Shortlisted Teams
42 shortlisted start-ups have been selected from 1215 submissions across 113 countries!
Proposals feature groundbreaking solutions, from lab-grown dairy products and regenerative seaweed farming to AI-powered crop monitoring and biodegradable hydrogels. Startups from the UAE accounted for 16% of the semifinalist cohort, underscoring the Emirates’ emergence as a global hub for agri-tech innovation, while 40% have at least one female co-founder and 33% are led or co-led by youth entrepreneurs.
Food Loss and Waste
| Name | Description | Country |
|---|---|---|
| Aroundrs | Aroundrs helps businesses reduce waste by offering a digital reuse platform for packaging. We provide smart, reusable containers & track waste reduction, enabling companies to cut costs, lower environmental impact, & meet sustainability goals. | Italy | Akorn Technology | Akorn develops natural, plant-based coatings that extend the shelf-life of fresh produce, reducing food waste and enabling more sustainable, chemical-free supply chains from farm to fork. | US | BOB FoodTech | BOB FoodTech employs a patented RNA-based solution for scalable and selective toxin removal for diverse applications in the food and beverage industry, without the need for further chemical additives, to remove many of the toxins prevalent in our F&B today (chlorates, heavy metals, etc.). | Israel | Cool Innovation | Cool Innovation develops smart, reusable packaging solutions that extend the shelf life of fresh produce without electricity, enabling sustainable cold chain logistics and reducing food waste across supply chains. | Japan | Ecorich Solutions | Ecorich Solutions developed the Wastebot, an AI-sensor-based smart machine that converts organic waste into organic fertilizer within 24 hours. The organic fertilizer is sold to small-scale farmers at 70% cheaper price than synthetic alternatives. | Kenya | Flybox | Flybox provides modular, scalable insect farming systems that convert organic waste into high-quality protein and fertilizer using Black Soldier Fly larvae – enabling local, sustainable, and circular food production anywhere in the world. | United Kingdom |
| Greentech Innovators | Greentech Innovators uses biotechnology to convert food waste into nutrient-rich media for cultivating microalgae high in omega-3 oils and protein, creating sustainable aquaculture feed while reducing greenhouse gas emissions | Norway |
| Imago Engineering | Imago Engineering produces high-quality, cost-effective animal feed protein from housefly larvae, offering a more affordable alternative to Black Soldier Fly, high production scalability, and superior nutritional quality with over 60% crude protein and low-fat content. | Malaysia |
| Jabu | Jabu is an AI-powered platform revolutionizing how restaurants and commercial kitchens manage their inventory – cutting costs, minimizing food waste, and turning surplus ingredients into new revenue by connecting them with local buyers in real time. | France |
| Jalebi.io | Jalebi is an award-winning ESG-focused B2B SaaS F&B Operating System that accurately automates inventory management, & optimizes operations, adding traceability across production, while tackling food waste through a fully integrated digital platform. | UAE |
| NOF – Natural Offset Farming | NOF is a startup company that developed a patented cooling technology designed to provide in-field pre-treatment to extend shelf-life, improve produce quality, and minimize food waste for small-holder farmers worldwide | Israel |
| OBORTECH | OBORTECH offers a blockchain – and IOT – powered smart logistics platform that connects stakeholders across the agri-supply chain, enabling transparent, efficient, and secure data to improve traceability, reduce waste, and build trust. | Poland |
| POLY-CHAETA | POLYCHAETA provide a solution for the ocean health by recycling organic waste collected from aquaculture facilities into Marine worms, these marine worms are used as bait for fishing and Alternative protein for sustainable aquaculture. | Tunisia |
| Protein Kapital | Protein Kapital is an award-winning biotech company that uses proprietary Black Soldier Fly breeding technology to transform food waste into low-cost animal protein and bio-fertilizer, enabling sustainable agriculture in even the harshest climates | Uganda |
| Recyglo | RecyGlo is a sustainable waste management company committed to transforming food/organic waste into compost that contribute to the circular economy. The solution aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and cleaner environment.. | Thailand |
| The HungreeApp | The HungreeApp is a revolutionary platform that combats food insecurity and waste by enabling individuals, restaurants, business, and orgs to dynamically share surplus food within their communities, fostering sustainability, and reducing hunger worldwide | US | TwinFoods | TwinFoods creates digital twins of food products to provide consumers with real-time nutritional data and dynamic shelf-life tracking via their phones, enabling smarter consumption and zero food waste. | Portugal |
| Whole. | Whole. is bringing disruptive innovation to the foodtech industry with proprietary WINX (Whole Ingredient Nutrient Extraction) tech. This cutting-edge tech enables large-scale & cost-effective production of plant-based ingredients/flavors. | Australia |
Food-Water-Energy
| Name | Description | Country | Afrotym | Afrotym makes a water-absorbing granulate called Waterbank, made with discarded fruit peels, making it fully biodegradable, compostable, and non-toxic. The granules can be spread on sowing or added later to enhance water retention in the soil. | Uganda |
|---|---|---|
| Aquaviolet Pte Ltd | Designs and distributes UV lights to replace banned mercury lamps in fish farming. The technology prevents disease across a broader range of pathogens, is more energy efficient, has lower maintenance, and lasts 3 times longer than conventional solutions. | Singapore |
| Brown Foods – UnReal Milk | Produce ‘real’ cow milk in lab – UnReal Milk – made without any cows, using cell-based biotechnology, with over 82% lower carbon foot-print than traditional farming, previously accepted into Y Combinator. | US |
