agriculture and resilient food systems. Through knowledge sharing, events, and ecosystem building, Agriventures helps ensure that promising agritech innovations can scale and reach farmers, food producers, and global markets.",{"nodes":12,"documentStyle":1362},[13,27,42,53,69,124,133,147,157,175,206,230,240,250,255,265,286,300,321,326,336,340,351,362,372,381,402,416,426,431,441,452,462,471,492,506,516,521,531,542,563,573,587,597,602,612,623,644,658,668,673,683,694,704,713,740,754,764,773,778,805,819,829,834,844,855,879,888,902,912,922,927,937,948,958,983,993,1003,1008,1018,1028,1069,1079,1089,1099,1123,1133,1143,1148,1157,1161,1171,1203,1231,1237,1246,1252,1263,1275,1290,1309,1314,1325,1336,1342,1357],{"type":14,"id":15,"nodes":16,"imageData":17},"IMAGE","fzeuv7594",[],{"containerData":18,"image":22},{"width":19,"alignment":21,"textWrap":4},{"size":20},"CONTENT","CENTER",{"src":23,"width":25,"height":26},{"id":24},"1cd362_257c3c47e6324bcc8594b4cea65f2ac9~mv2.jpg",1024,768,{"type":28,"id":29,"nodes":30,"headingData":38},"HEADING","tk2qm3511",[31],{"type":32,"id":33,"nodes":34,"textData":35},"TEXT","",[],{"text":36,"decorations":37},"A New Recognition for a Sector in Transformation",[],{"level":39,"textStyle":40},2,{"textAlignment":41},"JUSTIFY",{"type":43,"id":44,"nodes":45,"paragraphData":51},"PARAGRAPH","u5nu23513",[46],{"type":32,"id":33,"nodes":47,"textData":48},[],{"text":49,"decorations":50},"The agriculture and food sector is undergoing one of the most significant transformations in its history. Driven by the convergence of climate pressures, shifting consumer expectations, regulatory frameworks such as the European Green Deal, and an accelerating wave of technological innovation, the way food is grown, processed, and distributed is being fundamentally rethought. Yet the people and organisations at the forefront of this transformation — the farmers experimenting with regenerative practices, the startups developing precision agriculture tools, the food producers redesigning their supply chains around circularity — rarely receive the recognition their work deserves.",[],{"textStyle":52},{"textAlignment":41},{"type":54,"id":55,"nodes":56,"blockquoteData":68},"BLOCKQUOTE","18l213515",[57],{"type":43,"id":58,"nodes":59,"paragraphData":65},"nza8z4693",[60],{"type":32,"id":33,"nodes":61,"textData":62},[],{"text":63,"decorations":64},"Last week, that changed for a new cohort of Bulgarian agri-food innovators.",[],{"textStyle":66,"indentation":67},{"textAlignment":41},0,{"indentation":67},{"type":43,"id":70,"nodes":71,"paragraphData":122},"lztqh3517",[72,77,85,90,103,108,117],{"type":32,"id":33,"nodes":73,"textData":74},[],{"text":75,"decorations":76},"The ",[],{"type":32,"id":33,"nodes":78,"textData":79},[],{"text":80,"decorations":81},"first edition of the Agriventures Awards",[82],{"type":83,"fontWeightValue":84},"BOLD",700,{"type":32,"id":33,"nodes":86,"textData":87},[],{"text":88,"decorations":89}," was held as a centrepiece event of the ",[],{"type":32,"id":33,"nodes":91,"textData":92},[],{"text":93,"decorations":94},"Green Transition Forum",[95,101],{"type":96,"linkData":97},"LINK",{"link":98},{"url":99,"target":100},"https:\u002F\u002Fagriventures.co","BLANK",{"type":102},"UNDERLINE",{"type":32,"id":33,"nodes":104,"textData":105},[],{"text":106,"decorations":107}," — a four-day gathering dedicated to innovation, sustainability, and the future of key industries, bringing together leaders, institutions, entrepreneurs, and investors from Bulgaria and across Europe. Organised in partnership with ",[],{"type":32,"id":33,"nodes":109,"textData":110},[],{"text":111,"decorations":112},"Agriventures",[113,116],{"type":96,"linkData":114},{"link":115},{"url":99,"target":100},{"type":102},{"type":32,"id":33,"nodes":118,"textData":119},[],{"text":120,"decorations":121},", the awards placed a deliberate and long-overdue spotlight on the agriculture and food sector: one of the key engines of the green transition, and one of the most underserved when it comes to institutional visibility and access to growth capital.",[],{"textStyle":123},{"textAlignment":41},{"type":14,"id":125,"nodes":126,"imageData":127},"xau7s12217",[],{"containerData":128,"image":130},{"width":129,"alignment":21,"textWrap":4},{"size":20},{"src":131,"width":25,"height":26},{"id":132},"1cd362_02e3837d6f8940c0839f81a166396f30~mv2.jpg",{"type":54,"id":134,"nodes":135,"blockquoteData":146},"6kby03525",[136],{"type":43,"id":137,"nodes":138,"paragraphData":144},"5z3p24811",[139],{"type":32,"id":33,"nodes":140,"textData":141},[],{"text":142,"decorations":143},"This article presents the full results of the first Agriventures Awards, the stories behind each winner, and the broader context in which this initiative was created.",[],{"textStyle":145,"indentation":67},{"textAlignment":41},{"indentation":67},{"type":28,"id":148,"nodes":149,"headingData":155},"3m0173527",[150],{"type":32,"id":33,"nodes":151,"textData":152},[],{"text":153,"decorations":154},"About Agriventures: Connecting Innovation with Opportunity",[],{"level":39,"textStyle":156},{"textAlignment":41},{"type":43,"id":158,"nodes":159,"paragraphData":173},"ewxy23529",[160,168],{"type":32,"id":33,"nodes":161,"textData":162},[],{"text":111,"decorations":163},[164,167],{"type":96,"linkData":165},{"link":166},{"url":99,"target":100},{"type":102},{"type":32,"id":33,"nodes":169,"textData":170},[],{"text":171,"decorations":172}," is a cluster built around a clear mission: to support innovators in the agriculture and food sector by providing access to the resources, networks, and financing they need to grow. The cluster operates at the intersection of the farming community, the startup ecosystem, research institutions, and European funding frameworks — acting as a connective layer that many individual actors in the sector lack the capacity to build on their own.",[],{"textStyle":174},{"textAlignment":41},{"type":54,"id":176,"nodes":177,"blockquoteData":205},"kxseb3532",[178],{"type":43,"id":179,"nodes":180,"paragraphData":203},"5v6hk5255",[181,186,198],{"type":32,"id":33,"nodes":182,"textData":183},[],{"text":184,"decorations":185},"At the heart of this mission is ",[],{"type":32,"id":33,"nodes":187,"textData":188},[],{"text":189,"decorations":190},"agriventures.co",[191,192,197],{"type":83,"fontWeightValue":84},{"type":96,"linkData":193},{"link":194},{"url":195,"target":100,"rel":196},"http:\u002F\u002Fagriventures.co",{"noreferrer":4},{"type":102},{"type":32,"id":33,"nodes":199,"textData":200},[],{"text":201,"decorations":202}," — a platform designed to help farmers, agri-food startups, cooperatives, and food producers identify and access funding opportunities at a supranational level. ",[],{"textStyle":204,"indentation":67},{"textAlignment":41},{"indentation":67},{"type":43,"id":207,"nodes":208,"paragraphData":228},"fyo2i5147",[209,214,223],{"type":32,"id":33,"nodes":210,"textData":211},[],{"text":212,"decorations":213},"Navigating the landscape of European programmes — from Horizon Europe and the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) to InvestEU and national co-financing instruments — is a complex undertaking that requires specialised knowledge. The ",[],{"type":32,"id":33,"nodes":215,"textData":216},[],{"text":189,"decorations":217},[218,222],{"type":96,"linkData":219},{"link":220},{"url":195,"target":100,"rel":221},{"noreferrer":4},{"type":102},{"type":32,"id":33,"nodes":224,"textData":225},[],{"text":226,"decorations":227}," platform addresses this gap directly, enabling users to match their project profiles against available funding streams and to take their first steps toward international-scale financing.",[],{"textStyle":229},{"textAlignment":41},{"type":43,"id":231,"nodes":232,"paragraphData":238},"w2y7y3538",[233],{"type":32,"id":33,"nodes":234,"textData":235},[],{"text":236,"decorations":237},"The Agriventures Awards were conceived as an extension of this mission. If the platform provides the infrastructure for innovation to find funding, the awards provide the visibility for innovation to be recognised — by peers, by investors, and by the broader public.",[],{"textStyle":239},{"textAlignment":41},{"type":14,"id":241,"nodes":242,"imageData":243},"un0578120",[],{"containerData":244,"image":246},{"width":245,"alignment":21,"textWrap":4},{"size":20},{"src":247,"width":25,"height":249},{"id":248},"1cd362_cea5aece1e25455ebc6d3217a75fb0fc~mv2.jpg",1365,{"type":43,"id":251,"nodes":252,"paragraphData":253},"aq0yi5373",[],{"textStyle":254},{"textAlignment":41},{"type":28,"id":256,"nodes":257,"headingData":263},"0chtk3540",[258],{"type":32,"id":33,"nodes":259,"textData":260},[],{"text":261,"decorations":262},"The Awards Format: Putting the Public at the Centre",[],{"level":39,"textStyle":264},{"textAlignment":41},{"type":43,"id":266,"nodes":267,"paragraphData":284},"kiity3542",[268,273,279],{"type":32,"id":33,"nodes":269,"textData":270},[],{"text":271,"decorations":272},"The Agriventures Awards were structured around a founding principle: that the agricultural and food community itself should have the primary voice in determining who its leaders are. Rather than relying exclusively on an expert jury operating behind closed doors, the awards used a ",[],{"type":32,"id":33,"nodes":274,"textData":275},[],{"text":276,"decorations":277},"public voting mechanism",[278],{"type":83,"fontWeightValue":84},{"type":32,"id":33,"nodes":280,"textData":281},[],{"text":282,"decorations":283}," as the core selection method, with the final results reflecting the collective judgment of an engaged and informed