One-liner: Valencia's private foodtech open-innovation hub, founded by the Familia Martínez food corporation — connects foodtech startups to corporate Open Innovation Partners, investors and mentors through a year-round Open Call and a global "Food Changemakers" community.
What a founder gets
- Corporate matchmaking, not cash — the flagship instrument is the KM ZERO Open Call: a rolling, year-round call matching foodtech startups to real corporate challenges across 15 challenge areas (see program page for full detail; no fixed deadline, no cash prize per the 2026 bases).
- "Food Changemakers" community access — membership-style ecosystem (
Hazte miembro/ member portal at kmzero.feending.com) linking startups, corporates, investors and tech centres. - Corporate "Innovation Club" — food-industry companies join to get structured foresight on emerging trends and high-value connections within the ecosystem (parallel track to the startup-facing Open Call).
- Investor-facing consultancy — KM ZERO advises investors on agrifoodtech deal flow, trend analysis and startup evaluation (a distinct service line from the Open Call itself).
- Education tracks: Gastro Genius and The Foodtech Challenge.
- International visibility events: ftalks Food Summit — Valencia (16 Sep 2026) and Mexico (29 Sep 2026); The Food Changemakers Think Tank & Awards (Madrid, 24 Feb 2026).
Who it's for
- Foodtech / agrifoodtech startups at seed through growth stage, university spin-offs, and tech-centre projects addressing challenges in: primary sector/AgTech, manufacturing, packaging, water, food waste/upcycling, alternative proteins, logistics/retail, food safety, F&B/CPG, decarbonisation, nutrition/health, consumer trends, digital transformation, triple bottom line, HORECA.
- Food-industry corporates seeking a structured open-innovation channel (join as an Open Innovation Partner / Innovation Club member).
- Investors seeking curated agrifoodtech deal flow.
How to engage
- Startups: apply via the KM ZERO Open Call form (linked from kmzerohub.org/open-call) — open all year, priority given to earlier applicants.
- Corporates: "Únete al club" (join the Innovation Club) — contact via site.
- Investors: "Contacta con nosotros" for deal-flow access.
- General contact: contact@kmzerohub.org · 963 685 197 · C/ General San Martín 17, piso 1, portal 1, 46004 València.
Key facts
- Founded by Familia Martínez, a 5-company food corporation, per ecosystem research (2026-06-30) — a private-sector-led hub, not a public agency, despite site footer noting "Financiación pública" (public co-funding of some activity; status/verify — likely partial public grant support for specific programs, not full public ownership).
- Current 2026 Open Innovation Partners (per the Open Call bases and live site, 2026-07-05): Familia Martínez, Vicky Foods, Helados Estiu, Profand, Grupo Huevos Guillén, Grupo Central Lechera Asturiana, Grupo Arancia, ECOCEL Grupo TAV — confirmed unchanged from prior capture.
- Next Open Call selection round: 30 August 2026 (per live
/open-callpage, 2026-07-05) — rolling acceptance continues, priority to earlier applicants. - Founder: Paco Martínez. Raúl Martín is CEO of Familia Martínez (the founding food corporation), distinct from Beatriz Jacoste, CEO of KM ZERO itself — per the full team roster on
kmzerohub.org/the-hub(2026-07-05 capture). Juan Requena holds the title "Director de Innovación Abierta e Inversión" (Director of Open Innovation & Investment) — the closest current match to an "innovation director" role. - Legal entity referenced in program-page sourcing as Fundación KM ZERO HUB CV.
- status/verify: earlier tracker data cited "18 investor funds, €2.5B potential" for KM ZERO's investor network — the 2026 official Open Call bases do not state this figure; the KM ZERO Open Call program page already flags this as unverified. Treat the €2.5B/18-funds figure as unconfirmed marketing/tracker shorthand, not an official KM ZERO claim.
- Contacts on file: Beatriz Jacoste — CEO (confirmed 2026-07-05, matches). Nora Romero — role CORRECTED: she is "Cofundadora" (Co-founder), not "Director of Innovation" as previously recorded; her LinkedIn profile is under the name "Leonor Romero Saiz." Both confirmed via the full team page at kmzerohub.org/the-hub (raw/scrapes/www.kmzerohub.org__the-hub.txt).
Relations
- Runs: KM ZERO Open Call
- See also: Foodtech (niche)
- See also: AINIA Pilot Plants & Labs
- See also: Cajamar Innova