WFF Startup Innovation Awards

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 the planet and the agrifood systems they 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.

Awards Mission

• Technological and digital innovation will play a critical role in the future of the food. To address the unprecedented challenges facing the agrifood systems, they need to find new, actionable, innovative and inclusive solutions. They also need to ensure that these solutions take into account the complex, interrelated nature of global agrifood systems.
• Through the WFF Startup Innovation Awards, they 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, co-hosted with Smart Sensors for Agri-food (SS4AF), HIGHFIVE, Qing and Next Tech Food Factories, focuses on the need to find innovative solutions to ensure a sustainable and green development in food processing, specifically using digital solutions on SME-level.
    • Four thematic priorities are identified:
      • Sensors to monitor real time critical control parameters
      • Sensor integration and implementation
      • Smart data management and analytics – from data to information to action
      • Interoperability between food companies and in the food value chains
    • 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
    • Eligibility criteria for the Award:
      • The solution of the startup entrant has a focus on food processing, which refers to the transformation of raw agricultural materials or ingredients into food products through various physical, chemical, and biological methods. This includes cleaning, sorting, grinding, cooking, preserving, and packaging food to make it suitable for consumption.
      • The solution of the startup entrant is based on digital innovation and aligns with at least one of the thematic priorities.
  • Empowering Women in Agrifood Systems Award
    • This Award aims to identify, elevate and nurture global, innovative solutions led by startups that are increasing access for women to land, inputs, services, finance and digital technology to drive positive agrifood systems transformation, particularly in the Global South.
    • Startups must be able to demonstrate their impact on empowering women either by providing economic opportunities, improving access to resources, or promoting gender equality. Women-led startups are highly encouraged to apply.
    • 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
    • The objective of this Award is to challenge global startups to propose innovative technological solutions to help reduce food loss within global agrifood systems, which focus on a single or multiple interventions within agrifood supply chains, starting from post-harvest until right before retail chain.
    • Ten (10) finalists will join the WFF-UNIDO Startup Accelerator Program designed to implement and scale their solutions on the ground in a/multiple pilot country(s) in Africa, Asia, and Latin America & the Caribbean.
    • The scale of innovation may be at farm level, local, regional or global; with stage of intervention at any point of the supply chains (production, storage, processing, packaging or distribution) before the food reaches retail stages. Ideally, multiple solutions can be developed and implemented together resulting in a systemic approach across the chains.
    • 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
    • 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).
    • Startups should showcase innovation in their approaches or technologies that contribute to enhancing agrifood systems as well as their impact and contributions to achieving the SDGs.
    • 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

Why Apply?

• The WFF Startup Innovation Awards will provide the finalists travel allowance to the finals during the flagship event in Rome, global visibility, the chance to raise capital, network with global entities (governments, United Nations agencies, corporations, investors, partners), the chance to join WFF startup accelerator programmes to scale up their innovative solutions and technological breakthroughs, and a total of USD 30 000 in prizes.

For more information, visit World Food Forum (WFF).