audience.",[],{"textStyle":285},{"textAlignment":41},{"type":54,"id":287,"nodes":288,"blockquoteData":299},"ydj743546",[289],{"type":43,"id":290,"nodes":291,"paragraphData":297},"a862s5488",[292],{"type":32,"id":33,"nodes":293,"textData":294},[],{"text":295,"decorations":296},"This approach was deliberate. Public voting serves multiple functions simultaneously: it generates awareness around nominated organisations, creates a measurable signal of community support, and ensures that the awards reflect genuine resonance within the sector rather than institutional consensus alone. For smaller companies and individual farmers — who may lack the marketing budgets to achieve wide visibility — the nomination and voting process itself represents a form of recognition and market exposure.",[],{"textStyle":298,"indentation":67},{"textAlignment":41},{"indentation":67},{"type":43,"id":301,"nodes":302,"paragraphData":319},"a5ltu3548",[303,308,314],{"type":32,"id":33,"nodes":304,"textData":305},[],{"text":306,"decorations":307},"Seven categories were defined to reflect the full breadth of innovation happening across the agri-food value chain, from primary production to technology development, and from corporate ESG practice to individual entrepreneurship. The ceremony was hosted by ",[],{"type":32,"id":33,"nodes":309,"textData":310},[],{"text":311,"decorations":312},"Dilyаna",[313],{"type":83,"fontWeightValue":84},{"type":32,"id":33,"nodes":315,"textData":316},[],{"text":317,"decorations":318},", Project Manager at Agriventures, and the awards were presented by Agriventures team members before an audience of forum delegates on the final evening of the Green Transition Forum.",[],{"textStyle":320},{"textAlignment":41},{"type":43,"id":322,"nodes":323,"paragraphData":324},"ckbx15603",[],{"textStyle":325},{"textAlignment":41},{"type":28,"id":327,"nodes":328,"headingData":334},"0c97x3552",[329],{"type":32,"id":33,"nodes":330,"textData":331},[],{"text":332,"decorations":333},"The Winners",[],{"level":39,"textStyle":335},{"textAlignment":41},{"type":43,"id":337,"nodes":338,"paragraphData":339},"ggtqz13374",[],{},{"type":28,"id":341,"nodes":342,"headingData":348},"hk2b43554",[343],{"type":32,"id":33,"nodes":344,"textData":345},[],{"text":346,"decorations":347},"Circular Economy in Agriculture, Food and Technology",[],{"level":349,"textStyle":350},3,{"textAlignment":41},{"type":43,"id":352,"nodes":353,"paragraphData":360},"aq2q93556",[354],{"type":32,"id":33,"nodes":355,"textData":356},[],{"text":357,"decorations":358},"Winner: УОН ООД (WON Ltd.)",[359],{"type":83,"fontWeightValue":84},{"textStyle":361},{"textAlignment":41},{"type":43,"id":363,"nodes":364,"paragraphData":370},"mzihb3558",[365],{"type":32,"id":33,"nodes":366,"textData":367},[],{"text":368,"decorations":369},"The circular economy is one of the most cited frameworks in sustainability policy, but its practical implementation in the food sector remains far less advanced than the rhetoric surrounding it. WON Ltd. is one of the organisations working to change that in Bulgaria.",[],{"textStyle":371},{"textAlignment":41},{"type":14,"id":373,"nodes":374,"imageData":375},"z62p58646",[],{"containerData":376,"image":378},{"width":377,"alignment":21,"textWrap":4},{"size":20},{"src":379,"width":25,"height":249},{"id":380},"1cd362_b517cf22d5844197927963129e04b308~mv2.jpg",{"type":43,"id":382,"nodes":383,"paragraphData":400},"5n1gh3560",[384,389,395],{"type":32,"id":33,"nodes":385,"textData":386},[],{"text":387,"decorations":388},"WON has built and maintains a ",[],{"type":32,"id":33,"nodes":390,"textData":391},[],{"text":392,"decorations":393},"national system for the circular management of used cooking oil",[394],{"type":83,"fontWeightValue":84},{"type":32,"id":33,"nodes":396,"textData":397},[],{"text":398,"decorations":399},", covering the entire lifecycle of the resource: collection from generators in professional kitchens, outreach to households, logistics, and final processing and recovery into usable outputs including biodiesel. ",[],{"textStyle":401},{"textAlignment":41},{"type":54,"id":403,"nodes":404,"blockquoteData":415},"2psnb13731",[405],{"type":43,"id":406,"nodes":407,"paragraphData":413},"7h0pk13843",[408],{"type":32,"id":33,"nodes":409,"textData":410},[],{"text":411,"decorations":412},"What makes WON's model particularly significant is its systemic scope — rather than addressing one part of the chain, the company has constructed an end-to-end infrastructure that transforms a widely distributed waste stream into a consistently managed resource.",[],{"textStyle":414,"indentation":67},{"textAlignment":41},{"indentation":67},{"type":43,"id":417,"nodes":418,"paragraphData":424},"wkb5l3564",[419],{"type":32,"id":33,"nodes":420,"textData":421},[],{"text":422,"decorations":423},"Used cooking oil is among the most problematic food-sector waste products in terms of environmental impact when improperly disposed of, and among the most valuable when correctly recovered. UON's work demonstrates that circular economy in food is not a theoretical exercise but an operational and commercially viable reality.",[],{"textStyle":425},{"textAlignment":41},{"type":43,"id":427,"nodes":428,"paragraphData":429},"xndmt6602",[],{"textStyle":430},{"textAlignment":41},{"type":28,"id":432,"nodes":433,"headingData":439},"b8e6w3566",[434],{"type":32,"id":33,"nodes":435,"textData":436},[],{"text":437,"decorations":438},"ESG Company in Agriculture and Food",[],{"level":349,"textStyle":440},{"textAlignment":41},{"type":43,"id":442,"nodes":443,"paragraphData":450},"39gk33568",[444],{"type":32,"id":33,"nodes":445,"textData":446},[],{"text":447,"decorations":448},"Winner: Хот Фарм (Hot Farm)",[449],{"type":83,"fontWeightValue":84},{"textStyle":451},{"textAlignment":41},{"type":43,"id":453,"nodes":454,"paragraphData":460},"iwxf73570",[455],{"type":32,"id":33,"nodes":456,"textData":457},[],{"text":458,"decorations":459},"Environmental, social, and governance criteria are increasingly central to how investors, retailers, and institutional buyers evaluate agri-food businesses. For most companies in the sector, ESG is still an adaptation challenge — something to be retrofitted onto existing practices. For Hot Farm, it is the founding logic of the enterprise.",[],{"textStyle":461},{"textAlignment":41},{"type":14,"id":463,"nodes":464,"imageData":465},"9fegm9172",[],{"containerData":466,"image":468},{"width":467,"alignment":21,"textWrap":4},{"size":20},{"src":469,"width":25,"height":26},{"id":470},"1cd362_d32eafe722a24f609aa42eff7f4486c6~mv2.jpg",{"type":43,"id":472,"nodes":473,"paragraphData":490},"qn0jo3572",[474,479,485],{"type":32,"id":33,"nodes":475,"textData":476},[],{"text":477,"decorations":478},"Hot Farm is a family-owned farm located in Strashimirovo, Bulgaria, specialising in the ",[],{"type":32,"id":33,"nodes":480,"textData":481},[],{"text":482,"decorations":483},"cultivation of hot peppers and the production of a wide range of artisanal food products",[484],{"type":83,"fontWeightValue":84},{"type":32,"id":33,"nodes":486,"textData":487},[],{"text":488,"decorations":489}," using regenerative agriculture methods. 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It is an active, restorative approach to land management that delivers measurable improvements in ecosystem health over time.",[],{"textStyle":504,"indentation":67},{"textAlignment":41},{"indentation":67},{"type":43,"id":507,"nodes":508,"paragraphData":514},"ypdhr3576",[509],{"type":32,"id":33,"nodes":510,"textData":511},[],{"text":512,"decorations":513},"Hot Farm's recognition in the ESG category reflects not only its environmental practices but also its approach to social and governance dimensions: the transparency of its supply chain, its relationships with partners and distributors, and the integrity of its brand communications. As consumer demand for traceable, values-aligned food products continues to grow across European markets, Hot Farm represents a model that is both commercially relevant and ecologically responsible.",[],{"textStyle":515},{"textAlignment":41},{"type":43,"id":517,"nodes":518,"paragraphData":519},"tg8ic6720",[],{"textStyle":520},{"textAlignment":41},{"type":28,"id":522,"nodes":523,"headingData":529},"l8dot3578",[524],{"type":32,"id":33,"nodes":525,"textData":526},[],{"text":527,"decorations":528}," Innovative Farmer: Livestock",[],{"level":349,"textStyle":530},{"textAlignment":41},{"type":43,"id":532,"nodes":533,"paragraphData":540},"fmtw93580",[534],{"type":32,"id":33,"nodes":535,"textData":536},[],{"text":537,"decorations":538},"Winner: Мандра Печеница (Pechenitsa Dairy)",[539],{"type":83,"fontWeightValue":84},{"textStyle":541},{"textAlignment":41},{"type":43,"id":543,"nodes":544,"paragraphData":561},"507du3582",[545,550,556],{"type":32,"id":33,"nodes":546,"textData":547},[],{"text":548,"decorations":549},"Innovation in livestock farming is often discussed in terms of technology adoption — sensors, data platforms, automated feeding and health monitoring systems. 