Visibility & credibility
Build visibility for your venture through Tufts and FNII among leaders across science, industry, investment, and the food system.
FNII VENTURE CHALLENGE
Engage with Us
The Food & Nutrition Innovation Institute (FNII) Venture Challenge calls on founders to answer the food system's toughest questions.
Winning ventures (startups and non-profits) will gain access to Tufts expertise, mentorship from established organizations, and a 150+ FNII member network of food-system leaders.
FNII members mentoring winning ventures will gain access to top food innovations that will lead to future partnerships.
This is a win-win challenge.
- Launch
- October 19, 2026
- Deadline
- January 29, 2027
- Themes
- 4 Priority Themes
The 2026 Venture Discovery Program
Four themes shaping what’s next.
We’re looking for startups and non-profits tackling some of the food system’s biggest challenges. Explore the four themes below. Your venture may align with more than one - and you only need to apply once.
Guiding question
What waste-stream solutions have the potential to transform our food system for economically scalable and sustainable impact?
WHY DOES IT MATTER?
Food and agricultural waste represents one of the largest untapped resource reservoirs on the planet. Advances in biomanufacturing, waste stream valorization, ingredient discovery are creating new ways to turn food and agricultural waste streams into valuable products.
Areas we’re exploring
- Processing & Biomanufacturing Infrastructure
- Ingredient & Formulation Technologies
- Commercialization & Ecosystem Infrastructure
- Waste Stream Recovery & Valorization
These areas are illustrative, not exhaustive.
WHAT DO WINNING VENTURES GET
Visibility, mentorship, and potential partnerships
A year inside the Innovation Council
Join the Food & Nutrition Innovation Council's 150+ member innovation ecosystem, connecting with industry leaders, investors, entrepreneurs and potential collaborators.
Targeted mentorship
Up to three months of 1:1 mentorship with a FNII Council member focused on your startup or non-profit’s area of focus.
Pathways to collaboration
Build relationships with FNII Council members and explore opportunities for research, pilots, partnerships, and other forms of collaboration.
The Innovation Council
Meet your future mentors and partners
The Food & Nutrition Innovation Council at Tufts brings together 150+ leaders across industry, science, investment, entrepreneurship, and community organizations.
Through the FNII Venture Challenge, you’ll have opportunities to connect with Council members who can provide mentorship and explore opportunities to collaborate.
BREADTH OF MENTORSHIP
Leverage FNII Council members' industry expertise to accelerate your growth.
FNII Council members span across the food system.
Science & Evidence
Scientific validation • Evidence gaps • Clinical strategy
Consumer & Brand
Consumer insights • Positioning • Storytelling • Communications
Product & Scale
Formulation • Sensory • Ingredient qualification • Manufacturing
GO-TO-MARKET & DISTRIBUTION
Channels • Partnerships • Pricing • Market expansion
Regulatory & Claims
Claim substantiation • Regulatory pathways • Labeling
Venture & Business Strategy
Business model • Strategic roadmap • Fundraising • Scaling
FNII VENTURE SCOUTING TEAM 2026-2027
Meet the Venture Scouts & VC Advisors
Our team identify promising startups and non-profits across the challenge’s four themes.
Biotech & Novel Ingredients
Avani Vaid
Background
Biotech engineering PhD candidate • Industry R&D in biotech
Scouting for
Sustainable biomanufacturing • Novel food ingredients • Alternative feedstocks
Abhishek Verma
Background
Product management • Data analytics
Scouting for
Shared biomanufacturing • Waste-to-protein technologies
Have a venture we should know about?
Connect with a Venture ScoutTIMELINE
The challenge has four phases
Phase 01
Exploration
Challenge Launch
Starting October 19, 2026
Learn about the Venture Challenge, explore the four themes, and connect with an FNII Scout.
Phase 02
Application
Application Deadline
January 29, 2027
Founders and teams submit one application and identify the program theme(s) that best align with their ventures.
Phase 03
Judging
Evaluations
February–March 2027
Selected ventures engage with FNII members and Tufts experts through the evaluation process. Winners are selected based on fit, potential, and opportunities for mentorship and collaboration.
Phase 04
Mentorship
FNII Membership Invitation + Venture Mentorship
March 2027 Onwards
Selected ventures join the FNII Innovation Council and receive up to three months of mentorship along with opportunities for collaboration
FAQs
Questions, answered
APPLICATIONS OPEN OCTOBER 19, 2026
Accelerate the future of food
One application. Four priority themes. Select the areas that best align with your venture. Free to apply, judged by Tufts faculty and Innovation Council members.
How to prepare for the application - it's simple!
No more than 10 slides in PowerPoint or PDF format
- 1Primary Challenge or Problem Statement
- 2Unique Value Proposition of your solution compared to existing solutions in the market
- 3Proof-of-concept Data (Any available data on scientific principle and/or preliminary pilots)
- 4Business Model / Business Case
- 5Scalability of Production, Distribution, and/or Impact
- 6Existing Intellectual Property (IP) assets and the protections in place
- 7Team Expertise and Qualifications
- 8Roadmap, including the time frame, growth plan, and key anticipated challenges
- 9Specific Support and Mentorship you require from the Tufts FNII Council and select FNII Council Members to further develop your solution effectively, and lead to potential partnerships.