Oulu-based CleanTech company Filtrabit has secured a €2 million funding commitment from Ajanta Innovations 2 Ky for its coming financing round. 

The Finnish startup plans to use the capital to expand the deployment of its modular dust extraction technology into new markets outside Finland, primarily, but not exclusively, in the Nordics, Central Europe, and India.

Dr Kim Fagerlund, CEO of Filtrabit, said, “The increasing demand for better dust control is driven not only by environmental regulations but also by operational and economic benefits achieved by implementing the most modern raw material collection and recycling methods available.

“Our technology has now been proven in practice in several applications in Finland and is ready to be implemented in operations globally.

“We are grateful for the trust of our shareholders and are ready to take the next steps on our expansion and growth path. This commitment plays a key role in our next round and enables us to efficiently execute our strategy road map as planned more than a year ago.”

Established in 2011, Filtrabit manufactures industrial-scale dust extraction systems with a focus on solving the dust control problems of industry and improving air quality inside and outside industrial plants.

According to the company, its solution extracts microparticles from industrial dust-laden gas streams, which helps reduce air pollutants from industrial sources and accelerate emissions reductions through the reuse of recovered raw materials.

Filtrabit offers dust separation units on an operating lease model. It also helps its clients design the necessary hooding and ducting, with the support of its partners. 

According to the company’s website, the modular units are serially manufactured and portable, enabling capacity to be tailored and retrofitted without requiring building permits. The company states that installation can be completed in a single day when the necessary ducting is in place. The device can also be equipped with numerous sensors as per the customer’s specific data needs. Its customers include steel mills, foundries, quarries, as well as mining and ore processing operations. 

In May this year, Filtrabit raised €2 million in financing for continued growth. In June, Business Finland awarded it a €600k grant to support product development. In 2024, the company secured €4 million in lease financing facilities from the Finnish Climate Fund and a €5 million loan from Norion Bank.

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Kyiv-based Reface, a startup that develops AI tools to empower content creation, has secured €15.2 million ($18 million) in non-dilutive user acquisition funding from Singapore’s PvX Partners. 

PvX Partners is a financial services and data intelligence platform for consumer apps. It co-invests in a company’s sales and marketing budget, and in return, receives a share of the revenue generated by newly acquired users, subject to a predefined cap. 

According to Anton Volovyk, co-CEO of Reface, the capital will be used to fuel the next phase of growth for its AI-powered consumer apps across creativity, wellbeing, and health.

Founded in 2018, Reface develops AI-native tools in content creation and lifestyle categories. It first gained widespread attention after Elon Musk posted his face swap with the “made with Reflect” watermark on X.com. Reface app was launched in 2022 and was originally called Doublicat. 

Its product portfolio includes Reface, a mobile app that allows users to replace faces in videos and photos, voice-over content, and generate AI portraits from multiple selfies. Revive is a mobile app that allows users to instantly edit and animate images, including photos, memes, and art portraits. Restyle allows users to change the style of images and videos. Other products in the portfolio include unboring.ai, Ink AI, Letsy and Memomet. According to the company, its products have collectively been downloaded more than 300 million times. 

The company claims that its apps have been used by celebrities such as Britney Spears, Dua Lipa, Justin Bieber, and Snoop Dogg. It has also collaborated with brands, including BMW, HALO, JBL, Prime Video, Toyota, and Universal.

Reface іs backed by Andreessen Horowitz, Ilkka Paananen, CEO of Supercell, David Helgason, founder of Unity Technologies, Scooter Braun, managing partner of TQ Ventures, Adam Leber, known for being the manager of Britney Spears and Miley Cyrus, as well as an Uber investor, and Roosh, a Kyiv-based tech company and investment group focused on AI and ML. 

In May 2022, the company launched the Reface Fund to cover the humanitarian needs of Ukrainian citizens and defenders, and has donated €424.2k ($500k).

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European agritech demonstrated measured resilience and strategic maturity amid a still-cautious investment climate. Rather than broad, hype-driven expansion, the sector showed clear signs of consolidation, technical depth, and stronger alignment with real on-farm and food-system needs.

