Forward Fooding at Gulfood 2026: Curating the Startup and Investor Program and the Latest FoodTech 500 Reveal

Forward Fooding proudly announces the programming of The NXT Stage at Gulfood 2026: the world’s largest food and beverage sourcing event. Over five days (January 26-30), we will be at the epicenter of the world’s most ambitious gathering of food changemakers, shaping the future of the industry. Join us as we decode the future of food innovation, spotlight MENA’s rising influence, and officially reveal who made the latest edition of the FoodTech 500, the ‘Fortune 500’ of AgriFoodTech.

What We’re Cooking up for the NXT Stage at Gulfood 2026

Our mission has always been about connecting the dots: between startups and corporations, investors and other ecosystem stakeholders, between breakthrough technologies and real-world implementation, between what’s next and what’s now.

Curating The NXT Stage is the natural evolution of that mission in our collaboration with Gulfood 2026 as the official Startup Programme Partner. When an event that draws 8,500+ exhibitors from 195 countries approached us to design their foodtech programming, it validated something we’ve always believed: the future of food isn’t written in isolation. It’s built through collaboration, conversation, and the willingness to challenge the status quo.

We designed the NXT Stage not as a typical conference agenda, but to cut through the noise and focus on what actually matters, such as deployable technologies, capital conversations, and startups moving from proof-of-concept to global impact, as the event tagline says: “Not theory. Not forecasts.”

The themes reflect where the industry is heading:

• Alternative proteins that crack the taste and texture code
• AI-powered manufacturing that compresses NPD timelines from months to weeks
• Food waste solutions tackling a $940 billion problem 
• Next-generation ingredients using precision fermentation and biotech
• Supply chain building anti-fragile distribution networks
• And critically, how the MENA region is emerging as a FoodTech hotspot with unique advantages for implementing leading solutions and a logistically strategic hub

We’re also bringing neuroscience into food development because understanding how consumers actually experience food at a neurological level changes everything about product innovation. We’re going to share open innovation models that actually work and create a curated space for investor panels where capital meets opportunity.

What to Expect at NXT Stage

Throughout the week at Gulfood 2026, Forward Fooding will present the FoodTech 500 unveiling keynote across various sessions, providing attendees with multiple opportunities to witness the official reveal of 2025’s most groundbreaking companies transforming our food system. The keynote analyzes the evolution of AgriFoodTech investment, the shift to “Wave 3.0” infrastructure-focused innovation, and what separates companies that scale from those that stall.

Our founding partner and CEO, Alessio D’Antino, and COO, Max Leveau, will be on stage throughout the event, sharing unique insights from our data intelligence work and discussing what separates companies that scale from those that stall. They’ll be joined by founders and executives from the companies making it happen — from alternative protein pioneers, AI innovators, farming tech creators, to investors backing them.

Here’s what else is on the agenda:

Day 1 | Monday, 26th January 2026

• Keynote | 2025 FoodTech 500 Unveiling & Global AgriFoodTech Trends – Forward Fooding Founding Partners, Alessio D’Antino and Max Leveau, officially unveil the 2025 FoodTech 500 honorees while analyzing the evolution of AgriFoodTech investment, FoodTech “Wave 3.0”, and MENA’s emerging role as a FoodTech hub.
• Panel Discussion | Tackling Food Waste: How Technology Can Fix a $940B Problem Across the Food Supply Chain? – Entrepreneurs showcase solutions attacking waste across the value chain, from post-harvest loss prevention to circular economy models. The panel will be joined by Roland Wirth of Softripe / Frigotec Group, George Bos of The Natural Bottle, Kristin Veriga of Karmic Global BioTech, and Maxim Haartsen of eJaby and will be moderated by Sascha Dutta of Foodpreneurs Collective. 
• Keynote | The Desert’s New Frontier: Why Plant Cell Technology is the GCC’s Most Strategic Bio-Investment – Drawing on lessons from vertical farming and alternative proteins, this keynote explores plant cell culture as a strategic solution for arid regions facing agricultural constraints. The session will examine how closed-loop production systems can decouple ingredient supply from geography, offering a resilient pathway to nutrition, wellness, and ingredient security in desert and climate-stressed regions. Alex Shandrovsky of Ayana Bio will deliver the keynote, with an introduction by Forward Fooding.
• Panel Discussion | Alternative Proteins: What’s Next? – Pioneers across plant-based, precision fermentation, and cellular agriculture assess industry realities, including successes and setbacks. The panel discusses how biotech is closing the taste and texture gap, the path to price parity, regulatory navigation with GCC market focus, and strategies for mainstream consumer adoption. The session will be joined by  Ella Ukkonen of Onego Bio, Edward Hamod of Switch Foods, Mazen Rizk of Infinite Roots, and Vipul Jain of Cellular Agriculture Ltd.

