Acceleration programs built for the real challenges of food, beverage and hospitality
The food, beverage and hospitality industry is evolving fast, under pressure from rising costs, changing consumer expectations, operational complexity and the growing role of technology. Our acceleration programs are designed for entrepreneurs and business leaders building F&B products, service concepts and enabling tech solutions with real impact in Retail and HoReCa. Through applied workshops, expert mentorship, industry validation and access to the Hospitality Culture Institute ecosystem, participants gain the tools, perspective and connections needed to build stronger, more relevant and more scalable businesses.
Top HoReCa leaders and professionals from related industries will work closely with selected entrepreneurs, covering each area of interest for a successful business, such as: Business Model, Branding, PR & Corporate Communication, Legal, HR, Operational Management, Franchising and M&A, Taxation, GDPR, Intellectual Property, Funding Opportunities, Scaling, Corporate Governance.
Each startup will benefit from tailored sessions with mentors from HoReCa, retail, or tech to validate their idea, refine their business model, and explore scaling opportunities.
The 1:1 mentorship meetings are customized to each startup’s needs and offer a unique chance to receive hands-on feedback from professionals with real experience in business development, investment, or operations across HoReCa & retail.
In this phase we focus on strengthening the foundations of participating businesses through a series of approximately 7–10 online workshops. These sessions are designed to address key topics relevant to entrepreneurs and the growth of their companies, ranging from business strategy and financial planning to marketing, operations, and scaling.
Participants automatically become part of the accelerator’s alumni community, gaining long-term access to a valuable professional network within the hospitality and food ecosystem. Alumni benefit from preferential access to Hospitality Culture Institute events, as well as industry insights, studies, and market statistics produced within the HCI ecosystem. At the same time, the program facilitates ongoing connections with industry professionals, investors, and media representatives, creating opportunities for partnerships, visibility, and future growth.
You will participate in the only bootcamp in Romania dedicated to innovation in the food industry. For 3 days, dozens of entrepreneurs present in HoReCa and Retail, investors, marketing specialists, lawyers, investment funds, and early-stage entrepreneurs gather with the aim to generate new ideas and to brainstorm in order to find innovative solutions for common problems faced by the foodservice sector.
At the end of the acceleration period, entrepreneurs accepted into the program will make a funding pitch to several investment funds and angel investors, having the opportunity to win funding for their business.
