The goal is to solve the major challenges facing the food sector by connecting corporations with startups and international solvers through open innovation and corporate venturing
The event will take place as part of F4F – Expo Foodtech and Pick&Pack 2026, on May 27 and 28 in Bilbao
F4F – Expo Foodtech 2026 and Pick&Pack for Food Industry, the major technology event for the food and beverage sector, and Eatable Adventures, the leading global accelerator in Agrifoodtech, launch the first global open innovation forum in the field of foodtech. The Open Innovation & Corporate Venturing Summit, which will take place on May 27 and 28 at the Bilbao Exhibition Center (BEC), will bring together corporations, startups, solvers and international institutions to solve the current challenges facing the food and beverage industry.
The aim is to offer large companies in the sector a structured space where they can present their strategic and technological challenges to the international entrepreneurial ecosystem and access innovative solutions which are ready to be piloted, scaled up or invested in. The forum will therefore be built around corporate challenges defined by large food companies in specific areas such as upcycling and by-product recovery, artificial intelligence and digitization, pathogen detection and shelf-life extension, smart packaging and logistics and more efficient and sustainable agricultural practices.
Based on these challenges, strategic matchmaking will be facilitated with carefully selected national and international agrifoodtech startups and solvers, with the aim of generating real opportunities for collaboration, pilot projects, commercial agreements or investment. Likewise, those corporations that require a more strategic approach will be able to access a personalized support format to work on specific challenges or lines of innovation, with reinforced support in the activation phase after the event.
“This conference was created to respond to a clear need in the sector: to effectively connect corporations with innovation that already exists outside their organizations and turn that connection into tangible results”, says Sergio Fabregat, director of Expo Foodtech.
For her part, Mila Valcárcel, Managing Partner at Eatable Adventures, points out that «open innovation is no longer a strategic option, it is a priority. The real challenge is not identifying innovative solutions but integrating them quickly and judiciously within the organization. Many companies have ambition and resources, but they need structures that convert the pipeline into pilots and real business decisions. This forum was created precisely to facilitate that step«.
At the same time, the forum will also feature a high-level agenda that will include inspirational keynotes from international leaders in corporate venturing and open innovation, strategic panels addressing the keys to collaborating effectively with startups and success stories from corporations that are already driving their growth through open innovation.
A strategic partnership to boost food innovation
With this strategic alliance, Expo Foodtech and Eatable Adventures consolidate their commitment to accelerating the transformation of the agri-food system through open innovation models, promoting effective connections between large corporations, technology startups, investors, and public and private institutions. This initiative not only creates a new high-value space for activating joint projects and identifying disruptive solutions but also strengthens the international cooperation network around food technology. The agreement will strengthen ties with the main agri-food innovation hubs in Italy and Latin America, two regions that are particularly dynamic in the development and adoption of foodtech solutions, promoting new business opportunities, technology transfer and cross-border pilot projects.