More attention went to areas tied to efficiency and sustainability, using fewer inputs, improving animal and crop performance, and strengthening resilience to climate and cost pressures. Indoor and controlled-environment growing continued to develop, but with a stronger focus on energy use, automation, and making the economics work. Digital tools also shifted toward helping farmers make clearer decisions, rather than simply collecting more data.

The following are the ten largest funding rounds in the European agritech industry during the first half of 2025.

Amount raised in H1 2025: €39M First Water is an Icelandic aquaculture company developing sustainable, land-based Atlantic salmon farming in Þorlákshöfn. Using advanced closed-containment technology, clean subterranean seawater, and Iceland’s renewable energy, the company aims to produce high-quality salmon while reducing environmental impact. Its approach supports strong biosecurity, stable growing conditions, and responsible production as it scales its multi-phase facility for both domestic and international markets. In April, First Water secured €39 millon to promote sustainable salmon production.

Amount raised in H1 2025: €13M Fyteko is an agri-biosolutions company founded in 2014 that develops bio-based plant solutions for more sustainable agriculture. Inspired by nature and backed by science, Fyteko builds proprietary, chemically pure biomolecules used in biostimulants and biocontrol to improve crop performance, strengthen drought/heat resilience, and reduce reliance on conventional chemicals. In February, Fyteko landed €13 million to create biomolecules that protect and enhance the world’s crops.

Amount raised in H1 2025: €7.5M Doktar is an agricultural technology company leading digital transformation in farming. Founded in 2017, it combines proprietary software, IoT devices, hyper-local weather forecasts, satellite imagery, soil analysis, and AI-driven models to deliver data-driven insights from field to market. Doktar helps farmers, agribusinesses, and food companies optimise operations, reduce input costs, and support more sustainable and efficient agricultural production. In June, Doktar raised €7.5 million to expand its product portfolio and scale its holistic service model globally.

Amount raised in H1 2025: €6M Agteria Biotech is an agricultural biotech startup on a mission to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions by tackling methane from cattle, a major climate contributor. The company has developed AB-01, a patent-pending feed additive designed to significantly lower methane production in cows in a scalable, affordable, and science-backed way without disrupting normal digestion. Agteria collaborates with leading researchers and partners to bring its solution to market and support more sustainable livestock farming. Agteria Biotech raised €6 million in February to reduce methane emissions from cattle.

Amount raised in H1 2025: €5M Avisomo is an agricultural technology company specialising in automated vertical farming and plant factory solutions designed to integrate with large-scale retail and food supply chains. Its modular systems enable cost-efficient, year-round cultivation of high-quality produce with minimal human interaction. Avisomo’s end-to-end solutions help reduce operational costs, improve scalability, and support sustainable indoor crop production. In January, Avisomo secured €5 million in funding to advance its indoor farming technology and support sustainable, large-scale local food production.

Amount raised in H1 2025: €4.4M Biocsol is an agricultural biotechnology company focused on developing biological solutions for sustainable crop production. The company specialises in bio-based products that support plant health, improve resilience, and help protect crops while reducing reliance on conventional chemical inputs. By combining scientific research with practical agricultural needs, Biocsol aims to contribute to more efficient, environmentally responsible farming systems. In February, BiocSol raised €4.4 million to advance its R&D platform and to demonstrate global proof of concept for its first two biofungicide products.

Amount raised in H1 2025: $4.3M Antler Bio is an agri-biotech company transforming dairy farming with its EpiHerd platform, which combines gene expression analysis and artificial intelligence to generate actionable insights at the herd and individual animal level. By linking genetics, environment, and farm management, the platform helps farmers improve milk yield, animal health, fertility, and longevity. Antler Bio’s approach enables earlier, more precise decision-making, supporting more efficient, profitable, and sustainable dairy production across Europe and beyond. In June, Antler Bio secured a $4.3 million investment to scale its world-first EpiHerd system.

