Open Innovation Forum – Pitching event for start-ups

2026 Open Innovation Forum Pitching Event – 17 November 2026

Pitch your innovation to leading Food, Drink & FMCG companies

The University of Cambridge IfM’s Open Innovation (OI) Forum is inviting start-ups, scale-ups, researchers, university spin-outs and technology developers to present innovations directly to senior innovation leaders from major Food, Drink and FMCG organisations including Diageo, Twinings, Nomad Foods, Müller, pladis, and Kerry.

The challenges have been shaped by Forum members reflecting the areas where they see the greatest need and opportunity for external innovation.

2026 host theme – Future Nutrition: How can food, nutrition and beverage solutions respond to changing dietary preferences?

Event details

Date: Afternoon of 17 November 2026

Location: Twinings, Andover, UK

Final application deadline: 19 October 2026. The first 10 pitching slots will be shortlisted after the early bird deadline on 18 September.

Together with host Twinings, we are particularly interested in innovations addressing:

Weight management • Proteins • Functional foods and beverages • Changing dietary preferences

We are looking beyond finished products: new ingredients, technologies, data, manufacturing capabilities and business models that could help create the next generation of food and beverage solutions are equally relevant.

Member innovation priorities

Alongside the host theme, Forum members have identified five areas where they are actively looking for innovation:

Priority	We are interested in…
Health, Nutrition & Changing Dietary Preferences	Weight management, metabolic health, functional and fortified foods and beverages, healthier products, clean label and personalised nutrition.
Proteins, Ingredients & Food Technologies	Novel and alternative proteins, functional ingredients, bioavailability, formulation, fermentation and new processing technologies.
AI, Data & Accelerated Product Innovation	AI-enabled NPD, consumer insight, sensory and formulation tools, personalisation, data analytics and faster experimentation.
Packaging, Labelling & Circularity	Sustainable and inclusive packaging, smart packaging, 2D codes, recycling, traceability, waste reduction and better consumer information.
Manufacturing, Scale-up & Supply Chain Innovation	Agile R&D, pilot-to-scale pathways, flexible manufacturing, process innovation, supply resilience, waste valorisation and digital technologies.

These areas reflect the priorities set at the Summer Forum Meeting, where members placed particular emphasis on tailored nutrition, AI-enabled NPD, smart and sustainable packaging, agile R&D and routes from concept through pilot to scale.

What makes a strong pitch?

We are looking for innovations that address a real industry need and have the potential to create value through collaboration.

You don’t need to have a finished commercial product. We welcome innovations from validated research and proof of concept through to pilot-ready and commercially deployed solutions. Pitches are short in-person presentations delivered to the audience of members, followed by Q&A and structured follow-up discussions.

Tell us:

What problem are you solving?

What’s different about your approach?

What evidence do you have?

Where are you on the journey from concept to scale?

What could collaboration with a Forum member unlock?

REASONS TO ENTER

Present your ideas and products to around 50 senior leaders and decision-makers whose main job role is to scout for and acquire innovation and technology from outside their organisations.

Winners and highly commended entries will receive a trophy.

All finalists will receive a certificate and will benefit from publicity associated with the event.

All proposed pitches will be circulated to OI Forum members, whether they are shortlisted as finalists or not, so this is a sure-fire way of getting your idea in front of some key potential partners.

Apply now

FEEDBACK FROM PAST WINNERS

2025 winner - Inpute Technologies Limited, Morgan McElligott

“Taking part in the OI Forum pitching event was a rewarding experience. There was a diverse group of participants and judges who were clearly passionate about innovation. Presenting our real-time intelligence system for manufacturers to such an engaged audience was very enjoyable and being selected as the winner was great validation of our approach and messaging. The event was well-organised, and the feedback from the ‘dragons’ was invaluable. I particularly appreciated the opportunity to hear from other innovators and to see the breadth of ideas being developed across the sector.”

Hugo Adams, CEO of Kelpi, 2023 winner

“The pitching process introduced us to a very impressive group of senior decisions makers from global food and FMCG companies. One of the companies present has become a long-term R&D partner and a number of others have developed into mutually beneficial relationships. The pitch process itself incorporated some useful feedback, as well as meeting other impressive start-ups and founders. The Forum is a great opportunity to engage directly with key leaders from some of the biggest companies in the world.”

Brij Sahi, CEO and co-founder of SwissDeCode, 2018 winner

“The biggest impact was having access to key decision makers and enablers of your members. Invaluable. It was amazing to have so many in one room, and having the ability to get our message across. This led to many networking opportunities and potential business.”

Previous Winners

Read about the OI Forums recent pitching competitions in:

2025 – Melton Mowbray, UK
2024 – Dublin, Ireland
2023 – Munich, Germany
2023 – Wageningen, Netherlands
2022- virtual event
2021 – virtual event
2020 – virtual event
2019 – London, UK
2018 – Belfast, Northern Ireland

Upcoming pitching events are advertised on our events page.

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Winners of the 2025 OI Forum pitching competition announced

The Open Innovation Forum brought together leading food, drink and FMCG organisations to explore emerging technologies that advance sustainable, healthy nutrition. With start-ups showcasing solutions from AI-enabled manufacturing to circular nutrition and low-carbon ingredients, the event highlighted the region’s growing ecosystem of innovation and collaboration across the supply chain.

Winners of the 2024 OI Forum pitching competition announced

The Open Innovation Forum met in Dublin on 27-28 November, and offered innovative companies the chance to pitch their ideas to change the food, drinks and FMCG sectors for the better to Forum members.

Winners of the OI Forum pitching competition announced

The OI Forum met in Munich recently and heard pitches from start-ups seeking to change the food, drink and FMCG sectors for the better.

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