StartLife Announces €10M Pre-seed Milestone and Strategic Partnership with EIT Food

StartLife has announced two major milestones: surpassing €10 million in pre-seed funding for Dutch agrifood startups and launching a strategic partnership with EIT Food. The partnership makes EU agrifood startups in StartLife’s flagship program eligible for EIT Food investment funding of up to €1.5 million. The announcements were made at StartLife’s 15-year anniversary event in Ede on 15 October.

Since 2010, StartLife has supported more than 400 startups worldwide. Of these, 163 Dutch ventures received a total of €10 million pre-seed funding via StartLife, leading to the creation of over 1,000 direct jobs and more than €230 million in follow-on funding. These startups are driving the transition to a sustainable and healthy food system, tackling challenges such as food waste, alternative proteins, and circular resource use.

Among StartLife’s successful Dutch startups are Chaincraft, FoodCase International, Dutch DNA Biotech (acquired by Ginkgo Bioworks), Revyve, and Orbisk.

€10 Million Pre-seed funding

The €10 million milestone was revealed by Fons de Zeeuw, Director International of Oost NL, StartLife’s close partner in providing the funding. The funding is largely backed by the Province of Gelderland and the Ministry of Economic Affairs, with support by the Province of Overijssel.

“StartLife plays a crucial role in preparing agrifood startups to grow into global players. In close collaboration, we have jointly been able to provide critical early-stage funding to promising startups to facilitate their growth.” ~ Fons de Zeeuw

This support not only strengthens the regional and national economy but also helps shape solutions toglobal challenges in food and agriculture.

Strategic Partnership with EIT Food

The anniversary also marked the launch of a strategic partnership with EIT Food, Europe’s leading food innovation community supported by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), a body of the European Union.

Currently, only startups that have graduated from EIT Food’s own accelerator programmes are eligible to receive funding. The new partnership will open this exclusive opportunity to include alumni from StartLife Accelerate programme, provided that its application and selection process is fully compliant with the Horizon Europe (HE) guidelines.

“StartLife’s startup support is excellent. Together, we can make a big step forward in our joint mission to accelerate the growth of agrifood startups that help build healthy and resilient food systems.” ~ Benoit Buntinx

We are very excited about our partnership with EIT Food,” said Nikki Harrison, Managing Director of StartLife. “By combining the strengths of two European agrifood powerhouses in a first-of-its-kind collaboration, we can offer startups unprecedented access to funding and growth opportunities.

Benoit Buntinx, Director of Business Creation at EIT Food, added: “Having worked with StartLife for years, this partnership was a natural next step. Together, we look forward to amplifying fundraising efforts to help more agrifood startups thrive.”

Startup in the spotlight: SeaCrete

The most recent recipient of StartLife’s pre-seed funding is SeaCrete, a Wageningen-based spin-off has received €100,000 to develop its bio-inspired and bio-sourced alternative to concrete for marine ecological restoration. SeaCrete’s innovation aims to support reef restoration and marine biodiversity by using sustainable materials that integrate naturally into marine environments. Their approach provides a circular, eco-friendly alternative to traditional concrete, offering new possibilities for restoring marine habitats and enhancing ocean health.

“This funding enables us to jump-start our mission to develop and scale our sustainable marine building material” ~ Marc van der Peet

“We are very happy to receive this support from StartLife, Oost NL, and the Province of Gelderland,” said Marc van der Peet, CEO of SeaCrete. “With this funding, we can explore different business models such as licensing, produce a first small batch for testing, and carry out essential durability and performance tests to further refine our product.”

Public-Private Funding Vital for the Future

Despite these successes, StartLife does warn that early-stage funding is under pressure. According to the State of Dutch Tech Report 2025, only 104 Dutch tech startups, including agrifoodtech, raised over €100,000 in venture capital in 2024, down sharply from 172 in 2023.

“Continued public-private support is needed more than ever,” emphasized Nikki. “If we want to build sustainable food systems, strengthen Europe’s self-sufficiency in food security, and ensure the Netherlands remains a global agrifood powerhouse, we must keep investing in early-stage innovation. Together with our partners, we remain committed to that cause — and we call on governments, public institutions, and industry to join us on this mission.”