Meet the 2025 WFF Startup Innovation Awards winners

Young innovators from all around the globe took center stage at the 2025 World Food Forum (WFF) Startup Innovation Awards finals. The fifth edition of the annual competition reached a successful conclusion with a live pitch session at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) headquarters on 15 October 2025, as part of the 2025 WFF flagship event.

The Startup Innovation Awards, powered by Extreme Tech Challenge (XTC), is a global competition established to support and elevate youth using technology to drive the sustainable transformation of agrifood systems in support of ending hunger and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The 2025 Startup Innovation Awards were officially launched in May 2025 during the United Nations Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) Forum in New York. At the launch, four award categories were announced: Digital Innovation in Food Processing, Equitable and sustainable nutrition, Enhancing climate resilience and water security and Driving innovation in agrifood systems as well as an additional prize under the theme of Fighting malnutrition and enhancing food security by MassChallenge Switzerland.

With the generous support of our sponsors – Seeding The Future Foundation, SmartSensor 4 Agrifood, Kilburn & Strode and MassChallenge Switzerland – all finalists received travel support to attend the finals in Rome. Winners were awarded USD 7 500, with second-place finalists receiving USD 2 500, along with post-competition mentoring through FAO and partner networks. Winners also gain access to an exclusive business acceleration programme delivered by VentureWell and RockStart.

The final event featured a distinguished panel of judges, including Beth Bechdol, FAO Deputy Director-General (Chair of the Jury); Vincent Martin, Director of the FAO Office of Innovation; Soojin Kim, Associate Director at ClimateWorksFoundation; and Sudhakar Tomar, President of India Middle East Agro Trade Industry and Investment (Bharat Subcontinent Agri Foundation).

Winners of the 2025 WFF Startup Innovation Awards:

Digital Innovation in Food Processing Award: Microfy Systems (Spain)

Microfy develops affordable AI-powered automated microscopes for agrifood quality control. Its technology uses machine learning to analyze honey and other products for purity and safety, helping prevent food fraud and improve quality assurance.

Equitable and Sustainable Nutrition: MilletsNow (India)

MilletsNow produces nutritious, affordable and climate-resilient foods using traditional Indian millets like sorghum and finger millet. The startup also empowers rural women by providing training and integrating them into its agricultural value chains, spotlighting India’s heritage grains as a solution for sustainable nutrition.

Enhancing Climate Resilience and Water Security: Lilliput Technologies (Costa Rica)

Lilliput Technologies creates smart, bio-inspired materials to protect crops from climate stress. Its biodegradable Lillishield coating cools plant surfaces under extreme heat without external energy, reducing heat damage to crops and boosting yields – a novel approach to prevent crop loss in a warming climate.

Driving Innovation in Agrifood Systems: Unibaio (Argentina)

Unibaio (Argentina) is a biotechnology startup developing natural polymer microparticles that enhance the efficiency and sustainability of agrochemicals. By encapsulating active ingredients in fertilizers and pesticides for gradual release, its technology can reduce chemical use by up to 80 percent while maintaining or improving crop productivity.

The Fighting Malnutrition and Enhancing Food Security Prize, awarded by MassChallenge Switzerland, was announced during the SIA finals. The winner received EUR 10 000 and corporate partner matchmaking opportunities to help scale their innovation.

The winner, Koji es Transformación (Colombia) combines ancient fermentation methods with modern biotechnology to unlock rich, natural flavors from biodiverse ingredients. Using the koji fungus as a “molecular scissor,” the Koji Lab enhances taste, texture and nutritional value, supporting food producers across sectors.

Unibaio (Argentina) was also awarded as the WFF Startup Innovation of the Year 2025, receiving an additional USD 10 000 for its outstanding contribution to sustainable agriculture.

In closing, DDG Bechdol noted that the true value of the competition lies beyond certificates or prizes, in the community that supports young innovators to advance their ideas into impactful, mission-driven enterprises. Congratulations to the winners of the 2025 WFF Startup Innovation Awards for your innovative solutions and commitment to transforming agrifood systems.