Romanian

Agri
foodStart
ups
Over vi
ew Repor
t2023
3rd Edi
ti
on

Cr
eat
edby Wi
tht
hesuppor
tof
Tabl
eofcont
ent
s

Aboutt
hisr
epor
t 02
Cr
edi
ts 04
Eur
opeanLandscapeofAgr
ifoodSt
art
ups 07
Over
viewoft
heRomani
anAgr
ifoodSt
art
upsEcosyst
em 1
5
Romani
anAgr
ifoodSt
art
upsMap|2023 1
7
Met
hodol
ogy 1
8
Keyfigur
es 20
ShowcasedRomani
anAgr
ifoodSt
art
ups 23
I
nsi
ght
sfr
om Founder
s 27
I
nsi
ght
sfr
om I
nvest
ors 29
Fundi
ngAgr
ifoodSt
art
ups–EUAnal
ysi
s 30
Chal
lengesf
rom t
heSect
or 32
KeyTakeaways 34
RecaponPr
evi
ousEdi
tions 36
OurSer
vicesandPr
oject
s 37
Peopl
eBehi
ndt
heRepor
t 40

02 Romani
anAgr
ifoodSt
art
upsOver
viewRepor
t2023
Aboutt
hisr
epor
t
T
hisrepor
tha
sbeenl
aunc
hedduetothegr
owingnee
dfori
nnovaoninthe
a
gri
fooddomai
nandf
oral
ig
nmentwit
htheEur
opeanage
ndafort
hef
utur
e.
F
org over
nme nt
sa nd inter
naona lorg
anizaonst oa chie
ves ust
aina
ble
i
nte
nsific
aon— whi chisapr oc
es sorsyst
em whe r
ea gr
icul
tur
alyiel
dsare
i
ncr
eased withoutne gav ee nv
ironmentalimpacta nd wit
houtc hangi
ng
a
ddiona lnon-agr
icul
tur
a l
land— technol
ogical
innovaona ndadvancement
i
nagri
cul
tureisessena l
.
Withma nypesci
desbeingbanneda cros
sE ur
ope,g hte
rregulaonson
producon,andt
hereal
ie sofwor
kingwi t
hfloraandfaunaunderthr
eatby
fluctuangtempe
rat
ure
s,therei
sastrongneedtoadapt
.
T
hisprovi
desahugeoppor
tuni
tyf
orentre
pre
neurst
oc ons
ide
rhow t
ouse
t
echnol
ogya ndc
reaveideast
ode v
elopnewecosy
ste
mst hatwi
l
lensur
e
s
ustai
nabi
li
ty
.
I
nnovaon int hisare
a me a
nswe i
ghing down l
abor-
int
ensi
veacv ies,
s
tar
tups c
reang s ol
u ons toassi
stfarmersini nc
reas
ing c
rop y
iel
ds,
i
mprovi
nganima lwel
far
eandfoodproduconme t
hods,re
duci
ngpoll
u on,
l
oweri
ngcarbonfoot
pri
nts,
andinc
reas
ingscal
abi
l
ity
.
Weai
mtos howc a
seproj
ect
s,s
tar
tupsa
ndorga
niz
aonsi
nvol
vedi
nthesec
tor
andt
oc ontri
butethiswaytothev i
si
bi
li
tyofthei
nnovaoncreat
edby
Roma
nia
ne ntrepr
eneurs
.

03 Romani
anAgr
ifoodSt
art
upsOver
viewRepor
t2023
Cr
edi
ts

I
mpa
ctHubBucharestha
sbeenacat
aly
stforentr
epr
eneur
ial
aconi nRomani
aformoret
han
1
1yea
rs.
Wec onnectent
repr
ene
ursandinnov
a t
orst
ola
rgeorga
nis
aons ,pa
rtne
rs,
inv
est
ors
,
a
ndt
hepubl
icsect
or.
Wes t
artedourjourneybacki
n2012,asthefirs
tcowor
kingspa
cela
unchedi
nRomani
a,wit
h
t
hede si
retocre
a t
eapl ac
ewhe r
eideast
urnedint
orea
li
ty,wher
eli
ke-
minde
dent
repr
eneur
s
andprof
essi
onal
sc oll
abor
atea
nddriv
einnovaona ndc
ha ng
e.
Today,Impa c
tHubBuchare
stisoneofthemostimportantorgani
zaonsinRoma ni
aintra
ini
ng
ands upporngane wgener
aonofe ntr
epr
eneurs:overtheyear
s,wehavesupported1000+
s
t a
rtupsa ndinnova
tor
sinthegrowthproce
ss,provi
deda cces
stodir
ectfinanc
ingofov er5.
1
mill
i
onE urosandlaidthefoundaonsoft hel arge
stonl i
nepla or
mf ore ntr
epreneur
ial
educaon-S tart
ari
um.
I
mpa ctHubBuc har
esti
spartofthel
arg
estgl
obal
c ommuni
tyofi
mpactma k
ers-I
mpactHub
Network.Wi t
hmor ethan25,000membersand1 00l
ocaonson5c on nent
s,I
mpactHub
devel
opsa ndconnect
sloca
lcommunie stha
tbecomepole
sofinnov
aoni ntheecos
yst
ems
ofwhichtheyareapart.
www.
i
mpa
cthub
.ro

“Launchingt hethi
rdedi ti
onoft heRomani anAgr if
oodSt artupsOver vi
ew
Repor t mar ks our cont i
nued commi tment t o cat alyzing i nnovation in
agri
culture.I nawor l
dshapedbyt hechallengesofcl imat echangeandt he
enduringimpact soft hepandemi c,thisini
ti
at i
vei sacr ucialone. Bymappi ng
thelandscapeofagr if
oodst ar tupsinRomani a,wenotonl yspot l
ightt he
start
upst hatdr i
vei nnovation,butal so fostercol l
abor at i
on and pr oj
ect
developmentwi thin ouragr itech ecosyst em.Thi s mappi ng serves as a
compass f or navigating the f uture of moder n agr i
cul ture,unl ocking
oppor t
unitiesandpr omot i
ngar esil
ientagrifoodsect or .
"
-Vl
adCr
aioveanu,
CEO&Cof
ounderI
mpactHubBuchar
est

04 Romani
anAgr
ifoodSt
art
upsOver
viewRepor
t2023
Acv i
zeisfocusedons t
art
ups c
ou ng,ecosys
tem ma ppi
ng,accel
eraonpr ogr
amsa nd
fundrai
si
ng suppor
t.Oura i
mi sto moni
tora nd ga
the ri
nfor
maon a boutthe s
tar
tup
ecosyst
emsinRoma ni
aandi
nE a
ste
rnEur
opea nddel
i
verittost
akehol
dersi
name ani
ngf
uland
usefulway
.
Oe n mes,wepr ovi
desta
rtupe cos
ystemsov e
rvi
ews,throug
hr epor
tstail
oredons pec
ific
t
opic
sandne eds;thr
oughanal
ysisont ec
hnologyt
rendsa ndinv
estmentopportunies.We
moni
torandinfor
m ontheov e
rallst
atusofthesta
rtupe c
osyst
em withmont hl
yreport
son
i
mporta
ntnews ,c
onfer
ence
s,events,
programsevol
u on,inves
tmentsannounced.
Weunde r
sta
ndst
art
upsandt e
chnol
ogi
eswell
,sowecanwor ktoge
therwit
hcorporat
eteams,
univ
ersiesandf
ounderswiththeaim ofc
reangs upportprogr
amsf orst
artupstha
tc a
n
provi
dest
art
upsa
nds pi
n-offswit
hfundi
ngandma r
ketopportunies.
I
nt hepast4year
s,wehav
ebeenworki
ngclosel
ywithst
art
upsint
hef
undra
isi
ngproc
ess
es:
underst
andi
ngthebusi
nes
sc a
se,fina
nci
alne eds
,inve
stmentdec
k,s
uppor
tinc ont
acng
i
nve s
tor
s,whi
lebei
ngi
nvol
vedi
n15+in
vest
me ntdeal
s.
St
ayintouchwithusthr
oug hStar
tupsLea
guenews l
ee rthatprov
ide
sfounderswithali
stof
us
efulopportunies,throughS tar
tup Ec
osyst
em Ra da
rne wsl
ee rthatpr ov
idesmos t
i
mpor t
antnewsinthestartupecosyst
ema ndInv
estor
sLe a
guene wsl
ee rcontai
ningus
e f
ul
i
nfofori
nvest
orsandsta
rtupslooki
ngforf
unding
.
www.
acv
ize
.t
ech

E
ITFoodi sthelarg
estandmostdy
namicfoodinnov
aonc ommuni
tyint
heworl
d.We
a
ccel
era
teinnovaont obui
l
dafoods
yst
em fitfort
hefutur
e,onet
hatpr
oduc
eshe
alt
hya
nd
s
ust
ai
nablefoodforal
l.
Suppor t
e dbyt heE uropeanI nst uteofI nnovaona ndT echnol ogy(EIT),abodyoft he
Europe anUnion, wei nvestinpr oj
ects,or
ganizaons ,andi ndividualswhos ha reourgoalsf
ora
health
ya ndsus ta
ina bl
ef oods y s
tem.Weunl ockt hei nnov aonpot ena li nbusi
ne s
sesand
universie s
,creanga nds cal
i
nga gr
i-f
oods ta
rtupst obr ingne wt e
c hnol
og i
esa ndproduct
sto
thema r
ke t
.Wee quipe ntrepr
e neursandpr ofes
sionalswi t
ht hes ki
llsneededt otransf
ormthe
foods ystema ndpl a cec onsume rsa tt
hec enterofoura cv ie s,helpingbuildt r
ustby
reconne cngt he mt otheor ig
insoft hei
rfood.Wea reoneoft heni neinnovaonc ommunie s
establ
ishedbyt heE uropea nInst uteofInnovaona ndT echnolog y(EIT)
,ani ndependentEU
bodyf oundedi n2 008t osmul a t
einnovaona nde ntre prene urshi
pa crossEurope.
www.
eiood.
eu

05 Romani
anAgr
ifoodSt
art
upsOver
viewRepor
t2023
TheMi cr
os of orStar
tupsFoundersHubser
vesasathriv
ingecos
yst
em,tai
lor
edtoempower
vis
ionar
ye nt
repreneur
se mbar
k i
ngonthei
rst
art
upjourney.Ati
tsc
ore,
thi
shubisagate
wayto
boundlessopportunies,offer
ingaplet
horaofr
esourc
e sdesi
gnedtocat
aly
zeinnov
aona nd
fuelsuc
cess.
TheFounde rsHubsta
ndsasat es
tamenttoMic
ros
o' scommit
menttonur
tur
ingthenext
waveofi nnovat
ors
.It
'sala
unchpadwhereas
pir
aonsme e
tres
our
ces
,andwhe r
es t
art
ups
t
ransce
nd l i
mitstocarv
et he
irplac
ei ntheever
-ev
olv
ingla
ndsc
apeoftechnol
ogya nd
ent
repreneurshi
p.
Mic
roso isacv el
yin
volve
di nt heagr
if
oodindus
try
,focusi
ngons ust
a i
nableandnutrious
ag
ric
ult
ureandfoodsys
tems .
The yar
eusingthel
ates
tadvancesinAIandc l
oudc ompu ngto
hel
pfarmersi
ncrea
seyie
lds,reducecost
s,gr
owr e
venue,ande mploysust
ainabl
ea gr
ic
ult
ure
pr
acc es.
www.
mic
ros
o.c
om/
ro-
ro/
sta
rtups

