Created by Martin Haranta, founder and CEO of iProbio, business strategist and probiotic evangelist Dr. Peter Kürti and Dr. Benjamin Jensen, group leader and associate professor at the Jensen Group at the University of Copenhagen, the Microbiome Explorer Challenge is seeking market-ready concepts focused on the personalized modulation of the microbiome as well as the development of probiotics, prebiotics and postbiotics.
Key thematic areas include systemic health and microbiome interactions through the gut-brain, gut-skin and gut-liver axes, underpinned by advanced omics-based analytical approaches, according to the competition’s website.
“We’re very interested in fresh ideas, and we want to improve the local innovation ecosystem,” Haranta told NutraIngredients.
Applications, which are open to pre-seed and seed-stage startups, can be submitted HERE. After an initial round of judging entries will be selected for the semi-finals (online). Five entries will then be invited to Slovakia for the finals.
Proposals will be judged based on a number of criteria, including the regulatory and commercialization path, scientific and technological innovation, market potential and scalability, business model clarity and team background.
Winners will be awarded €25,000 in expert consultations (business + research) and a €5,000 cash prize, Haranta said.
Participation automatically connects applicants with the wider CEE Startup Network, he added.
The CEE Startup Network is an initiative connecting the startup ecosystems of the Žilina Region (Slovakia), Moravian-Silesian Region (Czech Republic) and Southern Poland.
Closing data for entries is Sept. 14. For more information, click HERE.