FoodStart: The 2nd Edition of Medianet Incubator's FoodTech Incubation Program Kicks Off
Yesterday marked the launch of the 2nd edition of FoodStart, Medianet Incubator's FoodTech incubation program. This comprehensive six-month program guides selected candidates from project conception to company creation, offering constant support throughout their evolution.
The first edition of FoodStart garnered significant interest, with 58 applications received from entrepreneurs and startups. Of these, 8 startups were selected, and yesterday's event saw 5 of them - Rezoli, Suc'seed, Ukla, CHITELIX, and Au-delà du bio - present their projects and share their success stories.
Suc'seed, a startup specializing in gluten-free products that combine high nutritional value with affordable prices, particularly shone. The startup has sold over 2,440 packages, generating a turnover of more than 27,000 TND. It will soon represent Tunisia in Kazakhstan.
Au-delà du bio, another startup, continues to evolve with 4 distributors, 25 restaurateurs and hotel partners, and a daily harvest of 7 kg of microgreens. It currently offers 5 varieties of microgreens and is working on 3 edible flower varieties and 3 agri-food products based on microgreens in the testing phase.
Emna Kallel and Abderrahmen Fendri, financial experts and members of the financial jury for the first edition of FoodStart, were also present. Kallel congratulated the startups on their remarkable progress and success.
The call for applications for the second edition began on September 20 and will close on October 20, with the selected projects to be announced on November 8. The program will take place over 5 months, divided into two phases. The first phase, "Collective Generalist Training," will run from November 11, 2024, to January 11, 2025, covering various topics, including the foodtech ecosystem. The second phase, "Specific 1-to-1 Training," will take place from January 13 to April 13, 2025, offering personalized support to startups in 6 areas: Agritech, consumer tech, supply chain, Foodservice, delivery, and food science.
The selection criteria include soft skills and technical skills, innovation, relevance of the problem to be solved, alignment with the program's objectives, market potential, economic viability, and the quality of the Pitch Deck/Business plan.
Among the experts who will provide training are Radhia Kamoun, CEO of Gourmandise, Iheb Beji, General Manager of MEDIANET, Mehdi Mahjoub, teacher at IHEC Carthage and management expert, and co-founder of Spark Beez, and Wassim Belarbi, animator and producer at Express FM.