Amount raised in H1 2025: €3.5M Collie is an agritech company that uses artificial intelligence to improve demand forecasting and supply chain efficiency for fresh produce. Its AI-driven platform helps growers, distributors, and retailers better predict demand, reduce food waste, and optimise planning by turning complex data into accurate, actionable insights. By increasing transparency and efficiency across the value chain, Collie supports more sustainable and profitable fresh food systems. Collie secured €3.5 million investment in February for digital livestock management.

Amount raised in H1 2025: €2.73M BlueRedGold is a company focused on producing premium saffron through controlled-environment agriculture and technology-driven cultivation methods. By growing saffron indoors under optimised conditions, the company ensures consistent quality, purity, and year-round production while significantly reducing water use and environmental impact. BlueRedGold combines agricultural innovation with full traceability and quality control, aiming to scale sustainable saffron production and make this high-value spice more accessible to global food, beverage, and wellness markets. In June, BlueRedGold raised €2.73 million for an automated saffron cultivation system.

Amount raised in H1 2025: £2.1M Fotenix is a climate technology company developing advanced photocatalytic solutions to capture and convert carbon dioxide into valuable products. By combining proprietary materials science with scalable reactor systems, Fotenix enables carbon utilisation across industrial applications, helping reduce emissions while creating new economic value. The company’s technology supports the transition toward a circular, low-carbon economy by turning waste CO₂ into a resource rather than a liability. In April, Fotenix secured £2.1 million in new funding to help farmers detect disease and protect yields, weeks before symptoms appear.

Belgium-based predictive maintenance company I-care has announced the completion of a €20 million fundraising and refinancing operation conducted as a round reserved for existing shareholders and employees. With this transaction, the company has hit unicorn status. 

The company now aims to accelerate its growth to increase its market share and focus on bringing in external investors in 2026. It also intends to pursue an initial public offering, which was postponed last spring.

“Becoming a unicorn is a symbolic milestone. To achieve this, we chose to invest before reaping the rewards: we bet on AI when few believed in it, we prioritised R&D, and we built our own production unit. These choices were sometimes difficult, but they were essential to staying ahead of the game. Today, our results confirm that this strategy was the right one,” explained Fabrice Brion, CEO of I-care.

Founded in 2024, I-care provides reliability and predictive maintenance services to customers in more than 55 countries. According to the company, its AI-driven platform, I-see, integrates I-care’s solutions with external systems, aggregates data from multiple predictive maintenance techniques, provides failure predictions months in advance, and supplies operational data to external systems for maintenance planning.

“Since launching production of its new-generation sensors and rolling out the Wi-care as a Service model, an all-in-one subscription-based solution, I-care has been recording strong growth. The group’s Industry 4.0 manufacturing facility now enables rapid volume increases, with an announced production capacity of up to 2,000 sensors per day,” the company mentioned in the press release. 

I-care reported consolidated annual revenues of over €100 million and an order book valued at more than €200 million. Over the past eight years, it has acquired and integrated eight companies. It employs more than 1,000 people and operates 36 offices across 16 countries in the Asia-Pacific, EMEA, and the US regions.

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Stowlog, a SaaS platform developed by Castellón-based technology consulting firm Estudio Cactus, has closed a €1 million investment round to accelerate the digitisation of safety and security processes across port logistics operations.

The round was led by Draper B1, a venture capital fund affiliated with the Draper Venture Network, with participation from First Drop and the Castellón-based technology group Cuatroochent. 

“This investment is a key step in consolidating Stowlog as an internationally recognised solution. The backing of Draper B1, together with First Drop and Cuatroochenta, validates both the product and the team and will allow us to accelerate our global expansion,” said Pablo Aguirre, CEO and co-founder of Stowlog. 

Stowlog was launched in 2023 as a modular SaaS that enables port terminals, logistics facilities, and intermodal hubs to improve operational efficiency and reduce risks by digitising critical security processes, access control, visitor management, contractors, and real-time geolocation. 

Stowlog utilises real-time data, geolocation tracking, and 3D visualisation to provide port facilities with visibility into on-site activity, including personnel presence, active procedures, and potential risk areas.

