The third edition of the UAE FoodTech Challenge, a global competition that identifies and scales the world’s most promising agri-tech innovations, concluded at Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week with the announcement of four winning startups.
From an initial pool of 1,215 submissions from 113 countries, ten finalists advanced to the final stage of the competition, presenting their agri-tech solutions in live pitches to an international judging panel.
The four teams will share a $2m prize and will be invited to scale their solutions in the UAE, where they will receive tailored in-kind support, including pilot opportunities, access to research facilities, market-entry guidance, mentorship, and investor introductions through an extensive network of local and international partners.
From this base, the winners will work to deploy and scale their solutions across key markets in the Global South, supporting more resilient and sustainable food systems.
Advancing agri-tech innovations across the entire food system
This year’s FoodTech Challenge is organised by the International Affairs Office at the UAE Presidential Court and Tamkeen, in partnership with the Gates Foundation, ne’ma (The National Food Loss and Waste Initiative), and Silal.
The finalist cohort represents a diverse range of approaches to food system innovation, including advanced agri-tech innovations for post-harvest preservation, waste-to-value conversion, precision agriculture, and resource-efficient food production.
Rima Al Mokarrab, Chair of Tamkeen and Co-Chair of the FoodTech Challenge, commented: “Building resilient and secure food systems is central to the UAE’s long-term vision for a prosperous future.
“The latest winners of the UAE FoodTech Challenge now join a growing community of past awardees, who have since raised over $48m in follow-on funding and launched more than 50 pilot projects across the UAE and other markets.”
Four winners across two categories
Each category winner across the awards represents a key area in the food industry that will advance agri-tech innovations for the future of global food. They are:
Climate-smart food production
- Permia Sensing: Uses AI, bioacoustic sensors and drone imaging to monitor tree health. Already covering over 15,000 hectares of palm plantations in Sri Lanka, the technology offers early detection of stress factors, such as dehydration and pest infestations, enabling farmers to boost yields and reduce waste.
- HyveGeo: Turns agricultural waste into a carbon-rich biochar, then enriches it with microbes to create a high-performance soil enhancer.
Food loss & waste reduction
- Akorn Technology: Produces a natural, edible coating for fruit and vegetables, including a vegetable protein to slow ripening, a wax to reduce moisture loss, and a vegetable oil to maintain colour.
- Flybox: Uses black soldier fly larvae to convert agricultural byproducts into high-quality protein and fertiliser, while reducing waste sent to landfill.
Supporting long-term food security ambitions
The UAE FoodTech Challenge identifies and accelerates agri-food technology solutions that boost food production and reduce food loss and waste in arid and increasingly climate-stressed environments.
Attracting technology-driven innovations that can be refined in the UAE and scaled internationally, the competition directly supports the UAE’s long-term food security ambitions and contributes to global food system resilience.
“Through the UAE FoodTech Challenge, winning startups are embedded within a proven development ecosystem, where advanced technologies, policy leadership, and global expertise come together to accelerate solutions from pilot to scale,” concluded Fatema Almulla, Senior Specialist Development, International Affairs Office at the UAE Presidential Court.
“This is how innovation is translated into measurable impact, from the UAE to climate-vulnerable regions worldwide.”
