On March 16th 2022 we officially revealed the full-ranked list of this year’s FoodTech 500 in our London FoodTech Innovation Hub – read the full recap of the event below.

The 2021 FoodTech 500

When we first set out to create the FoodTech 500, we wanted to develop a definitive list of the top 500 companies shaping the future of food. Thanks to an overwhelming amount of support, the FoodTech 500 was born with its first edition in 2019. Showcasing innovations from AgriFoodTech companies across the globe, the past editions set the bar incredibly high for this year’s list. 

Check out the pictures of the event here. Feel free to use them and tag us 

However, the 2021 FoodTech 500 has gone above and beyond what we had anticipated. With 2052 applicants from over 85 countries, this year has revealed the incredible diversity of those tackling the food crisis. It is our ambition that the FoodTech 500 becomes the Fortune 500 of AgriFoodTech, a list of top innovators and disruptors in the industry and also the go-to leaders of this emergent and ever-evolving sector. 

Watch the full replay here

Want access to the full list?

Download ‘The Official 2021 FoodTech 500’, to see the full list, learn more about the FoodTech 500 methodology and get to know this year’s FoodTech heroes via exclusive interviews with the founders of some of the top-ranked companies: 

The Official Unveiling Event at London’s FoodTech Innovation Hub

On March 16th, 2022, we held the unveiling event of the FoodTech500 2021 list at our newly launched FoodTech Innovation Hub in London, hosting founders of some of the top-ranked companies in the United Kingdom. The speakers joined us to share their journey so far, their visions and objectives for the future as well as their insights on the AgriFoodTech landscape.

The event was opened by Alessio D’Antino, Founder & CEO of Forward Fooding, who introduced the FoodTech 500 & unveiled the official ranking of the 2021 edition, while announcing the launch of our new FoodTech Innovation Hub in London, in partnership with Huckletree. Alongside showcasing 2021’s definitive list of the most inspirational businesses in the world of AgriFoodTech, we deep-dived into the amazing entrepreneurial talent behind the UK FoodTech ecosystem before introducing some of the top UK companies in the ranking through the interventions of their very own founders.

The UK Ecosystem of the 2021 FoodTech 500

The startups and scaleups of this year’s UK ecosystem of the FoodTech 500 are highly promising and influential companies working across all the verticals of our taxonomy. Scroll down below to learn more about these great entrepreneurs, whose excitement to be part of our food system revolution was highly contagious!

The Speakers of the 2021 FoodTech 500

Ed Foy, CEO and Co-founder, PRESS

He went to Oxford and studied biological sciences and did a dissertation on the mating habits of the common fruit fly. Five years later he was lucky to get a place at Harvard to do a master’s in business. He has always been interested in keeping healthy and grew up playing sports for as many hours of the day as possible.

Learn more about PRESS on this video

 

Tarryn Gorre, CEO and Co-Founder, Kafoodle

Tarryn has been CEO of Kafoodle since 2018 after joining as a co-founder in 2015 to head up strategy and partnerships whilst supporting the product. Before Kafoodle, Tarryn worked in hospitality for over a decade both in Cape Town and London for brands such as D and D Lond, Tom Aikens Ltd and Caesars Entertainment. Tarryn has also owned her own gastropub and events company in central London and is well aware of the difficulties that hospitality owners face around food safety and compliance. Kafoodle brings her passion for food and technology together to look at how food businesses can be supported whilst also having an impact on better health outcomes.

Learn more about Kafoodle on this video 

 

Anthony Finbow, CEO, Eagle Genomics

Anthony Finbow is CEO at Eagle Genomics, a pioneer in the application of network science to biology across key industries such as Food & Nutrition and AgriBio. He has worked for over two decades as a leader, building and scaling deep technology businesses and has a particular enthusiasm for businesses operating at the intersection of life science and data science. Anthony is currently Vice Chairman of the UK BioIndustry Association (BIA)’s Genomics Advisory Committee. He is also on the Executive Committee of the UK Knowledge Transfer Network (KTN) Microbiome Innovation Network, set up to develop a proactive, self-sustaining microbiome community in the UK and to raise the visibility of the UK’s world-leading microbiome science.

As Executive Chairman and CEO, Anthony has built and exited a number of intellectual property-rich B2B software companies. In particular, he was responsible for the turnaround, strategic repositioning and sale of private venture-backed communications software company, Psytechnics to US Nasdaq-listed NetScout. Similarly, as Managing Director of MetaSolv, he was responsible for doubling the size of the European business, prior to that company being acquired by Oracle. In his early career, Anthony worked as an aircraft engineer and in industrial lasers and electro-optics. He trained as a lawyer and worked as a banker in the privatization of former East German industrial companies, before moving into leadership roles with technology businesses. 

Learn more about Eagle Genomics on this video 

 

Ben Patten, CEO and Co-Founder, Good Club

Ben Patten is an entrepreneur. After starting out in business intelligence and events, he has now started 3 businesses focused on sustainability and impact – Green Mondays / The Crowd, Farmdrop, and Good Club. His latest business is focused on the problems posed by packaging waste in groceries with a reusable packaging solution that is easy and affordable. 

Learn more about Good Club on this video

 

Markus Stripf, Founder, Spoon Guru

Markus Stripf was the former Warner Music Group MD and has 15 years of experience at the forefront of the digital content and grocery business’s transition into digital. Spoon Guru is an award-winning, AI-based Health & Wellness platform, enabling food retailers to deliver personalized shopping experiences based on consumers’ unique dietary preferences and health needs. 

Learn more about Spoon Guru on this video

 

We can’t thank enough our FoodTech community

At Forward Fooding, we are incredibly proud to have hosted these inspiring founders at our London FoodTech Innovation Hub.

A huge thanks to all our speakers for taking the time to share their insights and inspire other entrepreneurs. Also, a special thank you to all the participants who joined us to celebrate this amazing pack of entrepreneurs who work every day to better our Food System!

Congratulations to all FoodTech 500 heroes

We want to thank all the innovators, inventors, founders and all the people that are working hard to tackle the current food crisis and the challenges of the modern world head-on. While sitting at the intersection of food, technology and sustainability, these entrepreneurs are powered by focusing their attention and efforts on a better future. All of the companies that have made it as 2021 FoodTech 500 finalists are, in our opinion, entrepreneurial success stories worth keeping an eye on. That is why we have made it our mission to share them with you.

Forward Fooding is the world’s first collaborative platform for FoodTech Data Intelligence and Corporate Startup Collaboration.