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",[],{"textStyle":572},{"textAlignment":41},{"type":54,"id":574,"nodes":575,"blockquoteData":586},"h2cu314197",[576],{"type":43,"id":577,"nodes":578,"paragraphData":584},"we1du14311",[579],{"type":32,"id":33,"nodes":580,"textData":581},[],{"text":582,"decorations":583},"At the same time, the core dairy products are processed according to traditional methods that preserve taste profiles and artisanal characteristics valued by consumers seeking authenticity and provenance.",[],{"textStyle":585,"indentation":67},{"textAlignment":41},{"indentation":67},{"type":43,"id":588,"nodes":589,"paragraphData":595},"61k1x3588",[590],{"type":32,"id":33,"nodes":591,"textData":592},[],{"text":593,"decorations":594},"This combination — closed-loop efficiency on the production side, craft quality on the product side — positions Pechenitsa Dairy as an example of how livestock and dairy innovation can be achieved without requiring large capital investment in digital infrastructure. The innovation here is principally one of process design and systems thinking, and it demonstrates that sustainable livestock farming is accessible to operations of varying scale.",[],{"textStyle":596},{"textAlignment":41},{"type":43,"id":598,"nodes":599,"paragraphData":600},"2wjdp6838",[],{"textStyle":601},{"textAlignment":41},{"type":28,"id":603,"nodes":604,"headingData":610},"u4f8m3590",[605],{"type":32,"id":33,"nodes":606,"textData":607},[],{"text":608,"decorations":609},"Innovative Farmer: Crop Farming",[],{"level":349,"textStyle":611},{"textAlignment":41},{"type":43,"id":613,"nodes":614,"paragraphData":621},"hlfg23592",[615],{"type":32,"id":33,"nodes":616,"textData":617},[],{"text":618,"decorations":619},"Winner: Петьо Киров \u002F Лиман 8 (Petyo Kirov \u002F Liman 8)",[620],{"type":83,"fontWeightValue":84},{"textStyle":622},{"textAlignment":41},{"type":43,"id":624,"nodes":625,"paragraphData":642},"c4jbe3594",[626,631,637],{"type":32,"id":33,"nodes":627,"textData":628},[],{"text":629,"decorations":630},"Petyo Kirov farms inherited agricultural land in Bulgaria with a clear and considered conviction: that a ",[],{"type":32,"id":33,"nodes":632,"textData":633},[],{"text":634,"decorations":635},"restorative approach to crop production",[636],{"type":83,"fontWeightValue":84},{"type":32,"id":33,"nodes":638,"textData":639},[],{"text":640,"decorations":641}," is not only the ethically correct choice for his region, but the agronomically sound one. 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The benefits accrue over multiple seasons and years, meaning that regenerative farmers are making long-term investments in land productivity that sacrifice some short-term yield optimisation in exchange for substantially greater resilience and fertility over time.",[],{"textStyle":656,"indentation":67},{"textAlignment":41},{"indentation":67},{"type":43,"id":659,"nodes":660,"paragraphData":666},"4qs7l3600",[661],{"type":32,"id":33,"nodes":662,"textData":663},[],{"text":664,"decorations":665},"Petyo Kirov's work is particularly significant in the context of Bulgarian agriculture, where decades of intensive conventional farming have left many soils depleted and structurally degraded. 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",[],{"textStyle":752,"indentation":67},{"textAlignment":41},{"indentation":67},{"type":43,"id":755,"nodes":756,"paragraphData":762},"t4ml614782",[757],{"type":32,"id":33,"nodes":758,"textData":759},[],{"text":760,"decorations":761},"The practical outcomes include significant reductions in water and fertiliser usage, improved crop quality and consistency, and reduced labour requirements for routine monitoring tasks. 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",[],{"textStyle":804},{"textAlignment":41},{"type":54,"id":806,"nodes":807,"blockquoteData":818},"4b8xi15251",[808],{"type":43,"id":809,"nodes":810,"paragraphData":816},"37f4s15719",[811],{"type":32,"id":33,"nodes":812,"textData":813},[],{"text":814,"decorations":815},"Pollenity develops hardware and software tools that allow beekeepers to continuously monitor the health, weight, temperature, and acoustic profile of their hives remotely, detecting early signs of disease, swarming, or colony stress before they result in significant losses. 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",[],{"textStyle":900,"indentation":67},{"textAlignment":41},{"indentation":67},{"type":43,"id":903,"nodes":904,"paragraphData":910},"soqdi15845",[905],{"type":32,"id":33,"nodes":906,"textData":907},[],{"text":908,"decorations":909},"Building a recognisable and credible brand in the food sector requires consistency not only in product quality but in story — in the way a company communicates who it is, what it stands for, and why it matters. Slavena has led that process for Hot Farm with visible results.",[],{"textStyle":911},{"textAlignment":41},{"type":43,"id":913,"nodes":914,"paragraphData":920},"0z43l3628",[915],{"type":32,"id":33,"nodes":916,"textData":917},[],{"text":918,"decorations":919},"Her recognition in the Women Innovator category reflects both individual achievement and a broader pattern worth acknowledging: women entrepreneurs in agriculture frequently operate in an environment that provides them with fewer institutional pathways, less access to peer networks, and lower baseline visibility than their male counterparts. 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The global market for natural sweeteners is growing rapidly, driven by regulatory pressure on added sugars and consumer demand for clean-label food products.",[],{"textStyle":992},{"textAlignment":41},{"type":43,"id":994,"nodes":995,"paragraphData":1001},"kewl33640",[996],{"type":32,"id":33,"nodes":997,"textData":998},[],{"text":999,"decorations":1000},"Bulgarian Stevia's decision to cultivate stevia in Bulgaria and to develop a domestic processing and production capability positions the country within a high-value, science-backed agricultural category that has historically been dominated by producers in Asia and South America. The company's work is simultaneously an agricultural innovation, a bioeconomy contribution, and a demonstration that Bulgarian farming can compete in niche, premium international markets given the right combination of agronomic expertise, product development, and market access.",[],{"textStyle":1002},{"textAlignment":41},{"type":43,"id":1004,"nodes":1005,"paragraphData":1006},"ol2oy7314",[],{"textStyle":1007},{"textAlignment":41},{"type":28,"id":1009,"nodes":1010,"headingData":1016},"mh2to3642",[1011],{"type":32,"id":33,"nodes":1012,"textData":1013},[],{"text":1014,"decorations":1015},"The Broader Significance: Visibility, Funding, and the Infrastructure for Scale",[],{"level":39,"textStyle":1017},{"textAlignment":41},{"type":43,"id":1019,"nodes":1020,"paragraphData":1026},"87njh3644",[1021],{"type":32,"id":33,"nodes":1022,"textData":1023},[],{"text":1024,"decorations":1025},"Recognising individual innovators and organisations is necessary but not sufficient. The most important question that follows any award ceremony is: what happens next? How do the winners, and the finalists, and the broader community of agri-food innovators in Bulgaria translate visibility into resources, partnerships, and growth?",[],{"textStyle":1027},{"textAlignment":41},{"type":54,"id":1029,"nodes":1030,"blockquoteData":1068},"b1yiy3646",[1031],{"type":43,"id":1032,"nodes":1033,"paragraphData":1066},"vhzt916453",[1034,1039,1047,1052,1061],{"type":32,"id":33,"nodes":1035,"textData":1036},[],{"text":1037,"decorations":1038},"This is precisely the gap that ",[],{"type":32,"id":33,"nodes":1040,"textData":1041},[],{"text":111,"decorations":1042},[1043,1046],{"type":96,"linkData":1044},{"link":1045},{"url":99,"target":100},{"type":102},{"type":32,"id":33,"nodes":1048,"textData":1049},[],{"text":1050,"decorations":1051}," is built to address. The ",[],{"type":32,"id":33,"nodes":1053,"textData":1054},[],{"text":189,"decorations":1055},[1056,1060],{"type":96,"linkData":1057},{"link":1058},{"url":195,"target":100,"rel":1059},{"noreferrer":4},{"type":102},{"type":32,"id":33,"nodes":1062,"textData":1063},[],{"text":1064,"decorations":1065}," platform provides a structured pathway from innovation to funding — mapping the profiles of agri-food projects and businesses against the landscape of European and international financing instruments, and providing the guidance needed to navigate application processes that are often technically demanding and resource-intensive for smaller organisations.",[],{"textStyle":1067,"indentation":67},{"textAlignment":41},{"indentation":67},{"type":43,"id":1070,"nodes":1071,"paragraphData":1077},"tbx2i3652",[1072],{"type":32,"id":33,"nodes":1073,"textData":1074},[],{"text":1075,"decorations":1076},"The winners of the first Agriventures Awards represent the quality of innovation that already exists in the Bulgarian agri-food sector. Pollenity and Ondo are developing technologies with clear potential for European and global market expansion. Hot Farm has built a brand with the authenticity and values alignment that premium food markets reward. Bulgarian Stevia is entering a growing global category with a locally produced, competitively positioned product. UON is operating infrastructure that could serve as a model for circular economy implementation in other markets. The challenge for all of them — as for most innovative SMEs in the sector — is not a shortage of ambition or capability, but access to the capital and networks needed to scale.",[],{"textStyle":1078},{"textAlignment":41},{"type":43,"id":1080,"nodes":1081,"paragraphData":1087},"6kksc3654",[1082],{"type":32,"id":33,"nodes":1083,"textData":1084},[],{"text":1085,"decorations":1086},"Agriventures exists to help close that gap.",[],{"textStyle":1088},{"textAlignment":41},{"type":28,"id":1090,"nodes":1091,"headingData":1097},"grvw43656",[1092],{"type":32,"id":33,"nodes":1093,"textData":1094},[],{"text":1095,"decorations":1096},"Acknowledgements",[],{"level":39,"textStyle":1098},{"textAlignment":41},{"type":54,"id":1100,"nodes":1101,"blockquoteData":1122},"03v7d3658",[1102],{"type":43,"id":1103,"nodes":1104,"paragraphData":1120},"ayfog16702",[1105,1110,1115],{"type":32,"id":33,"nodes":1106,"textData":1107},[],{"text":1108,"decorations":1109},"The first Agriventures Awards would not have been possible without the partnership and generosity of the ",[],{"type":32,"id":33,"nodes":1111,"textData":1112},[],{"text":93,"decorations":1113},[1114],{"type":83,"fontWeightValue":84},{"type":32,"id":33,"nodes":1116,"textData":1117},[],{"text":1118,"decorations":1119}," team, who provided both the platform and the audience that a debut initiative of this kind requires. ",[],{"textStyle":1121,"indentation":67},{"textAlignment":41},{"indentation":67},{"type":43,"id":1124,"nodes":1125,"paragraphData":1131},"cvwia16584",[1126],{"type":32,"id":33,"nodes":1127,"textData":1128},[],{"text":1129,"decorations":1130},"The forum's commitment to bringing together innovators, investors, and institutional actors from across Bulgaria and Europe created exactly the context in which the awards could carry weight.",[],{"textStyle":1132},{"textAlignment":41},{"type":43,"id":1134,"nodes":1135,"paragraphData":1141},"t99uc3662",[1136],{"type":32,"id":33,"nodes":1137,"textData":1138},[],{"text":1139,"decorations":1140},"Equal thanks are due to every individual who participated in the public voting process. The quality and breadth of participation was a meaningful signal of the appetite within the sector for a dedicated recognition initiative — and a strong foundation on which to build future editions.",[],{"textStyle":1142},{"textAlignment":41},{"type":43,"id":1144,"nodes":1145,"paragraphData":1146},"c1dwr11262",[],{"textStyle":1147},{"textAlignment":41},{"type":14,"id":1149,"nodes":1150,"imageData":1151},"d27es11691",[],{"containerData":1152,"image":1154},{"width":1153,"alignment":21,"textWrap":4},{"size":20},{"src":1155,"width":25,"height":26},{"id":1156},"1cd362_ca5d673cc5324cdf8788631548861150~mv2.jpg",{"type":43,"id":1158,"nodes":1159,"paragraphData":1160},"hqzs316828",[],{},{"type":28,"id":1162,"nodes":1163,"headingData":1169},"w59u73664",[1164],{"type":32,"id":33,"nodes":1165,"textData":1166},[],{"text":1167,"decorations":1168},"About Agriventures",[],{"level":39,"textStyle":1170},{"textAlignment":41},{"type":43,"id":1172,"nodes":1173,"paragraphData":1201},"960413666",[1174,1182,1187,1196],{"type":32,"id":33,"nodes":1175,"textData":1176},[],{"text":111,"decorations":1177},[1178,1181],{"type":96,"linkData":1179},{"link":1180},{"url":99,"target":100},{"type":102},{"type":32,"id":33,"nodes":1183,"textData":1184},[],{"text":1185,"decorations":1186}," is a cluster with a mission to support innovators in the agriculture and food sector. Through community building, events, and the ",[],{"type":32,"id":33,"nodes":1188,"textData":1189},[],{"text":189,"decorations":1190},[1191,1195],{"type":96,"linkData":1192},{"link":1193},{"url":195,"target":100,"rel":1194},{"noreferrer":4},{"type":102},{"type":32,"id":33,"nodes":1197,"textData":1198},[],{"text":1199,"decorations":1200}," platform — dedicated to helping agri-food businesses discover and access supranational funding opportunities — Agriventures works to ensure that the best ideas in Bulgarian and European agriculture have the resources and visibility they need to create lasting impact.",[],{"textStyle":1202},{"textAlignment":41},{"type":54,"id":1204,"nodes":1205,"blockquoteData":1230},"6hy8c3671",[1206],{"type":43,"id":1207,"nodes":1208,"paragraphData":1228},"z46rv16954",[1209,1214,1223],{"type":32,"id":33,"nodes":1210,"textData":1211},[],{"text":1212,"decorations":1213},"Farmers, startups, food producers, and agri-tech companies looking to explore European and international funding opportunities are invited to visit ",[],{"type":32,"id":33,"nodes":1215,"textData":1216},[],{"text":189,"decorations":1217},[1218,1222],{"type":96,"linkData":1219},{"link":1220},{"url":195,"target":100,"rel":1221},{"noreferrer":4},{"type":102},{"type":32,"id":33,"nodes":1224,"textData":1225},[],{"text":1226,"decorations":1227},".",[],{"textStyle":1229,"indentation":67},{"textAlignment":41},{"indentation":67},{"type":43,"id":1232,"nodes":1233,"style":1234,"paragraphData":1235},"n10w228197",[],{},{"textStyle":1236},{"textAlignment":41},{"type":14,"id":1238,"nodes":1239,"imageData":1240},"tlxti11276",[],{"containerData":1241,"image":1243},{"width":1242,"alignment":21,"textWrap":4},{"size":20},{"src":1244,"width":25,"height":26},{"id":1245},"1cd362_0d61d1e8e5ec430fa736e31f1f5b81ac~mv2.jpg",{"type":43,"id":1247,"nodes":1248,"style":1249,"paragraphData":1250},"kduny28211",[],{},{"textStyle":1251},{"textAlignment":41},{"type":28,"id":1253,"nodes":1254,"style":1260,"headingData":1261},"c9bz29145",[1255],{"type":32,"id":33,"nodes":1256,"textData":1257},[],{"text":1258,"decorations":1259},"The role of Agriventures in supporting agrifood innovation",[],{},{"level":39,"textStyle":1262},{"textAlignment":41},{"type":28,"id":1264,"nodes":1265,"style":1271,"headingData":1272},"vsnjm9147",[1266],{"type":32,"id":33,"nodes":1267,"textData":1268},[],{"text":1269,"decorations":1270},"As the agritech startup ecosystem grows across Europe, initiatives such as Agriventures are helping connect entrepreneurs, researchers, investors, and policymakers working in agriculture and food innovation.",[],{},{"level":1273,"textStyle":1274},6,{"textAlignment":41},{"type":54,"id":1276,"nodes":1277,"style":1288,"blockquoteData":1289},"yvsa79151",[1278],{"type":43,"id":1279,"nodes":1280,"paragraphData":1286},"ltql614399",[1281],{"type":32,"id":33,"nodes":1282,"textData":1283},[],{"text":1284,"decorations":1285},"Agriventures focuses on supporting agrifood startups, biotechnology innovation, and access to European funding for agriculture, while also helping entrepreneurs navigate the complex landscape of startup financing, venture capital, and research commercialization.",[],{"textStyle":1287,"indentation":67},{"textAlignment":41},{},{"indentation":67},{"type":1291,"id":1292,"nodes":1293,"buttonData":1294},"BUTTON","v8jk817528",[],{"containerData":1295,"type":96,"styles":1300,"text":1305,"link":1306},{"width":1296,"alignment":21,"spoiler":1298,"height":1299,"textWrap":4},{"size":1297},"ORIGINAL",{},{},{"buttonSize":1301,"background":1302},"LARGE",{"type":1303,"color":1304},"COLOR","#366E85","Find hundreds of opportunities here",{"url":1307,"target":100,"rel":1308},"https:\u002F\u002Fagriventures.co\u002Fpricings",{"noreferrer":4},{"type":43,"id":1310,"nodes":1311,"paragraphData":1312},"ke05m23499",[],{"textStyle":1313},{"textAlignment":41},{"type":28,"id":1315,"nodes":1316,"style":1322,"headingData":1323},"s2vt39155",[1317],{"type":32,"id":33,"nodes":1318,"textData":1319},[],{"text":1320,"decorations":1321},"By strengthening connections between startups, research institutions, investors, and farmers, Agriventures contributes to building a stronger agricultural innovation ecosystem that can accelerate the transition toward sustainable agriculture and resilient food systems.",[],{},{"level":1273,"textStyle":1324},{"textAlignment":41},{"type":28,"id":1326,"nodes":1327,"style":1333,"headingData":1334},"m0vme9159",[1328],{"type":32,"id":33,"nodes":1329,"textData":1330},[],{"text":1331,"decorations":1332},"Through knowledge sharing, events, and ecosystem building, Agriventures helps ensure that promising agritech innovations can scale and reach farmers, food producers, and global markets.",[],{},{"level":1273,"textStyle":1335},{"textAlignment":41},{"type":43,"id":1337,"nodes":1338,"style":1339,"paragraphData":1340},"7p0ov14496",[],{},{"textStyle":1341},{"textAlignment":41},{"type":1291,"id":1343,"nodes":1344,"buttonData":1345},"nx55n14622",[],{"containerData":1346,"type":96,"styles":1350,"text":1353,"link":1354},{"width":1347,"alignment":21,"spoiler":1348,"height":1349,"textWrap":4},{"size":1297},{},{},{"buttonSize":1301,"background":1351},{"type":1303,"color":1352},"#1E4659","Donate for our mission",{"url":1355,"target":100,"rel":1356},"https:\u002F\u002Fdonate.stripe.com\u002FcNiaEW0rHadWdEa0mS4wM01",{"noreferrer":4},{"type":43,"id":1358,"nodes":1359,"paragraphData":1360},"s51zy14716",[],{"textStyle":1361},{"textAlignment":41},{},{"image":1364},{"url":1365,"altText":7},"wix:image:\u002F\u002Fv1\u002F1cd362_257c3c47e6324bcc8594b4cea65f2ac9~mv2.jpg#originWidth=1024&originHeight=768","2026-06-08T10:56:13.708Z",[],[1369,1373,1377,1381,1385,1389,1393,1397,1401,1405],{"_id":1370,"label":1371,"slug":1372},"8ef35eac-9923-473d-afc9-53827cc3ba7f","AgriFood & Biotech research","agrifood-biotech-research",{"_id":1374,"label":1375,"slug":1376},"b759c01d-1f8c-4d93-993b-c82e8285d11d","Agriventures updates","agriventures-updates",{"_id":1378,"label":1379,"slug":1380},"4e250c66-db11-4e96-ab32-2012cbfcf98b","Carbon farming","carbon-farming",{"_id":1382,"label":1383,"slug":1384},"c91dd194-3b18-4a7a-90a6-50ead08c2a48","Digital Farming","digital-farming",{"_id":1386,"label":1387,"slug":1388},"4df0061f-1f9e-4f0d-8498-4ac293a4fd16","Events","events",{"_id":1390,"label":1391,"slug":1392},"212442a5-47ee-4926-903e-19975fab7f02","Innovative Food","innovative-food",{"_id":1394,"label":1395,"slug":1396},"cbecd352-91ee-4a79-8d7a-4361217b7511","News","news",{"_id":1398,"label":1399,"slug":1400},"f9f2e1a0-44fd-4c5b-a217-b40339fe390e","Our Focus","our-focus",{"_id":1402,"label":1403,"slug":1404},"7a0b69d8-2238-4b96-b124-894fb4fa6a61","Sustainable & Circular Agrifood","sustainable-circular-agrifood",{"_id":1406,"label":1407,"slug":1408},"35d9c4dd-a7c1-46c3-b814-5dfecce7c382","Women in Agrifood","women-in-agrifood","https:\u002F\u002Fxpsc9qx4zmq8jvdz5c8j.agriventures.co\u002Fpost\u002Fagriventures-awards-recognising-the-innovators-driving-sustainable-agriculture-and-food-in-bulgaria","en","1cd362a1-09ac-4de4-951b-bf76d96262ce",false,[],[],[],[1417,1440,1459,1479,1499,1518],{"_id":1418,"title":1419,"slug":1420,"excerpt":1421,"contentText":1422,"featuredMedia":1423,"firstPublishedDate":1426,"lastPublishedDate":1426,"hashtags":1427,"tags":1428,"url":1436,"language":1410,"memberId":1411,"pinned":1412,"featured":1412,"commentingEnabled":4,"translations":1437,"categoryIds":1438,"relatedPostIds":1439},"cb184f06-d19b-49bd-b25b-31e2ad410c8a","From