What inspired the founding of your start-up, and how does your innovation address a critical challenge in the food tech ecosystem?

We were PhD students at Imperial College developing new gas sensing technologies. We published a research paper which led to huge media uptake and interest from the food industry. That was a strong enough signal so we dropped everything else to focus on this.

Our core belief is that the existing system of printed expiry dates on food is no longer fit for this world. Most food is still good to eat or cook at the expiry date, so is wasted unnecessarily, because the dates are chosen to cover a worst-case scenario. Instead of a fixed date, food should tell you how fresh it is. That's what we do, with tiny gas sensors that measure food freshness.

What were your objectives at the Future Food Tech summit, and how did you prepare for the event?

We were recommended for the summit by some of our US investors who flew over for it. Our goal was to engage with more food-focussed investors and stay on top of the latest trends in the food tech ecosystem.

Can you describe any key outcomes or connections you made at the summit?

We met a wide range of investors, including one who participated in our funding round that closed 2 months later. It helped that we won the start-up pitch competition, allowing us to pitch again on the main stage and gain wider reach!

What feedback did you receive from attendees or industry leaders, and how has it influenced your product or business strategy?

Zero-ing in on product-market fit means constantly building and re-focusing. Feedback from this event helped us drop some 'future vision' messaging in our sales process, and re-focus on what we can ship today.

What advice would you give to other early-stage food tech start-ups considering exhibiting at Future Food-Tech?

Prepare a strong pitch, film yourself pitching it, reduce and simplify it until you feel it lands hard.