On 23-24 July 2025, the European Innovation Council (EIC) brought together 34 cutting‑edge start‑ups from its portfolio with senior decision‑makers from AB InBev, The Coca‑Cola Company and Procter & Gamble (P&G), during The Impact Circle 2025 in La Hulpe, Belgium. After several weeks of EIC coaching and business‑proposal reviews, the selected companies pitched live and met one‑to‑one with corporate experts to explore pilots, co‑development projects and strategic partnerships.
This business acceleration activity, delivered under the EIC Corporate Partnership Programme, was designed to fast‑track collaboration between deep‑tech innovators and three of the world’s largest consumer‑goods groups, fostering conversations on pathways to improved sustainability, production efficiency and consumer experience.
The Multi-Corporate Day demonstrated once again how efficiently the EIC can connect Europe's leading innovators with corporations ready to adopt new technologies. The interaction was focused, constructive, and genuinely business-oriented, which we hope will soon result in tangible deals.
– Michiel Scheffer, President of the EIC Board.
The 34 selected companies showcased breakthrough solutions ranging from biotechnology and sustainable packaging to AI-driven quality control and water stewardship:
- BAC3GEL (Portugal) – Microbiome-enhancing materials and models for personal care, wellness, and food innovation.
- BIOWEG (Germany) – Bio-based rheology modifiers and microplastic alternatives for personal care and food.
- BRITE HELLAS (Greece) – Transparent solar panels for greenhouses, combining crop production with energy generation.
- CH‑BIOFORCE OY (Finland) – Extracting high-purity biopolymers from biomass for sustainable consumer products.
- CHEMOMETRIC BRAIN (Spain) – Real-time chemical analysis for automated quality control in food production.
- CO2BIOCLEAN (Germany) – Converts CO₂ emissions into biodegradable, fossil-free ingredient alternatives.
- CONSTELLR (Germany) – Satellite-based thermal data for agriculture, water management, and climate resilience.
- FYCH TECHNOLOGIES (Spain) – Advanced recycling of multilayer plastic packaging into reusable materials.
- GOLANA COMPUTING (France) – AI-based signal monitoring system for predictive maintenance of industrial equipment.
- HYDRO VOLTA (Belgium) – Smart electrochemical water reuse systems supporting industrial circularity.
- IFLUX NV (Belgium) – Groundwater monitoring tools for sustainable water management and remediation.
- INBIOSE (Belgium) – Produces human milk oligosaccharides via fermentation for gut and immune health.
- INGENIOUS MEMBRANES (Spain) – Real-time membrane fouling sensors for predictive water system maintenance.
- INPHOCAL (Netherlands) – Laser technology for sustainable, inline product marking on packaging.
- KRAFTBLOCK (Germany) – High-temperature thermal energy storage for renewable-powered industrial heat.
- LAM’ON (Bulgaria) – Compostable biofilms replacing fossil-based packaging without infrastructure changes.
- LAVA ENERGY (Israel) – High-efficiency thermal systems for heat-to-electricity and electricity-to-heat conversion.
- NATURE ROBOTS (Germany) – Autonomous AI navigation systems for agriculture, logistics, and manufacturing.
- NOPALM INGREDIENTS (Netherlands) – Fermentation-based sustainable oils replacing palm and coconut oil.
- NOTPLA (United Kingdom) – Seaweed-based biodegradable packaging as an alternative to single-use plastics.
- NOVOLYZE (France) – AI-powered hygiene and process optimisation for food and beverage producers.
- OXYLUM (Belgium) – Converts CO₂ into fossil-free formic acid for sustainable cleaning formulations.
- PACK2EARTH (Spain) – Compostable high-barrier materials for dry, semi-liquid, and liquid product packaging.
- PHLAIR (Germany) – Energy-efficient Direct Air Capture producing pure CO₂ for reuse or storage.
- RAIKU PACKAGING (Estonia) – All-natural, shock-absorbing wood-based packaging with ultra-low environmental impact.
- SCANTRUST (Netherlands) – Secure QR codes enabling real-time product traceability and anti-counterfeiting.
- SENSONEO (Slovakia) – Smart deposit return system using engraved codes for efficient bottle recycling.