Data to Impact: Innovation and Digitalisation Reshaping European Agriculture","from-data-to-impact-innovation-and-digitalisation-reshaping-european-agriculture","At Green Transition Forum 6.0 in Sofia, four leading agrifood innovators tackled the hard questions about AI, biotechnology, EU funding gaps, and what it really takes to scale technology from lab to farm. European agriculture is under pressure from every direction — rising input costs, climate instability, tightening sustainability regulations, and a funding landscape that doesn't always match the pace of innovation. On June 4, 2026, at the main stage of Green Transition Forum 6.0 in Sofia,...","At Green Transition Forum 6.0 in Sofia, four leading agrifood innovators tackled the hard questions about AI, biotechnology, EU funding gaps, and what it really takes to scale technology from lab to farm. European agriculture is under pressure from every direction — rising input costs, climate instability, tightening sustainability regulations, and a funding landscape that doesn't always match the pace of innovation. On June 4, 2026, at the main stage of Green Transition Forum 6.0 in Sofia, four practitioners sat down to discuss what's actually working, what isn't, and where the next five years will be decided. The panel — Innovation and Digitalisation in Agriculture: From Data to Impact — was co-organized by Agriventures in partnership with Green Transition Forum, and moderated by Mariya Hristova. What followed was one of the more grounded conversations the agrifood innovation space has seen on a public stage. Meet the Panelists Georgios Karakatsanis is Founder and Director of EVOTROPIA Ecological Finance Architectures, specialising in natural capital valuation, geoeconomic modelling, machine learning for symbiotic design, and the structuring of ecological finance instruments. He is also a PhD candidate at the National Technical University of Athens in Natural Capital Econometrics. Sonsoles Jiménez Pérez is Managing Director of Alberizas and holds a PhD in Economics and Business from the University of Málaga. With over 25 years of international experience leading and advising agrofood, circular economy and sustainable innovation projects across Europe and beyond, she is one of the most experienced voices in the room when it comes to translating strategy into real-world ecosystems. Ivan Dragoev is Founder and CEO of Ondo Solutions — an all-in-one smart farming system for precision irrigation, fertigation and climate control — and part of the Agrodigirise digital hub. He brings over 20 years of technology experience and a clear-eyed view of what adoption actually looks like at farm level. Veselina Stoyanova is Co-founder of Mealprot, a Bulgarian agrifood biotech startup building circular, frass-derived bio-inputs for soil and plant resilience. Mealprot's flagship product, Zemja Liquid, is designed to reduce dependency on synthetic chemicals by activating natural soil-plant-microbiome interactions. Is Europe's Innovation Ecosystem Really Shifting? Sonsoles Jiménez Pérez opened by challenging the room. We speak often about European innovation, but the question she posed was direct: is there a real shift in how the ecosystem supports agriculture and food systems — or just rhetoric? Her answer drew on the Spanish experience. Spain's agrofood innovation ecosystem didn't emerge overnight. It is the product of decades of consistent investment in university-industry collaboration, regional innovation clusters, and long-term policy continuity. The result is a sector that doesn't just produce research — it commercialises it. For Central and Eastern Europe, the lesson is uncomfortable: structural change takes longer than a funding cycle. The geopolitical pressure on European agriculture — with nitrogen fertilizer prices still approximately 30% above 2024 levels and EU grain production forecasts revised downward — makes the urgency of this shift impossible to ignore. Regenerative Farming, EU-MERCOSUR and the Role of Ambient Intelligence Georgios Karakatsanis brought a dimension to the conversation that rarely surfaces in agrifood discussions: the intersection of trade policy, ecological finance, and on-farm data intelligence. His presentation addressed the EU-MERCOSUR agreement's implications for regenerative farming in Europe and the large-scale deployment of Ambient Intelligence (AmbI) — a framework that moves beyond generic AI toward embedded, context-aware intelligence operating at the field level. Under the CRCF Regulation (EU\u002F2024\u002F3012), EU farmers are now required to develop Carbon Removal plans. The data Karakatsanis presented was striking: 87% of farmers ask how they can receive carbon credits, 72% ask how to maximise carbon removal, and yet very few have the tools to validate, measure or act on those questions. EVOTROPIA's response is a new tool built around what they call Qu.A.L.Ity Finance — a framework structured around Quantification, Additionality, Long-Term thinking, and Sustainability. The tool maps these principles across 500+ financial institutions and $170 trillion in capital aligned with the UNEP Finance Initiative. The capital exists. The translation infrastructure — connecting farmers to it — largely does not. The Hardest Gap in Agri-Tech: From Development to the Farm Gate Ivan Dragoev of Ondo Solutions delivered perhaps the most practically resonant point of the session: Europe is not bad at building agricultural technology. It is consistently bad at deploying it. The gap between TRL 7 (technology demonstrated in operational environment) and actual farm-level adoption is where a large proportion of European agri-tech innovations quietly fail. Not because they don't work — but because the ecosystem around commercialisation and adoption is underdeveloped. EU funding for agrifood entrepreneurship has improved significantly in recent years through programmes such as Horizon Europe, EIT Food and national innovation agencies. But the structure of that funding still skews heavily toward early-stage research (TRL 1–4). The scale-up phase — TRL 6 through to market — remains the most commercially risky and the least systematically supported part of the entire innovation chain. This is not a technology problem. It is a systems problem. And solving it requires deliberate investment in deployment ecosystems: farmer advisory networks, demonstration pilots, digital extension services and blended finance instruments that carry innovations through the commercial valley of death. Biotechnology as Present-Day Infrastructure Veselina Stoyanova pushed back gently on the tendency to frame biotechnology as a future solution. With rising fertilizer costs, increasing raw material pressure and the introduction of CBAM (Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism), the window for incremental adaptation is narrowing. Mealprot's work — transforming mealworm frass through biological and fermentation processes into field-ready bio-inputs — is one example of circular economy logic applied directly to a pressing agricultural problem. Their Zemja Liquid product works by activating natural soil-plant-microbiome interactions rather than relying on external chemical inputs. It is validated, field-tested, and designed to scale. The broader point she raised: the conversation around sustainable food systems is no longer hypothetical. The regulatory and market environment is already changing. Biotechnology-based solutions are available. The question is whether the innovation support infrastructure can keep pace with the urgency. The Real Bottleneck: Financing Across the Full TRL Journey A thread that connected all four speakers was the financing gap — not the absence of capital in the European system, but its misdistribution across the innovation lifecycle. Early-stage agrifood startups can access grants, accelerators and seed investment. At the other end, mature technologies with proven commercial traction can attract venture capital and strategic investors. But the middle — the scale-up phase where a company has a working product but not yet a fully validated commercial model — is consistently underfunded. Addressing this requires: Patient capital instruments that match the longer commercial cycles of agricultural innovation Blended finance mechanisms combining public grants with private investment to de-risk scale-up Stronger linkages between technology parks, universities, farmers and investors across the full TRL spectrum Pan-European deployment ecosystems that don't leave adoption to chance This is the infrastructure gap that matters most for the next generation of agrifood innovators and entrepreneurs. Data, Ecosystems and What Happens When the Right People Are in the Room Data ran through the entire conversation — not as a buzzword, but as the actual raw material for better decision-making at farm level, policy level and investor level. The role of AI, IoT and precision agriculture is not to replace farmer judgment but to give it better inputs. The question is never whether data exists. It is whether it reaches the people who need it, in a format they can act on. Strong innovation ecosystems — the kind that Sonsoles described from Spain, or that Ivan is building around Ondo through the Agrodigirise hub — are not accidental. They are the product of deliberate collaboration between startups, universities, technology parks, researchers, investors and policymakers over sustained periods. By the end of the day at Green Transition