For established food organisations operating in the UK Food & Beverage market, working with food technology companies such as startups and scale-ups could be a game-changer for their open innovation agenda.

Innovating through Collaboration

When it comes to open innovation, corporate-startup collaboration is key.

In fact, collaboration can take multiple forms. 

On a global level, we’ve seen collaboration happening in the form of a partnership between Burger King and Impossible Foods, bringing to life top-selling Impossible Whopper. Or even Mc Donald’s PLT burger in collaboration with Beyond Meat, to name a couple.

We’ve also seen collaboration happening in the form of acquisitions. Think for example of Nestlé’s plant-based product line made by Sweet Earth. Or Miele’s Vertical Farming-integrated kitchens, born of the German company’s acquisition of startup Agrilution. In fact, let me add a note on Agrilution being one of the top winners on the FoodTech 500 list. Read our interview with the founders here.

So, corporates and Startups learning to work hand in hand represents the future. How can the UK capitalise on corporate-startup collaboration, too?

Is FoodTech the Future?

It is, indeed. But if you’re not yet convinced that Food Technology is the future of food, you may want to read this post.

As for those of you who aren’t even sure what FoodTech is, here’s a definition and some examples.

Unlock the Power of Data

FoodTech is the way forward, and corporations looking to boost their open innovation are beginning to collaborate with startups and scaleups. But how do they find these food technology companies?

The answer is easy: through data.

When we launched our FoodTech Data Navigator in 2019, we hoped it would become the world’s biggest network of food innovators. And it did.

Our comprehensive, fully customisable database now counts over 5,400 actors from the global AgriFoodTech ecosystem, 3,400 of which are food technology companies. And it is constantly being updated via data enrichers. 

Also, we manually categorise all the actors using an 8-category proprietary taxonomy, as well as over 140 technology tags. This allows you to find exactly the kind of company you are looking for.  

So how does the FoodTech Data Navigator look like? Here is a snapshot of the homepage.

You can filter actors by category, growth stage, activities, technology and much more. You can also access information on individual companies about their social media activity, raised capital, and connections.

Scroll through the map and browse the entire globe to find exactly the kind of FoodTech companies you are looking for.

Show me how it works

Say you want to collaborate with Food Technology companies in the UK. Just filter all the actors by category, location and customise your search with any technologies you might be interested in, be it cellular agriculture, drone technology or supply chain management systems.

Build your personalised portfolios, and monitor the companies you’re keen to work with. This tool will make FoodTech data your competitive advantage.

I could go on with a long list of features for the FoodTech Data Navigator, but I’d rather show you this amazing tool in action. Just check out the video below.

This is exactly what I need, how do I sign up?

Do you think the FoodTech Data Navigator could help you identify the right partners that can help you bolster your open innovation agenda? You can try it for free. 

Click here to learn more about the FoodTech Data Navigator, or request a live demo by filling in this form.

At Forward Fooding, we’re powering the Food Revolution through the power of data, offering you consultancy services and access to our global startup network. 

If you want to know more about our FoodTech data & insight, and consulting services, visit our website.

This article was written by Lorena Mastromatteo