06 Romani
anAgr
ifoodSt
art
upsOver
viewRepor
t2023
EuropeanLandscape
ofAgrif
oodStartups

I
n20
23,thei
mperaveforag
ric
ult
uralt
echnolog
ica
ladv
ance
me nt
sa ndi
nnovavesol
u ons
r
emai
nsfirml
yent
renc
hedontheagenda
sofg ove
rnment
sandint
ernaonalor
gani
zaons.
T
hecent
ralgoalcon nuestobethepur
sui
tofs
ust
aina
blei
nte
nsi
ficaon,asys
temt
hatsee
ks
t
oaugmenta g
ric
ult
ura ly
iel
dswi
thoutc
ausi
ngadv
erseenv
ir
onmenta
limpa
ctsorc
onve
rng
a
ddionalnon-ag
ric
ultura
lla
nd.
T
hiscrica
lmis
si
onal
ignswit
hthei
mpe r
aveoff
eedi
ngag
rowi
ngg
loba
lpopul
aonwhi
l
e
s
afeg
uardi
ngt
hepl
ane
t'sfr
agi
l
eecos
yst
ems.
T
heE
urope
anl
ands
capei
sunde
rgoi
ngapr
ofoundt
rans
for
maon,
fue
ledbyv
ari
ousf
act
ors
.
Theba nni
ngofnume rouspesc i
des
,str
ict
err egul
aonsgover
ningpr
oducon,and t
he
ongoi
ngc ha
ll
eng
espr e
sent
e dbycli
matechange-
induce
dfluct
uaonsintemper
atur
ehave
usher
edinapres
singneedfora
daptaonandr e
sil
i
e nc
e.

Europeanagr
icul
turei
satapivotalj
unct
ure,
dr i
venby
theurgencyt
obalancefoodsecuri
tywit
hecological
sust
ainabi
li
ty.

Eur
ope '
srenewedi nt
erestina gri
cul
tur
aldev el
opme ntremainsaprominentfea
tur
eoft he
r
e g
ionall
andsca
pe .
Admi ni
s t
rav ebodie
sares ys
temac a
llyr
e-eva
luangtheirs
tra
tegi
es,wi
th
adisnc tf
ocusona g
ric
ulture,f
oods ec
uri
ty,publi
che al
th,andsust
ai
nabil
i
ty.Thi
sconcert
ed
effortunders
corestherecogniont hatasustai
nabl
ea gri
foodsyst
emisnotonlydesi
rabl
ebut
al
soe s
sena lf
orthewe ll
-beingofbothpres
e ntandfuturegener
aons .
T
hisba
ckdr
oppre
sentsanunpa
ral
le
ledopport
uni
tyf
orent
repr
ene
urst
oha r
nesstec
hnol
ogy
a
ndcreavi
tyt
oenginee
rnovel
ecosy
ste
mst ha
tst
andasba
sonsofsus
tai
nabi
li
ty.
S
o,pot
ena li
nnova
tor
sca
nbea
tthef
ore
frontofr
ede
fini
ngt
hef
utur
eofa
gri
food,
ift
heys
ee
t
heoppor
tuni
ty.
Start
upsa ndenter
pri
sescanbea ddr
essi
nglabor
-i
ntens
iveag
ricult
uralpracc es.Theyare
pioneer
ingsol
u onsthatempowe rfarmerst
oe le
vatecropyi
el
ds ,enhancea nimalwelf
are
,
i
mpr ovefoodproduconme thods,cur
tai
lpol
lu on,mini
mizec
arbonf ootpr
ints,andachi
eve
scal
abil
i
ty.Thes
ee ndeav
orsnotonl yenhanc
ea gri
cul
tur
aleffici
e ncybuta l
s ounde r
scor
ea
broaderc ommitment t
oe n v
ironmentalconser
vaon a nd the we ll
-bei
ng of f ar
ming
communie s
.

07 Romani
anAgr
ifoodSt
art
upsOver
viewRepor
t2023
Theconve
rgi
ngt rendsofs us
tainabl
eagric
ulture
,t e
chnol
ogic
ali
nnovaon,andhe ig
htened
gover
nmentalc ommi t
me nt a resteer
ing t he Europe
ana g
rif
ood sec
tor t
owa rds a
t
ransf
ormav efuture.Thisevolu onholdsthepr omis
eofcreangamor esust
ainableand
r
e s
il
ie
ntagri
foodlandsc
a pe,onethatcanada pttothechal
l
engesofthet
wenty
-firstcent
ury
whil
esaf
eguardi
ngt heplanetforfut
uregeneraons .

EU'sSuppor
tPol
ici
es/TheRoleof
EI
TFoodandColl
aborat
iveI
nit
iati
ves

Launchedin1962,theE U'
sCommonAg r
icult
uralPoli
cy( CAP)rema i
nsac entr
alpil
la
rof
Europeanagri
cul
tur
alsupport.Manag
edandf undeda ttheE uropeanlev
elthroughtheEU
budget,
itspri
maryobj
ecv eistoprovi
dec
ruc i
alsupporttofarme r
sandince
nv i
zethemto
adoptsustai
nabl
ea nde nvi
ronmenta
ll
yfri
e ndl
ypr acc est hatpreser
ves oi
lhe al
thand
biodi
ver
sity
.
I
nrecentye
ars,t
heE ur
ope
anUnionhasint
roducedv
ari
ousprogr
amsaimedatf
ost
eri
ng
i
nnov
aon a nd s
upporngs t
art
upsi
nt hea gr
it
echand a
gri
food s
ect
ors
.Onenotabl
e
i
niav eisEI
TFood.
EI
TF ood i
sady namice ndeavorba ck
ed byt heEurope
anI
nstuteofInnovaon a
nd
Te
c hnolog
y( E
IT).I
tsmiss
ionistodr i
veposivetransf
ormaonwi
thi
nthef
oods y
ste
m,with
afocusons ust
ainabi
l
ity
,he a
lth,
a ndtrus
twort
hiness
.
EITFoodcompr is
esa ne x
tensiv
ei nnovaonc ommunit
yt hats pansacrossEurope.Thi
s
networki
nclude smorethan60c orepartnerorgani
zaonsa ndov er30st
artupshai
li
ngfrom
17 EU me mbe rs tat
es.Together
,t heyc oll
aborat
e on diver
se progr
ams ,inves
tments,
confe
renc
es,a nds upporti
niav esdesi
g nedtoe mpowere nt
repreneur
sa ndprof
essi
onal
s
withthes
kil
lsa ndtoolsneededtorevolu oniz
et hef
oodindustr
y.
Food,asabr oa
da ndinter
rela
tedfield,hasprof
oundimpl
ic
aonsf ornumerousothe
r
sect
ors.
Notabl
y,EI
TFoodcol
labora
tescl
osel
ywit
horgani
zaonsli
keE
ITCli
mate
-KICandEI
T
Healt
htoaddres
smulf a
cetedchal
leng
e s
.
•E ITCli
ma te-KIC:Thi
siniav ef
ocusesoncombangc l
ima t
ec ha
ngethroughi
nnovav e
solu ons.Itsgoa list
oc onstruc
tazero-ca
rbone conomya cr
ossfivepriori
tyare
as:urban
devel
opme nt,landus e,producons ys
tems,cli
ma teme t
ri
c s
,a ndsus
tai
nablefinance
.By
syner
g i
zingtheire ffor
ts,EI
TF oodandEITCli
ma t
e-KICcont
ributetoamor esus
tai
nabl
ea nd
cl
imate -
resi
li
entf oodsyst
em.
•EITHeal
th:
EITHeal
thisdedi
cat
edtobol
ster
inghea
lthc
aresyst
emsinEurope,pr
omo ng
publ
i
che alt
h,andnurturi
ngas ust
aina
blehealthec
onomy .Throug
ht he
irc ol
la
borav e
i
niav es
,EITFoodandE ITHealt
hwor ktowardsbe erhe a
lthoutc
omesf orEurope
an
cizenswhil
est
rengt
heningthei
nter
seconoffoodandhe a
lth.

08 Romani
anAgr
ifoodSt
art
upsOver
viewRepor
t2023
T
heseorgani
zaonsc oll
ecvel
yorche
s t
rateprogramstail
oredf
orstudent
s,s
tart
ups ,and
i
nnovat
orsacr
ossEurope.Oper
angt hroughtheirnetworkofce
ntersinmaj
orE uropean
c
ie s
,theyculv at
eat hri
vi
ngcommuni tyofindivi
dual
sa ndor
ganiz
aonsde di
c a
te dto
a
dvanci
ngthefoodsyst
em.
I
nRoma
nia
,thes
einia v
esa
rer
epr
esent
edbyk
eyr
egi
ona
linnov
a onhubs
:
•E
ITF
ood:I
mpa
ctHubBuc
har
est
•E
ITHea
lth:F
res
hBl
ood
T
heseregi
onalhubss er
vea svi
talchanne l
sforpromo ngEITopportunies,fosteri
ng
c
onneconswithstar
tups
,andenga
g i
ngwi t
hrelev
antst
ake
holde
rs.
Throughthe
irconc e
rted
e
ffort
s,the
yampl i
fythei
mpactoftheseinnovaveiniav esi
nRomaniaa ndc
ont r
ibuteto
t
hebroa
derEuropeangoal
sofasus
tainable,
resi
l
ient
,andi
nnovaveagrif
oodsector
.

Tr
endsi
ntheAgr
ifoodSect
ori
nEur
ope

Theagr
if
oodsec t
orinEur
ope,spanni
ngEurope
anUnion(EU)membe rcountri
esandnon-EU
naons,i
sunde rg
oingsi
gni
ficanttra
nsf
ormaonsdr i
venbyarangeofint
erconnect
edtrends.
Thes
etrendsares hapi
ngthef ut
ureoffoodproducon,consump on,a nds us
tai
nabil
it
y
acr
osst
hec on nent.

1.S
us t
aina
bil
i
tyand
Env
ironmental
Conc
erns
:
One oft he mos tpr omi nentt rendsi n
2.
Cha
ngi
ngS
oci
eta
lVa
lues
:
Europe'sa gri
foods ectori ssus t
ainabili
ty.
Consume r
sa r
ei ncrea si
ng l
yf ocused on Chang i
ngs oci
etalval
ue sa r
ei nfluenci
ng
envir
onme ntall
y f ri
endl y a nd e thical thea g r
if
oods ectorinE urope.Conc erns
producedf ood.T hist rend a l
i
gnswi th aboutc l
i
ma techa nge,resources car
ci
t y
,
gl
oba ls ustai
nabil
it
yg oalss ucha st he ands ust
ainabil
i
tya redr i
v i
ngc onsume r
UnitedNaons ’Sustai
na bleDe velopme nt preferencestowa rdproduc tswit hl
owe r
Goa l
s ( SDGs )
. E urope an c ountries, env i
ronme ntalimpacts.T hesec hangi
ng
i
nc l
uding t hose out s
ide t he E U,ha v e values a re a lso i nfluencing f ood
adoptedt heF ar
mt oF orkS trategy.T his producon me thods, c ons ump on
st
rategy pr omot es s ustai
nable f ood pa e rns,andpolicydec i
si
ons .
syst
ems ,e mpha siz
ingr educedpe sc i
de
use,i mpr ov ed a nima l we l
fare,a nd
eco-f
riendlyfarmingpr a cc es.

