RIYADH: Saudi startup Uvera has been selected as one of the 12 finalists for the second edition of the global FoodTech Challenge, which is organized by the UAE Ministry of Climate Change and Environment and Tamkeen, with ASPIRE as the lead partner.
The 12 finalists moved forward to the final stage of the competition where four winning startups will be selected for the pooled prize of up to $2 million from an initial submission of 667 applications across 79 countries, followed by a further shortlist of 30 finalists, according to a statement.
The final 12 startups represent markets across the UAE, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Spain, the UK and the US.
Five of the 12 finalists focus on food production. This will include fog-based technology that delivers more nutritious crops with 95 percent less water, using food waste to create all-natural insect products to support food production, growing plant-based protein on non-arable land, and optimizing soil quality for maximum watering efficiency.
In response to the second track of the competition, which addresses the issue of food loss and waste, the other seven finalists developed artificial intelligence and Internet of Things systems to reduce and quantify waste individually and industrially.
One of the 12 finalists, Uvera, is a Saudi Arabian startup that created an IoT device for extending food shelf life within 30 seconds, coupled with an AI-powered app for maintaining food inventory and predicting food…
