The registration for the fourth edition of the On The Road competition, an international entrepreneurship program for foodtech startups by Culinary Action!, within the framework of GOe–Gastronomy Open Ecosystem, a strategic initiative of the Basque Culinary Center, is now open. The On The Road competition will begin in September 2024 and will be held in Copenhagen (Denmark), Rotterdam (Netherlands), Tokyo (Japan), Bahrain (Kingdom of Bahrain), London (United Kingdom), and Boston (USA), in collaboration with local partners such as Danish Startup Group, Dansk Erhverv, Tech BBQ, CIC (Cambridge Innovation Center), Tokyo Food Institute, Tokyo Tatemono, OMT, and University College London (UCL).

This year, "On the Road" will seek startups focused on 360º gastronomy and food technology. The initiative targets startups proposing products or services that drive the transformation of the value chain in gastronomy, including chefs, managers, producers, distributors, and diners.

 

All interested startups can apply through the Culinary Action! website (https://culinaryaction.com/ontheroad/). After the registration period ends, approximately one month before each event, Culinary Action! officials and local partners will review the submitted startups and select five finalists in each city where local competitions will be held. To participate, startups must be in the early stage or "seed" phases.

On the competition days, the finalist startups will present their projects to a panel of experts and attendees, including investors, mentors, and local agents, in an 'elevator pitch' format. This will be accompanied by roundtable discussions and keynote speakers. The expert panel will then select a winning startup at each location.

Winning startups from each local event will have the opportunity to develop research and innovation projects for 20 hours at BCC Innovation, the technology center in Gastronomy of Basque Culinary Center. Additionally, these startups will gain access to Basque Culinary Center's and GOe’s network of experts and mentors and receive various support, such as access to the center's investor network, networking opportunities, and support to enter the local ecosystem.

The six local finalists will compete in a grand final to be held in early 2025 in Donostia-San Sebastián, where the winning startups from each country will compete, and the winner of the fourth edition of “On The Road” will be chosen. The winner will be awarded six months of residency at the startup incubator and an additional 25-hour voucher for research and innovation projects at the gastronomy technology center.

 

Previous editions

The startup Oissy from Tokyo, which focuses on artificial intelligence technology using its Leo taste sensor that reproduces the human sense of taste to analyze food flavors, provide data-driven advice, and conduct joint taste research, was selected as the winner of the third edition. Alcheme Bio (New York), Økoskabet (Copenhagen), WNWN Foods Lab (London), and Biotango (Buenos Aires) also made it to the final.

In the second edition of the competition, Reborn Farms, a New York startup focused on building hyper-local food systems in economically disadvantaged areas due to racial or climate equity, emerged as the winner. Finalists included Origino (Buenos Aires), Mimic Seafood  (Copenhagen), O’Taste (Tel Aviv), and Greenase (Tokyo).

The Danish startup Dryk won the first edition of Culinary Action! On The Road for its commitment to health and sustainability and its work in developing nutritious dairy and vegan beverages from plant protein. Other finalists at the Donostia-San Sebastián final included MOA foodtech (Madrid), Bordery (Biarritz), and ANINA Culinary Art(Tel Aviv).