Announcing the Results of the Food Logistics Innovation Challenge – powered by DHL
Thought For Food is thrilled to announce the results of the 2023 Food Logistics Innovation Challenge – powered by DHL.
This groundbreaking initiative served as a global call to action, as we invited entrepreneurs from around the world to present their cutting-edge solutions that leverage the power of logistics and supply chains to address critical issues like food and nutrition security, food loss & waste, and climate resilience.
Over 120 high-quality applications from 46 countries poured in, representing a diverse array of impactful solutions ready to scale. Submissions covered diverse solution spaces – from agricultural production to food processing, from storage to packaging, from transport to retail, from consumption to waste.
DHL leaders faced the tough job of selecting the top 10 Global Finalist Teams from the overall pool of applications.
Check out these quick stats about the Challenge ⬇️
Meet the 10 Finalists:
🧊 BMTA&C (France 🇫🇷 & Morocco 🇲🇦) – Building the future of off-grid refrigeration
🦠 COMbio (Malaysia 🇲🇾) – Enhancing food security through phage-mediated intervention in agricultural produce affected by bacterial disease.
🤖 Crover (United Kingdom 🇬🇧) – Grain-swimming robot for monitoring and managing dry bulk solids and powders (e.g paddy rice)
💨 Faradaic Sensors (Germany 🇩🇪) – Microfabricated oxygen gas sensors for IoT monitoring of modified- and controlled atmosphere food packages.
🔬 GreenPod Labs (India 🇮🇳) – Active packaging sachets that slow ripening rate and minimize microbial growth to extend the shelf life of fruits & vegetables.
🌽 LAM’ON (Bulgaria 🇧🇬) – Bio-based and biodegradable laminating films and packaging foils made from sustainably-grown corn.
👨💻 Lyro Robotics (Australia 🇦🇺) – Robotic picking and packing solutions to create efficient, reliable and secure food supply chains.
♻️ Package Plus (Taiwan 🇹🇼) – Integrated service provider, changing the modern linear economy through data-driven circular innovation services.
📦 SAVRpak (USA 🇺🇸) – Peel and stick patch that uses the laws of thermodynamics to remove humidity and condensation from food containers, keeping food crisp and fresh from farm to fork.
🥡 Source Green (Hong Kong 🇭🇰) – Climate tech SaaS + sourcing platform with proprietary software that helps brands quit plastic and source sustainable packaging.
Among these exceptional teams, three have been selected after meticulous deliberation to team up with the DHL Asia Pacific Innovation Center to explore proof of concept projects and opportunities. These three teams have demonstrated immense promise for revolutionizing food systems when it comes to logistics and supply chains:
🌟 GreenPod Labs (India 🇮🇳)
🌟 SAVRpak (USA 🇺🇸)
🌟 Lyro Robotics (Australia 🇦🇺)
Christine Gould, Founder & CEO of Thought For Food states: “It has been an incredible experience collaborating with a powerhouse like DHL on food systems transformation. Logistics and supply chains play a fundamental role in ensuring that food reaches the right place at the right time with the right quality, and in the most sustainable way possible. We have all felt the impact of what can happen when these things go wrong, particularly over the past couple of years.”
“DHL brings to the table incredible knowledge, expertise and resources – including extensive amounts of data, powerful transportation fleets, and infrastructure that includes packaging and warehouses. It is inspiring to see that they are stepping up to share these capabilities with startups that are developing next-gen technologies and innovations which have the potential to make a significant impact.”
“This partnership presents exciting scaling opportunities for startups and opens new business avenues for DHL. It’s a win for all involved.”
Thought For Food would like to congratulate all of the teams who participated in this first-of-its kind innovation challenge. Through this process, TFF has not only helped to discover and scale promising startups in every region of the world, but has importantly also brought together a global next-gen innovator collective that continues to share ideas, know-how, and best practices. This will help to advance every teams’ individual efforts on the ground and foster collaboration towards our shared quest to build inclusive, sustainable, and climate-resilient supply chains.
What’s more: All 120 teams who participated in this Challenge can continue to benefit from TFF’s leading innovation programs and community, where they can tap into many more chances to:
🚀 Accelerate their startups and upskill their teams
🗣 Speak at major events
🤝 Find collaborators, partners, and talents
⚡️ Gain media exposure
🌱 And so much more!
Learn More:
For an insightful glimpse into the challenges, opportunities, and “innovation white spaces” that this collective has brought to light, we invite you to explore our interactive MIRO Board.
To learn more about Food Logistics and Supply Chains, hear from experts and practitioners on the frontlines, and discover actionable ways to build and scale your solution(s) in this space, visit TFF Digital Labs.
About Thought For Food:
Thought For Food is a 501(c)(3) Foundation and the world’s pioneer and leader in next-gen innovation for impact in agrifood and climatetech. Since 2013, TFF has been on a mission to empower millions of people to innovate for better food systems, increasing the speed and effectiveness of locally-relevant solutions by connecting them to global scaling and investment opportunities.
To date, TFF has built a global community of 30.000+ members spanning 180+ countries; accelerated and launched 100+ startups that have collectively raised $300m; held 7 global summits; welcomed 13.000 users from 190 countries onto its proprietary TFF Digital Labs platform; produced 2 feature-length films and 20 Mini-Documentaries; and so much more. This is all with support of leading partners such as The Rockefeller Foundation, Google, Cargill, Danone, DSM, DHL, and many others.
Are you interested to partner with TFF to drive your strategic innovation goals and connect with the people shaping the future of food, agriculture and climate? Get in touch: christine (@) thoughtforfood.org