Food Frontiers '26
โSomething new is coming to Riga ๐ฝ๏ธ Join startup founders, researchers, investors, industry, and policymakers helping build the future of food, agriculture, and circularity.
โThe event will take place at the unique Siltumnฤซca ("Greenhouse") venue right next to the Agenskalns Market, the oldest food marketplace in Riga.
โAgenda
โ09:00 - 09:30: Arrival, coffee, chit-chat
โ09:30 - 09:45: Intro: opening words, EIT Food programs and other opportunuties
โ09:45 - 10:10: Ask-me-anything with Mika Kukkurainen, ๐ซ๐ฎ Nordic Foodtech VC
โ10:10 - 10:40: Showcase: research (Latvia, Estonia, Poland)
โ10:40 - 11:05: Crash course: Why Great Food Innovations Struggle to Reach Our Plates, by Alessandro Monaco, ๐ฑ๐ป Baltic Studies Center
โ11:05 - 11:20: Sampling and stretching break
โ11:20 - 12:00: Showcase: startups (Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania)
โ12:00 - 12:30: Fireside: Making Foodtech Work in Europe, with Nora Spiekermann (๐ฉ๐ช FoodLabs), Eszter Majer (๐ฉ๐ฐ ex-Novonesis), Kristel Vene (๐ช๐ช TalTech/Raw Edge)
โ12:30 - 13:30: Lunch at Agenskalns Market, the oldest food market in Riga
โ13:30 - 16:00: Track A: Interactive workshop: From research to market: first steps, with Eszter Majer and Biocatalyst Foundation
โ13:30 - 16:00: Track B: Startup production site visit - Spirulina Nord (with Agnese Stunda-Zujeva)
โ18:00 - 20:00: Dinner and networking at Clos[er] fermented grape-juice bar, Stabu iela 13. Wine and food on the house.
โ
โ------
โWhat to expect from ๐๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ฅ ๐๐ณ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ต๐ช๐ฆ๐ณ๐ด 2026:
โ๐ฃ for ๐ณ๐ผ๐๐ป๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ working in agrifood biotech: get visibility in front of Europe's most relevant capital and industry.
โ๐ฃ for ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐๐๐บ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐๐๐ฝ๐ pushing the limits of modern foods: connect with distributors, retailers, and other regional partners.
โ๐ฃ for ๐ถ๐ป๐๐ฒ๐๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฝ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ across Europe: access rising stars and hidden gems not yet on anyone's radars.
โ------
โThe event is co-organized by Biocatalyst Foundation, Rฤซgas Tehniskฤ universitฤte (Riga Technical University), with support from EIT Food, Riga Investment Agency, and Latvian Food Cluster.
โThe focus of the event is on ๐ฑ๐ป๐ช๐ช๐ฑ๐น Baltics, ๐ต๐ฑ Poland, and the Nordics, with guests from across ๐ช๐บ Europe.
โ------
โCo-funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT).