Startups in the African agri-food sector are encouraged to apply for the World Food Forum WFF Startup Innovation Awards, an international competition that aims to recognise and reward entrepreneurs and innovators using technology to drive the long-term improvement of food production and distribution systems.

With the help of XTC, the World Food Forum (WFF) Startup Innovation Awards can recognise and reward young entrepreneurs who are revolutionising critical agri-food systems by developing ground-breaking new technologies and products.

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What WFF offers

The finalists will have the opportunity to win a total of $30,000 in prizes, as well as a travel stipend to attend the flagship event in Rome, worldwide recognition, the chance to raise funds, connections with international organisations, and enrollment in WFF startup accelerator programmes to help them scale their groundbreaking ideas and innovations.

You can submit your application until June 8th; the programme will begin in October.

Winners of the WFF Startup Innovation Awards will receive $30,000 in addition to providing them with a variety of benefits, including airfare to Rome for the finals, international recognition, opportunities to raise funds, connections to influential figures in government, business, and technology, and access to WFF startup accelerator programmes to help them expand their groundbreaking ideas and innovations.

At World Food Day, October 16, the World Food Forum will host its flagship event, where eight startups from each of the four categories will compete for the Startup Innovation Awards Finals. During the event, judges will choose one winner from each category and one overall winner, the WFF Startup Innovation of the Year Award.

What WFF Startup aims to achieve

To end world hunger and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, the World Food Forum (WFF) launched the Extreme Tech Challenge (XTC) Startup Innovation Awards as a worldwide startup competition to recognise and reward entrepreneurs and innovators who are using technology to drive the sustainable transformation of agrifood systems.

These awards are made possible through a partnership with XTC, the biggest startup competition for entrepreneurs solving global problems. They aim to recognise and support the next generation of entrepreneurs who will create innovations and technologies to help the planet and the vital agrifood systems.

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The World Food Festival Startup Innovation Awards are being judged by a group of dedicated entrepreneurs, innovators, and specialists in agrifood systems worldwide.

Technological and digital innovations will significantly influence the future of our food. We must discover fresh, practical, inventive, and inclusive answers to our agrifood systems’ enormous problems. We must also ensure that these solutions consider the interconnectedness and complexity of the world’s agrifood systems.

The World Food Forum’s Startup Innovation Awards are a way to recognise and support the most promising new businesses in one of four areas that have the potential to revolutionise the way food is produced and distributed.