World Food Forum (WFF) Startup Innovation Award for Innovators and Entrepreneurs (Up to $15 000 cash prize)

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Applications are now open for the 2024 World Food Forum (WFF) Startup Innovation Awards. The WFF Startup Innovation Awards, powered by Extreme Tech Challenge (XTC) are a global startup competition established to support and showcase innovators and entrepreneurs who are harnessing the power of technology to drive the sustainable transformation of agrifood systems in support of ending global hunger and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

Made possible through a strategic partnership with XTC, the world’s largest startup competition for entrepreneurs addressing global challenges, these awards aim to elevate the next generation of entrepreneurs who are creating new technologies and innovations to benefit our planet and the agrifood systems we need to thrive.

Agrifood systems specialists, innovators and entrepreneurs from around the globe have volunteered to become experts and judges for the WFF Startup Innovation Awards.

WFF Startup Innovation Awards mission and Categories

Technological and digital innovation will play a critical role in the future of our food. To address the unprecedented challenges facing our agrifood systems, we need to find new, actionable, innovative and inclusive solutions. We also need to ensure that these solutions take into account the complex, interrelated nature of global agrifood systems.

Through the WFF Startup Innovation Awards, we are seeking to identify, elevate and accelerate the growth of startups who show the greatest potential for a positive impact in transforming agrifood systems, aligned to one of four categories:

Digital Innovation in Food Processing Award: This Award aims to recognize and elevate startups that are leaders in digital and/or data solutions, which tackle and propose innovations in the following areas in the food processing industry: improved efficiency, higher quality, sustainable production and products, food safety and improving labor conditions.

Finalists and winner will receive:

Acceleration support within SS4AF ecosystem for the company to scale-up
Access to the network and personalized mentorship from SS4AF partners covering 9 European countries
Travel and accommodation for two (2) finalists to attend the Finals at the WFF flagship in Rome, Italy on 14-18 October 2024
Up to USD 15 000 cash prize for the Award winner
Communication boot camp for the Final pitches at the WFF flagship event
Access to a global audience of young leaders and organizations from the public and private sectors, including FAO, UNIDO, and the United Nations network.
Branding and promotion through the the SS4AF network and its partners (e.g. Next Tech Food Factories) and WFF communication platforms.

Empowering Women in Agrifood Systems Award: This Award aims to recognize startups that are most impactfully increasing access of women to land, inputs, services, finance and digital technology to drive positive agrifood systems transformation, particularly in the Global South.

Finalists and winners will receive:

Travel allowance for 2 startup finalists to attend the Finals at the WFF flagship in Rome, Italy on 14-18 October 2024.
Up to USD 15 000 cash prize for the Award winner
Virtual communication boot camp for the Final pitches at the WFF flagship event
Access to a global audience of young leaders and organizations from the public and private sectors, including FAO and the United Nations network.
Branding and promotion through the WFF, FAO communication platforms

Food Loss Award: This Award aims to recognize startups that are developing innovative technological solutions to help reduce food loss within global agrifood systems, focusing on single or multiple interventions within agrifood supply chains, from post-harvest to throughout the supply chains up to the retail stage.

Finalists and winners will receive:

A spot in WFF-UNIDO Joint Startup Accelerator Program and opportunity to implement their solutions in selected pilot country(s)
Personalized mentorship from globally recognized FAO and UNIDO food loss experts
Travel allowance for 2 startup finalists to attend the Finals at the WFF flagship in Rome, Italy on 14-18 October 2024
Up to USD 15 000 cash prize for the Award winner
Virtual communication boot camp for the Final pitches at the WFF flagship event
Access to a global audience of young leaders and organizations from the public and private sectors, including FAO, UNIDO, and the United Nations network
Branding and promotion through the WFF, FAO and UNIDO communication platforms.

Good Food for All, for Today and Tomorrow Award: Based on the 2024 theme of the World Food Forum, this Award aims to identify and support global startups that are developing innovative, technology-based solutions to sustainably address food insecurity and access to healthy diets (including, but not limited to: sustainable production of livestock, fisheries and crops; responsible management of forests, wetlands, soil and water; and scaling up clean energy for sustainable agrifood systems transformation).

Finalists and winners will receive:

Travel allowance for two (2) startup finalists to attend the Finals at the WFF flagship in Rome, Italy on 14-18 October 2024.
Up to USD 15 000 cash prize for the Award winner
Virtual communication boot camp for the Final pitches at the WFF flagship event
Access to a global audience of young leaders and organizations from the public and private sectors, including FAO and the United Nations network
Branding and promotion through the WFF, FAO communication platforms.

Application Process and Timeline

The WFF Innovation Labs launched the Startup Innovation Awards, powered by Extreme Tech Challenge, on 8 May 2023 during UN Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI) Forum and will accept applications until 8 June.
The competition is open to startups whose work impacts the four categories explained above.
Required Documents
- Pitch Deck
- 2-minute Pitch Video
- Deck and Video MUST BE DONE BY A FOUNDER/CO-FOUNDER
- Application MUST be submitted in English

Click Here to Apply

For more details visit: WFF Startup Innovation Awards