09 Romani
anAgr
ifoodSt
art
upsOver
viewRepor
t2023
3.
Urba
nand(
Sub)
Urba
nFoodPr
oducon:
Urbanizaona ndther i
seof(sub) urba nfood
producon a res i
gnificant trends a cross
Europe.Ciz e ns,mo v atedbyt hede sir
ef or
fres
ha ndloca l
ly-s
ourcedfood,ha vet urnedt o
urbang a
rde ninga ndsma ll
-s
cal
ehorc ult
ur a
l
pracc es. S imulta
ne ousl
y, bus i
ne s
se s
, 4.F
ood Pr
oducon wi
thoutF
res
hSwee
t
parc ula
rlys ta r
tups,a r
ee mbr acingi ndoor Wat
er:
far
mi ng me thods l ik
e hy droponi csa nd Freshwa terscarc
it
yi sag l
obalconce r
n.I n
verc alfa
r mingt opr oducefoods ustainably Europe ,thischall
engeha sledtot rendsi n
i
nur bane nv i
ronme nts.Thistr
e ndpr omot es ul i
z i
ng a l
ter
nav e wa ter sources f or
susta
inabl
ef oodpr acc eswhilea ddressing agri
c ult
ure.One a pproachi st oe xplore
thec hal
lenge sofs pacelimit
aonsi nur ba n hal
ophyc pl antst ha tthri
ve in s a l
ine
areas. environme nts
,r educing the ne e d f or
fr
eshwa t
erina gr
icult
ure.Addiona l
ly,there
i
s a g rowi
ng f ocus on r ec
ir
c ul
ang
aqua cult
ures yst
ems ,whi c
hr educe wa ter
5.
Alt
erna v
ePr
otei
nSour
ces
: wastei nfis hfarming.T heconceptofus ing
purified wa st
ewa t
erf rom ciest o nurture
Me e ngt heg rowingde ma ndf orprotei
n
pla
nt s or fis hi n urba nse ng si sa lso
whilereducingt hee nv i
ronme nt ali
mpa ctof
eme rging.
l
ivestockfarmi ngisama jorconc e
rnin
Europe .Thetre ndtowa rdsa l
te rnav e
proteinsource sisevident ,
includinga l
gae,
i
ns ects
,andc ul t
uredori nv it
rome at.These
proteinsource sarecons ideredmor e
sustai
nablea ndr esource -e
ffic ie nt,a
ndt hei
r 6.
Indi
vi
dua
li
za onofHuma
nNut
rion:
acceptancea mongc onsume rsisg r
adually
i
nc r
ea si
ng.Ve ntureca pi
ta l
ist
sa reinvesng Personali
zed nut rion i s becoming mor e
i
nt heseinnov av eprote i
na l
te rnav es. preval
e ntinE urope ,driv
e nbya dvancesin
research a nd t echnology.S ci
ens tsa r
e
expl
or i
ng i ndiv
idua l
ized diets based on
gene c sa nd ot herf ac
tors
. Ciz ens a r
e
i
ncre a
s i
ngl
yi nt
erestedinc ust
omizeddie t
sto
7.
LandGr
abbi
nga
ndGl
oba
lTr
ends
:
addressspec i
fichea l
tha nddiet
aryneeds.The
Land g r
abbing, c harac
terized by t he chal
leng eist o bridget he gap be tween
acquision of l ar
get rac
ts of l and for sci
en fick nowl edgea ndpracc al
applic
aon,
agri
c ul
turalpurposes,hasgainedmome ntum ensuring t hat pe r
sonali
zed nut rion
i
nE urope.T hi
st r
endi sdri
v enbyc ountri
es contri
butest obe e rhea l
thandwe l
lbei
ng .
withs tronge conomie sbutl i
mi t
edlandor
wa t
e rresources,s
ucha sChina ,
S a
udiArabia,
andS outhKor ea.The seacquisionsa ffe c
t
l
andpr i
c esandc animpa c
tg lobaltr
adea nd
agri
c ul
turale x
portsa ndimpor tsinWe s
tern
Europe ana gri
cul
ture
.

1
0 Romani
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ifoodSt
art
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I
na ddiontothes
etrends
,sever
alt
echnol
ogi
caladv
anc
ement
sands
hisi
ncons
umer
behavi
ora
reres
hapi
ngtheEur
opeanagr
if
oodsect
or:
1.IoT( I
nternetofT hing
s)andPreci
si
onF ar
ming:IoTstrat
egi
esareai
me da tassi
sng
far
me r
si n bridgi
ngt he s
uppl
y-
demand gap byensuri
nghi ghyi
el
ds,profitabi
l
ity,and
envi
ronme nt
a lconse
rv aon.Pr
eci
si
ona g
ric
ult
ureisame thodofusi
ngIoTte c
hnologyto
ma k
et hemos te ffici
entuseofres
ourc
estoma xi
mizecr
opy iel
dswhi
lel
owe r
ingope r
ang
cost
s.
2.Far
m Ma nagementTool
s:Smartfar
ming,buil
tonIoTtechnology
,a l
lowsfarmer
st o
mini
mizewasteandinc
reas
ee ffic
ienc
yinvariousas
pect
soff
arming ,f
rom ferli
zerus
et o
fa
rmv ehi
cl
et ri
ps.I
oTs mar
tfar
mingsolu onsenabl
edata
-driv
ende c
isi
on-maki
nga nd
remot
emonitori
ng.
3.E-Gr
ocer
y:Cha ngesi
nconsumerbehav
iorduetotheCOVID-19pandemichaveledtothe
growthofe-
grocery,whi
chisnowas ubs
tana lmarke
tinEurope.Conv
eniencehasturned
i
nt oanecess
ity
,a nde-gr
ocerycompani
esha vese
e nsi
gni
fica ntgr
owth,hig
hlig
h ngt he
i
ne ffici
enci
esinthefoodsuppl
ychai
n.
4.IndoorF oodProducona ndTr
anspor
ta on:Indoorf
armi
ngme t
hods,suchasverca
l
far
ming ,ar
eg ai
ni
ngt r
aconinEur
ope.Thesemethodsenabl
eyear
-r
oundfoodproducon
andre duc
et heenvi
ronment
ali
mpactoftr
anspor
taon.Theyali
gnwit
hsust
a i
nabi
l
ityg
oal
s
anda ddre
ssurbanspacel
i
mitaons.
5.AutonomousAg ric
ultura
lMa chinerya ndRobot
s :Aut
omaoni sbec
omingincr
easi
ngly
i
mpor tantinEuropeana gr
icul
tur
e.Aut onomousma chi
neryandrobotsa
reusedforvar
ious
ta
sks,includi
ngpl a
n ng ,ha r
vesng ,a ndmonitor
ingc r
ops
.T hesetec
hnol
ogiesimprove
effici
e ncya ndre
duc elaborrequi
reme nts.
6.Bi
otechnol
ogyandNutrion:Europei
switnes
singadva
nc ementsi
nbi
otec
hnol
ogyre
lat
ed
toagri
cult
ure
,incl
udi
ngg ene c
all
ymodifiedc r
opsa ndbioforficaon.Thesei
nnovaons
aimtoimprov
ec r
opyi
eldsandnutr
ionalconte
nt,addres
singfoodse
cur
it
yandmalnut
rion
chal
l
enge s
.
T
he set r
endsindica
teas hi t
owardsmoreda t
a-dr
iven,efficie
nt,andsus
tai
nabl
epracc esin
a
griculturea
ndf oods uppl
ychai
ns,dri
venbyIoTtechnol
ogy,adv
ancesinbi
otec
hnology,and
c
ha nging consume r pr e
fer
ences.T he Europea
na gri
food sect
or is under
g oi
ng a
t
ransformaon t owardsmor ere s
il
ientand sust
a i
nablefood sys
tems,addre
ssing the
c
ha l
leng e
softhe21s tcentur
y.

S
our
ce:
h ps
://
www.
mdpi
.
com/
2071-
1050/
14/
21/
13976

1
1 Romani
anAgr
ifoodSt
art
upsOver
viewRepor
t2023
I
nter
est
ingFi
gur
es

Agr
icul
tur
alPr
oduct
ion
•Europeisoneofthewor
ld'
s
l
arge
s ta
gric
ult
ural
produc
ers
•Thetotal
agri
cul
tur
alla
ndint
he
EUisa
pproximate
ly170mil
l
ion
hec
tar
e s
.

Far
mer
sandLaborFor
ce
•TheEUha
sar
ound10mi
l
li
on
f
armer
s.
•Agri
cul
tur
ee mpl
oys
appr
oxi
ma t
ely22mil
l
ionpe
opl
ein
t
heE U

Agr
icul
tur
alOut
put
•Thetotal
agri
cult
ura
loutputi
n
theEur
opeanUnionwa sa
round
€405bi
ll
ionin2019.

Expor
tsandI
mpor
ts
•TheEuropeanUnioni
soneoft heworl
d'
s
l
arge
stexport
ersofagr
if
oodproducts
,wit
h
ex
portsv
a l
uedatover€150bi
l
lion.
•Maj
orex
portpr
oduct
sincl
udebever
age
s,
f
oodpr
epar
aons,anddair
yproduc
ts.
•TheEUisals
oas i
gni
ficanti
mpor
terof
ag
rif
oodproduct
s,wit
himport
sva
luedat
ov
er€120bill
i
on.

S
our
ce:
h ps
://
www.
fa
o.or
g/f
aos
tat
/en/
#home

1
2 Romani
anAgr
ifoodSt
art
upsOver
viewRepor
t2023
KeyPoi
ntsfr
om the2022
EUAgri
foodTradeReport:

1.TotalAgri
foodTra
de:In2022,theEuropeanUnion's(EU)agr
if
oodtr
ade
amount e
dt o€401.5bil
li
on,resulngi naposiv et r
adeba l
anceof€58
bil
l
ion.Despi
teg l
obalpr
icei
ncreas
es,theEUma int
aineditst
radevol
umes
andcon nue dtobealeadi
ngglobalt
raderofag
rif
oodpr oduc
ts.

2.Export
sSurge:EUagr
ifoode xport
ssa w asi
gnificantincr
eas
e,re
aching
€229.
8bil
li
onin2022.
Thisrepresent
eda31%r isecompa r
e dtot
heprev
ious
year
.Amongtheleadi
ngex portc
a t
egori
es,cer
ealsandc erea
lpr
epar
aons ,
aswella
smill
i
ngproduct
s,e xper
iencedsubst
ana lgrowth.

