ABU DHABI, 13th May, 2025 (WAM) -- The FoodTech Challenge (FTC) has shortlisted 42 innovative early-stage startups for their tech-driven solutions that have the potential to transform global food systems.
Organised by the International Affairs Office at the UAE Presidential Court and Tamkeen and delivered in partnership with the Gates Foundation, ne’ma, the UAE’s Food Loss and Waste Initiative, and Silal, a leading UAE agri-food company, the third iteration of FTC offers its biggest cash prize to date. The competition was announced at the Clinton Global Initiative Annual Meeting in 2024.
Later this year, four winners will receive a share of US$2 million in cash grants. In addition to funding, each winner will benefit from go-to-market support and access to a global network, empowering them to deploy their solutions in the UAE and scale across the Global South.
With its arid desert climate, the UAE offers an ideal launchpad for pioneering innovations that can be adapted to similar environments worldwide.
Judges received more than 1,200 entries from 113 countries, an 80 percent increase in applications over the previous edition. Submissions 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 percent of the semifinalist cohort, while 40 percent have at least one female co-founder and 33 percent are led or co-led by youth entrepreneurs.
The cohort includes startups from the United States, Israel, India, Malaysia, Uganda, the United Kingdom, Brazil, Kenya, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Tunisia, Norway, Morocco, South Africa, Germany, France, Indonesia, and Australia.
Khuloud Hassan Al Nuwais, Chief Sustainability Officer of Emirates Foundation and Secretary-General of ne’ma Committee, confirmed that the shortlisted companies offer innovative solutions in key areas such as smart packaging technologies, urban farming, and AI-powered analytics. She noted that 45 percent of the solutions are focused on reducing food loss and waste.
Salmeen al Ameri, Chief Executive Officer of Silal, said that the entries in this edition reflect innovative and scalable approaches, reaffirming the company’s commitment to supporting these projects through advisory services and market access to foster innovation in the food and agriculture industries.
In the next phase of the competition, selected startups will participate in a series of interviews and pitches, ultimately leading to the selection of a final top 10 shortlist.
Finale judges for the third edition of the FTC include Mariam Almheiri, Head of the International Affairs Office at the Presidential Court of the UAE and Co-Chair of FTC; Rima Al Mokarrab, Chair of Tamkeen and Co-Chair of FTC; HRH Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed bin Talal Al Saud, Founder and CEO of KBW Ventures; representatives from the Gates Foundation, the ne’ma initiative, Silal, and international organisations focused on development and agricultural research.
Launched under the UAE’s National Food Security Strategy 2051, FTC leverages the country’s arid, resource-scarce environment as a launchpad for scalable innovations. With an estimated two billion more people to feed by 2050, the competition is anchored in the UAE’s broader vision to food security by identifying and supporting solutions related to the food-water-energy nexus, halving food loss and waste, and accelerating solutions that can be replicated globally.
Winners of previous editions have achieved notable success, with iyris (formerly Red Sea Farms) raising over $34 million since its win and scaling its technologies across Silal farms in Abu Dhabi, and Orbisk, which completed a €8.3 million funding round in December 2024.
To date, FTC winners have raised a total of $60 million for their solutions following their participation in the challenge.