Announcing the 2025 Startup Innovation Awards Semi-Finalists

The World Food Forum (WFF) Global Youth Action Initiative’s Startup Innovation Awards (SIA), powered by Extreme Tech Challenge (XTC), is a global competition that supports and showcases young innovators and entrepreneurs using technology to accelerate the sustainable transformation of agrifood systems and advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Now in its fifth edition, the SIA received 1 507 applications from 102 countries across four award 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 evaluation by expert reviewers from around the world, 41 semi-finalists have been selected. Their solutions represent a diverse portfolio of promising, high-impact innovations for sustainable and inclusive agrifood systems transformation.

Meet the 2025 Semi-finalists

Equitable and Sustainable Nutrition Award

• Clean Vital (India)
• Fortotec (United States of America)
• Mahta (Brazil)
• MilletsNow (India)
• Mujuni Venture Limited (Uganda)
• Nutrition from Water (Portugal)
• P-Vita (Egypt)
• SnackOn (Nepal)
• Sophie’s BioNutrients (Netherlands)

Digital Innovation in Food Processing Award

• BlueTree Technologies (Israel)
• Clarifresh (Israel)
• D Protein (Mexico)
• Ecoplant Protein (Kenya)
• Foodvision io (Switzerland)
• Koji es Transformacion (Colombia)
• Microfy Systems (Spain)
• Udyogyantra (India)

Driving Innovation in Agrifood Systems Award

• Cropt (Serbia)
• Ecorich Solution Limited (Kenya)
• Ekolive s.r.o (Slovakia)
• Eorganics (Ghana)
• Farmerlife Technologies (Kenya)
• Farmonaut Technologies (India)
• Ful (Pakistan)
• GreenBox cg (South Africa)
• Higgin Munin LTD (Ireland)
• Krimanshi (India)
• MetaBix Biotech (Uruguay)
• Pysis Technologies (Nigeria)
• Shoes Agtech (Vietnam)
• Smart Soil Py (Paraguay)
• Unibaio (Argentina)

Enhancing Climate Resilience and Water Security

• Agua de Sol SAS (France)
• Bluefilter (Palestine Territory)
• Clic Recycle (Spain)
• Climate Smart Irrigator (Tanzania)
• Croptimus (Egypt)
• Lilliput Technologies (Costa Rica)
• Nucleic Sensing System (United States of America)
• Terra (Israel)
• Waterfall Automation PVT (India)

These inspiring innovators will pitch their projects before an expert jury in July 2025, after which eight finalists, two from each category, will be selected to present their solutions live during the WFF flagship event from 10 –17 October at the headquarters of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in Rome, Italy.