MassChallenge and Tufts Food & Nutrition Innovation Institute Announce Strategic Collaboration to Advance Nutrition and Health Innovation

BOSTON, June 18, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- MassChallenge, the global network for innovators accelerating startups solving massive challenges, and the Food & Nutrition Innovation Institute (FNII) at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University, today announced a strategic collaboration to support innovation at the intersection of food, nutrition, and health.

This partnership brings together MassChallenge's expertise in early-stage startup acceleration with Tufts University's deep academic leadership in food systems, nutrition science and innovation, and health policy. Together, the two organizations aim to catalyze a new generation of entrepreneurs whose ventures will shape the future of sustainable and equitable food systems, precision nutrition, and public health.

"At a time when the lines between food, health, and agriculture are rapidly converging, this collaboration represents a vital step forward," said Cait Brumme, CEO of MassChallenge. "By aligning our resources and networks, we can help innovators deliver solutions with the potential to transform human and planetary health."

The collaboration will provide MassChallenge startups with differentiated access to Tufts' research expertise, faculty, and innovation networks. In return, Tufts will benefit from even greater integration with the global entrepreneurial ecosystem, helping translate cutting-edge academic research into scalable, real-world solutions.

Under the new agreement, Tufts will:

• Contribute expert judges to MassChallenge's accelerators;
• Offer mentorship and subject matter expertise to relevant participating startups;
• Provide subsidized access to the Tufts Food & Nutrition Innovation Council (FNIC);
• Support MassChallenge programming with faculty speakers and advisory support

In turn, MassChallenge will:

• Highlight food and nutrition innovation as a key thematic priority in its health and climate accelerators;
• Recruit and support startups working in personalized and precision nutrition, sustainable agriculture, and nutrition equity;
• Host a dedicated Tufts representative at its Boston Seaport headquarters to foster ongoing collaboration and integration.

The collaboration builds on early 2025 discussions and pilot activities that identified shared priorities across the health and climate innovation spaces.

"Tufts has long been a leader in nutrition science, sustainable food systems, and evidence-based policy," said Katie Stebbins, Executive Director of the Food & Nutrition Innovation Institute. "By partnering with MassChallenge, we can help ensure that the next generation of solutions is both scientifically grounded and entrepreneurially driven."

This collaboration reflects a growing recognition that innovation in food and nutrition is essential to addressing pressing global challenges — from chronic disease and health inequities to climate change and resource scarcity. Together, MassChallenge and Tufts are building a bridge between scientific rigor and startup dynamism to accelerate impact at scale.

For more information, please visit: https://innovation.nutrition.tufts.edu/

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SOURCE MassChallenge