Pitching & Call for Pitch Abstracts
Are you a TECHNOLOGY OWNER (to-be-start-up, start-up, SME) looking for finance, partners and/or end-users or are you a pilot facility planning new investments or new to the Pilots4U Network? Seize the opportunity and apply for a 7 minutes pitch to present your innovative solution in front of an exclusive audience of potential partners and investors.
New in 2025 is the REVERSE-PITCHING by INVESTORS on the opening day of the conference. We aim at an attendance of about 50 investors and herewith invite them all to present their fund and investment thesis (focus industries, ticket size, geographies, potential added-value…) during a pitch. Investors with a desire to pitch can contact [email protected] to request a pitch slot.
Pitch Sessions Topics for TECHNOLOGY OWNERS
The event will host 2 pitch sessions for investor pitches on the opening day of the conference (24 November 2025) and 9 pitch sessions of 90 minutes each for technology owners on the second day of the conference (25 November 2025).
This means that, next to the investor pitches, we are looking for at least 99 inspiring technology pitches. Each of these sessions will have a specific focus:
- Four sessions (min. 44 pitches in total) will be dedicated to “Start-ups/SMEs looking for finance”, pitches will be grouped by pitchers early stage investment (pre-seed/angel/seed) or later stage investment (Series A, B or C).
- One session with focus on microbial protein & microbial oils transition players (pitch session supported by The ProteInn Club).
- One session with focus on emerging innovative technologies: novel fermentation and novel downstream processing innovations.
- This pitch session is reserved for companies developing bioprocesses using novel fermentation and/or downstream processing technologies or developing novel fermentation and/or downstream processing technologies as such. One could think of e.g. continuous fermentation, in situ product recovery, artificial intelligence or machine learning for bioprocessing application, novel reactor design, novel DSP methods …
- One session with focus on emerging innovative technologies: alternative & unconventional feedstocks
- This pitch session is reserved for companies developing bioprocesses using alternative and unconventional feedstocks such as e.g. plastic waste, food waste, agricultural waste, industrial waste gasses …
- One session with focus on leading pilot facilities for the bioeconomy (pitch session supported by “Pilots4U powered by CoPilot“).
Coaching
Selected companies in the Start-ups/SMEs looking for finance sessions will receive online coaching to prepare the perfect pitch. More info on this will follow in due time. In the meantime we can already offer the following advice and support:
- !!!Attention!!! After careful consultation with our investors, we recommend C-level representation for a “looking for finance” pitch.
- A looking for finance pitch should contain, in only 7 slides, the elements below. This is the key information investors want to see:
- Click here to watch our “What do investors really want” webinar (Nov 2024) and prepare the perfect pitch.
- Click here to view a pitch training presentation by biotopeby VIB incubator.
Call for Abstracts
The call for pitch abstracts will open on June 1st, 2025 and close on November 3rd, 2025 (Midnight). Submit your abstract timely and become one of the selected technology pitchers that will shape our 2025 program.
Questions?
For questions regarding the submission of an abstract or about the status of your submitted abstract, you can always contact Katrien Molders ([email protected]).
Remarks
- All pitches will last a maximum 7 minutes, we will NOT deviate from this strict timing!
- The exact time slot and pitch room might be subject to change until the final program will be confirmed on November 7th, 2025. We cannot take personal travel schedules into account when granting the pitch slots, therefor, pitchers should be available to pitch at any moment between 9.30 am and 4.30 pm on November 25th, 2025.
- When the number of pitches exceeds the number of available pitch slots, a waiting list will be established with the aim to replace confirmed pitches that are cancelled.
- Pitchers can use a PowerPoint presentation in 16:9 format of max. 7 slides (including title slide and acknowledgement slide or slide with contact details). These presentations should be sent at the latest by November 7th, 2025 to [email protected].
- Pitchers pay a reduced registration fee (detailed info on our “registration” page).
- After careful consultation with our investors, we recommend C-level representation for a pitch in the “looking for finance” sessions.
Networking
The Pitch Perfect and Boost the European Bioeconomy event goes far beyond “simply” matching promising start-ups and SMEs with investors in an international context. In addition to the industry and investors, present in large numbers (see figure below), various other type of stakeholders that support companies along the innovation chain participate: pilot facilities, research institutes, potential public project partners, services providers, SME helpdesks, clusters, funding bodies, consultants and even policy makers.
The networking is supported by a dedicated B2B tool (SWAPCARD) and a concise but spacy, well-structured venue, based on a large central “Atrium” hosting all breaks, catering and exhibition and a number of meeting and matchmaking rooms directly connected to the central “meet-up” space.
To get an idea of the international bioeconomy network we bring together, check out the figures below.
Satellite events
Seeing is believing: Start-up, SME and (Corporate) Investor Day @ Bio Base Europe Pilot Plant
Hop on the shuttle bus from Sheraton Brussels Airport to the Bio Base Europe Pilot Plant and discover what scale-up is, looks like, feels like and smells like! Why do we need scale-up (facilities)? What is the cost of scale-up and why? What are the challenges? What collaboration opportunities do start-ups and SMEs have at the Bio Base Europe Pilot Plant?
