Opportunities for agrifood entrepreneurs

The final quarter of 2025 will be full of innovation, networking and funding opportunities across food, agriculture and sustainability. Below is a curated selection of events, programmes and calls for applications that surfaced in Agriventures’ recent email alerts. Each opportunity includes a brief overview, key dates and a link to the organiser’s site for more details.

Smarterra Agrifood Summit – Matera, Italy (28–29 October 2025)

Hosted in the picturesque Basilicata region of Italy, the Smarterra Agrifood Summit is a two‑day event that will bring together investors, startups, policymakers and academics. According to the official programme, the summit includes keynote speeches, high‑tech agrifood panels, startup pitches, networking sessions and site visitstechbbq.dk. Participants can join thematic speed‑networking sessions focused on sustainability, digital farming, consumer trust and rural talent, and there are opportunities to meet with institutional partners and investors. Registration is required and places are limited.

👉 Link: Smarterra Agrifood Summit 2025

EIT Food’s “Inspire. Explore. Compete.” Programme (1 October – 30 November 2025)

EIT Food’s free online course is designed to turn early‑stage ideas into viable agrifood innovations. Running from 1 October to 30 November 2025, the programme helps participants learn systems thinking, identify sustainability challenges and develop solution proposalslearning.eitfood.eu. Teams prepare a slide deck aligned with EIT Food’s missions and can win cash prizes of up to €2 000learning.eitfood.eu. The course suits students and aspiring entrepreneurs with no prior startup experience, and winners are invited to pitch their projects at a final event in January 2026.

👉 Link: Inspire. Explore. Compete. – EIT Food

Forbes Women Forum – Sofia, Bulgaria (23 October 2025)

For women looking to network and share their entrepreneurial stories, the Forbes Women Forum returns to Hyatt Regency Sofia on 23 October 2025. The event brings together more than 200 female leaders from business, technology, finance, social innovation and sportforbesbulgaria.com. Attendees will hear inspirational talks and panel discussions and have the chance to meet potential collaborators and mentors. The forum is ticketed; early registration is advised.

👉 Link: Forbes Women Forum 2025

THRIVE Global Impact Summit – Santa Clara, USA (29–30 October 2025)

SVG Ventures’ THRIVE Global Impact Summit convenes more than 400 innovators, investors and industry leaders to accelerate solutions for sustainable agriculture. The summit takes place at the Marriott Santa Clara on 29–30 October 2025thriveagrifood.com. Attendees can join roundtables on specialty crops and AI, hear investor insights on the ag‑tech market and watch pitches from startups working in regenerative agriculture, animal health and sustainable packagingthriveagrifood.com. Panels address how capital is flowing through the agri‑food value chain, making this a valuable opportunity for entrepreneurs seeking funding.

👉 Link: THRIVE Global Impact Summit 2025

HORECA – ENOEXPO Brokerage Event – Online (5–20 November 2025)

The HORECA – ENOEXPO 2025 brokerage event connects companies from the hotel, catering and wine industries through online B2B meetings. Running from 5 to 20 November 2025, the virtual matchmaking sessions allow participants to book 30‑minute meetings with potential partnersb2match.com. Topics cover food and beverage production, hospitality equipment, packaging solutions, marketing and IT systemsb2match.com. Registration is free, and companies can showcase their technologies or find suppliers without leaving the office.

👉 Link: HORECA – ENOEXPO 2025 brokerage event

ClieNFarms Final Conference – Brussels & Online (20 November 2025)

ClieNFarms, an EU project aiming to achieve climate‑neutral farming, will host its final conference in Brussels and online. The one‑day event on 20 November 2025 will showcase project results, foster dialogue between farmers, advisors and policymakers, and discuss how to scale up climate‑neutral practiceseu-cap-network.ec.europa.eu. Four thematic sessions will address smarter agriculture for climate neutrality, scaling climate actions, advancing knowledge for climate‑smart farming and modelling greenhouse‑gas emissionseu-cap-network.ec.europa.eu.

👉 Link: ClieNFarms Final Conference

Food System Microbiomes 2025 Conference – Wageningen, Netherlands (25–28 November 2025)

This scientific meeting explores how microbiomes across soils, plants, animals and humans shape food systems. Hosted in Wageningen, the Food System Microbiomes 2025 conference aims to connect researchers, industry and policymakers to address climate change, sustainable agriculture and food securityfoodsystemsmicrobiomes.org. Early‑career researchers can showcase their work, and sessions will examine microbiome‑based innovations and their potential to reduce greenhouse‑gas emissions and improve crop resilience.

👉 Link: Food System Microbiomes 2025

Box Impact Fund (Applications Open 11 September 2025)

Non‑profit organisations looking to harness technology for social good should note the Box Impact Fund. The current call, open from 11 September 2025 with a deadline of 10 November 2025, will award six grants of US$25 000 to projects leveraging digital solutions such as generative AI, cloud platforms or mobile data to improve child welfare, crisis response or environmental protectionwww2.fundsforngos.org. Eligible applicants must be registered non‑profits whose mission aligns with these themes; proposals should highlight digital transformation and demonstrate potential impactwww2.fundsforngos.org.

👉 Link: Box Impact Fund – Call for Proposals

DEA Accelerate Programme – Sofia, Bulgaria (July–December 2025)

DEA Accelerate is Bulgaria’s first accelerator programme exclusively for women‑led startups. The 2025 cohort runs from September to early December, following an application window from 1 July to 29 August 2025deaaccelerate.com. Selected teams receive mentoring, weekly lectures, and mini‑pitch days culminating in a final Demo Day (8–12 December 2025)deaaccelerate.com. The programme emphasises business fundamentals, product development, customer discovery, and investor readiness, and participation is free for selected foundersdeaaccelerate.com.

👉 Link: DEA Accelerate 2025

How to Make the Most of These Opportunities

• Plan ahead: Many events require early registration or applications. Mark deadlines in your calendar and prepare materials (abstracts, pitch decks, etc.) well in advance.

• Leverage networks: Programmes like EIT Food and DEA Accelerate provide mentoring and networking that can open doors to investors, partners and research collaborations.

• Focus on sustainability: Funding calls and conferences increasingly emphasise circular agrifood, carbon neutrality and ESG principles. Tailor your proposals to highlight environmental and social impact.

• Showcase your innovation: Whether you’re pitching at Smarterra or THRIVE or applying to the Box Impact Fund, be clear about the problem you’re solving, the novelty of your solution and its scalability.

Explore all opportunities at www.agriventures.co

These events and calls represent a rich landscape of opportunities for agrifood innovators and entrepreneurs. Engaging with them can help Agriventures members build connections, secure funding and contribute to a more resilient and sustainable food system.