FoB:Invest is the new pitch and match event in Ceresana’s successful Future of Bio (FoB) series. It connects high-growth startups from the bioeconomy with leading European investors, industry partners, and funding institutions. FoB:Invest supports innovations along the entire bioeconomic value chain. The aim is to help promising technologies achieve a breakthrough – from bio-based materials and industrial/white biotechnology to recycling and CO₂ utilization solutions. FoB:Invest is the online financing format that focuses exclusively on bioeconomy startups.

Key facts

• Date: April 22-23, 2026
• Format: online pitch event
• Language: English
• Platform: MS Teams
• Access: for selected participants

What makes the event special?

FoB:Invest combines a precisely organized pitch day with a structured pre-selection of the participating startups. The startups will not only present their innovative technologies and services, but also gain access to a highly qualified network of financial and strategic investors, clusters, and technology promoters. The event will take place entirely online – efficiently, internationally, and with a limited number of participants for an exclusive specialist audience.

Innovations in the bioeconomy are shaping the industry of tomorrow: Bio-based materials – such as bioplastics and packaging, bio-based building materials, bio-based coatings, paints, and adhesives – new fermentation processes, enzyme technologies, and circular resource models are driving sustainable solutions for chemicals, packaging, construction, agriculture, consumer goods, and industrial goods. The new EU Bioeconomy Strategy presented in November 2025, which aims to support bio-based innovations and establish lead markets for bio-based materials and technologies, will further accelerate this change politically. But turning a breakthrough into a viable, scalable business requires more than scientific excellence – it demands capital, partnerships, and access to markets.

FoB:Invest connects startups, investors, and industry leaders to identify and elevate high-potential technologies and accelerate their path to scale. In a focused, professional pitch setting, investment opportunities meet entrepreneurial vision: investors gain access to curated dealflow, startups benefit from visibility and expert feedback, and medium-sized companies as well as large corporations discover new partners for pilot projects and technology deployment. Together, we lay the foundation for growth, value creation, and the transition to a resource-efficient, low-carbon economy.

TRL-based Pitch Sessions

FoB:Invest brings together startups and technology teams from the sustainability and bioeconomy space at different stages of development. To ensure fair, focused, and highly relevant pitch sessions, startup presentations at FoB:Invest are organised along Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs).

Grouping pitches by comparable levels of technological and commercial maturity — from early validation to scale-up and market entry — helps startups connect with investors whose focus and expectations match their current stage. This creates more targeted feedback, relevant connections, and real opportunities for the next steps of growth.

This unique format is designed for innovation-driven companies, which we refer to as “startups” within the context of the event. This includes early-stage ventures and scale-ups, as well as SMEs and corporate teams developing market-ready technologies with a strong focus on sustainable growth and scalability.

• Highly qualified visibility with leading European investors
• Opportunities for pilot projects and industry partnerships
• International reach and visibility
• Prominent mention on our event website and LinkedIn posts to >25,000 industry contacts
• Participation in the FoB:Invest Innovation Award with the chance to be recognized as a finalist or winner for an outstanding technological innovation.

We are expecting exclusive representatives from over a hundred venture capital and corporate venture teams, impact and climate funds as well as promotional banks, mainly from Europe.

Is your startup working on an innovative solution in the bioeconomy? Apply now using our form. The number of pitch slots is limited.

Important note on registration

Upon successful acceptance into the program, a binding and fee-based registration as a pitch startup is required.

Registration will close once 100 startups have bindingly registered.

Ideally, your pitch should answer the following questions in 7 minutes:

• What problem is being solved?
  → Clear market need, affected sectors
• What is the solution?
  → Technological approach, product, process – brief and easy to understand
• Why is it better than existing alternatives?
  → USP, IP protection, differentiation, competitive advantage
• How great is the potential?
  → Market size, business model, sales plan, scalability
• What is the progress to date?
  → Pilot projects, first customers, KPIs, milestones
• Who is behind it?
  → Team, expertise, roles, advisory
• How much capital is needed – and for which purpose?
  → Financing needs & use of funds

Show us clearly and concisely why your solution is relevant, how you differentiate yourself, where you stand – and what growth potential you can unleash.

