Southern Italy is rapidly becoming a key European hub for agricultural innovation. As the Horizon Europe-funded project SMARTERRA (powered by SMAFINE) reaches its final stage, we look back at two years of growth, capacity building, and networking. From the Agrifood Summit 2025 in Matera to the international stage of Agritechnica: here is how our startups are redefining the future of farming.

RootCamp has selected its first official batch for the CIIL – the Cross Industry Innovation Lab, a new program designed to support early stage startups from Lower Saxony which focus on developing sustainable industrial end products. The startups may participate for up to one year each. The program has capacity for up to six startups per year, with RootCamp planning to open the call for more startups before the end of this year and admit them on a rolling basis.

RootCamp, in collaboration with DLG and Rentenbank, is once again spotlighting the future of food, farming and agriculture with the RapidFire Startup Competition, a fast-paced event at the Inhouse Farming – Feed & Food Convention 2025 in Hamburg.

This year RootCamp will support the Desafía AgTech Germany program. Desafía is an intensive market entry and networking program aimed at promising Spanish AgriTech startups. The goal of the program is to provide participants with a deep understanding of the German market and to connect them directly with partners, companies, and investors.

With Batch #7, the RootCamp innovation hub from Hannover is starting a new round, welcoming six promising startups into its accelerator program. Over the coming months, the selected teams from Germany, Serbia, Latvia, Belgium, and France will receive targeted support to further develop their technologies, gain access to expertise and investors, and seize the opportunity for pilot projects with industry partners.

A lot has happened since Smarterra (officially Smarterra powered by SMAFINE) was launched in February 2024 in Matera. This EU Horizon project is dedicated to fostering AgriFood innovation systems and entrepreneurial activity in Southern Italy.

RootCamp has kicked off its new batch with six startups. These startups use cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence, microscopy, and cloud computing for precise analysis of soil and plant diseases, biochar and microorganisms to improve soil quality, and nanotechnology for decentralized and clean ammonia production. The participating startups come from the UK, Switzerland, Netherlands and Germany, selected from more than 300 applications across more than 70 countries. Over a 12-week program, the startups will benefit from tailored coaching, targeted mentoring, exclusive event formats, and RootCamp’s extensive network.

RootCamp is proud to have partnered once again with EuroTier, EnergyDecentral, and Inhouse Farming 2024, a world-leading trade fair focusing on livestock farming, decentralized energy solutions, and innovative inhouse farming techniques such as precision fermentation and vertical farming. This event, held from November 12th to 15th, 2024, in Hannover, is a key gathering for the industry, setting the stage for innovations that drive the future of sustainable agriculture and energy solutions.

In collaboration with EuroTier, we brought to life the event format called "RapidFire Startup Pitches", featuring intense 120-second presentations from 20 startups representing 9 different countries. These startups were carefully grouped into clusters to maximize the impact of their ideas. The highly engaged audience participated in an interactive live voting session, selecting the most relevant startup. Together with our partner Rentenbank, we awarded the winning startup, Omegga, a €1,000 cash prize! Explore the lineup of these game-changing startups below.

We are very excited to present 15 AgriFoodTech Startups from our recent application phase for our upcoming Batch#6. We can proudly say that we have received 305 applications from 75 countries, underscoring the joint goal to make our food systems more sustainable and transition to a circular bioeconomy.

In April 2024, RootCamp, in partnership with ICEX Spain, launched the Desafía FoodTech Germany program. This six-month program aims to propel Spanish startups in the FoodTech sector by offering unique opportunities for collaboration, networking, and access to resources within the thriving German market.

As part of this initiative, we hosted the Taste of Tomorrow, spotlighting Spanish startups and the latest innovations in food technology. Held in Hannover, this full-day gathering brought together industry leaders, investors, and entrepreneurs, fostering collaboration in the FoodTech sector.