Rogaland: Norway’s emerging innovation hub for food and technology
By Day of Week team
From fertile farmland and coastal food traditions to world-class innovation environments, Rogaland in Norway is increasingly emerging as a place where food culture and technology meet to shape the future of food systems.
Across the Nordic region, food systems and local food strategies are increasingly high on the agenda, as regions explore new ways to strengthen sustainability, resilience and regional value creation. Rogaland in Norway combines agricultural strength, food culture and strong technology environments. The region is also home to important cultural platforms that celebrate and develop Norwegian food traditions, which highlights excellence and innovation across the Norwegian food industry.
With a unique concentration of food production, research environments, innovation hubs and technology companies, Rogaland is increasingly emerging as one of the most exciting places in the Nordics to develop solutions for the future of food.
For Day of Week, this has become increasingly clear. We are strengthening our presence in Rogaland through collaboration with innovation environments such as Nordic Edge and TEAL, while also benefiting from programmes like ITSA Growth at Validé, which support growth companies and contribute to building a strong regional innovation ecosystem.
At the same time, Kristiansand Municipality plays an important role as a strategic partner, helping to open doors for regional and Nordic collaboration around more circular and transparent food systems.
Day of Week founders
Siv Kristiansen, CEO & Founder
Øystein Chr. Løken, CSO & Founder
Øyvind B. Sandåker, CAIO & Co-Founder
Photo: Kristiane Holta Pedersen, Validé
“Rogaland is increasingly emerging as a place where food culture and technology meet.”
A region where food meets technology
Rogaland has long been known as one of Norway’s most important food regions. But what makes the region particularly interesting today is how food production, technology and innovation environments are beginning to converge. Innovation clusters, startup ecosystems and research environments are increasingly working together to explore how digital infrastructure, data and new business models can strengthen food systems and value chains. For companies working in agrifoodtech, this creates a rare environment where farmers, chefs, technology companies and investors operate within the same ecosystem.
“The future of food innovation will emerge where farmers, chefs, technology companies and investors operate within the same ecosystem.”
Nordic Edge: connecting technology and sustainability
One of the key actors in this ecosystem is Nordic Edge, an internationally recognized innovation hub focusing on sustainable cities and technologies. Day of Week is a member of the agritech cluster at Nordic Edge and collaborates with the organisation to explore how digital infrastructure and data-driven tools can support the development of more circular local food systems.
Gunnar Crawford
Head of Nordic Edge agritech clusters
From a joint trip to Italy with Innovation Norway
Jack Davies, Business Developer Agritech, Nordic Edge
“Food systems are complex, and many of the challenges we see today are structural. What is exciting about companies like Day of Week is their ambition to build digital infrastructure that connect farmers, hospitality and markets in entirely new ways.”
Jack Davies, Business Developer Agritech, Nordic Edge
Nordic Edge brings together technology companies, startups, investors, municipalities and research environments, creating an arena where new solutions can be tested and scaled.
Nordic Fund Day, Stockholm, June 2025
“The future of food innovation will not be built in isolated sectors.”
TEAL: deep competence in food innovation
While technology and growth environments are important, food innovation also requires deep understanding of farmers, product development and market.
This is where TEAL plays a particularly important role in the Rogaland ecosystem.
During a farmer visit organized by TEAL, Day of Week met strawberry grower Jone Wiig at Orre on Jæren, who delivered Norway’s first strawberries already on April 20, 2024 through innovative production.
“In TEAL we work closely with farmers, food entrepreneurs and destinations to develop new food concepts and local value chains. What excites us about Day of Week is how their technology can accelerate this work – connecting farmers, chefs and hospitality in a much more dynamic way.”
Tove M. Sivertsen, CEO & Business Developer, TEAL
Validé: strengthening growth companies
Another important piece of the Rogaland innovation ecosystem is Validé, one of Norway’s leading technology transfer and innovation companies. Through the ITSA Growth programme, Validé works with companies in the growth phase, helping them strengthen strategy, market positioning, and international scaling.
Participation in ITSA Growth provides companies with access to experienced advisors, strategic consulting and networks that are essential for scaling new technology-driven businesses.
For Day of Week, the ITSA Growth programme has been an important step in strengthening the company’s growth strategy.
Validé ITSA Growth Demo Day 2026
Mayor of Stavanger, Tormod W. Losnedal
“Day of Week solves the problem of invisibility for many talented local food farmers. Farmers spend all their energy creating fantastic products, but restaurants, chefs, hotels and tourism actors often don’t know about them.”
Hilde Garlid, Head of Communications, Validé
Kristiansand Municipality: a driving force for new food system collaboration
While Rogaland represents a powerful innovation environment, Day of Week continues to build strong partnerships from our home city of Kristiansand in Southern Norway.
Within Kristiansand Municipality, Solvor B. Stølevik, Advisor Research & Innovation, and Arild Tveide, Advisor Business Department, have taken important initiatives to strengthen collaboration around sustainable food systems, innovation and circular value chains.
Their work focuses on connecting municipalities, businesses, farmers and international partners to explore new models for how local circular food systems can evolve.
Through strategic initiatives and Nordic collaboration projects, Kristiansand Municipality is actively contributing to developing shorter, more transparent and more circular food value chains.
Solvor B. Stølevik (Kristiansand Municipality), Arild Tveide (Kristiansand Municipality) and Siv Kristiansen (Day of Week).
Solvor B. Stølevik (Kristiansand Municipality), Arild Tveide (Kristiansand Municipality) and Siv Kristiansen (Day of Week) in Denmark establishing joint Nordic partnership.
“For Kristiansand Municipality, food is an important part of both climate strategy and regional value creation. Through our collaboration with Day of Week and Nordic partners, we see new opportunities to develop shorter and more circular food value chains that benefit producers, businesses and communities.”
Solvor B. Stølevik and Arild Tveide, Kristiansand Municipality
A Nordic food innovation ecosystem
What is happening in Rogaland illustrates something important. The future of food innovation will not be built in isolated sectors.
It will emerge where farmers, chefs, technology companies, investors, and municipalities work together in strong regional ecosystems. Rogaland already has many of the ingredients needed to play such a role.
And together with partners across Agder and the wider Nordic region, the opportunity is clear: to build a new generation of food systems where local culture, technology and collaboration shape how food is produced, experienced and shared.
For companies like Day of Week, being part of this ecosystem is not just an opportunity – it is a strategic commitment to helping build the future of food.
“Food Region Agder highlighted Day of Week as a food ambassador in 2024. Together with Kristiansand Municipality, partners in Rogaland and local farmers, we see significant potential to position Agder and Rogaland as a compelling destination for global meal tourism, and we are now inviting chefs, hotels and restaurants across the region to take part in shaping Agder and Rogaland as destination for global meal tourism.”
Siv Kristiansen, CEO & Founder, Day of Week
Nordic regions, destinations and partners interested in developing new food experiences and local food value chains are welcome to connect with us.