Note on confidentiality

If your startup is selected, we will use basic information such as name, logo, and short profile for the website and event communication. More detailed information from the application will generally only be used internally in the jury selection process. You decide what content you share openly in your pitch.

FoB:Invest is aimed at VC and growth funds, climate and impact investors, corporate venture teams, as well as public and institutional investors looking to back scalable solutions across the bioeconomy and sustainability.

To keep the pitch sessions as relevant and efficient as possible for everyone involved, we organise startup pitches by Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs) — from early validation through scale-up to market-ready solutions. This makes it easier to focus on the maturity stages and topics that best match your investment strategy.

FoB:Invest offers investors a centralized, selectively accessible platform for startup financing in the field of bioeconomy & sustainable technologies.

As an investor, you can use FoB:Invest in various roles:

• As a participant: You follow the pitch sessions, gain access to selected startups, and have the opportunity to hold direct 1:1 discussions
• As a jury member: You contribute your expertise to the jury and play an active role in the decision-making process for the FoB:Invest Innovation Award.
• As a sponsor: You can also use FoB:Invest as a platform for your visibility and positioning (e.g. as an award, platinum, or gold sponsor). Details can be found in the “Sponsors & Partners”

More detailed information for investors and on our sponsorship offers can be found under “Sponsors & Partners” or in the investor brochure

As a jury member, you will have the opportunity to play an active role in evaluating the pitches and help decide the winner of the FoB:Invest Innovation Award. The jury will select the 8 finalists and the winner of the FoB:Invest Innovation Award from the selected pitch startups.

Your benefits as a jury member:

• Free speaker slot in one of the investor insight sessions
• Prominent logo placement of your fund / company on our event website
• Personal profile with photo and short description in the “Speakers & Experts” section
• LinkedIn visibility through our posts (>25,000 contacts)
• Mention in the official event communication (via email & press release)
• Direct access to pitch decks and startup profiles of the finalists
• Positioning as a leading expert & active shaper in the bioeconomy investment environment
• Direct 1:1 meetings after the pitches with the selected startups

Agrana, Astanor, BASF Venture Capital, Bayern Kapital, Beyond Impact, Biotope Ventures, Business Angels Connect, capacura, CELL Investment, Circular Innovation Fund, CMPC Ventures, Collateral Good, Companisto, CPI Enterprises, DeepTech & Climate Fonds, European Circular Bioeconomy Fund, Evonik Venture Capital, FCF Fox Corporate Finance, Fulcrum Asset Management, Greiner Innoventures, HTGF, ICIG Ventures, Invest-NL, Ki Tua Fund (Fonterra), LBBW VC, Magfi, Navus, Prosemino Venture Studio, Rubio, SHIFT Invest, UPM, VP Capital.

17 Cicada, Adaptavate, AIMPLAS, Badische Peptide und Proteine (BPP), BIOAMA, BioBond Adhesives, Biome Bioplastics, Bioplasmar, COLLIX, Colorifix, EcoCocon, ecoLocked, ecorbio, Eranova, ETB Global, FluIDect, Grown bio, iBoxit, Indresmat, MarinaTex, Natural Power International, Naturbeads, Neptunus Biotech, Novis, NUAB Chemical Technology, Plinius Labs, Puregreen, Solid Air Dynamics, Syntura, TerraWaste Holdig, The Sustainable People, TNO (polySCOUT), twig bio, Twogee Biotech, Woven Bio, Yeastime.

The jury evaluates according to the following criteria:

• Degree of technology and innovation
• Market potential & scalability
• Maturity / traction
• Team & implementation capability
• Sustainability and climate impact
• Investability (clarity of financial planning)

Startups wishing to apply for a pitch slot should only use the “For Startups” section. Information on participation for investors can be found in the “For Investors” section.

