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.
Last year’s inaugural edition pulled in 47 applications and was won by Shealed, a Czech team building a microbiome-based vaginitis self-test.
Initially focused on Central and Eastern Europe, 2026’s edition will expand to cover all of Europe. Applications, which are open to pre-seed and seed-stage startups and includes research spin-outs without a legal entity, can be submitted HERE. Five finalists will be invited to present their companies at the International Scientific Conference on Probiotics, Prebiotics, Gut Microbiota and Health (IPC) stage in Kraków (22–24 June).
The initiative targets market-ready concepts focused on the personalized modulation of the microbiome—including gut, skin, vaginal, and oral ecosystems—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.
“European microbiome science punches above its weight academically, but too much of that work never finds a commercial pathway — and closing that gap is exactly what MEC (Microbiome Explorer Challenge) was built for,” said Martin Haranta, co-founder of iProbio. “We wanted a single, EU-wide stage where early-stage founders meet a jury that has actually built biotic products and run probiotic R&D, not a panel of generalist investors.
“Hosting the finals at IPC2026 in Kraków is deliberate: IPC is where the global probiotic and microbiome science community gathers, and that’s exactly the room you want Europe’s strongest early-stage teams to be seen in. Long term, MEC is how we make sure European microbiome innovation has a public, reliable pathway from lab to market — not a series of one-off events that close once the press release goes out,” he added.
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.
The deadline for applications is 27 May 2026. For more information, click HERE.
