FUNGAL BIOTECHNOLOGY By Peter Oei
The Future is Fungi Award 2025 shows the way
The Future is Fungi Award has quickly become one of the world’s most influential recognitions for innovation by startups in fungal biotechnology. The insights it generates are deeply valuable for the broader mushroom industry as well.
F The award
finalists show how far fungal innovation can go when
creativity meets mycology.
ounded in 2023 by Susanne Gløersen, the award was created to accelerate the transition toward regenerative, bio-based systems by supporting
startups, and scientific entrepreneurs who har- ness the power of fungi to solve environmental, industrial, and societal challenges. Each year, the award spotlights pioneers using mycelium and fungal technologies to reimagine materials, energy, agriculture, chemistry, and planetary regeneration. What sets the award apart is its exclusive focus on fungi as a platform for systemic change. Fungi - whether as mycelium networks or filamentous fungi biofactories - can break down pollutants, produce sustainable materials, store carbon, create next-generation chemicals, and generate healthier products for consumers. By elevating the most promising fungal ventures, the award positions fungi as essential engines of the next industrial revolution: one designed by nature rather than derived from petrochemistry.
Each competition cycle culminates in a winner receiving a €250,000 investment as well as access to a global network of industry leaders like L’Oréal and BASF. Previous awardees have gone on to receive scientific recognition, publi- cation opportunities, and broader investment interest. With 187 applicants from 59 countries in 2025 alone, the award has become a global rallying point for fungal innovation.
What our industry can learn Although the award largely highlights bio- tech-driven startups, the insights it generates are deeply valuable for the broader mushroom community. Traditional cultivators, growers, and mycelium product developers increasingly find themselves part of a larger bio-based economy. Watching which innovations rise to the top reveals where the global market is heading and how fungal knowledge can be applied beyond food production. First, the award signals how fast fungi-based markets are growing. Mycelium materials,
Susanne Gløersen, who founded the Award in 2023..
44 MUSHROOM BUSINESS
CEO and co-founder of Award winner Michroma, Ricky Cassini.
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