Out of 20 finalists, there can only be one winner in each category. Find out which game-changing startups will compete to impress the judges with their innovative ingredients, technologies, and services at Fi Europe this year.
October 15, 2024
Each year, the Fi Europe Startup Challenge shines a spotlight on agile companies breaking new ground in the food industry.
Pitching before the judges and industry audience takes place during Fi Europe, one of the world’s largest ingredient trade shows where 1,500 exhibiting companies and over 25,000 industry stakeholders gather each year. In this way, the Challenge helps connect startups with potential commercial partners from the food and drink industry.
A total of 20 startups across four categories are taking part and winners will be announced on 19 November at Fi Europe.
The finalists of the 2024 Startup Innovation Challenge are:
Perfat has developed a fat solution based on advanced oleogel technologies to supply food producers with solid fats that are both healthy and functional.
Primogene specialises in the manufacturing of complex human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) that have various health benefits using a scalable, cell-free production process.
Casillo Next Gen Food has developed Altograno, an alternative to wheat flour or semolina, obtained by a patented process that upcycles protein and fibre from wheat germ and bran.
Lembas creates unique protein-based ingredients that naturally activate satiety hormones, specifically targeting the body’s GLP-1 receptor, which plays a key role in hunger regulation.
Qortein uses jellyfish biomass for the development of novel polymers involving Q-mucin and collagen for oral and additional food applications.
Akoua produces cashew fruit concentrate as a sustainable ingredient solution made from the previously unused cashew apples.
Solmeyea produces EFSA- and FDA-approved carbon-negative food proteins derived directly from CO2, achieved by fermenting microalgae.
Edonia has developed a process which transforms microalgae biomass into an ingredient that can replace ground meat and be used as a natural nutritional enhancer in a variety of food products.
BioDiary Labs uses sustainable vegetable oils and advanced organic chemistry to create structured fats at any scale and with price parity.
Moreshrooms develops mycoprotein, a protein-rich fungal biomass, using seaweed as the primary feedstock, offering a superior taste, texture, and nutritional profile.
Fabumin makes aquafaba, a plant-based ingredient that can effectively replace eggs in various food applications. Its Fabumin powder excels in binding, emulsifying, and foaming and often surpasses the performance of traditional eggs.
Yeastime develops a retrofitting ultrasound technology, which accelerates fermentation by up to 30%, boosting efficiency and reducing energy consumption.
Hatchless has developed an agriculture ecosystem which transforms infertile chicken eggs into 100% real chicken meat without hatching or raising a single live chicken.
NuVive's has developed a technology to store and process beet sugar into a powder that can be stored for months or even years without losing its quality.
Koji es Transformación has developed a natural flavour concentration technology that is 90% more efficient than traditional methods and unlocks a broader range of flavours.
Revoltech has developed a proprietary technology that makes frozen food taste better and is 30 times cheaper than nitrogen freezing.
Natural Trace has developed a molecular-level “bio barcode”, which directly tags products for seamless traceability. This natural, non-GMO, food-grade tag is tasteless, invisible, and tamper-proof.
MNDL Bio specialises in AI-driven gene expression optimisation. It offers a technology platform that empowers companies in the food and drink industry to significantly enhance their production processes.
MAMAY has developed a SaaS "organoleptic digitiser" platform for sensory evaluation, boosting product development and enabling personalisation and AI.
AKA Foods has developed a SaaS software, which provides a central digital hub for R&D teams to design and evaluate food prototypes, enabling them to incorporate expert AI algorithms into their workflows and future-proof their new product development.
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Fi Startup Challenge