The platform is currently deployed at logistics facilities and terminals in more than 15 countries across four continents, including sites operated by Maersk, APM Terminals, CMA CGM, and COSCO Shipping. It is used at ports in New York, Miami, Los Angeles, Lázaro Cárdenas (Mexico), Gothenburg (Sweden) and Onne (Nigeria), among others.

The funding will be used to drive Stowlog’s international growth. The company aims to grow its team, evolve the product, and expand its presence in new strategic markets, especially in Europe and North America.

Raquel Bernal, Managing Partner Director at Draper B1, commented, “Stowlog is one of those companies where their proven execution has been key to our decision to invest. Their excellent execution involves a team that knows the sector and has a tremendous degree of commitment and resilience.

“We are convinced that their growth potential, together with the support of our international network, make a perfect mix to guarantee sustained value creation over time and the consolidation of Stowlog as a benchmark in its vertical on an international scale.” 

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Maastricht-based cultivated meat startup Mosa Meat has secured an additional €15 million in funding to fuel its next phase of regulatory market approvals and first significant revenue generation. 

This financing round was supported by Invest-NL (backed by a guarantee from InvestEU), LIOF, PHW Group, and Jitse Groen, founder and CEO of Just Eat Takeaway.com.

Victor Meijer, investment principal at InvestNL, said, “Cultivated meat is an important component in the protein transition needed to reduce the impact of livestock farming. As in any emerging sector, investing in cultivated meat is challenging and requires stamina. Mosa Meat has built a strong foundation and is taking clear steps toward commercialisation.”

This extension follows a €40 million round raised in 2024 and a crowdfunding campaign that both exceeded targets. This brings the total capital raised by the company over the past two years to €58 million.

Apart from securing the capital, Mosa Meat mentioned that it has achieved another major milestone. 

Back in 2013, the Dutch startup introduced the world’s first cultivated beef burger in London with a hefty price tag of €250k. It was a proof of concept meant to show the world that growing meat from cells was possible. The company claims that it has achieved a 99.999% cost reduction compared to that first burger.

Maarten Bosch, CEO of Mosa Meat, said, “When we introduced the first cultivated burger, it was a €250k proof of concept. Today, through fundamental scientific breakthroughs and scaling efficiencies, we are producing burgers at a price point ready for restaurant menus. 

“With the backing of our world-class investors, we have successfully turned a science project into a tasty and affordable product without compromising on our original vision.”

This news comes just a few days after it was announced that Leiden-based Meatable will shut down after failing to secure fresh funding.

Founded in 2016 by Mark Post and Peter Verstrate, Mosa Meat is a FoodTech company working on a cleaner, kinder way of making real beef. The company currently has regulatory dossiers under review in the United Kingdom, the European Union, Switzerland and Singapore. It was also recently selected for the UK’s regulatory “Sandbox” programme, supported by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology. 

“Working alongside the Cellular Agriculture Netherlands (CAN) foundation, Mosa Meat was recently defined as a participating partner in a strategic climate technology project in the influential Dutch ‘Wennink Report.’ Consequently, Mosa Meat’s work is positioned to benefit from national supporting mechanisms that align public-private financing and regulatory reform to accelerate the Netherlands’ transition to sustainable growth,” the company mentioned in the press release. 

Mosa Meat is backed by investors, including Lowercarbon Capital, M Ventures, Bell Food Group, Nutreco, PHW Group, Mitsubishi Corporation, Collateral Good Ventures, Leonardo DiCaprio and others. The Academy Award-winning actor joined Mosa Meat as an advisor and investor back in 2021. 

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At a recent live episode of a well-known fintech podcast in London, a tall, lean banking executive told a packed audience about a “complete geek” thing he likes to do when visiting a new city on a business trip. Richard Davies, the CEO of UK fintech Allica Bank, said he likes to hunt out the increasingly rare sight of physical bank branches.

A three-day trip to Stockholm proved largely fruitless, spotting only one, said Davies, which he contrasted with US cities, where branches were left, right and centre whenever he stepped out of a hotel. While the host of the podcast gently mocked Davies over his bank branch hunting, it turns out that the 46-year-old CEO might have the last laugh.

