ZURICH, Switzerland, 1 October 2026 — FOOD FOUNDERS Studio, the Swiss venture studio that builds B2B food and beverage technology companies from existing science, has closed an oversubscribed EUR 4 million funding round. The studio is also widening where it sources technology. Alongside universities and research institutes, it now actively seeks technology from startups and corporate R&D teams, including programmes that have stalled or been put on hold.

Investment is beginning to return to European foodtech, but fewer companies are securing it as the industry demands stronger proof of commercial value. European foodtech startups raised €401 million in the first half of 2026, nearly 18% more than a year earlier, while the number of funding rounds fell 12%. For new ventures, the question is increasingly whether strong science can become a product that manufacturers will use and a business that can grow.

FOOD FOUNDERS Studio was built around that question. It works with food and beverage manufacturers to identify problems they need solved, then searches for technology that could address them. Its expert boards assess technical performance, the commercial case, and whether the intellectual property can form the basis of a company. The studio then recruits experienced leadership and co-founds the selected venture, working alongside the team on industrial validation, partnerships, and fundraising.

“The foodtech market has learned a hard lesson: a promising technology is only the beginning,” said Giacomo Cattaneo, CEO and co-founder of FOOD FOUNDERS Studio. “You need a problem the industry cares enough to solve, technology you can build a business around, and the right people to take it into the market. We bring those pieces together when the company is created. The customer is already there, giving the solution a bigger chance of success and impact.”

The studio has already scouted more than 100 technologies and advanced nine to validation before launching SentiaNova, its first venture. Built on neutral plant protein technology licensed from a European university, SentiaNova stands out by directly removing unwanted off-flavors at the source rather than only masking them. The studio recruited a CEO and now the company has made samples available, engaged the market, and is working toward commercial production while closing its own funding round – all within only a year of launch.

The €4 million round will fund the studio’s next ventures and the work of identifying and securing the technologies behind them. FOOD FOUNDERS Studio is recruiting a CEO and co-founder for its second company and securing the science that its next companies will be built on. 

It is also expanding its search for technologies to startups and corporate R&D teams who cannot take them forward. The Studio will assess those opportunities against the same industrial, technical, and commercial criteria it applies to university research. 

“A technology can be technically strong and still lack a route into the food industry,” said Alexandre Morel, CTO and co-founder of FOOD FOUNDERS Studio. “We want to find that technology wherever it sits, secure what is needed to build on it, and put the right team around the opportunities that meet a tangible industry need.”

The round was backed by family offices and angel investors. 

Food companies and manufacturers can contact industry@foodfounders.studio with problems they need solved. Researchers, founders and corporate R&D teams can contact tech@foodfounders.studio about relevant technologies.

Boilerplate

FOOD FOUNDERS Studio is a Zurich-based venture studio that co-founds B2B food and beverage technology companies. It identifies industrial needs, sources and evaluates technology, recruits founders, and builds ventures with industrial and investment partners. Its first venture is SentiaNova. The studio is supported by EIT Food, which is co-funded by the European Union.