| CinSOIL GmbH | CinSOIL develops a cutting-edge software solution that utilizes advanced AI models and satellite data to offer actionable insights for soil management, carbon sequestration, and transition to water-efficient sustainable agricultural practices. | Germany |
| Day 8 | Day8 manufactures low-cost, highly digestible, water-soluble, plant-based protein from otherwise unused, abundant leafy greens, replacing soybean, wheat or animal-based proteins, without the need for extra land. | Israel |
| EFama App Pty Ltd | eFama is blockchain-enabled digital marketplace that connects farmers directly with commercial buyers and consumers, enabling the sale of fresh produce and meat without unnecessary intermediaries, by facilitating real-time order tracking and digital record-keeping for inventory and sales management. | South Africa | Farmonaut Technologies | Farmonaut is a deep-tech company delivering satellite-based crop insights and farm analytics to help farmers, agribusinesses, and governments make data-driven decisions that improve yield, reduce input costs, and promote sustainable farming practices. | India |
| Green Tech EnviroGroup | An IOT supported and solar powered wastewater treatment that is eco-friendly and cost effective. It employs biochar (Charcops) from agro-industrial waste, coconut and palm kernel shells, as treatment media for wastewater recycling, with low running costs ($0.25/day). | UAE |
| HyveGeo | HyveGeo transforms arid desert lands into fertile, arable soil by converting agricultural and forestry waste into biochar infused with bioactive compounds and beneficial microbes. This process enhances soil health, promotes sustainable agriculture, and facilitates carbon sequestration, mitigating climate change. | UAE |
| Homeport | Homeport’s plug-and-play solution integrates Nanobubbles into the water supply to enhance water efficiency, improve soil health, and boost crop yields by up to 60% in arid regions. Homeport offers full-service rental of machines for $600-1500 per month, on 5-year contracts, with a 1-year payback period. | UAE |
| Kybele’s Garden | Kybele’s Garden is a biotechnology company specializing in algae-based solutions for the agrifood and natural cosmetics industries, developing regenerative products that promote sustainability and environmental health | Turkey |
| LandPrint | LandPrint provides a digital environmental asset rating system, powered by a SaaS dMRV (digital Monitoring, Reporting and Verification) platform, that helps farmers, agribusinesses and governments assess, manage, and optimize the key natural capital and resources that are needed to sustain outdoor and indoor food production overtime. | Brazil |
| Nabta | Nabta have developed an AI-powered plant disease identification platform enables farmers to identify over 33,000 plant diseases and launch an online store in 5 minutes on their application, to support farmers in marketing their products without the need for spending thousands of dollars on developers. | Morocco |
| New Path Bio GmbH (NPB) | NPB creates bio-engineered yeast to transform industrial waste, CO2 & H2 into high-value proteins. Our IP-protected process operates without reliance on land, water, or climate, enabling self-sufficiency for food, health & industrial applications. | Austria |
| Omega-Space | Omega-Space supports the development of precision agriculture by providing crop health monitoring, crop classification and yield estimation using satellite monitoring systems, enhancing crop treatment, empowering smarter farming practices and fostering a deeper understanding of agricultural systems. | Saudi Arabia |
| Ocean Harvest Ltd | Ocean Harvest addresses the challenges of urban population growth and unsustainable food systems by combining Recirculating Aquaculture System (RAS) and advanced wastewater treatment technologies with AI-driven solutions for eco-friendly, localized seafood production. | UAE |
| P-Vita | Transforms agricultural waste derived from palm trees into high-value ingredients such as beta-carotene and retinol, for the cosmetics and pharmaceutical industries at more affordable prices than traditional producers. | Egypt |
| Protium Technologies | Sustainable wastewater treatment solution using biodegradable hydrogel with carbon nanodots. It purifies water via solar-evaporation & repurposes the hydrogel as fertilizer & water retention aid, promoting a circular economy./td> | UAE |
| Permia Sensing | Permia is a spinout from Imperial College with a revolutionary bio-acoustic sensor used to provide acoustic data on palm tree health that when combined with image data from drones allows us to advise farmers on-farm best practices to increase yield and combat the effects of red palm weavil. | UK |
| Raincatcher | Raincatcher revolutionizes sustainable agriculture with biodegradable, non-toxic hydrogel technology, saving up to 85% water while boosting yields. Our patented tools ensure precise application, transforming arid land into fertile soil with lasting impact. | UAE |
| SEADLING | SEADLING is a seaweed biotech startup transforming seaweed into functional ingredients for food and agriculture. Using regenerative ocean farming to produce sustainable ingredients for health, nutrition, and cosmetics, their products are backed by scientific research and tailored to meet the growing demand for eco-friendly, functional ingredients. | Malaysia |
| Soyl.ag | Soyl’s Liquid Natural Clay (LNC) reduces water usage by up to 50%, boosts crop yields by up to 62%, and cuts fertilizer costs by 15-20%. It enhances soil health for 5 years with one application, offering sustainable solutions for food & water security. | UAE |
| SparkyAi Private Ltd | SparkyAI is a satellite-powered agritech platform transforming agriculture with real-time insights on crop health, water stress, & soil conditions. Affordable & scalable, they empower farmers from sowing to post-harvest, boosting yields by 25%. | India |
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