The Food Systems Pitching Competition will showcase startups from around the globe, all aiming to revolutionise the food system. 

This year the Viikki Food Design Factory and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations have joined together to launch the Data for Farm Value Challenge. 

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The competition aims to support start-ups using farm-level data in innovative ways with the goal of unlocking value for smallholder farmers, who often generate key insights but are left out of the data-driven agrifood economy.

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They are looking to invite startups that perform some or all of the following functions:

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• Develop scalable digital solutions that render and structure farm-level data generated at the farm-level in a usable, useful and more commonly used format.

• Create/propose business models where farmers are included and fairly compensated for their data contributions, i.e. business models capturing value also for the farmers as data producers.

• Facilitate the integration of farm-level data into the supply chain, sustainability, and market access platforms.

• Design transparent mechanisms that enable farmers to sell or trade data whilst maintaining ownership.

• Connect farm-level data with broader public and private sector initiatives to drive sustainability and economic value across the value chain.

​The selected finalists will receive:

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• Workshops on pitching and product-market fit relating to data focused startups.

• Networking opportunities in the agrifood innovation ecosystem spanning the UN, public and private sectors, and academia.

• 10 startups will have the opportunity to pitch on stage at the FAO´s Science and Innovation Forum (SIF) in Rome on October 16, 2025 for an international audience of potential partners for collaboration, piloting and more.

• The top 4 finalists selected from the SIF pitches will pitch on stage at Y Science, a signature side event of Slush, on November 19 2025, in Helsinki for an international audience of investors. The winner of the pitching competition will receive a cash prize of 5,000€.

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For more details please click on this link. The deadline for applications is August 25, 2025.