In an act of serendipity, Allica is now considering buying a bank in northern Europe. Davies' encyclopaedic knowledge of the European banking landscape could prove crucial. “It is quite a big decision for us," says Davies, sitting in Allica’s new two-floor London office, about the prospect of buying a bank. “It’s occupying a chunk of my time.”

Allica is looking to go international, as it wants to mimic its UK success, which has seen it collect several “fastest growing" awards, be championed by chancellor Rachel Reeves, and become one of the few profitable global challenger banks.

What is Allica Bank?

While some people might mispronounce its name (some call it “Allishia”, Davies laughs), there is little ambiguity about Allica’s proposition: it is a business banking specialist. Allica targets the established SME sector (between five and 250 employees), offering them lending, such as commercial mortgages and equipment loans, and current and savings accounts.

Although the SME sector is the backbone of the UK economy (making up over 99 per cent of businesses), the sector in recent times has been overlooked by the big banks, which have preferred to lend to big corporates amid risk concerns about lending to SMEs. In the slipstream, Allica has been making hay.

Financial figures

Top line figures show that Allica has lent over £3bn to businesses, boasts over £4bn deposits, and has amassed over 25,000 business customers. Its latest financials show pre-tax profits increased 86 per cent year-on-year to £29.9m, after hitting its first full year of profit in 2023, with revenue up 68 per cent on the year to £292.1m.

Like other challenger banks, it makes money (over 90 per cent) by net interest income- the interest gains it makes between lending and deposits. Allica doesn’t position itself as a high-risk, high-margin lender and Davies says just one per cent of its loans have defaulted in the past 12 months, below the industry average of between two and two and a half per cent. Along with its spic and span new London offices, Allica also has offices in Manchester and Milton Keynes, employing over 800 people.

Davies rings the changes

Davies, a banking veteran, joined Allica in 2020, when it had a banking licence but little else. “It had made a couple of loans, but that was basically it," Davies told The Banker. Davies made changes, inculcating the organisation with a fintech-like ethos, bringing its third-party tech in-house, better remunerating engineers, while introducing Amazon-style cross-functional engineering/product “squads”. Another move to wrest more control was to do more direct lending and be less reliant on brokers.

Fundraising

Allica has raised over £390m to date, latterly a 2022 £100m Series C led by Netflix and Spotify backer TCV, with existing investors Warwick Capital Partners and Atalya Capital Management participating. New funding would “probably” only be undertaken should it go ahead with overseas expansion, but otherwise it will continue to run off its balance sheet, says Davies. He said: “I think it’s fair to say if we were to raise now, we would be in the unicorn territory.”

European expansion

In another nod to Amazon, Davies channels Jeff Bezos' “one-way door” mantra when discussing its plans to acquire a bank in northern Europe. Bezos famously simplified risky decisions into two camps: one-way door (irreversible) and two-way doors (reversible).

An easier route for Allica to go international by passporting its UK banking licence was kiboshed by Brexit, while getting an international banking licence from scratch could take up to three years, Davies says. Allica is now deciding whether to green-light its international plans.

He says: “Clearly buying a bank in Europe is kind of a one-way door thing. The small bank would give us the entry point. We would very much deploy our platform on top organically.”

Allica has notched up three acquisitions to date, most recently embedded finance provider Kriya (now ensconced on the second floor of Allica’s offices), following that of Allied Irish Bank’s SME portfolio and bridging finance specialist Tuscan Capital.

AI

On AI, Davies does not have a Pollyannaish view but thinks it can be “very transformational” for parts of the business. He says: “If you go and blindly apply it to all use cases, you’ll cause a lot of damage.” On the customer service side, Davies says Allica has started “to play with agentic AI”.

But the big productivity gains, he says, are likely on the engineering side, where AI coding will lead to cross-functional engineering roles replacing specialist roles. “We will keep growing our business a lot. We will probably grow the number of staff a lot less,” he says.

CV

Before arriving at Allica, Davies earned his banking stripes with stints at OakNorth, Lloyds, HSBC, Lloyds, and TSB. But arguably his biggest gig was at Revolut, where he was drafted in as chief operating officer in 2019, capturing national news headlines, amid concerns about its internal culture and governance.