The event will take place via Microsoft Teams – efficient, location-independent, and easy to integrate into everyday working life. As a participant, you will have access to the startup pitches, selected background information on the program, and structured networking opportunities.

• Access to technologically promising startup teams
• Direct insight into investment opportunities in the bioeconomy environment
• Potential pilot projects & partnerships
• Exchange with a large number of high-quality startups, investors, and selected industry representatives

We expect to receive several hundred applications from startups; from these, a maximum of 100 of the most promising startups will be selected for the pitch slots. This gives you a focused insight into different stages of maturity – from early development phases to growth-oriented scaleups.

Participation in FoB:Invest is free of charge, but requires prior registration. As the number of participants is limited, we reserve the right to review registrations with regard to relevance and role in the event context. FoB:Invest is aimed in particular at investors, capital providers, and strategic innovation decision-makers who are actively looking for new investment opportunities.

If you would like to participate, please use our registration form and briefly state your role (e.g. investor, industry, network, institution). Once you have registered, we will check your details and then inform you of the next steps and how to access the event.

As a sponsor of Future of BioInvestments (FoB:Invest) you show commitment to innovation, bioeconomy, and scalable, sustainable technologies. You position your company where investable startups, investors, and decision-makers from the industry come into direct contact with each other.

Use FoB:Invest to

• make your role as an investor, corporate, or institutional capital provider visible,
• be noticed by founders, co-investors, and industry partners, and
• be part of a growing, internationally oriented network in the bioeconomy environment.

Benefits of our network

As a sponsor, you benefit from our existing communication and network base:

• Email campaigns to over 15,000 company contacts from the investment & bioeconomy sectors
• LinkedIn communication to over 25,000 contacts
• Logo presence on our event page with around 30,000 website visitors per month

You can find detailed information on the benefits of the individual packages in our sponsorship brochure.

Do you represent an association, a network, a research institution, or a non-profit organization related to the bioeconomy, climate-friendly technologies or sustainable materials, and to the promotion of innovation and investment in this field?

As a partner of FoB:Invest, you increase the visibility of your organization in an international, interdisciplinary environment. Meet experts from science, business, politics, civil society, and associations – and position yourself where the exchange on bioeconomic innovations, business models, and investment opportunities takes place.

• Logo and link on our event website
• Visibility in our newsletter and on social media
• Mention in our event documents
• Partnership badge for your website & channels

• Placement of our logo with link on your website
• Promotion of the event via your channels (e.g. newsletter, social media)
• If possible: the inclusion of our event in your event calendar

Together, we create visibility for the bioeconomy and connect relevant players who are shaping the future of sustainable technologies and investments.

Do you run a specialist medium, a platform or an editorial format with a focus on bioeconomy, climate tech, sustainable materials, or impact investments?

As a media partner, you benefit from visibility in the environment of leading specialist players from science, businesses, and associations – and gain access to a targeted, topic-specific community.

• Logo and link on the event website in the “media partners” section
• Mention in our newsletter and on social media
• Visibility of your medium on relevant event materials and landing pages
• On request: editorial content

• Publication of an event notice or editorial article in your medium
• Inclusion of the event in your event calendar (if available)
• Linking to the event page via your channels

Interested in a media partnership with targeted specialist reach? Become part of FoB:Invest and support the visibility of innovative bioeconomy solutions and investment opportunities.

To ensure the best possible matches between startups, technology owners, and investors, FoB:Invest structures its sessions along Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs).

Startup pitches are grouped by comparable stages of technological and commercial maturity – from early validation to scale-up and market deployment. This approach allows investors to focus on technologies aligned with their investment strategy, while startups benefit from targeted feedback, relevant contacts, and meaningful exchange.

As the final topics are still being planned, you can find a provisional schedule here. Detailed information on the agenda will be added soon.

Wednesday 22. April