The most promising Swiss Foodtech startups and scale-ups of 2024, according to investors

The 100 most innovative and promising Swiss startups are picked by a panel of 100 leading investors and industry experts and are revealed at the TOP 100 Swiss Startup Award. This year, the Foodtech sector has 5 representative startups in the TOP 100 Swiss startup ranking (including 1 in the TOP 10). We have also talked with Emi Naganuma, Founder of Apprecia Capital and TOP 100 jury member, about the sector insights. Learn more about how these Foodtech companies are shaping the future of food production and sustainability.

The annual ranking of the TOP 100 Swiss Startups has become a benchmark in Switzerland’s startup ecosystem—and beyond. Every year, a panel of 100 leading investors and startup experts chooses the 100 most innovative and promising Swiss startups. Each jury member nominates 10 Swiss startups that are fewer than five years old and show the greatest commercial potential. They assign 10 points for the first place and one point for the tenth place. The companies with the most points make it into the TOP 100 Swiss Startup Ranking.

„The food and agriculture industry is responsible for 80 per cent of deforestation, occupies 40 per cent of land area, and contributes a quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions,“ says Emi Naganuma. „Our food system therefore needs a revolutionary change.“ Through her fund Apprecia Capital, she invests in startups that positively impact the planet. „We see great opportunities in technologies that focus on upcycling and the circular economy, regenerative agriculture, combating deforestation through agroforestry or satellite monitoring of the supply chain, for example.“ Planted is also a notable example, achieving international success in creating alternatives to climate-damaging meat production. All three Swiss industry leaders - Planted, Luya and Food Brewer - are actively working on solutions in this space. No question: the way to protect the climate is through the stomach.



Discover the 5 Foodtech startups that impressed the TOP 100 Swiss Startup Award Jury in 2024:

Planted Foods, #4
Planted combines proprietary structuring and fermentation technologies to produce meat from plant proteins, focusing on taste, and meaty and juicy texture, while only using natural ingredients.

Luya Foods, #26 
Luya is a new era of alternative protein: real ingredients, 100% organic and naturally fermented. The Foodtech startup offers full flavor and nutrition with zero additives.

Food Brewer, #36 
Expert in plant cellular agriculture, Food Brewer's vision is to secure food resources. Its team produces delicious cultivated cocoa and coffee powder, providing food companies with an alternative supply to these tropical crops.

Cultivated Biosciences, #61 
Cultivated Biosciences improves the mouthfeel of animal-free cheese, yoghurt and more, with no compromise on health and sustainability, by developing a unique creamy fat ingredient for the food industry, using fermentation.

sallea, #79
Sallea's technology enables the manufacturing of scaffolds addressing the limitations of current systems by providing open, hierarchical porosity, and free choice of material for greatly enhanced nutrient transport during the cultivation of meat.

Winner of the public voting
The TOP 100 Public Voting runs parallel to the expert jury rankings and highlights 1 outstanding Swiss startup in the Foodtech sector. All startups that are no older than five years and listed on startup.ch are eligible to participate. Each person with a LinkedIn profile has one vote, and the company with the most votes win. The TOP 100 Public Voting Foodtech winner in 2024 is Kidemis.

The 14th edition of the TOP 100 Swiss Startup Award 2024 celebrated Switzerland's most promising startups. Discover the Foodtech startups and all other startups in the TOP 100 Swiss Startup Magazine 2024 or follow the hashtag #TOP100SSU on Linkedin, Twitter, and Instagram for insights.