3.Whea tExportsforFoodSecuri
ty:TheEUacvel
ypa rci
pat
edingl
obal
food securi
tye ffort
s by i
nc r
easi
ng it
s whea
te xpor
tsto de
vel
opi
ng
economies.Keyde snaonsf orwhe a
te x
por
tsi
ncl
udedAlg
eri
a,Mor
occo,
Egypt,
andNi ge
ria.

4.Dair
ya ndPigmea
tE xpor
ts:Dai
ryproduc
tsr
ema i
nedapri
ma r
ye xportfor
theEU,total
i
ng€20.4bil
li
on.Pig
me a
twa st
heleadi
ngmeatproductexpor t
,
with€13.8bi
ll
ioni
ne x
portval
ue ,
despit
eadecr
ea s
einde
ma ndfromChi na.

5.TopT r
adePa rt
ners:TheUnit
edKingdom con nuedtobethel
eading
desnaonf orE
Ue xport
s,ac
coun ngf
orapproxi
matel
yone-
fi hoft
ota
lE U
expor
ts.TheUnitedS t
atesandChinafol
lowed,with13% a
nd7% ofE U
expor
tsin2022,r
especv el
y.

1
3 Romani
anAgr
ifoodSt
art
upsOver
viewRepor
t2023
 6.ImportsSoar
:E Uimportsal
soincrea
sedsi
gni
ficantl
y,ri
si
ngby32%i n
val
uec ompare
dt o2021.Thetotalv
alueofi
mportsre
ached€172bil
li
on.
Theincreas
ewa spri
ma ri
l
ydr i
venbyr i
si
nggl
obalpri
ces,parcul
arl
yfor
oil
seedproduc
tsandc offee.

7.Oil
seeda ndProtei
nCropI mports
:Oilse
edsandprot
eincropswe rethe
pri
ma ryimporte
dpr oduct
s,withtheE Uimporng€25.8bill
ionwor thof
thes
ei te
msi n2022.T hi
sincr
easewa sa ribut
e dt
ohigherglobalpri
ces
and the ne e
df ori mportstoc ompe nsatefordome scpr oducon
shora ll
s,parcula
r l
ya erthe2022s umme rdroug
ht.

8.Frui
t&Nut s,Coffee,Tea,Coc
oa,andSpic
es:The
sec a
tegori
esra
nked
astheseconda ndthir
dt opagr
if
oodproductsi
mportedintotheEUin
ter
msofv a
lue.Importv ol
umesre mai
nedr e
lav e
lys ta
ble de
spi
te
si
gnific
antincre
asesi
nv al
ue.

9.TopI mpor tSour

ces :Brazi
lcon nue dtobet heleadingsourceof
agr
ifoodimpor t
sfortheE U,a ccoun ngfor12% oftotalimport
s.The
UnitedKingdom wast hes ec
ond- l
argests
ource
,contr
ibu ng9% ofE U
i
mpor tsin2022.Not ably
,Uk r
aines urpas
sedtheUnitedS t
atesasthe
thi
rd-l
arg
e s
timportsourceforEUa gri
foodimport
sin2022.

The
sekeypointshi
ghl
i
ghttherobustpe
rfor
ma nc
eoftheEU'sagr
if
oodse c
tori
n2022,dri
ven
bybot
he xportgrowt
ha ndincre
asedimportsduetoglobalpr
icetrendsandproducon
fluc
tuaons .
T heEUma i
nta
inedit
sposiona samajorpl
ayeri
ntheglobalagr
if
oodtrade
.

S
our
ce:
h ps:
//a
gri
cul
tur
e.e
c.e
uropa
.eu/
news
/good-
per
for
manc
e-e
u-a
gri
-f
ood-
tr
ade
-2022-
des
pit
e-
c
ha l
l
enges-
2023-
04-
13_en

1
4 Romani
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ifoodSt
art
upsOver
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t2023
Overvi
ewoftheRomanian
Agri
foodSt
artupsEcosyst
em
Ag
ric
ult
uret
echnol
ogy(
agr
it
ech)i
sane
wande
mer
gingv
erc
ali
nRoma
nia
.
Whi
letheagri
cul
tural
sect
orhastr
adiona l
l
ybeendomina
tedbywel
l-
est
abl
is
hedc
ompanie
s
s
peci
ali
zi
nginma c
hiner
ya ndhardware,theemer
genceoftec
hnol
ogy-
dri
vena
gri
cul
tur
e
s
tar
tupsi
sindi
cav eofane vol
vi
nglands
cape.
Here,
wedel
vei
ntothecur
rents
tat
eofRoma nia
'sag
rif
oodt
echsta
rtups
cene
,ex
plor
ingt
he
cha
ll
enge
sandopport
unieswit
hinthi
sra
pidlydev
elopi
ngs
ector
.
1.
TheE
arl
ySt
agesofAg
rif
oodT
echi
nRoma
nia
:
Roma nia
'sagri
foodt
echla
ndscaper emainsinitsinfa
ncy,evi
dencedbyf a
ctorssucha sa
rel
av elysmall
numberofs
tart
ups,mode stf
unding,andaveryli
mitednumberof s
peci
a l
i
z ed
programs.Thi
sunder
devel
opme nti
ss t
arngt ochangeduet ogrowingawarenessa
ndt he
chall
engesfac
edbytheagr
icul
tural
sector.I
nrecentyears
,anincreas
ingi
nter
es ti
nagrif
ood
techstar
tupshasa r
act
edbothe nt
repreneursandinvest
ors
,dri
vingabitmoremome ntum
i
nt hesector
.
2.
Sta
rtupI
nia v
esa
ndPr
ogr
ams
:
Whil
ethereisapa uci
tyofspeci
fica gr
if
oodt ec
hpr ogr
a msinRomani
a,seve
rali
niav esa nd
communie sa r
ea cv elyengagi
ngwi thstart
upsi nthisdomai
n.TheAg r
iTec
hHa ck
athon,
EmpoweringWome ninAgrif
ood,Synergi
stEI
Ca ndAgTe chTMarenota
bleexampl e
sofs uch
prog
rams.Theyprov i
depla or
msf orbuddingagri
foodtechentr
epre
neurstonetwork,l
ea rn,
andcol
laborat
e.S ever
alothergeneralprogra
msa ndcompe onsi ncl
udes t
artupsint his
vercal
,wi t
houtthisbei
ngthema inthemeoff ocus.
3.
Int
erna ona
lEng
agement
:
TheRoma nia
na gri
foodt eche c
osyst
emi sbeginningtoc a
tchthea en onofinternaonal
org
ani
zaonsa ndpr ogramsde di
catedtoagrit
ec h.Thes
eg l
obalen e sareext
endingthei
r
rea
chintothecountry,contr
ibu ngtothevi
s i
bi
lityandgrowthofl
ocalagr
if
oodtechstar
tups
.
Si
mult
a neousl
y,Roma niacouldgre
atl
ybe nefitfromv ent
urecapi
tal
fundsspec
ifical
lyfoc
used
onagr
ifoodtechinE urope.
4.
Bri
dgi
ngt
heGa
p:
Thene x
tcruc
ialphas
ei nthedevelopmentoft
hea gri
foodtec
he c
osy
stemistheconverge
nc e
oftechs t
art
upswi t
ht hemor et radionalagri
cul
turalass
oci
aonsa ndc ompanies.This
col
laboraonc ouldprovi
des ta
rtupswithinv
aluableinsi
ght
sintot
hea gr
icul
turaldomain,
enabli
ngthemt otai
lort he
irproductstothes pecificneedsoffar
me r
s.Thiss ymbi
oc
rel
aons hi
pfosterst
het e
snga ndg r
owthoftechsolu onsi
nthemarket
.

1
5 Romani
anAgr
ifoodSt
art
upsOver
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5.
Syner
giesa
ndGr
owt
h:
Ov e
rt hec omingy ears,theRoma ni
ana gr
ifoodt echs ect
orwi l
lconc
entrat
eonforgi
ng
synergi
esa mongv ar
iouss t
akehol
der
s,includingt echs t
art
upsa ndpri
ma r
yfarmer
s.Thi
s
al
ignme ntwi l
lserveasabr idg
ebe t
weent hei nnovav etechsol
u onsofferedbyst
art
ups
andthei ndust
ry'spracc a
lrequir
ements
. Bydoi ngso,thesectora
imstoenhancet
heover
all
agri
foodt echecosyst
em, f
osteri
ngsus
tai
na blegr owth.
Roma ni
a'
sa gr
if
oodte c
hs ta
rtupe cosys
temisnavigangi tsinia lst
age s
,pr opell
edby
i
ncreased ae n on, e nt
repre
neur i
als pi
ri
t,a nd internaona li nvolveme nt.T he
tr
ansfor
maonf r
om tradionalagri
cult
uralpr
a ccest
ot ech-dri
vensol
u onspr omisesto
revol
u oni
zethesec
tor.Whil
echall
engesli
eahead,
theprospectsfors
ust
a i
nableg r
owtha nd
fr
uiulc ol
la
boraona r
eunde ni
able,posioningRomaniaa sanot eworthypla yeri
nt he
evolv
ingworl
dofagri
foodtech.

1
6 Romani
anAgr
ifoodSt
art
upsOver
viewRepor
t2023
Romanian
Agri
foodStar
tups
Map|2023

