A more unpredictable climate, challenging fertiliser availability and new sustainability reporting standards are all pointing to the same question: how do we grow, protect and preserve food in a smarter, more resource-efficient way?

In May 2026, the European Commission unveiled its Fertiliser Action Plan, a strategy aimed at strengthening the EU's fertiliser supply and, in turn, its food security, with an emphasis on boosting home-grown, bio-based and circular alternatives.

It’s a timely initiative given that the World Bank’s June 2026 update forecasts a 38% jump in fertiliser prices over the year, making the argument for resource-efficient, locally rooted solutions stronger than ever.

At the same time, the EU's Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive is encouraging food and agriculture companies to be more transparent about their supply chains and climate transition plans.

In this article, we look at six EIC Scaling Club members from the Agri & Food Tech market group who are answering the call.

1. Protealis

Founded: 2021

Recent funding: €22M Series B, January 2024

Scale-up edge: Speed-breeding legume varieties adapted to European climates

Belgian scale-up Protealis develops soy and pea seed varieties bred specifically for European soil and weather, reducing reliance on imported crops.

The Ghent-based company runs a dedicated speed-breeding facility that compresses breeding cycles from years to months, alongside a genomic mating platform used to predict traits and strengthen disease resistance.

Two ongoing projects, UpCoat and Tast-Y, are refining seed coatings and reducing the anti-nutritional compounds that limit legumes' appeal as a food source.

Protealis has also launched cold-adapted soy varieties to help Europe meet its protein needs with locally grown alternatives.

2. Agriodor

Founded: 2019

Recent funding: €15M Series A, April 2026

Scale-up edge: Replacing insecticides with insect-behaviour-altering scents

Based in Rennes, France, Agriodor reproduces scents that plants naturally emit and uses them as semiochemicals to attract, repel or confuse pest insects, rather than killing them outright.

Following a world-first deployment in French sugar beet fields, the company is expanding to target fruit flies, whiteflies and thrips.

Agriodor combines high-throughput screening of insect olfactory receptors with artificial intelligence to identify effective scent molecules. According to the company, this chemical ecology approach can bring products to market faster and cheaper than conventional insecticides.

Its most recent €15 million Series A round, closed in April 2026, will fund further crop and pest expansion across Europe, Latin America and North America.

3. Fresh Inset

Founded: 2018

Recent funding: €2.7M Series B, April 2025

Scale-up edge: Extending shelf life across the entire post-harvest supply chain

Polish scale-up Fresh Inset developed a technology that uses a slow-release 1-MCP compound to block the ethylene that drives ripening and spoilage in fruit, vegetables and flowers.

In trials, it has kept spinach fresh for up to ten days longer and avocados green after 46 days. By extending the shelf life of produce, this solution makes slower global shipping viable and helps cut food waste.

The company delivers 1-MCP via a simple sticker or pad format, making it easy to integrate into existing packing lines. Fresh Inset has already partnered with Janssen PMP, a division of Johnson & Johnson, to test and commercialise the technology internationally.

4. Kern Tec

Founded: 2019

Recent funding: €12M Series A, September 2023

Scale-up edge: Turning fruit-processing waste into food-grade ingredients

Austrian company Kern Tec upcycles apricot, cherry and plum kernels into ingredients for plant-based dairy, confectionery, oils and cosmetics.

The idea originated in Austria’s Wachau region, after the founders saw a local apricot farmer struggling to dispose of nutrient-rich kernels left behind in the pits.

Today, Kern Tec sources raw materials from European processors and uses its proprietary machinery to process them at scale without compromising taste or texture.

Since some stone-fruit kernels contain cyanide-related compounds, Kern Tec built quality-control systems and a raw-material database to process them safely at industrial scale.

5. Arborea

Founded: 2015

Recent funding: €5M, December 2024

Scale-up edge: Growing protein without using farmland

London-based Arborea has developed the Biosolar Leaf system – a modular platform that cultivates microalgae and other photosynthetic microorganisms using only sunlight and captured CO2.

Installed on rooftops or non-fertile land, the modular platform doesn’t require arable soil and can resist climate hazards like heat and drought.

Backed by EU Horizon funding and an investment round led by Indico Capital Partners, Arborea is now building its first commercial-scale facility to tap into a range of 50,000 species across food, feed, pet care and cosmetics.

6. Algaenergy

Founded: 2007

Recent funding: Acquired by De Sangosse in October 2024

Scale-up edge: Circular microalgae production that captures industrial CO2 emissions

Spain's Algaenergy has spent nearly two decades building scientific and production know-how in microalgae, turning it into biostimulants that strengthen crop resilience against soil and climate stress.

The Madrid-based company runs an innovation network of more than 150 research partners and serves millions of farmers worldwide, with a circular production model that captures industrial CO2 emissions to cultivate its microalgae strains.

Algaenergy was among the first in the world to reach semi-industrial scale for microalgae production, running a facility in southern Spain that captures real flue-gas emissions from one of Europe's largest combined-cycle power plants.

About the EIC Scaling Club

The EIC Scaling Club is a curated community where 120 European deep tech scale-ups with the potential to build world-class businesses and solve major global challenges come together with investors, corporate innovators and other industry stakeholders to spur growth.

The top 120 European deep tech companies have been carefully selected from a pool of high-growth scale-ups that have benefitted from EIC financial schemes, other European and national innovation programmes, and beyond.

The EIC Scaling Club is an EIC-funded initiative run in partnership by Tech Tour, Bpifrance (EuroQuity), Hello Tomorrow, Tech.eu (Webrazzi), EurA and IESE Business School.

Subscribe to our newsletter here to stay up-to-date!