The FoodTech 500 is the 'Fortune 500' of the FoodTech sector – a ranking of the top 500 AgriFoodTech companies in the world. Our mission is to raise the public profile of FoodTech and give visibility to the most innovative companies in the sector, showcasing their valiant efforts in tackling the varied challenges the system faces. We have created a set of criteria to unify, rank and score the businesses that would define the future of food.

The big differentiator of the FoodTech 500 is that it is a global initiative. Its global coverage provides a more accurate picture of where we are in food tech by showcasing the latest developments from international startup and scaleup companies across the entire supply chain.

Industry Prestige: Gain recognition as one of the top players in the AgriFoodTech industry, thanks to the world's first Global FoodTech ranking.

Global Exposure: Access a vast network of industry stakeholders (20K+ industry contacts), including C-level Executives at Fortune 500 F&B companies, international investors and government representatives among others.

Showcasing Awesomeness: Be featured on the official FoodTech 500 website and the Official White Paper, putting your brilliance on display for the world to see, with over 350K+ downloaded reports on our website.

Highly-curated Industry Events: Get the opportunity to be a speaker or exhibitor at our international gatherings, conferences, and meetups, where you'll get to network with the best innovators and industry experts out there.

While some global rankings are generated with publishers, we ask companies (including more established players) to apply for the FoodTech 500 themselves. This is because in the application process we ask companies to share a series of metrics and data points that allow us to measure the business with our proprietary algorithm. These metrics cannot be pulled from online sources, so they require companies to report to us themselves. We have developed this algorithm to take into account three main factors: business size, digital footprint and sustainability score. You can find more information here.

Yes, we require companies to apply every year to ensure our data is the most accurate it can be in assessing the efforts and progress of each company on the list. 

Every year applications close on November 15th. However, companies that apply early will get featured in communications to the community and to investors in the lead-up to the deadline. If a high volume of submissions is received, we reserve the right to close applications early to allow our team to process each one thoroughly

All startups and scaleups from the Food Tech (or 'AgriFoodTech') sector – from early stage to more established businesses, operating all across the food supply chain. At Forward Fooding we define Food Tech as 'the emerging sector exploring how technology can be leveraged to create efficiency and sustainability in designing, producing, choosing, delivering and enjoying food.' You can find out more about how we define Food Tech here. 

On top of fitting the above definition, there are 3 main baseline criteria for submitting an application:

1. The company needs to be incorporated
2. The company needs to have an active website
3. The company is less than 15 years old

Some sub sectors we are focusing on include: alternative proteins, vertical farming, packaging & materials, surplus & waste management, restaurant tech, food & grocery delivery, food processing, food safety & traceability, consumer applications, kitchen robotics, irrigation & water tech, precision farming and Ag biotech.

No, applying is free of charge and always will be! It is very important to us that the FoodTech 500 is equally accessible to all FoodTech businesses, so there is no cost to apply nor to be featured on the final list.

The Forward Fooding team has created a proprietary ranking system to accurately portray the potential of a diverse set of FoodTech businesses. The score is based on three sets of metrics – business size, digital footprint and sustainability efforts. Once we validate all of the entries and shortlist the 500 winners, we process the data from each company's application using the FoodTech Data Navigator's unique set of algorithms, which provides us with the business size score and the digital footprint score. 

We then assess each business' sustainability efforts using data from the questionnaire, a process devised in collaboration with sustainability experts from the University of Turin (Italy). This assessment system takes into account each Sustainable Development Goal the company is working towards. 

The last step of the process entails aggregating the three individual scores (business size, digital footprint, sustainability score) giving each finalist a score out of 300, which then determines their ranked position on the overall list. Find out more here.

Once companies apply, the Forward Fooding team run all the data through our proprietary scoring system. You will hear from us over email both if you have made the list and if you have not been selected – we want to make sure you have full visibility as soon as the ranking is available. 

If you have been selected for the FoodTech 500 you will also receive an invitation to pitch and/or take part in our official FoodTech 500 unveiling events. 

Make sure to subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on X and Linkedin to keep up to date with the latest announcements around the initiative.

Mistakes happen. Simply submit a new application following the sign-up link or email the team at info@forwardfooding.com.

We announce the full ranked list at an official unveiling event every year, usually in March. Check out our events page for the latest updates!

We understand some of the information you share with us is sensitive and confidential. We will never make this information publicly available – it remains in our safe hands for the purpose of creating the ranking. All non-sensitive information will be aggregated and used to create your profile on the official FoodTech 500 website. You can see an example of the data we showcase for each company here.

By submitting the FoodTech 500 form, you consent to Forward Fooding Ltd using your contact details for communication related to the FoodTech 500 and all Forward Fooding's activities. We assure you that all data processing will be carried out in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and our privacy policy.

Great news! It's really important that you apply first and foremost, so you have a chance at ranking in the FoodTech 500. Businesses across multiple verticals are featured throughout all of our communications and have the chance to pitch and speak on our panels at the official FoodTech 500 unveiling events. 

If you'd like to get involved as a sponsor or in any other way, feel free to drop us a line at info@forwardfooding.com.