Future Gastronomy Startup Forum

16 -18 February 2026 | IFEMA - Madrid

 

 

Join the Future Gastronomy Startup Forum

Within the framework of HIP – Horeca Professional Expo, a meeting focused on innovation, digital transformation, and trends in the Horeca sector, the Future Gastronomy Startup Forum – by LABe & Culinary Action takes place. It is a showcase and a space for synergies and networking in front of a global and specialized audience, composed of industry business leaders, potential partners, investors, and young entrepreneurs.

The forum seeks disruptive projects that will impact the gastronomy and hospitality of the future, in the following categories and technologies:

  • New foods, ingredients, and processes (alternative proteins, fermentation, nutraceuticals and supplements, functional properties, personalized foods, healthy foods, robotics, and automation)

  • Sustainability and circular economy (sustainable materials, smart labeling, smart packaging, edible packaging, safety, transparency and traceability, prevention/elimination of food waste, reuse, logistics and transportation, shelf-life improvement)

  • Sensory and culinary sciences

  • Innovative kitchen and dining equipment

  • Virtual and Augmented Reality

  • Indoor Farming

  • 3D food printing

  • IoT / Internet of Things

  • New/better customer experiences (accessories, music, services, personalized gastronomy)

  • Distribution, logistics, and traceability (transparency, information)

  • Food Delivery & On Demand

  • Gastronomic Tourism

  • Smart Restaurants/Establishments (management, operations, inventory, suppliers, waste management, personalized gastronomy, business intelligence, energy efficiency, staff training, marketing, finance, customer knowledge and management)

  • Mobile and connectivity (platforms, navigation, ordering, reservations, payments, loyalty)

Winners of previous editions

In previous editions, the following startups were awarded: Orquest, a startup for intelligent management of staff shifts and schedules; Cloud Reputation, an artificial intelligence startup for managing and monitoring online reputation, which has been added to the Mapal Software solutions portfolio; Janby Digital Kitchen, a solution to digitize the Sous-Vide cooking process through automatic configuration of each cooking cycle using QR scanning; Proppos, a computer vision startup specialized in food recognition using Artificial Intelligence for automating checkout payments; and CloudTown, a solution that increases restaurant revenues by adding virtual brands specialized in delivery to their kitchens.