1
7 Romani
anAgr
ifoodSt
art
upsOver
viewRepor
t2023
Met
hodol
ogy
TheRoma nia
nAg ri
foodSta
rtupsOv erv
iewReport
,3rdE dion, ser
v esadualpur
pose.Fi
rs
tly
,
i
ta i
mst oidenfya ndma pa gr
ifoodstar
tupswit
hinRoma nia.Secondl
y,i
ts ee
kstog a
ther
val
uablei
nsight
sregardi
ngtheevolu onofthes
estartups,c
ompa ringthei
rprogr
essfr
omt he
pre
viousedioni n2022,whichincludest
heirc
urrentstag
e, financialmi
les
tones,a
ndfuture
obj
ecv es.
Ma
ppi
ngAg
rif
oodS
tar
tups
Ourj
ourne
ybe ga
nbyc r
eangtheagri
foodte
chst a
rtupmapf orRoma ni
a,bui
ldi
nguponthe
f
oundaonl ai
dinthefirstandse
conde dions.Toc ompre
he nsive
lycaptur
ethee v
olv
ing
l
andsc
ape,ourdedi
cat
edtea
me mbark
e donext
e nsi
vescou nge ffort
s.
Qua
ntav
eSur
vey
Oursecondobj
ecvewa st
odelvedeeperi
ntothepul
seofagri
foodsta
rtupsi
ntheregi
on. As
i
nt heprevi
ousedion,thi
sy e
a rt
oo,wei mplementedaqua nt av eres
earchme thod,
ulizi
ngaquant avesurv
eyformat
.T hi
ssur
veyinc
orpor
atedbothquant av eque
riesand
open-
endedquesonstoprovi
deaholiscv i
ewoftheagri
foodstar
tupe c
osy
stem.
Res
ult
sandHi
ghl
i
ght
s
Theoutc
ome softhi
sdual-prongeda pproac
haretwo-f
old.Fi
rst
ly
,wepresentaseleconof
t
het e
nmos tpromisi
ngag ri
foods t
a r
tupsfr
om Romani
a ,f
eatur
edinthefoll
owingchapt
er.
Sec
ondly
,wepr ov
ideins
igh ul findingsaboutt
heRoma nia
nag r
if
oodt
e c
he cos
yste
m, whi
ch
wil
lbepres
entedinthereport'
sc oncl
udingsecon.
Cha
ll
eng
esa
ndL
imi
ta ons
Whi
lethi
smet
hodol
ogypr
ove
dinv
alua
ble
,itdi
dcomewi
thi
tss
etofc
hal
l
eng
esa
nd
l
imi
taons:
•L imi
tedS ampl
eS i
ze:Despit
erelentl
esseffort
sbyourt eam,assembli
ngas ufficie
nt l
y
l
argesampleofagr
if
oodstart
upfounderswil
li
ngtoparta
k einthes
urveywascha
llengi
ng.We
ex
tendedov erahundredinvi
taonst oRoma ni
ans t
artupfounders
,buttheresponserate
wasa tathir
d.Consequentl
y,t
heda tacoll
ecte
dma ynotc omprehensi
vel
yreprese
ntt he
enr epopulaonofagrif
oodstar
tupfounderswit
hinther e
g i
on.
•Ti
meConstr
aint
s:St
art
upfounde
rso enha
v ede
ma ndi
ngs c
hedul
es,whi
chmi
ghtha
ve
l
i
mit
edthe
ira
vail
abi
li
tytocompl
etet
hesur
veycomprehens
ive
ly.
Despitethe
seli
mitaons,ourendeavorsyiel
dedsi
gnifica
nti
nsi
ghtsandal
l
owe dust
oide
nfy
ands howcasethemos tpromisingag ri
foodstar
tupsinRomania.Encoura
gedbythes
e
findings,wea r
ede di
catedtoc on nuingoure ffortsinf
utur
ee dionst oprov
idemor
e
val
ua bl
einsi
ght
sforourpart
nerswithi
nt heregi
on.

1
8 Romani
anAgr
ifoodSt
art
upsOver
viewRepor
t2023
Far
m Management&Aut
omat
ion

I
nfor
mat
ionpl
atf
orms&Mar
ket
places

Nut
rit
ion&Wel
l-
Bei
ng

PetCar
e&Ani
mal
Heal
th

1
9 Romani
anAgr
ifoodSt
art
upsOver
viewRepor
t2023
KeyFi
gur
es
Qua
ntav
eSur
vey-28r
espons
es

B2B Bus i
ness
-to-
Business-11oft
hesurveyedst
art
upsfocusexc
lus
ive
ly
onserv
ingotherbusi
nesses.TheseB2Ba
gri
foodstar
tupsl
ikel
yprovi
deser
vices
,
tec
hnolog
ies
, orsol
u onstail
oredtomeett
hes pe
cificneedsofothe
rbusi
nesses
operangwithintheagri
foods e
ctor
.

B2C Busi
ness-
to-Cons
umer-1oft hest
a r
tupspr
imari
l
yta
rget
sindiv
idual
c
onsume
rs.Thi
sstar
tupoffersproduc
tsandservi
cesdi
rec
tl
ytoendconsumers
,
s
uchasf
armers
,foodenthus
iast
s,orhouse
holds.

Bot
h Themaj
ori
tyoft
hes
urv
eye
dst
art
ups
,pr
eci
sel
y16oft
hem,
mai
nta
in
ave
rsalea ppr
oac
hbys e
r v
ingbot
hB2BandB2Cc
li
ent
s.Thi
sflexi
bil
it
yal
lows
t
hemt oaddres
sabroa
ds pect
rumofc
ust
omernee
ds,f
romindus
trypl
aye
rsto
i
ndi
vidua
lconsumer
s.

Thesesur
veyresultsreflectt
hediver
sestra
tegi
esemployedbya gr
ifoodst
artupst
ona vi
gate
thecomplexa g
rifoodl andsc
ape.Byc at
eri
ngt oar ang
eofc l
ie
ntt ypes,thes
es t
a r
tups
demonstr
atetheira dapt
abil
i
tyandreadi
nesstoprov
idesolu onsthatal
ignwiththeunique
requi
rementsoft he i
rtargetcus
tome r
s,whethertheya r
ebus i
ne ss
es,consumers,ora
combinaonofbot h.

20 Romani
anAgr
ifoodSt
art
upsOver
viewRepor
t2023
St
ageoft
heSt
art
ups

I
nthes ur
veywea ls
oe x
aminedthe
irres
pecv est
age
sofdeve
lopme
nt.Thes
estag
esshe
d
l
ig
htont hepr og
ressandg r
owthtraj
ect
ori
esofthesei
nnov
av ecompani
es.Here
'sa
n
over
vie
woft hedi
fferentst
agesr
epres
entedi
nthesur
vey:
Pr
e-L
aunch(ProductI
sintheMa ki
ng)
:1star
tupisintheear
lyst
agesofdev
elopment
,wi
th
i
tspr
oductsl li
nthema k
ing.T
hisst
agerepr
esentsthecr
uci
alpre-
launc
hphasewheret
he
pr
oducti
sbeingprepa
redformarke
tentr
y.
Launched,ButNoPa yingCli
ents
,OnlyUsers:4star
tupsha
velaunc
he dthe
irpr
oduct
s;
howe ver
,theya
recur
rentl
yofferi
ngthei
rse
rvic
eswit
houtmone z
aon. Theyha
veuser
sbut
areintheproces
sofconverngthemint
opa y
ingc
li
ents.
Mone z
ing(Hav
ingaF e
wClient
s):9s
tart
upshaver
eache
dthest
agewher
ethe
yhavebe
gun
t
omone z ethei
rservi
ces
,ha v
ingsecur
edaf ewinialcl
ie
nts
.T hi
sst
agesi
gni
fiest
hei
r
t
rans
ionfromde v
elopmenttogener
angr eve
nue.
Ea
rlyGrowth(GrowingintheInia l
SetMa rk
et,
Ma ybeExplor
ingOtherRegi
ons/
Ma r
kets
):
3star
tupsareinthee ar
lygrowthphase.Theyareexpe
rienci
nggrowthwithi
nthei
rinial
t
argetmark
etandma ybeexplor
ingopport
uniesinotherr
e gi
onsorma r
ket
s.
Pr
oduct
-MarketFi
t(Mone zi
ngfrom Ma nyCl
ients,Bei
ngClearAboutBusi
nessModel)
:
6oft
hestar
tupshaveac
hiev
edas i
gnific
antmil
estonebya ai
ningproduct
-mar
ketfit
.They
ha
vemov edbeyondthedevel
opme ntphaseanda remone zingthei
rofferi
ngs,s
erv
ing
mulplecl
i
entswhil
ehavi
ngacle
arunde r
sta
ndi
ngoft hei
rbus
inessmodel
.
Growth(I
nNe w Mark
ets
,E x
pa ndi
ng,S
teadyRevenue)
:5s t
art
upsha veadv
ancedt othe
growths
tag
e,wheret
heyareexpandi
ngi
ntonewma rk
ets
,te
rri
tori
es,
orcust
ome rseg
me nts
.
Thesest
art
upshaveachi
eveds tea
dyrevenues
treamsanda refocus
ingons ca
li
ngt hei
r
operaons.
Thedivers
ityofsta
gesa mongt hesurveyedagri
foodst
art
upshighli
ght
sthedynamicnat
ure
ofthesector
.Whe t
hertheya r
einthee arl
ysta
gesofdevel
opment,achi
evi
ngproduct
-mark
et
fit,oracv elyexpa
nding,thesestar
tupsa r
econtri
bu ngtotheinnovaonande vol
u onof
theagri
foodindust
ry.Theirpr
og r
essisatest
ame ntt
othei
rresi
li
enceandadaptabi
li
tyi
nthe
faceofi
ndus tr
ychal
le
ng esandoppor tunies.

21 Romani
anAgr
ifoodSt
art
upsOver
viewRepor
t2023
Headquar
ter
s

Cl
uj I
ași

Bacău
Ar
ad

Br
așov
Pr
ahova

Bucur
eșt
i

Bucha
restappe
arstobet hepre
domi na
ntl
ocaonf ortheseagri
foodstart
ups
,hosngt he
hi
ghestnumberofheadquart
ers
,fol
lowedbyCluja
ndPr ahov
a.Ea chl
oc aonma yofferit
s
ownuniqueadvant
age
sa ndecosy
ste
mf ora
gri
foodinnovaona nde nt
repre
neur
ship.

22 Romani
anAgr
ifoodSt
art
upsOver
viewRepor
t2023
ShowcasedRomanian
Agri
foodStar
tups

23 Romani
anAgr
ifoodSt
art
upsOver
viewRepor
t2023
ShowcasedRomanian
Agri
foodStar
tups

CBNagro.
techofferssmartsolu onsandtechnologiessasfyi
ng
rea
l,tangi
bleneedsforthea gric
ult
urepost-har
v estni
che,by
i
ncrea
singval
uetoall
stak
eholdersf
romharv
e sttofood,wi
th24/7
st
orag
emoni tor
ing,remotema nagementandi nstantal
ert
sfor
gr
ainsi
los.
L
ear
nmor
eatwww.
cbna
gro.
tec
h

OGOR.roisanonli
netoolforagronomiccons
ult
a ntsbas
edon
sa
tel
li
tedatathatmakest
he i
rli
fee asi
erbypr
ovidingobj
ecv e
dat
ai nrea
l me .Thi
ssta
rtuphe l
psf ar
mersmakeda ta-
dri
ven
deci
si
onstore
ducecost
s,i
ncreas
epr oducon,andimprovesoi
l'
s
nat
uralf
erli
ty.
L
ear
nmor
eatwww.
ogor
.r
o

Sol
ari
noisaninte
ll
ig
entsyst
em dedic
atedtofar
me r
s,thr
oug
h
whi
chthe
ygaincomplet
econt
rolove
ragri
cul
tur
algr
eenhous
esi
n
anaut
omate
dprocess
,remote
ly,
viamobil
ephone.
L
ear
nmor
eatwww.
sol
ari
no.
ro

Bluanaisani
nnovav estar
tupa tt
hef ore
frontoftr
a ns
formingthe
seafood i
ndust
ry.Theya re dedic
a t
e dtoc reang pl ant
-based
seafood al
ter
nav est hat not onlyr epli
catet he tast
ea nd
nutrionalval
ueoft r
adiona lseafoodbuta lsosurpassthemi n
termsofenvir
onmentalimpact,
a c
ce s
sibi
li
ty,andprofitabi
li
ty.
L
ear
nmor
eatwww.
blua
na.
me

FermierBuni saRoma nia

npl a or
mt ha tconne
ctslocalfood
producerswit
hpotenalcust
ome r
swhol i
vene a
rby
.Thec ompany
operatesasanonli
nest
oreoffer
ingcheckoutanddel
ive
ry. I
thas2
l
og i
sc sc e
nter
s:oneforveget
ableproductsandonef orme at
,
dair
ya ndsimi
larpr
oduct
s.
L
ear
nmor
eatwww.
fer
mie
rbun.
ro

