One of Europe's leading agrifood innovation summits, held in its 11th edition at the Omnia Building in Wageningen, Netherlands, gathering 800+ founders, investors and corporates for two days of keynotes, startup pitching and curated networking around food and agriculture technology.
F&A Next Summit is an annual agrifood innovation summit organised by StartLife, the startup accelerator affiliated with Wageningen University, now in its 11th edition. The two-day event connects agrifood startups and scale-ups with investors, corporate innovation teams and research institutions to accelerate sustainable food and agriculture innovation. Wageningen University's proximity makes the summit a natural meeting point for agrifood science and business.
The programme spans food tech, agtech, alternative proteins, sustainable supply chains, precision agriculture and climate-resilient food systems. The 2026 edition spotlights the scale-up challenge for agrifood innovators, with sessions addressing barriers to growth beyond the startup phase. Attendees engage through keynote talks, panel discussions, startup pitching sessions and curated networking opportunities. Plenary session replay access is available for four weeks post-event.
StartLife is Wageningen University's startup accelerator and community organisation for food, agriculture and life sciences entrepreneurs. It operates one of Europe's most active agrifood startup communities, drawing on the academic and scientific resources of Wageningen as the world's leading agri-sciences university.
The Wageningen location is the key differentiator: being hosted by Wageningen University's accelerator, the event has direct access to the global agri-sciences research community. This creates a different conversation quality around breakthrough science and innovation, compared to commercial food tech events in urban centres.
Yes. Startup pitching sessions are integrated into the programme. Startups present in front of investors and corporate partners. The format is curated but not closed: information on applying is available through the StartLife and F&A Next websites.
Replay access to plenary sessions is available for four weeks post-event for registered participants.
Not suitable for: (1) investors without agrifood or food tech interest; (2) companies in sectors unrelated to food, agriculture or life sciences; (3) attendees expecting a large-format trade exhibition with hundreds of vendor stands; (4) founders seeking only financial advice without sector-specific connection; (5) professionals without interest in the scientific and research dimensions of agrifood innovation.
F&A Next benefits from one of the most specific and credible organiser contexts on the European innovation circuit: Wageningen University's agri-sciences ranking is global, which means the people in the room have a scientific literacy about food systems that no amount of corporate sustainability branding can replicate.
Paid registration; details available at fanext.com. Various ticket categories for startups, investors and general participants.
A curated online networking platform is available to registered participants before and during the event, enabling targeted meeting requests. Replay access to plenaries is available for four weeks post-event.
20–21 May 2026 at the Omnia Building, Hoge Steeg 2, 6708 PH Wageningen, Netherlands.
English is the primary working language.
Wageningen is accessible by train and bus from Utrecht. It is approximately 90 minutes from Amsterdam by public transport.
| Official website | https://www.fanext.com/ |
| StartLife | https://startlife.nl/fanext/ |
| NFIA entry | https://investinholland.com/event/fa-next-summit/ |