Dr. Fotios Tekos is a biochemist-biotechnologist with a Master's degree in Toxicology and Ph.D. diploma in Biochemistry. He has co-authored the bestseller "Intermittent Fasting and Disease Prevention", as well as 37 articles published in international peer-reviewed scientific journals. He is on Forbes “30 Under 30 Greece” list, which recognizes the 30 most prominent and successful young people under the age of 30 in Greece for 2024. Fotis is the Chief Executive Officer of FoodOxys PC, a company that successfully took 20 years of research from the labs of the University of Thessaly to the market. We met with Fotis and talked about the company and his own journey. Here's what he told us. 

Tell us a few things about FoodOxys. How did it all start? How did you discover the market opportunity for your solution, and where are you today?

FoodOxys PC is a spin-off company of the University of Thessaly established in 2019 by Dimitrios Kouretas, Professor of Animal Physiology-Toxicology, and a core team of researchers from the Laboratory of Animal Physiology of the Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology in Larissa. The motivating force behind the company’s foundation was the valorization of knowledge acquired from the laboratory’s 20-year research activities for developing novel products and services that would meet the needs and requirements of modern societies. Following the emerging trends in precision medicine and nutritional intervention, FoodOxys provides state-of-the-art nutritional wellness and food bioactivity services. Today, FoodOxys is a member of the National Startup Registry of Elevate Greece, has received funding from the Greek venture capital Uni.fund since its first year of operations, has created a number of innovative services, and has formed partnerships with large companies in Greece and abroad. In terms of the goals set, the company has successfully adapted to the rapidly changing and competitive business environment while offering a significant incentive for young scientists to stay and operate in Greece.

How do you differentiate from other similar offers in the market? What value does Foodoxys bring to consumers and partners?

Building on more than 20 years of world-class research on food science and technology, functional food, and human metabolism, FoodOxys aims to bridge food consumption and health optimization in a single value proposition. The company delivers its mission by building on world-class scientific research on the effects of antioxidants, serving individuals seeking to pursue personalized diets matching their antioxidant profiles, and food and dietary supplement companies to enhance, validate, and certify the bioactivity of their products. The company engages in two main activities. FoodOxys has developed a novel service to determine the most important and abundant antioxidant of human organisms in a drop of capillary blood. Based on the measurements, each individual is assigned to a specific category of nutritional needs. Then a personalized nutrition plan is created to improve the antioxidant profile and promote metabolic health.

Furthermore, the company has developed a number of services to evaluate the quality of agri-food products, which include finding health claims and AFQ (Activity FoodOxys Quality), the first Greek certification mark registered in the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), which evaluates, compares, and classifies food products based on the benefits they provide to human health. Additionally, the company has created a service to assess the bioactivity of food products and dietary supplements at different biological levels, including in vitro cell-free and cell-based experiments and in vivo studies. The company is currently serving clients in Greece and the European Union. It has set the goal to become one of the key players within the global market directly or by engaging to strategic alliances with other major corporations.

You started developing your technology in the university lab and transformed it into an attractive market offer. Tell us more about your experiences and how you successfully transferred technology from the lab to the market.

Our firm belief has always been that research knowledge should not remain in the narrow confines of the laboratory but rather be used to create innovative products and services that would benefit society by responding to its needs. On the grounds of this, we first conducted thorough research to identify our key technologies and to assess their readiness levels. Of course, it was necessary to customize our technologies to meet the demands and limitations of the market. On the basis of the intense interest of modern people to fortify their health and ensure their well-being, as well as to consume food products that, in addition to meeting basic nutritional needs, provide health benefits, we focused on the fields of personalized nutritional intervention and food bioactivity. Finally, finding partners with a proven track record and expertise in the target market was crucial to ensure a seamless transition and increase our chances of success. For instance, FoodOxys has formed a strategic partnership with Swiss Approval Technische Bewertung, an internationally recognized Inspection and Certification Body, within the framework of AFQ. FoodOxys conducts the laboratory analyses, and Swiss Approval Technische Bewertung performs the inspections and issues the Certificate of Conformity according to the AFQ standard.

What would you consider to have been (or are) your biggest challenge so far?

The first major challenge that FoodOxys faced in its early stages was that its establishment and operations coincided with global crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic and energy crisis. However, with the assistance of the Greek National Startup Registry of Elevate Greece, the company managed to cope with these adverse circumstances without materially disrupting its growth and access to global markets. Today, a potential challenge for FoodOxys is that its headquarters and research laboratory are not located in Athens, particularly in terms of the service of evaluating the antioxidant profile of individuals and creating a personalized nutrition plan. Nevertheless, two key points have to be mentioned. FoodOxys is a spin-off company of the University of Thessaly; hence, its presence and operations are closely related to both the University and Thessaly in general. Considering that one of the company's main activities is evaluating the quality and bioactivity of agricultural products, our position in Thessaly provides us a distinct comparative advantage, as we are on the spot for food and agri-food sector advances. Moreover, regarding the service above, FoodOxys is developing a rapid testing system for detecting the most important antioxidant molecule of human organisms, which the interested individual can procure and carry out at his convenience. Then, the measurement will be submitted to us to assess the results and provide personalized suggestions to improve the antioxidant profile and promote metabolic health.

What are the biggest learnings from your journey so far?

Undoubtedly, the first learning was the significance of forming a strong and efficient team with distinct roles, in which everyone undertakes to carry out the tasks that belong under their purview. The company is based on highly skilled and experienced scientists who have a solid track record of domain expertise in biochemistry and nutrition. Another core learning was the need to consistently and responsibly provide high-quality products and services that meet the needs of our clients in Greece and abroad - this is infact a critical component for the company’s long-term growth.