Forum 6.0, something had already shifted. Conversations that began on stage had turned into real ones. New collaborations on EU initiatives were already forming in the margins of the event. That is what the right room does. What's Next The conversation continues on June 11, 2026 at Circular Voices — the next event in this series of discussions on sustainability, innovation and the future of European food systems. A personal note of thanks to Monika Stanisheva and the entire Green Transition Forum team for the partnership, the trust, and for building one of the most important platforms for this conversation in Southeast Europe. Keywords: agrifood innovation Europe, digitalisation in agriculture, EU funding agrifood startups, TRL scale-up agriculture, precision agriculture, biotechnology food systems, regenerative farming EU, CRCF regulation, Qu.A.L.Ity Finance, Green Transition Forum 2026, agri-tech investment, circular economy agriculture, CBAM agriculture, Ambient Intelligence farming The role of Agriventures in supporting agrifood innovation As the agritech startup ecosystem grows across Europe, initiatives such as Agriventures are helping connect entrepreneurs, researchers, investors, and policymakers working in agriculture and food innovation. Agriventures focuses on supporting agrifood startups, biotechnology innovation, and access to European funding for agriculture, while also helping entrepreneurs navigate the complex landscape of startup financing, venture capital, and research commercialization. By strengthening connections between startups, research institutions, investors, and farmers, Agriventures contributes to building a stronger agricultural innovation ecosystem that can accelerate the transition toward sustainable agriculture and resilient food systems. Through knowledge sharing, events, and ecosystem building, Agriventures helps ensure that promising agritech innovations can scale and reach farmers, food producers, and global markets.",{"image":1424},{"url":1425,"altText":1419},"wix:image:\u002F\u002Fv1\u002F1cd362_3c103eaf0a85499eb5e252546ff32d41~mv2.jpg#originWidth=1024&originHeight=768","2026-06-08T18:06:53.970Z",[],[1429,1430,1431,1432,1433,1434,1435],{"_id":1370,"label":1371,"slug":1372},{"_id":1374,"label":1375,"slug":1376},{"_id":1378,"label":1379,"slug":1380},{"_id":1382,"label":1383,"slug":1384},{"_id":1386,"label":1387,"slug":1388},{"_id":1402,"label":1403,"slug":1404},{"_id":1394,"label":1395,"slug":1396},"https:\u002F\u002Fxpsc9qx4zmq8jvdz5c8j.agriventures.co\u002Fpost\u002Ffrom-data-to-impact-innovation-and-digitalisation-reshaping-european-agriculture",[],[],[],{"_id":1441,"title":1442,"slug":1443,"excerpt":1444,"contentText":1445,"featuredMedia":1446,"firstPublishedDate":1449,"lastPublishedDate":1449,"hashtags":1450,"tags":1451,"url":1454,"language":1410,"memberId":1455,"pinned":1412,"featured":1412,"commentingEnabled":4,"translations":1456,"categoryIds":1457,"relatedPostIds":1458},"9961f21c-fa62-4d13-8f85-59b93592bec5","SYSARM Officially Launches with Kick-Off Meeting in Napoli, Italy ","sysarm-officially-launches-with-kick-off-meeting-in-napoli-italy","The implementation of the SYSARM - Systems Thinking for Agricultural Risk Management project has officially begun following a successful kick-off meeting held in Napoli, Italy. The meeting marked the start of an ambitious collaboration focused on strengthening resilience, systems thinking, and risk management competences within the European agri-food sector. Developed under the Erasmus+ framework, SYSARM responds to the growing challenges faced by agriculture and food systems across Europe,...","The implementation of the SYSARM - Systems Thinking for Agricultural Risk Management project has officially begun following a successful kick-off meeting held in Napoli, Italy. The meeting marked the start of an ambitious collaboration focused on strengthening resilience, systems thinking, and risk management competences within the European agri-food sector. Developed under the Erasmus+ framework, SYSARM responds to the growing challenges faced by agriculture and food systems across Europe, including climate change, market volatility, digital transformation, and increasing systemic risks. Through innovative educational approaches such as modular MOOCs, interactive simulators, and simulation-based learning experiences, the project aims to equip adult learners, farmers, SMEs, and rural professionals with practical tools for adaptive and strategic decision-making. The consortium brings together dedicated partners from Italy, Romania, Poland, and Bulgaria, combining expertise in agriculture, adult education, innovation, and digital learning. During the meeting in Napoli, partners discussed the project roadmap, implementation activities, educational methodologies, and long-term impact goals aligned with the Pact for Skills, GreenComp, and the European Skills Agenda. AgriVentures contributes its expertise in agri-food innovation ecosystems, stakeholder engagement, and dissemination activities. AgriVentures expressed its gratitude and enthusiasm for being part of such a forward-looking initiative alongside respected European partners committed to building a more resilient and future-ready agricultural sector. The kick-off meeting laid the foundation for strong cooperation and knowledge exchange between all participating organizations, officially launching the next phase of SYSARM implementation and its mission to advance systems thinking in agricultural adult education across Europe. The role of Agriventures in supporting agrifood innovation As the agritech startup ecosystem grows across Europe, initiatives such as Agriventures are helping connect entrepreneurs, researchers, investors, and policymakers working in agriculture and food innovation. Agriventures focuses on supporting agrifood startups, biotechnology innovation, and access to European funding for agriculture, while also helping entrepreneurs navigate the complex landscape of startup financing, venture capital, and research commercialization. By strengthening connections between startups, research institutions, investors, and farmers, Agriventures contributes to building a stronger agricultural innovation ecosystem that can accelerate the transition toward sustainable agriculture and resilient food systems. Through knowledge sharing, events, and ecosystem building, Agriventures helps ensure that promising agritech innovations can scale and reach farmers, food producers, and global markets.",{"image":1447},{"url":1448,"altText":1442},"wix:image:\u002F\u002Fv1\u002F11062b_e5c1d7efe62f42fb98da20eea36a32c8~mv2.jpg\u002FPupils%20in%20Greenhouse.jpg#originWidth=5616&originHeight=3744","2026-05-30T20:06:28.000Z",[],[1452,1453],{"_id":1374,"label":1375,"slug":1376},{"_id":1386,"label":1387,"slug":1388},"https:\u002F\u002Fxpsc9qx4zmq8jvdz5c8j.agriventures.co\u002Fpost\u002Fsysarm-officially-launches-with-kick-off-meeting-in-napoli-italy","af8843a1-fdf7-4a06-91ed-f5fad4c86c5c",[],[],[],{"_id":1460,"title":1461,"slug":1462,"excerpt":1463,"contentText":1464,"featuredMedia":1465,"firstPublishedDate":1468,"lastPublishedDate":1468,"hashtags":1469,"tags":1470,"url":1474,"language":1410,"memberId":1475,"pinned":1412,"featured":1412,"commentingEnabled":4,"translations":1476,"categoryIds":1477,"relatedPostIds":1478},"db1cac2e-44dd-4841-9889-d2f8cefeeca2","SAFE-AGRI Initiative officially kicks off","safe-agri-initiative-officially-kicks-off","Agriventures is proud to officially launch the SAFE-AGRI Initiative — a new effort focused on exploring the future of secure, responsible, and resilient agri-food innovation in Europe. As agriculture rapidly evolves through AI, robotics, biotechnology, drones, sensors, and digital data infrastructures, new opportunities are emerging alongside important ethical, societal, and security-related questions. SAFE-AGRI was created to help address these challenges through collaboration, foresight,...","Agriventures is proud to officially launch the SAFE-AGRI Initiative — a new effort focused on exploring the future of secure, responsible, and resilient agri-food innovation in Europe. As agriculture rapidly evolves through AI, robotics, biotechnology, drones, sensors, and digital data infrastructures, new opportunities are emerging alongside important ethical, societal, and security-related questions. SAFE-AGRI was created to help address these challenges through collaboration, foresight, and inclusive innovation approaches. Over the coming months, the initiative will bring together researchers, agri-tech innovators, farmers, policymakers, civil society organisations, and experts from across sectors to explore the future of: Digital agriculture and AI-driven systems Biotechnology and agricultural innovation Food security and resilience Responsible governance of emerging technologies As part of the initiative, Agriventures will facilitate participatory foresight and co-creation activities that will contribute to the development of practical governance approaches and an ORRI-based framework for evaluating agri-food innovations and their broader societal impact. The first activities and events are already taking shape, and we are excited to begin engaging with stakeholders, innovators, researchers, and the wider agri-food community. Stay tuned for upcoming workshops, discussions, insights, and opportunities to participate in shaping the future of responsible agri-food innovation. Agriventures continues to support innovators, startups, researchers, and organisations working at the intersection of agriculture, biotechnology, sustainability, and emerging technologies. Through initiatives such