Announcing the Finalists of the 2025 Startup Innovation Awards
The World Food Forum (WFF) Startup Innovation Awards, powered by Extreme Tech Challenge (XTC), is a global competition that identifies, supports and scales young innovators using technology to transform agrifood systems in support of ending hunger and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
For its fifth edition, the Awards received 1,507 applications from 102 countries across four categories:
- Equitable and Sustainable Nutrition – Recognizing inclusive innovations that improve access to more sustainable, affordable and nutritious diets.
- Enhancing Climate Resilience and Water Security – Spotlighting solutions that strengthen community resilience to climate change and water scarcity.
- Digital Innovation in Food Processing – Honoring data-driven innovations that enhance food quality, safety and sustainability.
- Driving Innovation in Agrifood Systems – Celebrating breakthrough solutions that leverage digital technologies to strengthen agricultural systems, educate producers, enhance resilience, reduce environmental impact, and promote sustainable practices across agrifood value chains.
Following a rigorous review from FAO and industry experts and then a live-pitch semifinals featuring 41 startups, eight outstanding projects have been selected as this year’s finalists. Their youth-led innovations stand at the intersection of technology, inclusion, and sustainability, reflecting the 2025 theme: “Hand-in-Hand for Better Food and a Better Future.”
The finalists will pitch live at the 2025 Startup Innovation Awards Finals during the World Food Forum flagship event, taking place on 15 October at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Headquarters in Rome, Italy.
The 2025 Finalists:
Equitable and Sustainable Nutrition Award
- MilletsNow (India)
- P-Vita (Egypt)
Digital Innovation in Food Processing Award
- Microfy Systems (Spain)
- Udyogyantra (India)
Driving Innovation in Agrifood Systems Award
- MetaBix Biotech (Uruguay)
- Unibaio (Argentina)
Enhancing Climate Resilience and Water Security
- Agua de Sol SAS (France)
- Lilliput Technologies (Costa Rica)
Congratulations to the 2025 finalists of the WFF Startup Innovation Awards. Your ideas, creativity and passion are shaping the future of food and agriculture. We wish you all the best as you prepare to pitch your innovations on the global stage in Rome.