“A key role was professionalising and starting to enhance the governance controls,” he says of his time at Revolut. He only lasted one year at Revolut, saying the opportunity to run his own ship at Allica was too good to turn down (Davies can be seen chatting away in a recent video of a party celebrating Revolut’s 10-year anniversary).

Working week

Unlike Revolut’s Nik Storonsky, who reportedly has 42 direct reports, Davies has just 13, which, that said, is above the industry average of seven. The rhythm of his working week is partly dictated by weekly meetings with Allica’s “squads”, while fatherhood has meant he now prefers early morning to evening work.

Davies also does his bit for the UK fintech industry, being a member of the UK unicorn council and a stalwart at fintech conferences. His strengths, he says, are “ high bandwidth”, while his weaknesses are “talking too fast” (a behaviour which media trainers repeatedly tick him off over).

The budget

As UK economic growth slows, Allica has been campaigning for reforms so that the regulatory environment does not inhibit debt provision. Allica says the UK economy is stalling, potentially because there is a £90bn lending gap in financing SMEs.

Wearing his SME hat, Davies wasn’t impressed with the UK Autumn Budget, wanting an extension to the Growth Guarantee Scheme and highlighting an absence of further business rate discounts for SMEs. With his startup hat on, things were much rosier, with the chancellor's plans to increase access to the Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS) and Enterprise Management Incentives (EMI) getting a thumbs up. The government, he says, “likes tech” but “I don’t think the government is particularly SME focused”.

UK not “good jurisdiction” to IPO

There has been much chatter this year about whether London has lost its lustre as Europe’s fintech capital. Davies thinks London is still the place to be, but is facing the same conundrum as other markets. He says: “I think the ultimate challenge for every country apart from the US is the public market, where the US is clearly the draw with Nasdaq.”

There are “no firm plans” for Allica to IPO, he says, but he has a swipe at the UK as a listing destination. “Currently, the UK is not a good jurisdiction to list in, it's just a fact”, he says, pointing to the lack of growth investors and the shortage of liquidity in the market.

The future

The SME lending sector has seen a big shift in recent years, with startups now making up 60 per cent of the market, compared to 2019 when the four biggest banks made up 90 per cent of lending. But recent data show big banks are boomeranging back, a return welcomed by Davies. Davies says: "I think that is a good thing. The market needs a variety of players and SME lending is still flat. We alone are not going to change this industry.”

Allica is targeting 10 per cent of the market by 2028. He adds: "That is not a small task, given we are just over five per cent now. We want to keep scaling across current accounts, across direct lending, across broker lending. Kriya is a very exciting business on the embedded lending side."

Editor’s Note: This post was created in collaboration with and with financial support from EIT Food.

On 25 November, the Demo Day of the Empowering Women in Agrifood (EWA) programme took place in the PKO Rotunda in Warsaw, an initiative that supports women entrepreneurs working to create a more sustainable and innovative food system.

Now in its sixth edition, EWA 2025 is a six-month entrepreneurial programme designed to support aspiring and early-stage female entrepreneurs across 13 countries: Albania, Estonia, Greece, Italy, North Macedonia, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, Türkiye, and Ukraine.

Backed by EIT Food and the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), a body of the European Union, EWA helps participants build the skills, confidence and networks needed to develop and scale their ideas. Although women play a vital role in agriculture and rural innovation, their work often goes underrecognised. The programme aims to address this by offering practical support, tailored training and access to a long-lasting community.

Following our previous interviews with Anabel Millán Leiva, Co-founder of Cucare Diagnostics, and Nadica Desanova, Co-founder of Mimic Tech, we conclude this three-part interview series with a woman entrepreneur whose AI-powered crop-protection solution demonstrates how technology can improve farm efficiency while supporting biodiversity.

Interview with Nina Bazela, co-founder of Antyszpak

Can you start by sharing the inspiration behind Antyszpak and how your journey into creating an intelligent, AI-driven crop-protection system began?

