Culinary Action! has opened registration for the third edition of Culinary Action! On the Road: an international entrepreneurship scheme for foodtech startups that kicks off in October 2023 and will be held through competitions in Tokyo (Japan), Copenhagen (Denmark), Buenos Aires (Argentina), New York (US), and Tel-Aviv (Israel), in collaboration with local partners: Future Food Institute, Tokyo Food Institute, Danish Startup Group, Dansk Erhverv, Parque de Innovación, Company Ventures, Green Circle Capital Advisors, Cornell University, Cardumen Capital and The Kitchen FoodTech Hub. 

This is the third edition of this international roadshow competition launched by Culinary Action!, the Basque Culinary Center and Hazi Fundazioa's gastronomy entrepreneurship program, and part of The Food Global Ecosystem, a Basque Government-backed public-private partnership comprising 60-plus companies. The Basque Country wants to attract cutting-edge projects, entrepreneurial talent, and technology startups from the agri-food sector.

In 2023, "CA!  On the Road" will look for startups involved in the 360º gastronomy and food technology fields. The initiative is geared towards startups that devise new products or services that help to transform gastronomy value chain players, from chefs, head waiters, and managers to producers, distributors, diners, etc. 

Any startups interested in taking part can apply to join the competition on the Culinary Action! website   (https://culinaryaction.com/ontheroad/). After the registration closing date, approximately one month before each event, Culinary Action! managers and local partners will analyze the startup entries and select five finalists in each of the cities where the local competitions will be held. To be eligible to take part in the championship, startups must be at the seed and pre-seed stages, with a validated MVP or proof of concept. 

Reborn Farms, a New York-based startup that focuses on building hyperlocal food systems in areas that have faced economic disadvantages due to racial or climate equity, emerged as the winner of the second edition of this competition. Origino (Buenos Aires), Mimic Seafood (Copenhagen), O’Taste  (Tel Aviv), and Greenase (Tokyo) were the finalists in the competition.

The winner of the first edition of Culinary Action! On The Road was the Danish startup Dryk , chosen for its commitment to health and sustainability and its work in developing nutritious dairy and vegan beverages from vegetable protein. MOA foodtech (Madrid), Bordery (Biarritz), and ANINA Culinary Art  (Tel Aviv) were also present at the Donostia-San Sebastian final. 

On local competition days, the five finalist startups will give an elevator pitch to present their project to the team of experts and anyone else attending (including investors, mentors, and local agents), and there will also be round tables and keynote speakers from local partners. After that, the team of experts will select a winning startup in each of the stops. 

Each local event's winning startups will be awarded a one-month residency at the LABe-Digital Gastronomy Lab startup incubator in Donostia-San Sebastian, an open innovation living lab run by the Basque Culinary Center, and a 20-hour credit for research and innovation projects at BCC Innovation, the Basque Culinary Center's Gastronomy technology center. During their stay, the startups will also get the opportunity to draw up an advanced plan in the digital platform GOe Community, where they can join and access the Basque Culinary Center's network of experts and mentors and receive different kinds of support on issues such as accessing the center's investor network, networking or support for setting up in the local ecosystem, etc.

The five local finalists will compete against each country's winning startups in a grand finale to be held in early 2024 in Donostia-San Sebastian, where the second edition of "CA!  On The Road" will choose the winning startup, which will be awarded a six-month stay at the startup incubator LABe Digital Gastronomy Lab, and an additional 25-hour credit for research and innovation projects at the technology center, BCC Innovation.