A Cyprus-based startup is making waves in Europe’s food innovation scene. V.G. Freyia Labs Ltd, a pioneering agri-tech company headquartered in Nicosia, has been named one of the top 50 companies selected by the prestigious EIT Food Seedbed Incubator for 2025 — and notably appears 3rd on the programme’s official list of most promising ventures.

Freyia Labs earned the recognition for its cutting-edge platform that digitises fermentation through AI-powered analytics. By offering food producers real-time insights to improve quality, consistency, and cost-efficiency, the startup is helping the sector scale production without requiring in-house data science teams — a crucial advancement for small and medium-sized producers across Europe.

>>Read FastForward's special report on Freyia Labs<<

Their solution arrives at a critical time. According to EIT Food — the EU-backed body spearheading the Seedbed programme — more than 9.5% of EU citizens cannot afford a quality meal every other day, and over 40% of Europeans reported skipping meals in 2023 due to rising food costs. At the same time, agricultural producers are struggling to adopt new technologies because of fragmented support systems and high implementation costs.

The Seedbed Incubator, co-funded by the European Union and delivered with support from institutions such as Queen’s University Belfast and Aarhus University, is designed to help science-backed ventures like Freyia Labs validate their innovations, understand market demand, and transform research into commercially viable businesses. Selected teams gain access to expert coaching, equity-free funding, and a pan-European network of strategic partners.

In a spotlight of the 10 standout teams from the 2025 cohort, EIT Food singled out Freyia Labs for its “AI-powered digitisation of fermentation” — a technological leap with the potential to reshape how foods such as dairy, kombucha, and fermented proteins are produced at scale.

Since launching, the Seedbed Incubator has supported over 200 teams, helping spawn more than 35 startups and attract over €33 million in funding. Freyia Labs now joins a class of innovators working across sectors such as cellular biomanufacturing, sustainable agriculture, food waste reduction, and alternative proteins — building momentum for a fairer, more resilient food system.