Honored to be a Mentor in Deloitte Italy's new accelerator: FoodForward
I am so happy to be participating in FoodFoward’s mentorship process. To be able to share my experience with one or two of the chosen winners make my journey all the more meaningful. The article below explains FoodForward's vision and commitment to the 7 lucky winners of the global call. Once you see the full mentor list you'll understand why I feel so honored to be amongst them.
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FoodForward is a global Foodtech accelerator that brings top Made in Italy corporates and best international innovators together to disrupt agrifood and retail sectors. We chase innovation along the food supply chain to find the new foodtech stars.
The program, held in Milan, is powered by Deloitte and promoted by Corporate partners Amadori, Cereal Docks, Finiper Group along with leading investors such as Innogest and Digital Magics, Media & Community partner Seeds&Chips and Italian Public Institution Federalimentare.
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After a world tour, where Foodforward participated in 23 events in 12 different countries, the call for startups was finally closed.
Nearly 300 startups participated in the rigorous selection process, with candidates coming from 41 countries on 5 continents. Of those submissions, 71% came from Europe, with Africa and Asia representing 13% and 10%, respectively. American startups represented 5% of the selected startups, and 1% of the applications came from Australasia.
The candidates represented the most significant current trends in FoodTech today: Healthy Lifestyle, Agritech, Quality and Traceability were prominent themes that came from both developed countries and emerging economies. Other submissions included solutions in circular economy, innovative delivery methods, new ingredients (particularly plant-based proteins), superfoods and in-vitro foods, as well as innovations in omnichannel models designed to improve the consumer experience.
The selection process for the 7 startups that will take part in the accelerator is now underway. Beginning in January 2019, startups, partners and mentors will begin an intensive 15 week program designed to accelerate the development of innovative solutions. All of the stakeholders share the same goal: to conquer the FoodTech market, an ever growing sector that is estimated to be worth 250 billion dollars by 2022*.*Source: BIS Research (2016)