News
October 17, 2025

Meet the 42 Finalists of EIT Jumpstarter 2025

Celebrating Creativity, Courage and Collaboration

On 25 November 2025, Budapest is the place to be: it will host the EIT Innovation Awards – a big celebration where three major events come together: the EIT Jumpstarter Grand Finale (including EIT Jumpstarter Next), the EIT Red Kalyna Celebration, and the EIT Awards. This fresh format means innovators, changemakers and inspiring role models from over 22 countries will meet under one roof.

After a tough selection process, we are proud to reveal the 42 finalist teams from EIT Jumpstarter 2025. These outstanding innovators will compete for top prizes and recognition during the full-day celebration – from morning pitches to evening awards.

A Record Year for EIT Jumpstarter

This year’s EIT Jumpstarter call generated 908 applications, the highest in the programme’s history –  a 49 % increase compared to 2024. From those submissions, 190 teams were selected to join the pre-acceleration programme. Through online bootcamps, local trainings and mentorship, the field narrowed, and now 42 teams remain as finalists. Women innovators represent 29% of this year’s finalists — a growing share that highlights the rising influence of women entrepreneurs in science, technology and business. The finalists come from 17 different countries, led by Türkiye (8) and Ukraine (7), with strong representation from Central and Southern Europe.

This year, the thematic categories come with new names, but they’re still powered by the same EIT Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KICs). Below are the seven cohorts and their finalists: 

Healthcare Cohort

Supported by EIT Health

  1. CalibraMics – Türkiye
  2. CheMOnitor – Hungary
  3. MYLeukaemia – Portugal (Madeira)
  4. Oncosort – Poland
  5. Prospect Biotech – Spain
  6. VentiPET – Spain

Food & Agritech

Driven by EIT Food

  1. AquaBoostNano – Serbia
  2. BOREAL CACAO Ltd – Latvia
  3. Climate-Smart Solutions – Serbia
  4. NOIET (previously Fermentory) – Italy
  5. Polium Scientific (previously Taze Tut) – Türkiye
  6. tech2biology smart beehive technologies – Türkiye

Energy & Renewables Cohort

Led by EIT InnoEnergy

  1. ARKai – Venezuela
  2. Beaver Nexus (formerly CirQa) – Türkiye
  3. Katalytron – Slovenia
  4. MethVolt – Türkiye
  5. RenU Fuel Solutions – Spain
  6. Novi nano (previously SmartSol) – Ukraine

New European Bauhaus Cohort

Represented by EIT Culture & Creativity

  1. AerogelNova Tech – Poland
  2. Ecode Design Studio – Türkiye
  3. Groundwork – Romania
  4. People’s Infrastructure – North Macedonia
  5. MycoNest (@myconester) – Hungary
  6. Virtual Sound Media – Poland

Raw Materials Cohort

Led by EIT RawMaterials

  1. Chitolastic – Türkiye
  2. Mykopanel – Greece
  3. OPS Technologies – Slovenia
  4. PolyPrintt (Production of Functional Filament and Raw Materials for 3D Printers) – Türkiye
  5. ProSpec – Portugal
  6. TerraVision – Estonia

Rebuild Ukraine Cohort

Supported by EIT Health

  1. Brooko – Ukraine
  2. Koba – Ukraine
  3. PlayTellect: Transformative Games for Cognitive Healing & Learning – Ukraine
  4. Mindship – Ukraine
  5. OMG Tetra – Ukraine
  6. VR Revive – Ukraine

Smart Cities and Mobility Cohort

Represented by EIT Urban Mobility

  1. BridgeAID – Hungary
  2. Defensive Pedal – Romania
  3. PALEXCO – Greece
  4. SignalWings – Serbia
  5. SmartRoads – Portugal
  6. TripHack – Bulgaria

Prize Pool

Each category’s winning team can receive up to €10,000 in prizes and ongoing EIT support to help bring their idea to life.

On top of that, special awards recognise outstanding teams from different regions:

  • €5,000 for the top team from the Western Balkans (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, and Kosovo*)
  • €2,500 for the leading innovation from the Mediterranean region (Cyprus, Greece, Italy, Malta, Spain, Türkiye, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, and Albania)
  • €2,500 for the best team from the EU outermost regions: (France: Guadeloupe, French Guiana, Réunion, Martinique, Mayotte, Saint-Martin; Portugal: Azores, Madeira; Spain: Canary Islands)

“The 2025 cohort truly shows what happens when creativity, courage, and collaboration come together! Our evaluators were amazed by the quality of ideas and business plans they reviewed and so are we. I couldn’t be prouder of every single team, and I’m so excited to see how far our 42 finalists have come since their very first pitch. Good luck to all! We can’t wait to see you shine at the Grand Final in Budapest! And to those who didn’t make it this time: this is just one step in your journey. Keep going, stay curious, and remember – we have plenty more opportunities ahead to help you grow and succeed.“ – Evelin Szasz, EIT Jumpstarter Programme Lead.

Congratulations to all 42 finalist teams!

See you in Budapest for the EIT Innovation Awards 2025 — a celebration of ideas that move the world forward.

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