Wine Incubator 2026

The programme brings together Georgia's rich winemaking heritage and emerging technologies to help entrepreneurs, innovators, and startups develop scalable solutions for the wine industry.

Programme Structure

The incubator consists of four stages:

• Innovation Readiness Assessment – identifying key challenges and opportunities in the wine industry in collaboration with wineries and industry stakeholders.
• Online Masterclasses – a three-day training programme delivered by local and international experts.
• WINOTHON Hackathon – a 48-hour innovation challenge where selected teams develop technology-driven solutions.
• Mentorship & Validation Programme – a six-week incubation programme consisting of:

o 4 weeks of online incubation and mentorship, during which teams refine their solutions with the support of mentors and partner wineries.

o 2 weeks (10 calendar days) of on-site incubation in Kakheti, where teams validate, test, and pilot their solutions in real winery environments together with partner wineries.

Who Can Apply?

The programme is open to:

• Startups developing innovative solutions for the wine industry.
• Individuals aged 18 and above interested in innovation, technology, and entrepreneurship.
• Both local and international participants.

Working language: English

What Participants Will Receive

Participating startups and teams will receive:

• Access to curated industry datasets and the Wine Incubator Challenge Book.
• Mentorship from international wine experts, technology specialists, and business mentors.
• Direct collaboration with partner wineries throughout the programme;
• The opportunity to develop, validate, and test prototypes in real production environments.
• A two-week on-site pilot implementation in Kakheti with participating wineries.
• Exposure to investors, industry leaders, and international experts during Demo Day.
• Opportunities for commercial partnerships with participating wineries following successful pilot implementations.

Applications open: End of August 2026

Programme Timeline

• August – September: Innovation readiness assessment with wineries, challenge definition, dataset preparation, marketing, and participant recruitment.
• Early October: Three-day online masterclasses followed by the WINOTHON (48-hour hackathon).
• Mid-October – Mid-November: Four-week online incubation and mentorship programme.
• Mid to Late November: Two-week field validation and pilot implementation in Kakheti, where teams will work directly with partner wineries to test their solutions in real operating environments.
• Late November: Demo Day featuring investors, industry partners, media representatives, and international experts.