EIT Jumpstarter Launches Innovative Startups Tackling Society’s Most Urgent Challenges

24 new, science-based start-ups were awarded at the EIT Jumpstarter Grand Final

This year’s final of the EIT Jumpstarter program was held on 28 November in Budapest, Hungary, along with the EIT Community conference “The next decade of innovation for the future of Europe. Celebrating the 10th anniversary of the EIT Regional Innovation Scheme”. EIT Jumpstarter is an initiative of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology, a body of the European Union.

Piotr Boulange, representing the EIT Jumpstarter program, says

The pipeline of start-ups established in non-Western countries through programs like EIT Jumpstarter is growing every year, and many ventures from previous editions have now reached multimillion valuations. This is particularly important to close the funding gap in the European innovation ecosystem.

The program helps create new jobs, brings new skills, and stimulates entrepreneurship in the region. Considering that every euro invested in the program generates 30 euros in external funding for newly built start-ups, EIT Jumpstarter truly serves as a springboard for talented founders.

Throughout the seven-month program, participants identified and validated the best business model for their science-based innovative ideas. This process aims to turn their ideas into market-ready start-ups.

From 600 applications, only 180 innovators were selected for the training, and the best 49 teams were shortlisted to compete in Budapest, during a dynamic live pitching session divided into eight categories based on the industry – from food to energy.

Three awardees were selected in each category, collectively winning prizes worth €150,000. In addition, the top alumni from previous program editions could also present their growth since graduation and compete in the ninth category.

The winning teams ranked 1st in their categories were NEAMO from Latvia (EIT Food), BIOCHIP-PATHFINDER from Portugal (EIT Health), StoreNow from Portugal (EIT InnoEnergy), Yapar3D from Türkiye (EIT Manufacturing), Total Energy from Croatia (EIT RawMaterials), Urbix Hub from Bulgaria (EIT Urban Mobility), POWAR STEAM from Spain (New European Bauhaus), Drone NonDestructiveTesting from Ukraine (Rebuild Ukraine), WellscanPro from Kosovo for the Western Balkans special award, and the Most Outstanding EIT Jumpstarter Alumni statuette went to Lightly from Czechia.

The next edition of the program will be opened in January, but pre-registration is already available. In 2025, the EIT Jumpstarter foresees additional support for the Western Balkan and Ukrainian talents and a new prize to recognise the best newly created start-up in the Mediterranean region and Outermost Regions of the European Union.

Since 2017, the EIT Jumpstarter programme has trained 1,180 talents, leading to the establishment of 124 new start-ups and contributing to the creation of 2,100 new jobs in countries which are considered emerging and moderate innovators, according to the European Innovation Scoreboard.

These start-ups have collectively attracted €150 million in external investment until now. EIT Jumpstarter is open to more than 22 countries and regions. EIT Health leads it with support from EIT Food, EIT InnoEnergy, EIT Manufacturing, EIT RawMaterials, EIT Urban Mobility, and EIT Culture & Creativity.

The European Institute of Innovation & Technology (EIT) strengthens Europe’s innovation ability by powering solutions to pressing global challenges and nurturing entrepreneurial talent to create sustainable growth and skilled jobs in Europe. The EIT is an EU body and an integral part of Horizon Europe, the EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation.

EIT Food

Winner: NEAMO (Latvia) presented an innovative approach that could help reduce fish mortality in coastal fish farms, improve resource efficiency, and promote sustainable aquaculture development. With seafood consumption expected to double by 2050 and 17% of farmed fish dying from diseases, there is a need for effective monitoring and prevention solutions. Norway’s salmon industry, for example, loses €2 billion annually due to fish mortality. NEAMO’s solution is an early warning system using satellite data and advanced disease prediction models to help fish farms monitor risks and prevent outbreaks before they cause extensive damage. 
Runners-up:

• MultiBioCrop (Greece) is a biological tool with multiple beneficial effects for the plant (biofertilizer, biostimulant, biopesticide)
• Bestran (Spain) is implementing a technology of manufacturing natural beta-carotene by fermentation of agricultural by-products with the fungus Blakeslea trispora to replace chemically synthesised beta-carotene in the food market for healthier food and environment.

EIT Health

Winner: BIOCHIP-PATHFINDER (Portugal) develops high-performance enzyme-based processes to sustain natural ingredients and fine chemicals.

Runners up:

• WellscanPro (Kosovo) is a cutting-edge product that empowers individuals to perform comprehensive urine tests at home by using artificial intelligence, WellScanPro provides quick and accurate results, making healthcare more accessible and convenient for everyone.
• NexThera Tech (Portugal) combines cutting-edge AI technology with oncology expertise to provide personalized treatment solutions for advanced-stage cancer patients.

EIT InnoEnergy

Winner: StoreNow (Portugal)
Runners up:

• Deltasort (Croatia) is a robotic sorting station that allows for fully automatic or hybrid sorting with both robots and humans in sorting facilities in order to increase recycling rates and solve labour shortages. 
• Rehemp (Serbia)

EIT Manufacturing

Winner: Yapar3D (Turkey)

Runners-up:

• VeridianIQ (Hungary) is a trailblazer in automating ESG compliance, empowering businesses to integrate sustainability intelligence into all aspects of their operations seamlessly. Through AI-driven insights and real-time risk monitoring, VeridianIQ enables companies to efficiently navigate essential ESG regulations, such as CS3D and SFDR, mitigate risks, and uphold transparency, even within the most complex supply chains.
• Melt3D (Slovakia)

EIT Post-Jumpstarter

Winner: Lightly (Czechia) is developing a portable device called „Catcher“ that helps law enforcement agencies detect counterfeit drugs by delivering instant results directly on the spot. Catcher is also compatible with our single-use testing cartridges, which we call “Fenty”, the results are automatically transmitted via the software to a global database.

EIT RawMaterials

Winner: Total Energy (Croatia)

Runners-up:

• Bristlechem (Spain) provides sustainable sulphur-derived nanoparticles.
• Unconventional Lithium (Ukraine) is working on sustainable lithium extraction technology to take advantage of it in setting up a non-existent and novel approach for lithium extraction in Ukraine.

EIT Urban Mobility

Winner: Urbix Hub (Bulgaria) the first network of Driving Simulators offering on-demand, affordable training programs that effectively prevent accidents.
Runners-up:

• ARport (Hungary) is an Augmented Reality (AR) app for indoor navigation that offers additional services in many market segments. Its innovative approach enhances the user experience, providing efficient navigation solutions and ensuring inclusivity for all app users. The biggest features include airport navigation, optimizing routes, and reducing large display use, minimizing the environmental footprint.
• Wyvernn (Italy) is developing a revolutionary AI-driven software solution to address the critical localization issues in military vehicles.

New European Bauhaus

Winner: POWAR STEAM (Spain) is an Easy-to-implement STEAM tools and methodologies for climate education.

Runners-up:

• RevAlve (Estonia)
• UrbanGeoWonders (Ukraine) provides advanced remote diagnostics to detect and rank infrastructure defects by size and hazard using UAVs and artificial intelligence analytics.

Rebuild Ukraine

Winner: Drone NonDestructiveTesting (Ukraine)

Runners-up:

• AgRe – Technology for restoring soil (Ukraine)
• CathodMiner (Ukraine)

Western Balkans special award

Winner: WellscanPro (Kosovo) is a cutting-edge product that empowers individuals to perform comprehensive urine tests at home by using artificial intelligence, WellScanPro provides quick and accurate results, making healthcare more accessible and convenient for everyone.

The next edition of the program will be opened in January, but pre-registration is already available.