This visit is part of the “Scale -up & Growth” programme offered by the “Pilots4U powered by COPILOT” project and will comprise of scale-up related several presentations and a guided tour of the facilities.
Programme:
9:00 – 9:10 am Welcome & coffee
9:10 – 10:10 am Introduction to the Bio Base Europe Pilot Plant and “Pilots4U powered by COPILOT”
10:10 – 11:00 am Seeing is believing: Guided tour of the facilities
11:00 – 11:30 am Q&A followed by a networking coffee break
11:30 – 12:55 pm Two separate programmes will be offered:
For Start-ups, SMEs and Corporates looking for scale-up: A deeptech session comprising contributions on feedstock selection, R&D, USP & DSP Challenges, Scale-Up Accelerator Network, Techno Economic Assessment (TEA), Process Development, Engineering, Public Projects, Commercialisation…
For Public, Corporate & Private Investors: The art of scaling – How to design your cost-effective bioprocess in the most efficient way.
12:55 – 1:00 pm Wrap-up and Closing
1:00 – 2:00 pm Networking lunch
2:00 pm Departure shuttle bus for Brussels Airport
The “Pilots4U powered by COPILOT” project is a CBE-JU CSA project that will update, expand and make the database of Open Access Pilot and Demo Infrastructures for the European Bioeconomy future-proof and self sustainable through co-creation. Furthermore the project will grow, train and nurture the stakeholder communities linked to this database by means of the “Scale-up & Growth” and the “Connect & Exchange” Programmes.
A shuttle bus will depart from Sheraton Brussels Airport at 8am sharp on Wednesday November 26th, 2025 and will be back at Brussels Airport around 3pm.
More information and registration: [email protected].
More information and registration
The ProteInn Club Industrial Sounding Board Meeting
The ProteInn Club is a collaboration between Bio Base Europe Pilot Plant, Ghent University, the Flanders Research Institute for Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food (ILVO), and CAPTURE. The club’s ambition is to facilitate innovations and accelerate the development of a unique fermentation-based protein ecosystem. Members of the Industrial Sounding Board are positioned at various points within the value chain of fermentation-based proteins. On the one hand, there are companies developing fermentation processes, while on the other, there are companies producing side streams that can be used as feedstock for these processes, and companies interested in incorporating fermentation-based proteins into their end products. The overall goals of the club are to connect the partners along this value chain, foster the developing ecosystem, and raise awareness about fermentation-derived proteins.
During this event, the core team of The ProteInn Club will link up with the full Industrial Sounding Board to discuss the latest developments in the fermentation-based protein landscape. Topics can include updates on ongoing projects, interesting upcoming funding calls, policy briefs, and the presentation of new ProteInn Club members.
This is a private event. Attendance by invitation only.
Exhibition
We reserve (max.) 20 booths for companies, funding agencies, incubators, clusters, service providers, SME helpdesks & other innovation related organisations to present their activities. A booth is available at a rate of
- € 395 (excl. VAT) for a booth on 24 November 2025. This rate includes one free registration for the day as well as a table, two chairs and electricity upon request.
- € 695 (excl. VAT) for a booth on 25 November 2025. This rate includes one free registration for the day as well as a table, two chairs and electricity upon request.
- € 995 (excl. VAT) for a booth on 24 and 25 November 2025. This rate includes one free registration for 24 and 25 November 2025 as well as a table, two chairs and electricity upon request.
Please contact [email protected] for more information or to book your booth.
Pay a visit to the booth of:
Partners
The Pitch Perfect and Boost the European Bioeconomy event is a co-organization of the following innovation platforms:
Bio Base Europe Pilot Plant
The Bio Base Europe Pilot Plant (BBEPP) is an independent, multi-purpose and state-of-the-art pilot facility operating from laboratory to multi-ton scale. It is a service provider for process development, scale-up and custom manufacturing of biobased products and processes.
BBEPP also provides engineering services, public project application advice & assistance, a scale-up accelerator network, advocacy and much more. As the driving force behind the Pitch Perfect and Boost the European Bioeconomy events, it also provides ample networking and matchmaking opportunities with potential partners incl. investors.
More information
Pilots4U powered by COPILOT
Pilots4U maps all existing open access pilot and demo-infrastructures across Europe, creating one, very visible and easily accessible community for the European bio-economy. The community of 100+ European facilities helps innovators, companies and research institutions operating in the bio-economy sector to gain easier access to testing facilities and scale-up their technology faster and cheaper towards the market.
More information
The ProteInn Club
In the shift towards more sustainable proteins, the interest in alternative, fermentation-based proteins is growing massively. The ProteInn club provides knowledge and answers to those who want to grab opportunities and tackle the challenges of this transition. The ProteInn Club is a successful collaboration between Bio Base Europe Pilot Plant, Ghent University, CAPTURE and ILVO and identifies, connects, support and inspires the entire value chain.
More information