Tate & Lyle partners with MassChallenge to accelerate sustainable food innovation
The initiative is part of Tate & Lyle’s Open Innovation programme, designed to complement its in-house R&D by tapping into proprietary technologies and novel ingredient solutions.
UK – Global ingredient solutions leader Tate & Lyle PLC has announced a strategic partnership with MassChallenge, a renowned early-stage start-up accelerator, to foster sustainable food innovation in the UK and Switzerland.
The collaboration aims to support emerging food and beverage entrepreneurs who are tackling some of the industry’s most pressing challenges, including nutrition, food waste, and sustainable farming and processing.
As a foundational corporate partner in the newly launched MassChallenge UK programme, Tate & Lyle will work closely with start-ups to help scale transformative technologies and business models.
The company is also joining the established MassChallenge Switzerland hub, which has already accelerated nearly 1,000 start-ups, raised €2 billion (US$2.34B) in funding, and created over 55,000 jobs in the past decade.
Through this partnership, Tate & Lyle’s innovation leaders will collaborate with MassChallenge teams to identify ventures aligned with its strategic priorities.
Selected participants will gain access to mentorship, market insights, fundraising support, and a global network of industry experts.
The initiative is part of Tate & Lyle’s Open Innovation programme, designed to complement its in-house R&D by tapping into proprietary technologies and novel ingredient solutions.
Karen du Plessis, Head of Open Innovation at Tate & Lyle, emphasized the importance of the partnership: “This new collaboration gives us access to some of the most dynamic start-ups working to develop the novel ingredients, process innovations, and sustainability solutions our food system needs to thrive.”
“Scaling an early-stage start-up is never easy. With Tate & Lyle’s support, we’re building a world-renowned innovation hub in East London’s Royal Docks to replicate the success of our Swiss model,” added David Kinsella, MassChallenge UK Managing Director.
The partnership reflects Tate & Lyle’s commitment to purpose-led innovation and its broader mission to improve global health through better nutrition.
Recent initiatives under its Open Innovation programme include collaborations with BioHarvest Sciences for plant-based sweeteners and Manus Bio for bioconverted stevia Reb M ingredients.
By investing in early-stage innovation ecosystems, Tate & Lyle is not only accelerating its own product development pipeline but also helping shape the future of sustainable food systems across Europe.
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