Akorn Technology, Inc. has been named as a finalist for the prestigious 2025 FoodTech Challenge, a UAE-based competition which brings together ambitious and pioneering food and agriculture startups, for proposals to help small growers combat significant post-harvest losses and cold chain problems.
Currently in its final stages, the FoodTech Challenge, organized by the International Affairs Office at the Presidential Court of the UAE and Tamkeen (https://www.tamkeenuae.com), focuses on identifying and scaling agri-food technologies capable of transforming "arid, hot and increasingly challenging environments."
As revealed at the Clinton Global Initiative 2025 Global Meeting, which took place at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, the 10 FoodTech finalists were selected from 42 semi finalists drawn from 1,215 submissions from 113 countries.
"Being part of this initiative validates the global importance of our mission and serves as one more testimonial to the nature of our technology platform," said Anthony Zografos, CEO of Akorn.
© Akorn Technology Inc.
The post-harvest sector has long been dominated by chemical-based solutions that, while effective, are increasingly at odds with tightening global regulations and consumer demand for clean-label, chemical-free food. In contrast, newer entrants have focused on "natural" solutions that often proved too costly, impractical, or ineffective at scale and ultimately failed. Major retailers such as Walmart and Whole Foods have recently instituted wide-reaching chemical bans which are now reverberating through the global supply chain.
The company's products combine natural ingredients with proven performance—delivering solutions that are effective, easy to use, and cost-competitive, without the addition of synthetic chemicals.
"We have already demonstrated the effectiveness of our technology on crops such as mangoes, stone fruit, pome fruit, sweet potatoes, and more," said Zografos. "Through the FoodTech Challenge, we are expanding our work to leverage local resources and develop new formulations specifically optimized for the arid conditions of the Global South. The UAE offers an ideal testbed for these innovations—providing the perfect environment to validate their impact and scalability."
Xander Shapiro, chief commercial officer of Akorn, said that as a result of poor cold chains and excessive use of synthetic chemicals, perishable goods from smaller producers in the global south often fall foul of the strict quality and safety standards required by lucrative export markets such as the European Union, Japan, the US, and others.
"The inability to access global markets not only limits income growth but also stifles investment in improved farming practices and infrastructure. Our technology will improve supply chains, and boost economics and quality for global south markets," he said.
The winners of the FoodTech Challenge will be announced in the first quarter of 2026.
For more information:
Xander Shapiro
Akorn Technology
Tel: +1 415-793-4995
https://akorn.tech/
