A review of accelerators and incubators (A&I) providing support to food and agribusiness (F&A) entrepreneurs reveals there are many public and private entities spanning a wide variety of structures and business models. Over the past two to five years, there has been an influx of new A&I support entities working either directly or indirectly with the F&A entrepreneurs.
The A&I ecosystem is highly heterogeneous, often with conflicting commercial goals. A&I also operate in an increasingly competitive environment to attract start-ups and crucial funding. This leads to a decreased willingness to co-operate, and share practices and know-how. Initiatives are often similar and uncoordinated. Although there are real success stories, A&I are not operating effectively to deliver optimal results for the investment.