SoilSense joins the EIT Food Accelerator Network

SoilSense has joined the EIT Food Accelerator Network (FAN), the pan-European programme — supported by the European Union — that helps agrifood startups build the technology behind more sustainable, water-smart, and resilient food systems. We're glad to be part of it.

What is EIT Food?

EIT Food is Europe's food innovation initiative, backed by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), a body of the European Union. Its goal is a food system that is healthier, more sustainable, and more resilient — and it works towards that by connecting startups, researchers, farmers, universities, and industry from across the continent.

The Accelerator Network is EIT Food's programme for agrifood startups. Over three months, across six specialised innovation hubs in Europe, it pairs young companies with expert mentoring, pilot projects alongside industry partners, and direct access to investors and corporate networks. The 2026 hubs focus on the themes shaping the future of food — from water-smart agrifood systems to future-resilient agriculture and digital, autonomous farming.

Why we joined

From day one, SoilSense has had a simple mission: help growers give their crops exactly the water they need — and not a drop more. Fresh water is the most precious input in agriculture, and around the world farmers are being asked to grow more with less of it. We build soil moisture sensors and a dashboard that turn what's happening below ground into a clear, colour-coded signal, so irrigation decisions are based on what the soil actually needs rather than guesswork or a fixed schedule.

That mission maps almost one-to-one onto what EIT Food is trying to accomplish. Water scarcity, climate resilience, and sustainable production aren't side topics for the network — they're the headline. When a programme dedicates entire hubs to water-smart and future-resilient agriculture, it's working on exactly the problems we get out of bed for. Joining felt less like a new direction and more like finding a community already pointed the same way.

What it means for the people we build for

Practically, the programme gives us three things we care about:

• Sharper technology. Mentoring and pilot projects help us validate and improve what we ship, so the product in a grower's field keeps getting better.
• A stronger network. Access to Europe's agrifood researchers, industry partners, and investors helps us reach more farms — and learn from the people closest to the soil.
• Shared momentum. Being part of a cohort of like-minded founders, all working on sustainable food, is a reminder that this is bigger than any one company.

None of that changes who we work for. Every bit of support we take from EIT Food is aimed back at the same place it always has been: the grower standing in the field, deciding whether today is a day to irrigate.

What's next

We'll be taking part in the programme through 2026, and we'll share what we learn along the way. If you're a farmer, a researcher, or a fellow startup who cares about growing more food with less water, we'd love to hear from you.

To the EIT Food team and our fellow cohort — thank you for having us. Let's go build a more resilient food system, one field at a time.