The inspiration for Antyszpak came from the real, practical needs of orchard owners. While my team and I were working on a different technological project for agriculture, we had the chance to speak with these farmers who admitted they had no efficient methods for protecting their crops from birds. They specifically complained about the traditional devices commonly used today – like cannons that emit loud 120 dB bangs every few minutes -which aren’t very effective and end up disturbing the entire neighbourhood.

They challenged us, asking, “Couldn’t you come up with something different, more efficient and less disruptive?” We started brainstorming and realised we could use lasers, which cause a natural fear response in birds. From there, we developed our solution: a robotic turret that detects birds in camera images using visual detection algorithms and tracks them with a laser beam until they leave the field.

What motivated you to focus on AI-powered bird deterrence, and how do you believe this technology contributes to a more sustainable and biodiverse agricultural system?

What really motivated us was the desire to create a solution that is both smart and efficient. By using AI, Antyszpak only activates the laser when a bird is actually detected in the camera images. This approach significantly increases effectiveness while lowering energy consumption and prolonging the life of the laser.

Looking ahead, we plan to develop a bird classification algorithm so that we can eventually scare away only the pest birds while leaving protected and beneficial species completely undisturbed.

I believe this technology is a major step forward for sustainability because it allows those beneficial birds to stay in the orchard and eat insects, which naturally reduces the need for harmful pesticides and leads to healthier soil. It’s also a much more humane and non-invasive alternative to methods like protective nets, which can accidentally harm or kill birds.

Beyond the environment, there’s a real social and economic benefit too; our system is silent, so it eliminates the noise pollution that often causes conflicts between farmers and their neighbours.

Antyszpak uses a robotic turret that can safely deter birds. Can you walk us through how this system works and what makes your approach unique compared to traditional crop-protection methods?

Our solution detects birds in camera images using visual detection algorithms and then tracks them with a laser beam until they leave the field. Birds are naturally scared of laser light and fly away when they see it nearby.

There are already solutions on the market that use laser light for bird deterrance but they move the laser ‘blindly’ through the field, according to a pre-programmed path. But birds are clever; they learn these patterns and simply feed in the parts of the field that aren’t being swept at that moment.

Our AI-based, targeted solution not only increases effectiveness, but also lowers the energy consumption and prolongs laser lifetime thanks to turning the laser on only when a bird is detected. In the future, thanks to the development of a bird classification algorithm, we will be able to scare away only pest birds, leaving the protected birds undisturbed.

Currently, many farmers still rely on traditional methods like visual or sound deterrents, protective nets, or hiring a falconer. However, those methods are either ineffective (because birds quickly get used to visual and sound deterrents), or they are too costly and inaccessible for smaller orchards.

What were some of the biggest challenges you faced in developing Antyszpak, both on the technical and market sides, and how did you overcome them?

Like any startup founded by young entrepreneurs, our biggest initial challenge was definitely the lack of funding. We had to develop both the business and the technology part-time while keeping our ‘normal’ day jobs.

On the technical side, we were surprised by the amount of time and dedication we had to put in performing initial field tests. As engineers, we were a bit perplexed at first because some days we’d travel to a test location only to find no birds there, even if there had been hundreds the day before. We had to consult with ornithologists to learn how to maximise our chances for successful tests and, importantly, how to avoid scaring the birds away ourselves just by being present in the field.

On the market side, however, we were actually surprised by the high level of interest from farmers. They really lack efficient and affordable solutions for bird deterrence and have been​ very willing to try out innovative ideas like ours that provide effective protection at a reasonable price.

When did you first hear about the EWA programme, and what motivated you to participate?

I first heard about the EWA programme while we were in the middle of developing Antyszpak and looking for potential sources of funding. I had the chance to speak with Małgorzata Druciarek from EIT, who recommended the initiative to me.

My motivation to join was really based on my past experiences; I’ve had nothing but great experiences with programmes that support women in technology and connect us so we can do amazing things together. Because of that, I was sure that participating in EWA was going to be worth it.

How did the mentorship and training during the EWA programme influence the development of Antyszpak? What would you identify as the most significant lessons you learned?

