42 startups qualify for the semi -finals of "Food technology challenge"

Abu Dhabi, May 13/ WAM/ The “Food Technology Challenge” announced in its third edition, 42 emerging companies from different countries of the world qualified for the semi -finals, to provide innovative solutions in the fields of agricultural technology and food technology and contribute to a qualitative shift in global food systems, and these companies are competing for a total cash prize of $ 2 million.

The challenge is organized by the International Affairs Office of the Presidential Court, “Tamkeen”, in partnership with the “Gates” Foundation, the “Clinton International” initiative, and the “Naama” National Initiative to reduce the loss and waste of food alongside the “Slaces” company specialized in food and agriculture.
This version of the challenge was launched during the annual meeting of the Clinton International Initiative in 2024 and is the largest in terms of the value of the prizes since the launch of the competition.

The names of four winners are scheduled to be announced later this year, as each of them will receive a share of the cash prize in addition to marketing support and strategic guidance and opportunities to communicate with a global network of partners, with the aim of expanding their solutions inside and outside the Emirates, especially in the global southern countries.

The challenge is a global platform for testing and developing innovative solutions to overcome food security challenges, taking advantage of the UAE’s desert environment, which is a realistic model for applying these solutions in similar circumstances around the world.

The current version of the challenge witnessed a standard participation, as it received more than 1,200 requests from 113 countries, an increase of 80% over the previous session.
Participating solutions included various techniques such as dairy production in laboratories, sustainable seaweed cultivation, crop monitoring of crops using artificial intelligence, and the development of biological decomposing gels that support agriculture in soil water scarce.

The challenge shows a great diversity among the participants, as Emirati companies represent 16% of the qualified, while 40% of companies lead women, and 33% of which leads young people under the age of 35 years.

The list of qualified companies includes representatives from the United States of America, the United Kingdom, India, Israel, Malaysia, Uganda, Brazil, Kenya, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Tunisia, Norway, Morocco, South Africa, Germany, France, Indonesia and Australia, in an indication of the global nature of the competition.

Kholoud Hassan Al -Nuwais, CEO of Sustainability at the Emirates Foundation, Secretary General of the “Naama” Initiative Committee, stressed that qualified companies provide innovative solutions in vital areas such as smart mobilization techniques, urban agriculture and artificial intelligence analyzes, noting that 45% of solutions focus on reducing loss and waste of food.

For his part, Salmin Al -Amiri, CEO of “Sallal” company, said that the participants in this session embody innovative and canable trends, stressing the company’s commitment to support these projects with consultations and access to the markets in a way that enhances innovation in the food and agriculture sectors.

The next stage of the challenge will include interviews and presentations that lead to the selection of the 10 best companies for the final stage.
The arbitration is supervised by a group of personalities and experts, among them His Excellency Maryam Al -Muhairi, Head of the International Affairs Office at the Presidential Court, the co -chair of the challenge of food technology, Rima al -Muqrib, Chairman of the Tamkeen Company and the co -chairman for the challenge of food technology, and His Royal Highness Prince Khalid bin Al -Walid bin Talal Al Saud, founder and CEO of KPW Ventures alongside representatives from the “Gates” and initiative “Nima”, “Asalal” company and international organizations concerned with agricultural development and research.

The organization of the challenge comes within the efforts to implement the “National Food Security Strategy 2051” for the UAE, which focuses on accelerating applicable innovations in the areas of food, water and energy interconnection, reduce food waste by 50% and meet the needs of the world’s residents expected to increase by two billion by 2050.

The winners of the previous copies of the challenge succeeded in achieving prominent achievements, as the company “Iris” (formerly the Red Sea farms) collected financing of more than $ 34 million and expanded its business inside the Emirates, while the company “Orbesk” has collected more than 8.3 million euros in a financing tour during December 2024, and the total financing that the winners have received so far reached about 60 million dollars.

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