24 Romani
anAgr
ifoodSt
art
upsOver
viewRepor
t2023
 Kol
taisaRomania
nma r
ket
pla
c epl
a or
mt hatal
lowsfar
mersto
buyi
nputsands
ellt
hei
rhar
vestwhol
esa
le.
T hepl
a orm wor
ksas
a di
git
alcoope
rav eforfar
ms toa chi
evec r
ic a
lma ssfor
tr
ansa
cons .
L
ear
nmor
eatwww.
kol
ta.
ro

Sma r
tL a
nd isaRoma ni
anf ar
mlandma nag
eme ntsolu on.It
enabl
esc ust
ome r
stok eept rac
kofa l
ldocume nt
sa nd othe
r
i
nformaonr elat
edtotheirla
nd,sucha
stopogra
phicdata,maps,
permit
s,cadas
tre
s,aswe l
lasrea
l-meda t
arel
atedtothei
rcrops
.
L
ear
nmor
eatwww.
sma
rtl
and.
pro

VerdefoodisaRoma ni
anma rk
e tpl
acet
hatconnec
tsloc
alfar
me r
s
aroundBuc hare
sta ndCluj-
Na pocawithloca
ldema ndforfr
esh
vegetabl
esa ndfruit
s.Inaddion,t hepla or
m prov
idesfar
me r
s
withtoolst
obe e rmanagetheirsuppl
yproce
sse
s.
L
ear
nmor
eatwww.
ver
def
ood.
ro

Ma l
lȚă
rănes
cist
hesi
ngl
emark
e t
pla
cededic
atedt
osma
llf
armer
s
tha
timplement
edsmal
lcha
infoodsuppl
y(fr
om f
armt
ofork)i
n
Romania.
L
ear
nmor
eatwww.
mal
l
tar
ane
sc.
ro

Far
mv i
oisanintegr
ate
ds er
vic
epl a or
mt hatbri
ngstog
ether
fa
rmerswhowa ntt
opr omot
ethe i
rproduct
s,pe
oplewhowa nt
qual
it
yinf
oodstyl
eandHoReCac ompanieswhowanttopr
ovide
qual
it
ytocus
tomers
.
L
ear
nmor
eatwww.
fa
rmv
io.
com

25 Romani
anAgr
ifoodSt
art
upsOver
viewRepor
t2023
Relevantinsi
ghts
fr
om t hesector

26 Romani
anAgr
ifoodSt
art
upsOver
viewRepor
t2023
I
nsi
ght
sfr
om Founder
s
I
nt hedynamicworldofa g
rif
oodst
artups,founde
rse nc
ounterarang
eofchal
leng
esand
r
esourc
er e
quir
e ment
sthatplayac
ruci
a lr
oleinthei
rjour
ney.Her
e,webri
ngtog
ethert
hei
r
v
aluabl
einsi
ghtstoprov
ideacohes
iveovervi
e wofthei
rpers
pecv es
:
Fundinga saKe yMi l
estone:Ac rosstheboard,founder
sunde rscorethes i
gnificanceof
securi
ngfundi
ng .I
t'ssee
na sapivota
lmiles
tonefordri
vi
nga gr
it
echinnov aon. T
he yexpre
ss
thene e
dforfina nci
a l
suppor ttoboostthei
roperaonsa ndme etma rketdemand. However,
i
t'simport
anttonot ethatfundingcanbeac hal
lengef
orma nysta
rtupsintheagri
foods ec
tor.
Asonef ounders t
ates,"f
undi ngwa s/
isthebig
ge s
tmiles
tonetoloca lagri
tec
hinnov aon."
(Nicol
aeAlbu,
E nten)
Mentorsa nd Ex
pers e:The importa
nce ofme nt
orsand spec
ial
is
ts wi
th a deep
unders
tandingofa g
rit
echcannotbeov er
stat
ed.Thescar
ci
tyofsuchresour
cespose
sa
chal
l
engef orst
art
ups.Inasect
orthat
'scon nuous
lyevol
vi
ng,f
ounder
sseekguida
nceand
expersetona vi
gat
ethecomplexieseffecv el
y.
Bui
ldi
ngConneconsa ndNe t
workE x
pa nsi
on:Ma nyfoundersemphas
izethev a
lueof
bui
ldi
ngc onneconswithla
rgeagr
ibusi
ne s
sc ompani
es.Coll
abor
aonsa ndpa r
tners
hips
wit
he s
tabli
she
dplay
ersares
eenasame anstodriv
ethegrowthofagr
if
oodsta
rtups.

"Onekeyresour
cewec urr
entlyseeki
sval
uablec
onnecons
..
.Bui
l
dingastr
ong
networkofi
ndustrycontact
s ,
coll
abor
ator
s,andpar
tner
swoul
dgreat
lye
nhanc
eour
growthpote
n al."(Ali
nBor deanu,Br
eedXY)
"
Focus
edne twor
k i
ngacv ies,
organi
zedintos
ubcat
egor
iesoft
hei
ndust
ry,ar
emos t
i
mport
antforgaini
ngins
ight
sande s
tabl
is
hingconne
conswi t
hpot
en alpart
ner
s."
(
DafinaJeaca,Ogor)

Mark
etExposur
ea ndAwarenes
s:E
xpos
uret
othemark
etiscons
ider
edc r
uci
al
.Sta
rtups
ne
edopport
unie sf
ori
ncr
easedmar
keta
ware
nes
stohe
lpthemexpandthe
iroper
aons .

"
Wene edfinanci
ngtobeabl
etome
ett
hemar
ketne
ed.
"
(
IoanaDumit
ri
u,Ult
ragr
eens
)

27 Romani
anAgr
ifoodSt
art
upsOver
viewRepor
t2023
Bui
ldi
ngL ar
gerTeams
:E xpa
ndi
ngthei
rte
am'ssiz
ea ndcapabi
l
ie sismen one
da sa
nec
e s
sit
yforsev
e r
als
tar
tups.Ala
rge
rworkf
orc
ec anfa
cil
i
tat
eg re
ate
rproducvit
yand
i
nnovaon.
Crea nga
nE cos
yst
em:Somefounde
rshig
hli
ghtt
heneedforacomprehe
nsi
veRomani
an
foodt
echecos
yst
em.Theyai
mforadive
rsete
am ofpa
rc i
pant
sworki
ngtoge
the
rtodri
ve
i
nnovaona ndst
andar
diz
aoninthesec
tor
.

"T
heagr if
oode c
os ys
temi ssllnotc oagulat
ed.Itrequi
rest
heparc ipa onofall
i
nvolved pares at t he same table:start
ups,farmers,f
ood ret
aile
rs,banks,
micr
o-finance,
insurance,R&Dinst u onsand,ofcour
se,t
hegover
nme nt,t
odevel
op
astr
ategy/pol
i
cyt ofoste
ragri
tec
hi nnova onandadop on."(
Nic
olaeAlbu,Ent
en)
"Theagrif
oodecosyst
ems houl
dbec onnect
edwi t
hpeopleinthefie l
dofagric
ult
ure
andnotjustwi
t hbigcompanies.I
tshouldbeconnec
tedwithpe opl
ewhoar einthi
s
fieldandhavemanyne edsbutdonotmanagetotalkt
othoseintheareaof
innova on
andde v
elopment.
"(Adri
anChici
reanu,Sol
ari
no)

I
ns umma ry
,theseinsi
ghtss
howc asethemulf acetedresour
cer equi
r e
me ntsofagr
if
ood
s
tartupsinRoma ni
a.Whilechall
engese xi
st
,thede t
erminaont oa cqui
ret henece
ssar
y
r
esourcesandsupportunder
scorestheinnovaona ndpote nalwi t
hinthee cos
yst
em.The
c
ombi naonof f
unding,ment
oring,net
wor ki
ng,mar
k e
texposure,
a ndteamg rowthemerg
es
a
sthek eyelementt
ha tc
anpropeltheagrif
oodsec
tortone wheights.

We’r
egrateful
toourcontr
ibut
ors,f
ounde r
sofDavidTe
chnologi
es,So Vet,Ent
enSys
te ms,Bl
uanaFoods,
Di
git
alDr yads,SOLARINO,AgroGo ,Agramonia,Start
Agro,Le gume verzi
,MallȚărănes
c,AgroVIR,
br
eedXY,AgroCit
y,T
ail
Path,Ultr
agreens,Buchar
estRobots
,AgriCloud,Ver
de,TREOILPower2X,Dahna,
Aer
oponixRobo cs,
FoodKit,F
roopt
.ro,Verz
iBox,
SERA,NutrioApp, OgorandApiar
yBook .

28 Romani
anAgr
ifoodSt
art
upsOver
viewRepor
t2023
I
nsi
ght
sfr
om I
nvest
ors
I
nc onve rs
aons wi thinves
torsabout
agr
if
ood s t
a r
tup landsc
ape,a nuanced
understanding of t he cha
ll
engesa nd
opportunie sf aci
ng localsta
rtupshas
comet ot hefore
front.
Amongt hebigg
estchall
engeswesawf or
st
ar t
ups we ret he li
mited marke ng,
businessa nd s al
ess kil
l
s.O e n me s
agrit
echs t
art
ups a re dri
ven by the
technologya nd not by t he market
knowledg epri
mor di
al
ly,whic
hulma tely
l
e a
dst ofail
ure
.
Fundingconst
rai
ntsthi
sye a
rha v
ebe en
ma j
or.Onlyr
eall
ywe l
lprepare
dstart
ups
ma naged to close funding rounds
,
i
nve s
torsfoc
usi
ngone xi
sngporol i
os
al
so,a sus
uali
n me sofcr
isi
s.
Alt
houg hthea gri
tec
hstartupsec
os y
ste
m
i
s e x
pa nding, a disnc t sense of
communi ty ha s not f ull
y eme rged.
Tar
ge t
eds upportprog
r a
msc an pl
aya
si
gnificant r ole in fosteri
ng great
e r
engageme nt,both withina nd outsi
de
exi
sngpr og r
ams.
I
nve
storsst
res
sthei
mpor
tanceoft
ail
oreds
uppor
tpr
ogramsa
ndincr
ease
da c
ces
stoca
pit
al,
s
peci
ficall
ydesig
nedtofuelthei
nia lst
age
sofstar
tupdeve
lopmentintheRomani
an
c
ontext
.
T
hisv
erc a
lischal
lengedbyhighbar
ri
e r
sofe nt
ryt
ocl
i
e nt
s,whi
lethemi
ndsetofpot
ena l
c
li
ent
siso enr
e l
uctanttonewtec
h,especi
al
lycomi
ngf
roms t
art
upswhi
chca
nbepe rc
eiv
ed
a
shavi
ngunrel
i
a bl
epr oduc
ts.
Thecricalmassofst
art
upsexi
stsf
oracc
ele
raonprograms,butit
’snotenoug
hforha
v i
nga
focus
edagri
techvent
urecapi
talf
undjus
tonRomani
a nsta
rtups;exc
eptifi
twoul
dfocuson
otherag
ric
ult
uralbus
ine
ssesoronacoupl
eofot
herindust
ri
esconne c
ted.