Day 2 | Tuesday, 27th January 2026

• Keynote | 2025 FoodTech 500 Unveiling & Global AgriFoodTech Trends 
• Panel Discussion | The Future of Ingredients – How FoodTech and Biotechnology are Driving Functionality and Circularity in Tomorrow’s Food – Industry leaders and innovative startups explore how ingredients are being transformed through biotechnology, precision fermentation, and novel production methods. The panel discusses how these innovations create differentiated, high-value ingredients, the economics of scaling novel production methods, regulatory pathways for market entry, and why ingredient breakthroughs are the foundation enabling broader food system transformation. The panel will be joined by Johnny Drain of HypeSound, Vera Carvalho of PFx Biotech, Alex Worker of Nutrition from Water (NXW), and Jake Berber of Prefer, and will be moderated by Olga Bezukladova of Givaudan.
• Keynote | The Power of Neuroscience and AI in Food Research – This session will reveal how measuring emotional and sensory responses at the neurological level provides insights traditional surveys miss entirely. Through case studies, learn how neuroscience-backed data reduces NPD cycles by up to 40%, enables reformulation that maintains satisfaction while reducing sugar and salt, and creates new approaches to quality assurance and personalization. The keynote will be delivered by Mario Ubiali of Thimus.
• Panel discussion| The impact of AI in Food Manufacturing and How it Can Future-Proof Our Food System – This panel showcases how AI transforms NPD, production optimization, and quality management—compressing development timelines from months to weeks, predicting taste and texture outcomes, reducing batch failures through computer vision, optimizing production to cut waste and energy, and improving demand forecasting. The panel will be joined by Haim Ben Hayim of AKA Foods, Suhas Patel of Tvarit, and Semi Hakim of Kök Projekt, and will be moderated by Mario Ubiali of Thimus.

Day 3 | Wednesday, 28th January 2026

• Keynote | 2025 FoodTech 500 Unveiling & Global AgriFoodTech Trends
• Panel Discussion | Investors Panel – How to Navigate the Current Funding Environment and Spot High-Growth Opportunities Across Borders – International investors from diverse markets share their playbook for deploying capital across borders in today’s funding landscape. The panel explores how to assess opportunities in unfamiliar geographies, identify universal signals of scalable ventures, emerging patterns they’re tracking, and how they’re repositioning portfolios amid shifting macro conditions. The panel will be joined by Nader Amiri of HomeGrown Ventures, William Bao Bean of Orbit Ventures, Rinata Ilyubayeva of White Hill Capital, and Manoj Kumar Agarwal of Seafund, and will be moderated by Roberto Viton of Valoral Advisors.
• Fireside Chat with Erich Sieber | Peak Bridge VC – The GCC as the ‘Scaleup Nation’ – How to Access Innovation from Abroad and Scale Technology in the GCC
• Panel Discussion | Open Innovation – How to Create Successful Engagement Models to Generate Impact – Global F&B innovation leaders join entrepreneurs to share what actually works in corporate-startup collaboration. The conversation covers corporate strategic priorities beyond innovation theater, what makes partnerships valuable versus extractive, IP frameworks and pilot structures that lead to commercial deployment, common failure pitfalls, and why the GCC offers unique advantages for rapid implementation. The panel will be joined by Leandro Buchmann of Bühler Group, Lucio Cicerelli of pladis Global, and Alex Worker of Nutrition from Water (NXW), and will be moderated by Forward Fooding.