- SHAYP (Belgium) – Real-time IoT leak detection platform cutting building water waste.
- SILICATE CARBON (Ireland) – Applies limestone to farmland for CO₂ removal and soil pH improvement.
- SKYTREE (Netherlands) – On-site Direct Air Capture unit that captrue CO₂ from air.
- SOLMEYEA MONOPROSOPI (Greece) – Converts CO₂ into protein-rich algae flour for food applications.
- TERABEE (France) – People-counting sensors optimising building energy use and occupancy.
- TiHive (France) – Terahertz imaging for in-line, non-invasive quality control in manufacturing.
- VCG.AI (Germany) – AI platform mapping circular materials and tech for sustainable innovation.
Immediate business value for EIC-backed start-ups
The EIC Multi-Corporate Day at Impact Circle 2025 provided EIC-backed start-ups with more than just visibility: it created a direct line to senior decision-makers at global fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) corporations. The structured preparation and targeted matchmaking enabled founders to pitch concrete solutions to real-world industrial challenges, yielding strategic insights and valuable business leads in return.
The structured preparation meant we arrived with a pitch sharpened for real production challenges, water reuse and carbon reduction in particular. The depth of feedback we received from Coca-Cola experts on our product and the exposure to three global brands during this Multi-Corporate Day was invaluable.
– George Brik, CEO of Hydro Volta
Accelerated access to tailored innovation for corporate partners
For corporate innovation and R&D teams, the day was a fast track to high-quality start-up solutions tailored to pressing business needs and sustainability goals. With strong alignment ensured during the preparation phase, the conversations went beyond scouting, diving into synergy assessment and the potential for co-development.
This Multi-Corporate Day provided our innovation and technical teams access and visibility to technologies that directly address our sustainability goals—solutions that could potentially increase brewing and packaging efficiency and enhance consumer engagement. The high level of preparation from the start-ups allowed us to pinpoint areas of synergy and potential future collaboration.
– Esteban Martinez-Kumpel, Global Director of Research and Transformation, AB InBev
Collaborating with corporate partners allows us to de-risk innovation, benchmark industry practices, and attract high-calibre startups. The EIC, through this Multi-Corporate Day, provides us with access to Europe's innovation ecosystem, offering pre-selected startups that align closely with our industry needs. Such structured approach saves time and reduces risk, helping us rapidly test, validate, and scale promising technologies.
– Molun Zhang, Director of R&D, The Coca-Cola Company
At P&G, innovation is driven by meaningful partnerships. The EIC Corporate Partnership Programme has proven to be a valuable gateway to connect with cutting-edge startups that match our strategic priorities. We are excited to continue this collaboration with the EIC and explore new opportunities with the EIC beneficiaries.
– Andre Convents, Director of Connect and Develop, Procter & Gamble
On this day, the immersive discussions between our corporate partners and the EIC-backed start-ups underscored the potential of European deep-tech companies to transform industries through practical and sustainable solutions. Alongside high-level networking, the EIC is providing both corporate and start-up participants with tailored follow-up support, and the progress will be monitored over the coming six months to capture tangible business impact.
Additional information
About the EIC Corporate Partnership Programme
The EIC Corporate Partnership Programme allows EIC-backed innovators to boost their network and do business with relevant decision-makers from the largest companies in Europe. Since 2017, the EIC Corporate Partnership Programme has organised 80 initiatives with +120 corporate partners including ABB, Airbus, BMW, CaixaBank, CommerzBank, Enel, Ferrovial, L'Oreal, Medtronic, Neste, Roche, Saint-Gobain, Shell, Siemens Energy, Solvay or Telefonica. Over 1,200 EIC-funded start-ups and scaleups and +2,500 corporate high-level representatives have been able to participate in these initiatives reporting a significant business impact, follow-ups, and business deals.
The EIC is looking for large corporations with open innovation spirit, interested in integrating innovations coming from start-ups, scaleups and research projects directly into their business offering, procurement and R&D activities as well as investing in highly innovative/deep tech companies. Open application for corporations.
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The EIC Corporate Partnership Programme is an initiative of the wider EIC Business Acceleration Services.
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