VENTURE BUILDER PROGRAM

The Fungi Venture Builder Program is a specialized 12-week program that transforms your breakthrough fungal scientific discoveries into early investment-ready ventures.

Read more about the details



The Future is Fungi Awards exists to back fungi pioneers that ignites a regenerative future towards a nature-powered planet with fungi innovation at the forefront. We want a future where fungal research backed innovation, and entrepreneurship guide humanity’s transition into a regenerative era, healing ecosystems, reimagining industries, and inspiring solutions that sustain life for generations to come.

Science Entrepreneurs, we need you.

If your work with fungi that can reshape industries, restore ecosystems, or unlock a breakthrough application, this is your global launchpad. We help translate discovery into deployment and help build the fungal future with you.  

Fungal science is underfunded. Early-stage founders struggle to access capital, expert networks, resources and the right partners. Not at least, for many scientists it feels like a big step to go from academia to entrepreneurship.
At the same time, fungi’s planetary potential remains widely underestimated and unleveraged.

That’s why we back you with a fungal innovation launchpad: venture building excellence, capital, world-class expert network and visibility (previous winners seen in Nature Biotechnology, The Guardian, Financial Times, and more).

In 2026, we’re raising the bar and supporting five science entrepreneurs set to change the world!  

WHY WE’RE BACKING A PROGRAM FOR SCIENCE-LED VENTURE CREATIONS

Previous winner of
The Future is Fungi Science Entrepreneur Award 2023

“We have developed the world’s first proof-of-concept biosynthesized battery, which can store energy from renewable sources such as solar panels and windmills. This addresses one of the challenges in the green transition: efficient storage solutions for aligning production and consumption”, says previous The Future is Fungi, Science Entrepreneur Award Winner

Jens Laurids Sörensen, PhD, Aalborg University

PROGRAM DETAILS

PROGRAM LENGTH: 3 Months

TIMING: Mid-September to mid-December

FORMAT: In-person 2 days kick-off in Copenhagen, 2nd week of September. Otherwise, fully digital program.

PROGRAM COMPONENTS:

  • Expert-led sessions and workshops (venture builder
    lead + external specialists)

  • Tailored 1:1 coaching for science entrepreneurs

  • Hands-on assignments

  • Mentorship from our advisory network

  • Potential introductions to relevant corporate partners


No program fee: There is no program fee for participation in the programme for top 5 award winners, and we do not take any equity for the participation.

PROGRAM SCOPE & JOURNEY

The program follows a rigorous three-phase architecture , aligned with investor readiness and venture creation:

PHASE I: SCIENCE (WEEK 1-4)

Establish technical and strategic foundations: for example TRL clarity, IP Strategy, and regulatory pathways

PHASE II: BUSINESS (WEEK 5-8)

Sections such as validate your beachhead market, sharpen value prop positioning, and advance toward commercial traction, including Letters of Intent (LOIs).

PHASE III: TEAM (WEEK 9-12)

Strengthen the team composition, financial models, and investor narrative.

Key modules include:

Here are some of the modules you will go through in the program:

  • Transitioning from academia to founder

  • Startup ecosystems and venture dynamics

  • TRL assessment and technical diligence

  • IP strategy and Freedom to Operate (FTO)

  • Regulatory pathway

  • Market sizing and opportunity calibration

  • Customer discovery and validation

  • Competitive analysis and positioning

  • Fundraising

  • Team building and alignment

Eligibility requirements

  • Your fungal innovation or technology is at least TRL 3 (Technology Readiness Level) or beyond

  • The innovation is fungi-, yeast- or mold-based

  • The innovation contributes to environmental regeneration and the transition to a bio-based economy

  • You are committed to commercializing your science

  • You will incorporate within 10 months after applying to The Future is Fungi Award, or have incorporated within the last 10 months.

  • You’re able to participate in weekly sessions CET 18:00 - 20:00 / PST 09:00 - 11:00

Time commitment  

To successfully graduate and position your venture for follow-on investment, participants should allocate up to 10–15 hours a week:

  • Expert-led sessions and workshops: 2 hours per week

  • Mentor coaching: 1 hour bi-weekly with domain-specific technical and business experts.

  • Independent execution: ~10hours per week dedicated to milestone-driven progress.

  • Advisor engagement: variable, self-directed, based on your needs.

Top 5 science entrepreneurs are selected for the program

Cohort selection

Top 5 Science Entrepreneurs or teams selected from the Science Entrepreneur Award applicants.

Expected outcomes & benefits

  • Get familiarized with the world of entrepreneurship and how to come from academia to the startup world

  • Technical validation: refine TRL, IP positioning, and regulatory pathways to de-risk your science and venture building.

  • Market readiness: identify and validate your beachhead market, secure LOIs, and sharpen competitive positioning.

  • Team optimization: build and align a high-performing founding team.

  • Mentorship network: access to world-class advisors, domain experts, and potential corporate partners.

  • Commercial acceleration: translate research into actionable ventures with measurable environmental and economic impact.

  • Investor readiness: strengthen your pitch, financial model, and strategic narrative to attract follow-on funding.

Your fungal research could define the next era of sustainable innovation.
We give your science the runway it deserves!

First step:
Apply to The Future is Fungi Science Entrepreneur Award, which is open for applications from

Feb 9 - March 16

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