Food Security in the context of Global Security: World Food Programme (WFP) Innovation Accelerator to host global Pitch Event for start-ups tackling the Global Food Crisis

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The World Food Programme, in partnership with Young Presidents’ Organisation (YPO), will co-host a pitch night at an official side event within the framework of the Munich Security Conference 2023. The Pitch Event will run live in Munich from 7 pm - 8:30 pm CET on February 17 2023, however anyone can register to watch virtually.

Eight start-ups will showcase innovations aimed at tackling the global food crisis to potential funders, government officials, industry leaders, and local and international partners. Additionally, these social entrepreneurs will have the chance to receive US$100,000 in equity-free funding, mentorship and access to World Food Programme’s global network of partners and field operations in 120 countries and territories.

Innovators from Care4Agro, CassVita, EYouth, Global Upstream Planning, Kitepower, Mothers2mothers, Nilus and Science 4 Society, will present solutions ranging from online learning applications, to kites that generate wind energy, to soil monitoring solutions. These ideas are currently being piloted across diverse markets, including Cameroon, Colombia, Egypt, India, Iraq, Italy, Mali, Mozambique, Peru, and Tanzania.

“We believe that innovation and technology can help tackle some of the world’s biggest challenges. So, it’s very inspiring to see these eight startups showing others the way forward. We’re here to enable them to grow and deliver impact at scale,” said Bernhard Kowatsch, Head of the World Food Programme Innovation Accelerator.

As the world is facing an unprecedented global food crisis of almost 350 million people marching towards starvation, innovations have never been more urgently needed than now. 828 million people - more than one in ten of the world's population - still go to bed hungry each night.

The global Pitch Event in Munich concludes the World Food Programme Innovation Accelerator’s WFP’s 51st Innovation Bootcamp, an intensive programme that helps start-ups enhance solutions using innovation methodologies and WFP’s operational knowledge.

The United Nations World Food Programme Innovation Accelerator sources, supports, and scales high-impact innovations to achieve Zero Hunger. Through the Accelerator, WFP is leveraging unprecedented advances in digital innovation — such as mobile technology, artificial intelligence, big data, and blockchain — and new business models to transform the way we serve vulnerable communities across the world. In 2021 alone, 52 projects reached more than 9 million people across 67 countries. Innovations supported by the Accelerator have raised more than US $180 million in co-funding.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of World Food Programme (WFP).