29 Romani
anAgr
ifoodSt
art
upsOver
viewRepor
t2023
Fundi
ngAgri
foodSt
art
ups
-EUanal
ysi
s
Bas
e donAgFunde
r’sEur
ope202
2Ag r
iF
oodTechI
nve
stmentRe
port
,agri
foodt
echi
nve
stme
nt
i
nE uropef
el
l46%t o€4.
9bil
l
ion($
5.1bil
l
ion
)in2022,wi
thgl
oba
lfundi
ngdroppi
ngby44%
dur
ingthesa
mepe ri
od.
However,Eur
opea nsta
rtupsinthes e
ctorr
ais
e d€3.
1bi l
li
on( $3.
3bill
i
on )i
n2 02
0 ,i
ndi
cang
si
gni
ficantg r
owt h.Whiles ev
eralsegmentsoft hea gr
ifoodtec
hs ectorshowed promise,
parcularl
yin nov elfarming,farm robo csa nd automaon,bi oenergy
,bi omater
ial
s,
al
ter
nav eprote
ins,anda gbiotec
hnology
,thee Grocer
ys ec
torfacedadr amacdr opin
i
nvest
me nt,f
all
i
ngf r
om€4 .1bi
ll
ion($4.
3bil
l
ion)i
n2 0
2 1to€7 86mill
i
on($ 82
4mi l
l
ion)i
n2 022.
Notabl
ev ari
ancesemerge
da crossE
urope a
nc ountr
ies.Germa nywitnes
seda n84%plungein
f
unding,reachi
ng€437mill
ion($458mill
ion)
,whileFrancee xperi
enceda3 9%surg
e,secur
ing
€1.
24bill
ion($1.
3bil
li
on)i
ni n
ve s
tment.Fra
nc e
'smome nt
um c a
nbea r ibut
edtome gadeals
,
suchasInnovaFeed'
s€237mi l
l
ion($249mill
ion)ser
iesDr ounda ndDNAS c
ri
pt'
s€191mi l
l
ion
(
$ 2
00mi l
lion
)seri
esCround,whichexpandedt he
irrespecv eope r
aons .

Upst
ream+Downst
ream YEARI
NREVI
EW

Annual
Financi
ngs|201
2-2021

€8.
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€3.
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€3.
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€2.
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€1
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.1
B
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55B
€0.
28B

201
2 201
3 201
4 201
5 201
6 201
7 201
8 201
9 2020 2021

30 Romani
anAgr
ifoodSt
art
upsOver
viewRepor
t2023
 2,
050,
000€
2023
4DEALS

1
,805,
000€
2022
3DEALS

1
,100,
000€
Fundi
ng 2021
2DEALS
i
nRomania
(
201
8-2023) 2020
402,
500€
4DEALS

2,
571
,750€
201
9
4DEALS

1
,323,
532€
201
8
5DEALS

Thefundi
ngla
ndsc
apeforRomani
anag
rif
oodsta
rtupshass
eenbot
hfluct
uaona
ndg
rowt
h
overt
hepastsi
xye
ars
.Here'
swhatweca
ndisc
ernfromthef
undi
ngdat
a:
S
teadyGr
owthi
nTot
alF
unding
:Thetota
lfundi
ngrai
sedbyRomani
anag
rif
oodstart
upshas
s
hownagene
ral
upwa
rdtr
endfr
om2 0
1 8to2023
,butsllwi
thver
yfewdeal
sannounced.
St
rong2
023:Theyear2023ha
spr ovent
obeapromisi
ngyearf
oragri
foodst
artupsi
nRomani
a.
Withat
otal
of€2,05
0 ,
000infundingac
rossf
ourdeal
s,t
hisye
arisontrac
ktobe comeoneof
t
hemostsucc
essf
uli
nt e
rmsofinv es
tment
.Aswell
,weareawareofonemor edeal

*
theda
tai
sba
sedonp
ubl
i
can
nou
nce
men
ts

31 Romani
anAgr
ifoodSt
art
upsOver
viewRepor
t2023
Chal
lenges
fr
om theSect
or
T
hea gr
if
oodsect
orisnotwit
houtit
sfai
rshar
eofchal
l
enge
s.Asst
art
upsi
nthisdoma
inst
ri
ve
t
oma keasig
nificanti
mpa c
t,the
yf ac
ehurdl
esthatr
equi
recr
eav esol
u onsandst
rat
egi
c
t
hink
ing.

Underst
andingCustome rInter
acon:Oneoft hema j
orc hall
engesa g
rif
oods t
a r
tupsmust
gra
pplewithi sunders
tandinghow futur
ec us
tome rswille ngagewiththe i
rproductsand
ser
vic
es.Whi l
estart
upsbringinnovav esol
u onst othema rket
,thepivotalaspecti
show
conve
nientanda dapt
ablethe s
esolu onsar
ef orc l
i
ents,bet heyf a
rme r
sorc onsumers
.A
sol
u onladenwithcomplexs t
asc sa nddat
ami ghtbeinvaluabl
et oanal
ystsbutbewil
der
ing
f
orfarmers,
e mphasi
zi
ngthei mport
anceofuser
-fr
iendl
yinterfacesandexperie
nces.

Far
me r-
Fri
endlySol
u ons:Int heagro-
indust
ri
alfiel
d,st
art
upsmustcr
eat
esolu onsthatar
e
eas
ilyembrace
dbyf ar
me rs,whoma ynota l
waysbetech-
savv
y.T
hec ha
ll
engeistoprovi
de
te
chnologythatsea
mlessl
yi nteg
rate
sintoe xi
sngf a
rmingpra
cce s
,wit
houtcausi
ngus a
ge
di
srup ons.
Agrif
oodcl
ientso e nfinditchall
engi
ngtoadoptnewt
echnol
ogi
es,a
ndt heymay
behe s
it
anttochanget
heires t
abli
shedrou nes.

Onboa r
dingandRe t
aini
ngCl i
ents
:Oneoft hemostde mandi
ngc hal
l
e ng
esisa
cquir
ingthefirs
t
cli
ent
sa nde nsur
ingthei
rs as f
acon.Onc est
artupsha v
es ucceededinonboardi
nginial
users
,thene xtphaseinvol
vesexpandingthei
rproductors er
viceofferi
ngsbyincorpor
ang
newt ec
hnologies
.Thisproces
sne c
essi
tate
sade epunde rst
andi
ngoft hecust
ome rbaseand
thedevel
opme ntofsolu onstha
tcatertothei
revolv
ingneeds.

Bui
ldi
ngtheRightNe twork:From oursurvey,i
t'
sevidenttha
ta gri
foodstar
tupsinRoma nia
enc
ountercha
ll
engesinbuil
dingtherightnet
worktoc re
a t
eme ani
ng f
ulpart
nershi
ps.
Astrong
net
workisess
ena lforfindinginvest
me ntopport
unie sandstayingup-t
o-dat
ewi t
hrel
eva nt
i
ndustr
ystasc s.Coll
aboraonsa ndconne conswithintheagri
foode c
osyst
emc anpavethe
wayforgr
owthands ucces
s.

32 Romani
anAgr
ifoodSt
art
upsOver
viewRepor
t2023
Res
ourc
eCons tr
aints:Lackofup-to-
dat
es t
asc sandinade
quat
ehuma nres
ource
sa r
ea ls
o
amongthesig
nificantc ha
ll
engesfacedbyagri
foodstar
tupsi
nRoma ni
a.Ti
melyandaccurat
e
dat
aisc
r uc
ial
fori
nf ormeddecis
ion-maki
ng,andtheshort
ageofs
kil
l
e dempl
oyee
sc a
nhi nder
gr
owth.

Regulat
oryLabyr
inth:Theregulat
oryframeworkthatg overnstheagri
foods e
ctoriso e n
i
ntri
cateandmul- f
acet
ed.I
te ncompassesvar
iousa s
pe ct
ss uc
ha sfoods af
etysta
nda r
ds,
envi
ronmentalregul
aons ,productlabeli
ng,and supplyc hai
nt r
aceabi
lit
y.Fora gr
if
ood
star
tups,t
hechal
lengeli
esinc omprehendi
nganda dheringtotheseregulaons.Itcal
lsfor
subst
ana li
nves
tme ntsi
nres
earch,compli
anceexpe
rts,andme c ul
ousdoc umentaon.

Ri
skPe r
cep on:Inves
torsneedt ocons
idert
heri
skperce
p onssur
roundi
ngthea gri
food
sec
tor
,pa rcul
arl
yintermsofr
eg ul
aonsa ndmar
keta
ccepta
nce.T
hepercei
vedri
sksrel
ated
totheunc l
earregul
atoryenv
ironmentorpotenalli
mite
dt a
rgetmarket
sc a
ni nfluence
i
nvest
me ntdec
is
ions.

ns
I umma r
y,thea gr
if
oods e
ctori sadyna mi
ca nde v
olvi
ngla
nds
capewhe r
es t
art
upsmus t
navi
ga t
eamult udeofc hal
lenges.Unde r
sta
ndingc us
tomernee
ds,creangus e
r-f
ri
endly
sol
u ons ,andbuil
dingst
rongne t
worksarecricalforsucc
ess
.Over
comingthes
echal
lenges
andi nnovangwi t
hinthes ec
t orcontr
ibutetot heg r
owthandsust
ai
nabil
it
yofa gr
ifood
sta
rtupsinRoma nia.

33 Romani
anAgr
ifoodSt
art
upsOver
viewRepor
t2023
KeyTakeaways

34 Romani
anAgr
ifoodSt
art
upsOver
viewRepor
t2023
KeyTakeaways
Aswec oncludeoure
xploraonof t
heRoma nia
nag r
if
oodst
artupecosy
stem,i
tisev
identt
hat
thi
sdyna micsect
orissta
ndingatthec us
poft ransf
ormaon.T hejourneyfr
om tr
adional
agr
icul
turalpraccestotech-dr
ive
ns olu onsisnota neas
yonei nRoma ni
a,butthepath
f
orwa r
distheonlyop ona ndofferspromisingpr
ospectsf
orgrowthandinnovaon.
T
hroug
houtthi
sre
por
t,we'v
euncover
edthefol
lowi
ngkeyinsi
ghtsa
ndt
akeaway
st ha
tcan
g
uidet
hesta
k e
hol
der
s,ent
repr
eneur
s,i
nves
tors
,andsupport
ersoft
hea
gri
foodecosys
tem
i
nRomani
a:

1
. 2. 3.