Day 4 | Thursday, 29th January 2026

• Panel Discussion | Food Supply Chain 2050: How to Build More Transparent and Efficient Supply Chains Through AI and Technology – Technology innovators showcase solutions reimagining distribution from farm to fork—AI-powered logistics optimizing routing and inventory, real-time quality monitoring through sensors, practical blockchain traceability, last-mile urban distribution innovations, and digital platforms connecting farmers to retailers. The discussion demonstrates how these technologies build resilient, anti-fragile supply chains capable of withstanding disruption. The panel will be joined by Yarne De Munck of Polysense, Mustafa Zaffer of OpenFarming, and Almuhannad AL Balushi of ZabonEx, and will be moderated by Nehal Uttam.
• Panel Discussion | Investors Panel – Where Smart Money is Going: Investing in Food’s Next Chapter – A panel of venture capitalists and impact investors reveals how they’re thinking about food system transformation and capital deployment. From investment thesis evolution to emerging opportunities across agriculture, supply chain, and food technology, this session provides insights into what drives funding decisions, which sectors are attracting capital, and why experienced investors believe we’re at an inflection point for the industry. The panel will be joined by Meifan Shi of WaterPoint Lane, Sebastian Popik of Aqua Capital, Marwa Abouelseoud of Alexandria Angels Network, and Matthew Singh of Emirates Growth Fund, and will be moderated by Ahmad Shamieh from HomeGrown Ventures.
• Keynote | 2025 FoodTech 500 Unveiling & Global AgriFoodTech Trends 
• Panel Discussion | Unlocking MENA’s Food Future: How AgriFoodTech Can Solve the Region’s Biggest Challenges and Unlock Opportunities – Government leaders, agricultural innovators, and technology investors explore how innovation can strengthen GCC food resilience. The panel examines how controlled environment agriculture, agbiotech, alternative proteins, and circular food systems work within extreme climate constraints, reviews investment mechanisms and government support, showcases successful UAE production projects, and outlines realistic 2030 self-sufficiency targets. The panel will be joined by Jose Francisco of eMotion Foods and Simon Miller of Abu Dhabi Quality & Conformity Council, Haythem Riahi of Circa Biotech, Sky Kurtz of Pure Harvest, and will be moderated by Forward Fooding.
• Japan’s Cultured (Cell-Based) Food Promotion Strategy: Overview and Future Outlook – This talk introduces cellular agriculture, explains how the Japanese government has advanced public–private collaboration and rule-making, discusses Japan’s technological outlook, and highlights opportunities for international cooperation in regulatory science, standards, and ecosystem building. The keynote will be delivered by Megumi Avigail Yoshitomi of Japan Association for Cellular Agriculture, with an introduction by Forward Fooding.
• Panel Discussion | ‘Farming 2.0: From Vertical Farming to Remote Sensing, How Technology Can Serve the GCC Food Security Agenda – Companies actually operating in the UAE today showcase innovations enabling productive agriculture under extreme conditions: vertical farming economics, water-efficient hydroponic and aeroponic systems, microbiome solutions boosting crop resilience, climate-controlled greenhouses, IoT sensors and AI optimizing resources, integrated aquaponics, and renewable energy integration. The panel will be joined by Olivier Lépine of Brad Technology,  Alberto Aguilar of Plantaform, and Kerem Erikçi of Tarla.io and Dane Hague of MyLand, and will be moderated by Tammy Ho.

Day 5 | Friday, 30th January 2026

• Keynote | 2025 FoodTech 500 Unveiling & Global AgriFoodTech Trends – Forward Fooding Founding Partners, Alessio D’Antino and Max Leveau, officially unveil the 2025 FoodTech 500 honorees while analyzing the evolution of AgriFoodTech investment, FoodTech “Wave 3.0”, and MENA’s emerging role as a FoodTech hub.
• IMEAA & DMCC – PITCH COMPETITION FINAL and Panel discussion: The World of AgriFoodtech Startups – Challenges and Opportunities – A final FoodTech 500 keynote precedes the IMEAA & DMCC Pitch Competition Final—where founders take the stage to reveal breakthrough technologies and compete for investment, partnerships, and global visibility.

See You in Dubai

If you’re attending Gulfood 2026, come find us at NXT Stage. Catch the FoodTech 500 unveiling. Join the conversations on alternative proteins, AI in food manufacturing, or building transparent supply chains. Watch the startup pitch competition on the final day. Connect with Alessio or Max between sessions.

If you’re not registered yet, this is one of those moments where the industry comes together in a way that doesn’t happen often. Whether you’re a startup looking for partners, a corporate scouting innovation, or an investor tracking where the sector is heading, NXT Stage is designed for you.

We’ve spent the last decade building Forward Fooding as an operators-led global platform that not just observes food system transformation, but actively participates in shaping it. Curating Gulfood’s NXT Stage and unveiling the FoodTech 500 on this global platform is both a milestone and an invitation to the community we’ve built together.

Gulfood 2026 runs January 26-30 at the Dubai World Trade Centre and the Dubai Exhibition Centre. Register to attend.

For more information about Forward Fooding’s FoodTech Data Intelligence, Strategic Consulting & Scouting Services, and Startup Network, explore forwardfooding.com. Follow us on social media for live updates from Gulfood.