The Future is Fungi is beyond an award, it’s a global launchpad

Backing fungal innovators and pioneers blazing a trail toward a nature-powered planet. Unlocking funding, partnerships, and a global stage for those ready to lead.

  • “The Future is Fungi has been an extremely powerful platform for Mycolever. Through the Award and the broader ecosystem, we gained access to a wealth of high-level introductions to relevant industry players, potential partners and fellow founders.”

    — Niels Dietzsch, commercial co-founder, Mycolever (2nd place award 2025)

  • "The award brings significant value by highlighting and supporting innovative fungal science and environmental solutions. It serves as a platform to showcase groundbreaking work, encouraging more research and investment in this field".

    — Leonardo di Massa, Jury Member and Investment Director at Progress Tech Transfer Fund

  • We had a meeting with Novonesis after the Future is Fungi award, which significantly helped us understand their goals and how our technology fits into their vision. The network that is brought together through the award will bring meaningful collaborations, accelerating the impact that mycological innovations will have in the world.

    —Tess Bevers, CEO Novogaia

  • I took part in the Future is Fungi in 2023 and can say without a doubt that it's been transformational. Fungal research is really difficult, so being recognised for driving the field forwards is really important. It's also been really useful as a way of engaging with the research community, as well as the wider industrial commercial world. I would do it again in a heartbeat.

    -Will Newell, Imperial College of London (2nd place science winner 2023)

  • “The Expert Network has been one of the most valuable parts of the Future is Fungi programme for the MultiBioCrop team. Access to highly experienced specialists has helped us clarify critical regulatory, market-strategy and scale-up questions much faster than we could have done on our own, (...) The real value is not only in the expertise itself, but in getting the right expertise exactly when it is needed.”

    -Panagiotis Eliopoulos, co-founder MultiBioCrop (Top 5 winner, Science Entrepreneur Award 2026)

SUPPORT THE FUTURE IS FUNGI AWARD

Be part of the worldwide mycelial network of researchers, founders,
and allies co-creating a regenerative future rooted in fungi.

Together, we accelerate the fungal revolution!

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SCIENCE ENTREPRENEUR
AWARD 2026

WINNERS

StillBio

StillBio develops a natural fungal coating that extends the shelf life of fresh fruit, cutting food waste at the source.

SymbioSoil

BioBead hydrogel delivers beneficial fungi and bacteria to plant roots, restoring soil health in place of synthetic inputs.

MultiBioCrop

MultiBioCrop protects crops with a fungi-based formulation, cutting the need for chemical fertilisers and pesticides.

with Microbes

Building

Building with Microbes turns demolition waste into low-emission building materials, using fungal-bacterial binders instead of [conventional high-emission binders

LipiTune

LipiTune ferments tunable, high-performance oils with fungi for cosmetics, replacing palm oil and petrochemical-derived oils.

Explore the winners

STARTUP AWARD 2025

WINNERS

WINNER

Michroma

Michroma is transforming the way we colour and flavor our food. Using fungi-derived ingredients, they’re replacing petrochemicals with sustainable, natural solutions, pioneering a new standard for the food industry.

SECOND PLACE

Mycolever

Mycolever develops next-generation fungi bioingredients for personal care and cosmetics, replacing petrochemical, animal and plant-based inputs, advancing performance while driving sustainability.

THIRD PLACE

HIRO

Technologies

Creating the worlds first biodegradable diapers. Their fungi-powered approach breaks down plastics in months instead of centuries, demonstrating how innovation can regenerate both products and the planet.

Explore the winners

THE FUTURE IS FUNGI AWARD

- The worlds leading award for fungi-powered innovation

"This year’s winners show just how transformative fungal innovation has become," says Susanne Gløersen, Founder of the Future is Fungi Award.

The Future is Fungi Award 2025 celebrates the world’s most visionary fungal innovators. From 187 entrants across 59 countries, the top three are leading a global movement, using fungi to transform industries, heal ecosystems, and build a regenerative future.

Every startup reflects a growing global wave of innovators shaping a fungi-powered future.

Together, we accelerate the fungal revolution!

The Fungal Hall of Fame

Explore the pioneers leading the fungal revolution

The Fungi Hall of Fame spotlights the winners of The Future is Fungi Award, world’s leading fungal innovators and science entrepreneurs, harnessing nature’s intelligence to heal ecosystems, power industries, and build a regenerative future.

Visit The Fungal Hall of Fame

Discover the stories about the startup award winners

Explore the winners!

This isn’t just an award - it’s a global launchpad. Access funding, partnerships and a world stage

2025 & 2026 AWARD

Startup


The 2025 Startup Award honors visionary startups using fungi to tackle our planet’s biggest challenges. Whether you’re just starting out or scaling fast, this is your chance to gain recognition, spark partnerships, and lead the future of sustainable innovation.

Winners:
1st place: Michroma
2nd place: Mycolever
3rd place: HIRO Technologies

Award Prize:

  • €250.000 investment

  • Access to an expert network

  • Fungal Hall of Fame

Read more!

Science Entrepreneurs

A new award just for science entrepreneurs is launching in 2026, designed to help you turn groundbreaking research into real-world impact.

Winners:
SymbioSoil,
Building with Microbes
LipiTune
MultiBioCrop
StillBio

Award Prize:

  • Financial prize

  • 3-month venture builder program

  • Fungal Hall of Fame

Read more!

NETWORK PARTNERS AND SPONSORS

AWARD SUPPORTERS

Gong Family Foundation

Martino Cortese

PARTNERS

NETWORK PARTNERS

MycologyDK

Special thanks to our contributors, including Jay Litcher (@cyansense) and Stephen Axford & Catherine Marciniak (@planet_fungi) for their stunning fungi photography, as well as Philip Bergman and Jason Pantino for their captivating video editing and audio contributions.

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