For the second year in a row, Kilburn & Strode has sponsored the Startup Innovation Awards (SIA) at the yearly World Food Forum (WFF) flagship event held in Rome in autumn 2024, at the prestigious Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) building, close to Circo Massimo.
WFF was launched in 2021 by the Youth Committee of the FAO as a global platform to actively shape agrifood systems for a better food future, accelerating the achievement of the FAO Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through youth action, science & innovation, and investment. WFF acts as a catalytic movement and driver of youth engagement in food governance, and serves as a knowledge centre and innovation lab, fostering and inspiring youth-led solutions. All year-long activities of WFF culminate in the annual flagship event, which harnesses intergenerational collaboration, as well as partnerships and action across policy, science, innovation, education, culture and investment.
In 2024, the event brought together more than 4000 people from around the world to discuss the future of food and agriculture. The core theme for the year was: “Good Food for All, for Today and Tomorrow”.
The Startup Innovation Awards (SIA), organised by Extreme Tech Challenge (XTC) – the world's largest startup competition provider and ecosystem for showcasing the most innovative tech founders addressing the SDGs – was part of the science & innovation chapter of the event. Kilburn & Strode’s sponsorship helped fund the travel to Rome of the eight startup finalists. In addition, Kilburn & Strode supported XTC with two patent attorney partners sitting (alongside other leaders from industry, institutions and private investment) on the judging panels that, earlier in 2024, helped scrutinise the hundreds of candidates that WFF received from throughout the world, and eventually select the final eight. Further, as part of their ‘road to Rome’, Kilburn & Strode delivered a workshop to the startups on how intellectual property can help their businesses – a theme that is considered by all stakeholders at the heart of the startups’ mission to deliver impactful technologies to society.
On the day, the eight finalists presented their groundbreaking technology solutions for tackling global agrifood challenges. There were two presentations in each of four innovation categories:
📲 Digital Innovation in Food Processing
👩🌾 Empowering Women in Agrifood Systems
🌽 Food Loss
🥦 Good Food for All, Today & Tomorrow
One startup in each innovation category won the corresponding category award:
📲 Safi, from Canada, won the Digital Innovation in Food Processing Award
👩🌾 AgrowSure Products and Innovations Private Limited, from India, won the Empowering Women in Agrifood Systems Award
🌽 ALTERED CARBON LTD, from the UK, won the Food Loss Award
🥦 BettaFish, from Germany, won the Good Food for All, Today & Tomorrow Award
✨ In addition, ALTERED CARBON LTD was awarded WFF Startup Innovation of the Year 2024, as the best startup among the four winning startups in each category.
Our Netherlands-based colleague Rike Dekker, head of our Dutch team and partner in Life Sciences & Chemistry, was honoured to present one of the awards. Kilburn & Strode’s attendance was completed by Adam Cohn (Director of Marketing & Business Development) and Marco Morbidini (partner in the firm’s Technology & Engineering practice group).

The event was the perfect occasion to attend a variety of further sessions and initiatives showcasing innovation from young scientists and we were impressed by the energy and passion of all participants, which stood out as a unique mix of innovators, institutional representatives and investors specialised in sustainability. Making the most of the opportunity to be in Rome, and to celebrate the success of the event, in the evening Rike, Adam and Marco enjoyed some fresh tonnarelli cacio & pepe, cooked in the traditional Roman way. We share the RecIPe below!
Kilburn & Strode is privileged to work with innovators from all walks of life. Increasingly, innovation is linked to climate, green and sustainability goals, and the above theme of “Good Food for All, for Today and Tomorrow” sits perfectly at their intersection. We welcomed the opportunity to support the SIA of the FAO and those who relentlessly work to promote innovation and nurture future generations. It’s another excellent way of giving back!
Tonnarelli Cacio e Pepe, Roman style:
For 2 persons:
-
Buy (or even better make!) around 200g of fresh tonnarelli pasta (large-sized spaghetti-type pasta – may be substituted with tagliatelle).
-
Provide about 200g of grated ‘Pecorino Romano’ cheese (available from most supermarkets).
-
Cook the pasta al-dente (which means, one to two minutes less than standard cooking time) and drain on a serving plate, taking care to leave a good amount (a few spoonful at least) of salted cooking water in the drained pasta (that is, do not drain the pasta fully, after boiling).
-
Add the grated pecorino cheese slowly but surely – and generously, like the big snow in Rome of 1956!
-
Meanwhile, vigorously mix the pasta and finely grated Pecorino Romano cheese on the serving plate, as the cheese is added, until a white creamy sauce forms.
-
Add pepper (of good quality) straight from the pepper mill, to taste.
-
Enjoy piping hot!