Participating in the EWA programme has been a really valuable experience for me as a founder. One of the most practical benefits was the opportunity to work closely with my mentor, Monika Borowiecka. Our collaboration allowed me to refine our market strategy and business model, which was a necessary step for our growth.

The training also focused on several key competencies that are essential for any startup. I’ve been able to improve how I pitch and present the project professionally, and I’ve gained a more structured approach to analysing the market, understanding the competition, and planning for international expansion.

Beyond the formal training, the programme provided access to the EIT Food ecosystem. I’ve established contacts and even started direct collaborations with two other participants- innovative farmers with a strong media presence. This partnership has significant potential for Antyszpak from both a business and marketing perspective. It really reinforced the idea that connecting with other professionals in the AgriTech space is one of the most important things a founder can do.

Sustainability and safety are core principles of Antyszpak. How do you ensure that your solution protects crops while remaining safe for both birds and people?

Safety is something we take very seriously. First and foremost, as with any project involving lasers, it is crucial to maintain strict safety measures. We ensure – at both the hardware and​ software levels – that the laser beam never surpasses the fixed borders of the field or orchard.

We also provide suitable warning signs and instruct the owners that no one should enter the orchard while the laser is in operation. Furthermore, the system is mounted high up and shines the laser downward toward the trees and the ground, never up toward the sky.

Regarding the birds, we’ve designed the system to be humane. Because of our bird detection capabilities, we point the laser next to the bird rather than directly at it, which minimises any risk classification algorithm to ensure we only deter harmful species while leaving protected birds in peace. We also want to develop a human-detection algorithm to add an extra layer of safety, making sure that even if someone intrudes into the orchard, their eyesight won’t be at any risk.

How do you see AI-powered precision tools like Antyszpak shaping the future of agriculture, particularly in the context of reducing losses, improving biodiversity and supporting farmers?

I see AI-powered tools as a fundamental shift toward more sustainable and economically stable farming. From an economic perspective, our goal is to directly increase yields by protecting crops from destruction, which translates into higher income – especially for small and medium-sized farmers. It’s also about cost and time efficiency; because our solution is less labour-intensive than installing nets or hiring falconers, it reduces the overall financial and time burden on the farmer.

Environmentally, the precision of AI allows us to be much more selective. By deterring only harmful pests, we will leave beneficial, insect-eating birds in peace, which naturally reduces the need for chemical pesticides. This contributes to healthier soil, better public health, and greater biodiversity since we eliminate the physical risks posed by protective nets

To conclude, what advice would you offer to other women entrepreneurs interested in starting their own entrepreneurial journey in agrifood technology?

My main piece of advice is: network. You need to get out there to agrifood events and meet motivated, experienced people who can help validate your ideas and warn you about potential risks. It is equally important to talk to your clients directly. Try to learn what their actual needs are before you start pitching your ‘great idea’ and trying to convince them it’s exactly what they need.​

And, of course, I would highly recommend joining programmes like EWA. It is a fantastic way to meet other inspiring founders and find a community where you can support each other throughout this journey.

More on the programme 

As part of EWA 2025, Nina joined a growing #EWAProgramme community of more than 600 alumnae across Europe. This network continues to support and unlock the potential of early-stage female founders well beyond the duration of the programme.

She also had the opportunity to pitch her idea at the Next Bite Satellite event, Accelerating Innovation Through Women Leadership, held on 4 December in Warsaw. The event brought together nearly 350 innovators, founders, and investors to rethink the future of food and highlight women-led innovation across the agrifood ecosystem.

Registration for EWA 2026 opens soon! Stay tuned and help build a future of food powered by women. More information is available here

About EIT Food

EIT Food is the world’s largest and most dynamic food innovation community. Backed by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology, it works across the food value chain to accelerate innovation and entrepreneurship, equipping changemakers with the skills, tools, and support they need to reshape the future of food.

EIT Food is one of nine innovation communities established by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), an independent EU body set up in 2008 to drive innovation and entrepreneurship across Europe.

Learn more at EIT Food or follow EIT Food on X (Twitter), LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram.

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