The second TrophyΤροφή Meet-Up 2026 in Athens concluded successfully
How can the agrifood sector contribute to the green economy, and what tools can support its transition towards a more sustainable future? These questions were at the heart of the second TrophyΤροφή Meet-Up 2026, organised by New Agriculture New Generation on Wednesday, 7 October, at the Agricultural University of Athens, under the theme “Green Transition in Agrifood: Innovation and New Challenges”.
Representatives of agrifood businesses, organisations supporting entrepreneurship and innovation, academics, students, researchers and startups came together to discuss the direct connection between the environment, the primary sector and food, as well as innovative solutions that can contribute to the green transition.
The event concluded successfully and was held with the support of EIT Food’s GROW and the Citi Foundation, through the BE FUTURE READY programme, and was co-organised with the Agricultural University of Athens.
Connecting agrifood with the green economy
The programme took place in the Multipurpose Hall, on the 2nd floor of the Administration Building of the Agricultural University of Athens, from 17:00 to 20:30. The event opened with welcoming remarks, followed by a presentation of TrophyΤροφή 2026 and the day’s programme.
Through two panel discussions and an ideation workshop, the meeting connected dialogue on the green transition with the development of business proposals. The topics covered both the role of agrifood in the green economy and the contribution of innovation to shaping a more sustainable development model.
Agrifood as a driver for strengthening the green economy
The first panel discussion, entitled “Agrifood as a Driver for Strengthening the Green Economy”, focused on the role of the agrifood sector in strengthening the green economy and on new approaches that can contribute to a more sustainable development model.
The panel featured:
- Vasilis Stenos, Founder & CEO Solmeyea
- Grigoris Moschopoulos, Unit Support Squad Lead BAYER
- Ioannis Zafeiriou, Managing Director S-CUBE, Agronomist, PhD, Agricultural University of Athens
- Apostolia Tsampouniari, CEO of ASSEA BIOENERGY
The panel was moderated by Gianna Balafouti, Senior Editor Cantina & Food Product Development Mentor.
The discussion explored the green transition through its connection with business activity and the challenges facing the agrifood sector, focusing on the sector’s contribution to a more sustainable economy.
Innovative tools for the green transition and a sustainable future
The second panel, entitled “Innovative Tools for the Green Transition and a Sustainable Future”, shifted the discussion to the role of innovation and new tools in shaping a greener and more sustainable agrifood sector.
The panel featured:
- Giorgos Lignos, Founder & CEO It’s Alive
- Thomas Bartzanas, Professor – Vice-Rector for Research & Innovation, Agricultural University of Athens – Founder of GrowEdge
- Konstantinos Demestichas, Professor, Agricultural University of Athens
- Panagiotis Papadopoulos, Head & Co-Founder Open Farm Agora
The second panel was moderated by Katerina Papadouli, Head of the Technology Transfer Office, Agricultural University of Athens.
With representatives from academia and the business community taking part, the panel brought scientific knowledge, technological solutions and the needs of the agrifood sector into the same discussion.
From dialogue to idea generation
Following the panels and the discussion with the audience, the programme continued with an ideation workshop. Participants worked practically on the themes and challenges highlighted during the event, moving the discussion towards the development of proposals.
The TrophyΤροφή Meet-Up concluded with presentations of the ideas developed during the workshop, connecting knowledge and the exchange of experiences with the creative development of solutions for the agrifood sector.
Participation was free of charge, subject to registration, and provision had been made for certificates of attendance to be issued as part of the event.
The message “Bring your idea and let’s develop it together!” sums up the direction of TrophyΤροφή: to create space for new ideas and support their development into promising business proposals.
TrophyΤροφή 2026 continues to support new business proposals
TrophyΤροφή mobilises the agrifood innovation ecosystem and is aimed at students, researchers, farmers, agrifood professionals, startup founders and team members, teams and startups developing or wishing to develop innovative products, services and technological solutions in the fields of agritech, food technology and agrologistics.
One winning team is selected at each TrophyΤροφή Meet-Up 2026 and receives advisory support from KEMEL to further strengthen and develop its business proposal. The winning teams from the Meet-Ups will compete for the overall TrophyΤροφή award, which will be announced at TrophyΤροφή – The Event, in Thessaloniki.
TrophyΤροφή 2026 continues its journey
Following Athens, TrophyΤροφή 2026 continued in Thessaloniki, with Meet-Ups in Larissa and Florina to follow. These meetings create spaces for dialogue and the exchange of ideas around contemporary challenges and opportunities in agrifood. The final event, TrophyΤροφή – The Event, is expected to take place in early December in Thessaloniki.
One winning team is selected at each Meet-Up and receives advisory support from the Volunteer Managers’ Centre of Greece (KEMEL) to further develop its business proposal. The winning teams will compete for the overall TrophyΤροφή award, which will be announced at TrophyΤροφή – The Event.
An initiative supporting agrifood innovation
New Agriculture New Generation has been organising TrophyΤροφή since 2019, with a founding grant from the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF). To date, the programme has supported more than 150 startups and business ideas, providing access to mentoring, specialised advisory services and an extensive network of contacts in Greece and abroad.
TrophyΤροφή 2026 is supported by the EIT Food GROW Project and the Citi Foundation, through the BE FUTURE READY programme, which supports three Meet-Ups and the final event, and provides the cash prize for the overall winning team.
Envolve Entrepreneurship offers the overall winning team participation in the bootcamps of EnvolveXL, an accelerator programme for early-stage startups. Advisory support is also provided by the Volunteer Managers’ Centre of Greece (KEMEL) and Deloitte.
You can read more here.
