The Fi Europe Startup Challenge offers a unique platform to showcase startups’ ingredient innovations and amplify their products to an audience of potential partners and investors at Fi Europe, the leading trade show for the food ingredient industry. In 2024, the Startup Challenge will take place once more in Frankfurt and innovative food ingredient startups are encouraged to send their applications.

Pitches will take place on 18 November in front of the panel of judges and again on 19 November on stage in front of the Fi Europe audience. Click here to apply for free by 13 September and find out more about the exciting prizes up for grabs.  

Startups active for five years or less can apply to as many of the four categories that are relevant to them:

Most Innovative Food or Beverage Ingredient   

This category covers ingredients or additives that improve taste, texture, appearance and/or nutritional value.   

Most Innovative Plant-based or Alternative Ingredient    

This category covers innovations related to food and beverage ingredients or additives specifically from a plant-based or alternative, non-animal source.   

Most Innovative Foodtech Solution  

This category covers innovations related to food processing or bioprocessing technologies, solutions or services that have the potential to positively impact the food and beverage industry.   

This category covers innovations that support improvements in ingredients sourcing and production, food safety and quality, traceability, transparency, smart packaging, and/or supply chain management.  

Jury’s choice award - Most Innovative Sustainable Solution

This special prize will be awarded to the startup with the most sustainable innovation. All startup finalists across all categories can be considered for this award, with the winners being decided by the expert jury. The startup’s overall sustainability efforts will be considered. (Please note that startups cannot apply directly for this Jury’s Choice award)

A host of prizes to be won

All finalists gain access to Fi Europe 2024, held in person in Frankfurt, where they can meet and mingle with industry stakeholders and gain valuable exposure when pitching their solutions on stage at the Innovation Hub. Every startup selected as a finalist will be interviewed for an article that will be published on the Fi Global Insights website, which has 260,000 unique visitors annually and over 25,000 newsletter subscribers, further increasing visibility.   

The winning startups can also choose from one of three high-value prizes: a fully equipped exhibitor stand at Fi Europe for the following year, as well as a Premium Profile on the Ingredients Network website, which attracts almost 900,000 unique visitors each year; a digital marketing package for Ingredients Network and Fi Global Insights to promote their online presence throughout 2025; or mentorship and support from one of our jury members. Such support could include one-to-one coaching sessions; the opportunity for potential pilot work; or access to corporate collaborations and accelerator programmes.   

Click here to apply for the Startup Challenge 2024 by 13 September.