The Desafía AgTech Germany program is an international immersion initiative that supports Spanish AgTech startups in exploring and entering the German market. Organized by RootCamp with the support of ICEX and Red.es since 2025, the program helps selected startups adapt their solutions to local market needs and prepare for successful expansion into Germany.
HEMPILOT is an EIP-funded project (European Innovation Partnership) bringing together RootCamp, AgDoIt, EXAgT, the Landessaatzuchtanstalt at the University of Hohenheim, the agricultural research station Reinshof at the University of Göttingen, Hanse Agro, and Hof Ratke-Elsner.
Hemp holds enormous potential for the bioeconomy as a versatile crop used in food, textiles, and construction; it lends itself ideally to high-value combined use of seeds, fibres, and shives. Yet many farmers hesitate to enter hemp production due to a lack of variety information, unclear cultivation strategies, and limited market transparency.
HEMPILOT addresses this with an AI-powered farm assistant that provides practical recommendations on variety selection, cultivation methods, and crop rotations, complemented by a central platform for market and distribution insights. Close collaboration with farmers ensures their expertise informs the tool's development.
The project runs from November 2025 to October 2028 and is co-funded by the European Union and the State of Lower Saxony through EAFRD.
Read more about it here. Please note that all content on this page is in German.
RootCamp is introducing the Bioeconomy Deep Dive Series. This project is funded by the Rentenbank and commissioned by the German Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Regional Identity (BMLEH).
Diminishing resources, climate variability, and evolving customer demands create transformational pressure toward bioeconomy. This dynamic leads to a level of change that cannot be managed through bilateral interaction, as it affects various stakeholders in the value chain. New ways of communication, collaborative engagement, and the implementation of startup innovations are key. With our Bioeconomy Deep Dives format, we identify transformational hurdles, pinpoint opportunities, and assess innovation gaps along value chains.
Together with the Rentenbank we have already published two reports within the Bioeconomy Deep Dive Series on Industrial Hemp and Lignin. More will follow soon.
Want to know more? We are happy to hear your thoughts and experiences. Let us know about your ideas.
RootCamp participated in the Smarterra project, which was funded by the EU and aimed at fostering innovation in Southern Italy's AgriFood sector. The project addressed challenges faced by the region's agricultural industry, particularly in securing funding, which affects startups and scale-ups, especially those led by women.
The project involved collaboration with various European partners, including incubators, accelerators, corporate entities, innovation agencies, and public and private VCs. Led by a consortium of six European partners, including representatives from Italy, Germany, Sweden, and Denmark, Smarterra leveraged their expertise to support innovation and growth in the region.
RootCamp's activities within Smarterra focused on knowledge-sharing, ecosystem support, and capacity-building initiatives to foster collaboration and innovation in Southern Italy's AgriFood sector.
The project ended in 2025. Read more about it here.
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Key highlights of the program include a virtual phase for market research and preparation, followed by a two-week in-person immersion in Hannover, Germany. Startups receive individualized coaching and are paired with mentors experienced in the industry. The on-site phase includes networking sessions, workshops, and visits to research centers and production facilities.
The project ended in 2024. Read more about it here.
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