as Safe-Agri, we aim not only to foster responsible innovation, but also to help ideas grow into impactful European collaborations and funded research opportunities. Whether you are looking for consortium partners, support in developing Horizon Europe proposals, or opportunities to participate in future agri-food innovation activities, we welcome new connections and collaborations across Europe. For partnership opportunities, consortium support, and Horizon Europe collaboration inquiries:📩 start@agriventures.co Explore more: Agriventures Official Website Agriventures Connect Platform As the agritech startup ecosystem continues to grow across Europe, Agriventures remains committed to connecting entrepreneurs, researchers, investors, policymakers, and industry stakeholders working to shape the future of sustainable and resilient agri-food systems. By strengthening connections between startups, research institutions, investors, and farmers, Agriventures contributes to building a stronger agricultural innovation ecosystem that can accelerate the transition toward sustainable agriculture and resilient food systems. Through knowledge sharing, events, and ecosystem building, Agriventures helps ensure that promising agritech innovations can scale and reach farmers, food producers, and global markets. Safe-Agri is funded within the framework of the REINFORCING project. REINFORCING has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under Grant Agreement No. 101094687. The project is supported by the European Research Executive Agency (REA). Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union, the REA, or the REINFORCING consortium. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.",{"image":1466},{"url":1467,"altText":1461},"wix:image:\u002F\u002Fv1\u002Fb5067000e54443c5a60d0e93d73b7214.jpg\u002Fb5067000e54443c5a60d0e93d73b7214.jpg#originWidth=2001&originHeight=1501","2026-05-23T14:54:58.609Z",[],[1471,1472,1473],{"_id":1394,"label":1395,"slug":1396},{"_id":1374,"label":1375,"slug":1376},{"_id":1382,"label":1383,"slug":1384},"https:\u002F\u002Fxpsc9qx4zmq8jvdz5c8j.agriventures.co\u002Fpost\u002Fsafe-agri-initiative-officially-kicks-off","ac0c59a4-e1e1-4399-9f88-500dac6c8de7",[],[],[],{"_id":1480,"title":1481,"slug":1482,"excerpt":1483,"contentText":1484,"featuredMedia":1485,"firstPublishedDate":1488,"lastPublishedDate":1488,"hashtags":1489,"tags":1490,"url":1495,"language":1410,"memberId":1475,"pinned":1412,"featured":1412,"commentingEnabled":4,"translations":1496,"categoryIds":1497,"relatedPostIds":1498},"3f1403e2-5802-4538-ab86-cbb20574c5f8","Agriventures joins AgroDigiRise 2.0 -  European Digital Innovation Hub for Agriculture","agriventures-joins-agrodigirise-2-0-european-digital-innovation-hub-for-agriculture","Agriventures is proud to announce its onboarding in the second edition of AgroDigiRise 2.0 - the Bulgarian European Digital Innovation Hub (EDIH) for agriculture, led by AgroHub.BG. AgroDigiRise 2.0 brings together key stakeholders from agriculture, technology, research, and entrepreneurship to support the adoption of advanced digital solutions across farming and food production ecosystems. The initiative focuses on helping farmers, SMEs, startups, and agribusiness organisations access...","Agriventures is proud to announce its onboarding in the second edition of AgroDigiRise 2.0 - the Bulgarian European Digital Innovation Hub (EDIH) for agriculture, led by AgroHub.BG. AgroDigiRise 2.0 brings together key stakeholders from agriculture, technology, research, and entrepreneurship to support the adoption of advanced digital solutions across farming and food production ecosystems. The initiative focuses on helping farmers, SMEs, startups, and agribusiness organisations access innovation services, technological expertise, training opportunities, and practical support for implementing digital and AI-driven solutions. As part of the AgroDigiRise 2.0 ecosystem, Agriventures will contribute through its expertise in agrifood innovation, startup acceleration, deep tech ecosystems, and international collaboration. The participation strengthens the organisation’s mission to bridge innovation with real-world agricultural challenges while helping emerging technologies reach practical implementation across Europe. European Digital Innovation Hubs (EDIHs) play an important role in supporting the digital competitiveness of regional ecosystems. Through services such as “test before invest,” digital readiness assessments, innovation mentoring, and access to specialised expertise, EDIHs enable organisations to adopt technologies including Artificial Intelligence (AI), precision agriculture systems, IoT, robotics, biotechnology applications, and data-driven farm management solutions. The second edition of AgroDigiRise further strengthens collaboration between research, entrepreneurship, and sustainable agricultural development in Bulgaria and beyond. Through networking activities, pilot initiatives, international cooperation, and knowledge exchange, the programme contributes to building a more resilient and innovation-driven agri-food sector. Through initiatives like these, Agriventures Innovation Ecosystem continues to support entrepreneurship, deep tech innovation, agrifood technology, biotechnology, sustainability, and international collaboration across Europe. For partnership opportunities, consortium support, and Horizon Europe collaboration inquiries: start@agriventures.co Explore more Agriventures Official Website Agriventures Connect Platform The role of Agriventures in supporting agrifood innovation As the agritech startup ecosystem grows across Europe, initiatives such as Agriventures are helping connect entrepreneurs, researchers, investors, and policymakers working in agriculture and food innovation. Agriventures focuses on supporting agrifood startups, biotechnology innovation, and access to European funding for agriculture, while also helping entrepreneurs navigate the complex landscape of startup financing, venture capital, and research commercialisation. By strengthening connections between startups, research institutions, investors, and farmers, Agriventures contributes to building a stronger agricultural innovation ecosystem that can accelerate the transition toward sustainable agriculture and resilient food systems. Through knowledge sharing, events, and ecosystem building, Agriventures helps ensure that promising agritech innovations can scale and reach farmers, food producers, and global markets. \nFunded 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 European Commission. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.",{"image":1486},{"url":1487,"altText":1481},"wix:image:\u002F\u002Fv1\u002F11062b_9a76adcc9ee74b2b966bf22d05ba65bd~mv2.jpg\u002FLettuce-Farming%20Robots.jpg#originWidth=5390&originHeight=3381","2026-05-23T14:46:01.710Z",[],[1491,1492,1493,1494],{"_id":1394,"label":1395,"slug":1396},{"_id":1374,"label":1375,"slug":1376},{"_id":1382,"label":1383,"slug":1384},{"_id":1398,"label":1399,"slug":1400},"https:\u002F\u002Fxpsc9qx4zmq8jvdz5c8j.agriventures.co\u002Fpost\u002Fagriventures-joins-agrodigirise-2-0-european-digital-innovation-hub-for-agriculture",[],[],[],{"_id":1500,"title":1501,"slug":1502,"excerpt":1503,"contentText":1504,"featuredMedia":1505,"firstPublishedDate":1508,"lastPublishedDate":1508,"hashtags":1509,"tags":1510,"url":1514,"language":1410,"memberId":1411,"pinned":1412,"featured":1412,"commentingEnabled":4,"translations":1515,"categoryIds":1516,"relatedPostIds":1517},"60143775-d821-41a3-9299-7a2c25427757","Circular Voices in Agrifood: Funding, Partnerships & Innovation Across Europe - Register today","circular-voices-in-agrifood-funding-partnerships-innovation-across-europe-register-today","Europe’s agri-food systems are under increasing pressure from climate change, resource depletion, food waste, rising production costs and supply chain instability. At the same time, agriculture and food systems remain central to the European Green Deal, the Bioeconomy Strategy and the transition toward more resilient regional economies. According to European Commission data, the EU generates more than 59 million tonnes of food waste annually, while agriculture remains one of the largest users...","Europe’s agri-food systems are under increasing pressure from climate change, resource depletion, food waste, rising production costs and supply chain instability. At the same time, agriculture and food systems remain central to the European Green Deal, the Bioeconomy Strategy and the transition toward more resilient regional economies. According to European Commission data, the EU generates more than 59 million tonnes of food waste annually, while agriculture remains one of the largest users of water, land and biological resources. Large quantities of agricultural residues, manure, processing side streams and organic waste remain underutilised despite their strong potential for circular valorisation, renewable energy production, biomaterials and regenerative farming applications. In Bulgaria specifically, circular transition in agriculture still faces major structural barriers despite strong biomass potential and growing innovation activity. Research from the Bulgarian bioeconomy and biomass assessment landscape shows that Bulgaria has significant agricultural and forestry resources, with approximately 47.1% agricultural land and 38% forest coverage, alongside large underutilised biomass streams from cereals, sunflower, vineyards, orchards and livestock systems. The country generates substantial residual biomass potential from agriculture, including over 6.6 million tonnes of agricultural residues annually according to S2BIOM assessments, alongside nearly 3.9 million tonnes biomass potential from unused lands. Livestock manure also presents major opportunities for biogas, biofertilisers and circular nutrient management, with estimated electricity generation potential exceeding 313 GWh annually. Despite these opportunities, the transition toward circular agrifood systems remains fragmented. Stakeholder mapping and field research conducted within Circular Voices identified recurring barriers across communication, regulation, financing, skills and innovation ecosystems. These include weak collaboration between universities and businesses, fragmented information flows, lack of practical education, insufficient cooperation between stakeholders, unclear regulatory processes and limited access to coordinated support mechanisms for circular innovation. Additional challenges include: limited visibility of successful circular practices lack of farmer-oriented communication approaches insufficient advisory and innovation systems low cooperation between public institutions and innovators shortages of skilled human resources and technical know-how inadequate platforms connecting startups, researchers, farmers and industry actors limited financial instruments adapted to circular business models At the same time, Europe is seeing rapid growth in circular bioeconomy startups, regenerative agriculture models, alternative proteins, agricultural biotechnology, precision agriculture and waste valorisation technologies. This creates strong opportunities for regional ecosystems capable of connecting research, entrepreneurship, financing and implementation capacity. Against this backdrop, Circular Voices Agrifood Talks brings together startups, researchers, farmers, investors, ecosystem builders and policymakers to explore how circular innovation can reshape the future of agri-food systems across Europe. The event will focus on: circular agrifood innovation and policy uptake funding opportunities for circular and bioeconomy solutions partnerships between science, startups and industry cross-border collaboration and ecosystem building scaling climate-smart and resource-efficient agriculture visibility and adoption of real circular farming practices practical implementation challenges across the agrifood sector The programme includes contributions from Circular Voices, Agriventures, Alberizas, Wageningen University & Research, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) and the Circular Food Systems Network. The discussion will also address how circularity can move beyond policy narratives into practical implementation through collaboration between farmers, startups, researchers, public institutions and investors. The Circular Voices initiative has already highlighted examples of circular agriculture, biomass valorisation, regenerative farming and innovation ecosystems across Bulgaria and Spain, while supporting dialogue around financing, education and ecosystem development. Agenda 16:00–16:05 | Welcome from Agriventures and introduction to the Agriventures ecosystem16:05–16:10 | Alberizas presentation16:10–16:20 | CFS Network presentation: ongoing work and initiatives16:20–16:40 | Circular Voices presentation: insights, achievements and community impact16:40–16:50 | Presentation of the TrueFoods project16:50–17:05 | Funding opportunities for circular solutions in agri-food systems17:05–17:25 | Panel discussion: “What is needed to scale circular innovation in agri-food systems?”17:25–17:30 | Interactive Q&A and networking discussion Registration Circular Voices Registration More about the initiative: Circular Voices Platform Agriventures Related articles: Circular Voices: Revealing the Real Impact of Circular Agriculture in Spain and Bulgaria Circular Voices goes live: check circular farming across Europe Circular Voices Workshop: Sharing Stories, Building a Living Circular Ecosystem International online event on Circular agrifood opportunities for funding",{"image":1506},{"url":1507,"altText":1501},"wix:image:\u002F\u002Fv1\u002Fe96ed832cde04a58a97249e5c79c809d.jpg\u002Fe96ed832cde04a58a97249e5c79c809d.jpg#originWidth=1920&originHeight=1440","2026-05-17T19:35:28.774Z",[],[1511,1512,1513],{"_id":1386,"label":1387,"slug":1388},{"_id":1374,"label":1375,"slug":1376},{"_id":1402,"label":1403,"slug":1404},"https:\u002F\u002Fxpsc9qx4zmq8jvdz5c8j.agriventures.co\u002Fpost\u002Fcircular-voices-in-agrifood-funding-partnerships-innovation-across-europe-register-today",[],[],[],{"_id":1519,"title":1520,"slug":1521,"excerpt":1522,"contentText":1523,"featuredMedia":1524,"firstPublishedDate":1527,"lastPublishedDate":1527,"hashtags":1528,"tags":1529,"url":1533,"language":1410,"memberId":1411,"pinned":1412,"featured":1412,"commentingEnabled":4,"translations":1534,"categoryIds":1535,"relatedPostIds":1536},"cf25dea8-e6b3-49b8-82da-70b87cdde485","Agriventures Partner Spotlight: Verimpact Launches Free ESG Reporting First Adopters Programme for SMEs and Innovative Companies","agriventures-partner-spotlight-verimpact-launches-free-esg-reporting-first-adopters-programme-for-s","As sustainability reporting requirements continue to evolve across Europe, businesses are increasingly facing growing pressure to monitor, structure, and communicate their ESG performance in a credible and strategic way. At the same time, many companies, especially SMEs, startups, and growing innovative businesses, still struggle with the complexity, cost, and fragmented nature of ESG reporting frameworks. To address this challenge, Verimpact has launched a limited-time First Adopters...","As sustainability reporting requirements continue to evolve across Europe, businesses are increasingly facing growing pressure to monitor, structure, and communicate their ESG performance in a credible and strategic way. At the same time, many companies, especially SMEs, startups, and growing innovative businesses, still struggle with the complexity, cost, and fragmented nature of ESG reporting frameworks. To address this challenge, Verimpact has launched a limited-time First Adopters Programme, providing selected organisations with free access to its ESG reporting platform and sustainability intelligence tools. As a partner of Agriventures, Verimpact is working to support companies navigating the transition toward more sustainable, transparent, and data-driven operations. What the First Adopters Programme Includes Selected organisations will receive: • Free 2025 ESG reporting aligned with GRI and IFRS S1 & S2 standards • Full access to the Verimpact Platform • Access to forecasting functionalities and advanced 3D visualisations • Direct collaboration with the Verimpact team • Priority access to upcoming platform features The initiative is designed for forward-looking organisations preparing for the next generation of sustainability reporting and compliance requirements. Why ESG Reporting Matters More Than Ever Across Europe, ESG requirements are rapidly becoming part of strategic business operations rather than standalone compliance exercises. However, for many organisations, the process remains inefficient and resource-intensive. According to Verimpact, many businesses today: • Pay excessive costs for ESG reporting • Spend months collecting and structuring sustainability data • Struggle to navigate multiple reporting frameworks • Produce reports that fail to support strategic decision-making This challenge is particularly significant for SMEs, agrifood businesses, startups, and scaling companies that often lack dedicated sustainability reporting teams or technical infrastructure. Turning Sustainability Data into Strategic Intelligence Rather than treating ESG reporting as a static compliance process, Verimpact aims to transform sustainability data into a strategic management tool. The platform is designed to help organisations generate: → Better insights→ Stronger risk understanding→ Actionable sustainability strategies This approach is becoming increasingly important as investors, corporates, financial institutions, and policymakers place greater emphasis on measurable sustainability performance and climate resilience. Supporting the Transition Toward Sustainable Innovation At Agriventures, we actively support innovative companies, startups, SMEs, and agrifood organisations seeking practical tools that improve competitiveness, sustainability, and access to future financing opportunities. Partnerships with companies such as Verimpact contribute to building an ecosystem where technology, sustainability, and innovation work together to create measurable impact. For organisations planning their 2025 ESG reporting, the First Adopters Programme offers an opportunity to approach sustainability reporting in a more strategic, data-driven, and efficient way. How to Apply Availability for the programme is limited. Companies interested in joining the Verimpact First Adopters Programme can contact the team directly to schedule a 20-minute onboarding call: 📩 info@verimpact.com Learn more about Verimpact and their ESG platform initiatives through their official channels.",{"image":1525},{"url":1526,"altText":1520},"wix:image:\u002F\u002Fv1\u002F11062b_6651f299cf614c5fa18d54acad055f2e~mv2.jpg\u002FGreen%20Buildings.jpg#originWidth=3008&originHeight=2000","2026-05-16T16:33:50.796Z",[],[1530,1531,1532],{"_id":1402,"label":1403,"slug":1404},{"_id":1394,"label":1395,"slug":1396},{"_id":1374,"label":1375,"slug":1376},"https:\u002F\u002Fxpsc9qx4zmq8jvdz5c8j.agriventures.co\u002Fpost\u002Fagriventures-partner-spotlight-verimpact-launches-free-esg-reporting-first-adopters-programme-for-s",[],[],[],1780942235461]