T
hepa thforwardforRoma ni
a'
sagri
foods t
art
upecos
yst
emisst
ronginpot
enal
.The
c
hall
engesface
dbys ta
rtupsarenoti
ns ur
mountabl
e;t
heyar
eopport
uniesf
orc
reave
s
olu onsandstr
ate
gict
hinki
ng.
I
nt hi
sjourney,
theagri
foodsect
orpla
y sapivotalr
oleinsha
pingt
hefut
ureofa
gri
cul
tureand
foodproduconi nRoma ni
a.Wi t
hsus t
ainabil
i
ty,innov
aon,a ndcol
la
boraona sguidi
ng
princ
ipl
es,thea g
rif
oods ta
rtupecos
y st
emi spoi s
e dtoma keasi
gni
ficanti
mpactont he
naon' seconomy,envi
ronme nt
,andfoods e
c ur
ity
.
Aswec oncl
udethisr
e por
t,wee nc
oura g
es tak
ehol
der
st ocon nuesuppornga ndinvesng
i
nt hea gr
if
oods tar
tupe cosys
tem.T ogether
,wec annur t
uret hegrowthofi nnovave
solu ons,bri
dgethega pbetweentechnologyandagr
icult
ure,andensureasus
tai
na bl
eand
prosperousfut
ureforRoma nia
'sagr
if
oods e c
tor
.

35 Romani
anAgr
ifoodSt
art
upsOver
viewRepor
t2023
Recapon
Previ
ousEdi
tions

Recapont
he1
st
edi
ti
onher
e Recapont
he2ndedi
ti
onher
e

Cr
eat
edby Wi
tht
hesuppor
tof

36 Romani
anAgr
ifoodSt
art
upsOver
viewRepor
t2023
Whatel
sedowedo?
OurSer
vices&Pr
oduct
s

•Cowor k
ings paceinthehea rtofBuchares
t,Romania-Ourc owork i
ng& communi t
y
physi
cals
paceistheplacewhe r
ewec ometoget
hertofindinspi
raon, me a
ningandas e
nse
ofbelongi
ng.Today,ImpactHubBuc hare
stsumsup2.800s qm ofcoworki
ng ,mee ngand
event
ss pace,locat
edi nt hehe ar
tofBuc hares
t(Univ
ersit
ate)
,a nd bri
ng st
ogethera
communityofmor ethan3400pe opl
e .
•Incuba on, ac
celera on&des i
gnthinki
ngpr ogra
ms-In11y ear
sofa cv ity
,ImpactHub
Buchares
tha ssuppor t
edov er1.
000e ntre
pr eneur
sa ndst
artupsindi fferentstages-Earl
y
stag
e ,
MVP ,orGrowtht hroughourdivers
einc ubaonora ccele
ratorprogramsa ndexpanded
thei
rimpactons oci
ety.T hema i
nverc al
sourpr ogr
amsc overare:cl
i
ma t
eands ustai
nabi
li
ty
,
agri
food,socia
la ndg e neralentr
epreneurship.Amongourmos tsuc ces
sfula c
celer
aon
programsa r
eI nnovatorsf orChil
dren,Roma ni
aCli
mAc ce
lerator
,E mpowe r
ingWome nin
Agri
foodandCa psule
.
•S t
artari
um- themos tcomplexpla ormforea rl
ystageentrepreneurs.St
art
a r
iumoffe rs
fr
ee ,onli
nea cces
stoa lltheresourcesneededt olaunch,grow a nds ust
ainas ucce
ssful
business
:e ducaona lcontent
,bus i
nessme nt
oring,incubaona nda cc
eler
aonpr oj
ects,
mode rnfina nci
ngtoolsandpitchi
ngc ompe ons .Si
nceitsla
unc hin2016,S ta
r t
ari
um ha s
gat
he redac ommunityofmor ethan50, 000membe rsand5,400bus ines
sideas
,mor ethan
100c ontri
butors
,consulta
ntsandme ntorswi
t hwhom e nt
reprene urscanwor kforfree,
publis
hedmor ethan1300ma teri
alsandope neda ccesstofina ncinge xce
eding840,000
euros.
•Connecngk eystakeholderstha
tdriveinnov
a on-Impa c
tHubBuc har
ests
upport
sthe
EUi
nitsk
eyobjecve sofcreangag ree
ne randfai
rerf
utur
eforEuropeandtheres
tofthe
wor
ld.Wedel
ive
rsuppor tf
ore ntr
epreneur
s&s ta
rtupst
hroughpart
nershi
pswit
hbothloca
l
&EUinstu ons,
authorie sandc or
poraons .
•E ITFoodHubRoma ni
a-Starngf r
om 2021,I
mpactHubBuc har
estofficia
ll
yrepr
esent
s
EI
TF oodi nRoma niaasE I
TFoodHub,t hecontac
tpointforloca
lrepres
entavesofthe
agri
foods ect
or,withtherol
eofsuppornginnovat
orsa
nde ntr
epreneursa
ndfaci
li
tangthe
developme ntofthisst
rateg
ics
ector
.Support
edbytheEU,EITFoodleadst
heworld’
sla
rges
t
andmos tdy namicfoodinnovaonc ommunity
.

37 Romani
anAgr
ifoodSt
art
upsOver
viewRepor
t2023
 •Reg i
onalconnec t
or,aspartoftheEnter
priseEuropeNe t
work(EEN)-E ENist
hewor l
d’s
l
a r
gestsupportne t
workf orsma l
landme di
um- si
zede nt
erpr
ise
s( S
ME s)withint
ernaona l
ambions ,launchedbyt heE uropeanCommi ss
ionin2008.Impa c
tHub Buc har
estisa n
acv eplayerint heregi
onsofBuc harest-Il
fovandS outhMunt eni
a .
Since2022,weoffe r
compa ni
esas upportfr
ame workinde v
elopi
ngne wbus i
nessmodelsthatincl
udesa dvi
sory
serv
ices on s ustai
nabi
li
t y
,innovaon, digita
li
zaon or a cces
st oE uropea
nf unding
progr
ams .
•Start
upsscou ng& ec osys
tem ma ppi
ng-Ourt ai
l
oreds c
ou ngs e
rvi
cesconnect
orga
nizaonsandinves
torswithpromi
singst
art
ups,whil
eoure c
osyst
em mappi
ngserv
ice
s
provi
deac omprehens
ivea na
lysi
sofk eyst
akehol
dersandoppor t
unies.Wee mpowe r
busi
nesses
,inves
tor
s,and organi
zaonst o makeinf
orme d dec
isi
onsand nav
iga
tethe
complexl
andsc
apeofeme rg
ingopport
unie s
.
•Orga ni
zingc ommuni t
ydr i
vene v ents
:c onfer
ences,ha c
k a
thons& webinar
s-F orthe
l
argecommuni t yofinnov a
torsande nt r
epreneurs,wehav eorgani
zedove
r1.000know-how,
i
nspiraon, network i
nga ndsoci
ali
zinge vents.Wefaci
li
tateasma nyoppor
tuniesaspossi
ble
onar egula
rba sisforourme mbe rsa ndpr ogramsparc ipantstome e
t,e
xchangeide
a s
,get
fe
e dbac
ka nds haretheirknowledge .
•Ac c
esstomentors&t hepowerofne tworki
ng-Ittak
esavi
llaget
ora i
seast
artup,sowe
arefort
una t
et ohaveov er450a ll
ie
sbyours ide,wit
hv a
riousrole
ss uchasme ntors
,
consul
tants
,tra
ine
rs,i
nv e
storsorec
osyst
emse ngage
rs.I
nthel
as t10y
earswehavema naged
tosupportourent
repreneurswitht
hehelpofourall
i
e swi
th+7.000hoursofmentorshi
pa nd
over800hoursoftrai
ni
ng .

38 Romani
anAgr
ifoodSt
art
upsOver
viewRepor
t2023
Whatel
sedowedo?
OurSer
vices&Pr
oduct
s

•Wor ks
hops,ac
cel
era onpr
ogramsandcorpora
teinnov
a onsuppor
t-helpi
ngva
rious
organi
zaonsinnovat
eand/orc
oll
aborat
ewithstar
tupsbycre
anga cce
ler
aonpr ogr
ams
fr
om s c
rat
ch,based on t
hestr
ategi
cobjecv e
sa nd bus
ines
sneeds(prog
ram desi
gn,
promo on,managementandwork
ingwiths
tar
tups)
•S t
art
upScou ng-hel
pi
ngventur
ecapi
tal
funds,ac
cel
era
tor
s,compani
es,
conf
ere
ncesor
ot
herorg
ani
zaonstofinds t
art
upswhic
hfittheirne
edsandcri
ter
iai
ntheRomani
ansta
rtup
ec
osys
tem(2000+st
art
ups)
.
•Organi
zingstar
tupe vent
sus ef
ulfortheecosys
temstake
hol
der
s:li
keconfe
r e
nces
,
meet
ups,i
nvest
or-
sta
rtupsmatc
hingses
sions
,pi
tc
hingeve
nts
,compe onsorot
herforma
ts
whi
chca
ns erv
ethetarget
edaudienc
e.
•Ecosystemov er
view- weprovidest
art
upe cos
yst
emsov er
vie
ws,t
hroughrepor t
stai
l
ore d
on specifict opi
csa nd needs
;t hroughana l
ysi
son technol
ogytrendsa nd inves
tme nt
opportunie s.Wemoni t
ora ndinform ontheoveral
lst
atusofthes
tartupe c
osystem with
monthlyr eport
sonimpor ta
ntne ws,conf
erences
,event
s,progr
amsevolu on,invest
me nts
announce d.
•Suppor
tintec
hnolog
ytrans
fer-weunder
standt
echnolog
iesandwecanworkt
oget
her
wi
thres
ear
cher
sandde vel
oper
swiththeai
m ofunderst
andinghow at
echnol
ogyca
nbe
br
oug
httothemarke
tandbuil
dabusines
sontopoft
hat.
•Fundrai
si
ng s
upport-worki
ng c
los
ely wi
thstar
tupsinthe fundr
ais
ing pr
oce
ss:
unde
rstandi
ngthebusi
nes
sca
se,fina
ncia
lneeds,i
nve
stmentde
ck,supporti
nc ont
acng
i
nves
tors.

39 Romani
anAgr
ifoodSt
art
upsOver
viewRepor
t2023
 Peopl
ebehi
ndt
her
epor
t

Vl
adCr
aioveanu Al
exandr
aNi
stor
ac I
oanaPasc
CEO&Cofounde
r Pr
ogr
amsCommuni
caonCoordi
nat
or PR&Communi
caonS peci
al
is
t
@I
mpac
tHubBuchare
st @I
mpac
tHubBuc
hare
st @Impa
ctHubBuc
ha r
est

Mi
rceaVădan Andr
eaEr
dő
Pr
esi
dent@Sphe
rik Ma
rke ng&E
cos
yst
emRe
sea
rch
&Manager@Acviz
e @Acviz
e

40 Romani
anAgr
ifoodSt
art
upsOver
viewRepor
t2023
 “Maybeweneedt ore-engageoursmar t,
ener
get i
cyoutharoundt heworldtobe
f
ar mersandfindf r
esh, greentechnol
ogies
t
hatwi l
lfeedthewor l
dmor ef
reshgreens”
-El
lenGust
afson
(
Co-
Founder
/Execut
iveDi
rect
or,
Wet
heVet
eransandMi
li
tar
yFami
li
es)

Cr
eat
edby Wi
tht
hesuppor
tof