16 Innovative Food Tech Startups to Watch in 2024

Every year, new startups pull to the forefront of their industry through exciting innovation and industry-disrupting business models. We’ve rounded up the top food tech startups of 2024 that startup-lovers, investors, and aspiring entrepreneurs should follow. 

Disclaimer: With so many exciting food tech startups launching and growing worldwide, we aren’t able to cover them all. Furthermore, the startups that are listed below are not officially ranked and are listed in no particular order.

• Location: New York, New York
• Founder(s): Andrew Boryk, Hadi Rashid, Mohammad Afzal, Nabeel Alamgir
• Founded In: 2019
• Funding: Series B, $72.1 Million
• Investors Include: Sweetgreen, DoorDash, Beyond Capital

Lunchbox is a startup that built a modern ordering system that allows restaurants to grow their revenues and add features such as loyalty programs, third-party order aggregation, web orders, and a native app to make the process as simple as possible. If a brick-and-mortar restaurant wants to grow its business, Lunchbox provides all of the tools they need to hit the ground running. 

• Location: New York, New York
• Founder(s): Brian Falther, David Golden, Irving Fain
• Founded In: 2015
• Funding: Series Unknown, $625.9 Million
• Investors Include: General Catalyst, Quiet Capital, Trajectory Ventures

Bowery Farming is a food tech startup that’s developing new automation technology for growing and monitoring plants. Their unique growth monitoring solutions include vision systems, sensors, and automated elements to keep track of plant and crop health from seed to harvest. To get world-changing flavors and delicious food, plants must be grown in precise, optimal conditions; Bowery Farming is making this a reality and turning growing into a precise science. 

• Location: Atlanta, Georgia
• Founder(s): Christine de Wendel, Tigrane Seydoux, Victor Lugger
• Founded In: 2021
• Funding: Series A, $124 Million
• Investors Include: Coatue, DST Global, New Wave

Sunday is working to improve how people pay in restaurants, making the process faster, quicker, and more efficient for staff and customers alike. By using their app and implementing their technology into a restaurant, wait staff can turn tables quicker, get more tips, increase average customer spending, and save time and money. 

• Location: Chicago, Illinois
• Founder(s): Luke Saunders
• Founded In: 2013
• Funding: Series E, $121.5 Million
• Investors Include: Cleveland Avenue, Semillero Partners, DNS Capital

Farmer's Fridge has reshaped the concept of a vending machine with automated smart fridges that serve fresh, healthy, and affordable meals. With over 1,200 fridges and more than 11 million meals sold, Farmer's Fridge has made a major impact on the accessibility of healthy, fresh foods. The company also prioritizes reducing food waste by donating unsold food items to local food pantries.

• Location: Hamburg, Germany
• Founder(s): Mazen Rizk
• Founded In: 2018
• Funding: Series B, $87.2 Million
• Investors Include: Simon Capital, FoodLabs, Clay Capital

Infinite Roots is a biotech startup that uses mushroom roots or mycelium to revolutionize food production processes and create a circular food system. The startup's patented technology allows them to make a variety of diverse food products from mushrooms.

• Location: San Francisco, California
• Founder(s): Rajat Bhageria
• Founded In: 2019
• Funding: Debt Financing, $22.5 Million
• Investors Include: Red & Blue Ventures, Alumni Ventures, Tet Ventures

Chef Robotics is an AI and robotics startup focused on increasing food sector production volume and combatting labor shortages in the food service and production industry. Food manufacturers can leverage Chef Robotics' robots to increase efficiency and reduce labor costs.

• Location: Boston, Massachusetts
• Founder(s): Adam Behrens, Livio Valenti
• Founded In: 2016
• Funding: Series B, $82.3 Million
• Investors Include: Prelude Ventures, Closed Loop Partners, Acre Venture Partners

Mori is a food technology startup working to extend the life of perishable foods. The startup's protective layer is made with silk protein to slow down the food spoiling process. With Mori's innovative food protectant, companies can reduce single-use plastic, wax, and chemical usage while reducing food waste.

• Location: San Francisco, California
• Founder(s): Jamie Marshall, Jonathan Cameron, Kevin Tan
• Founded In: 2017
• Funding: Series B, $95.6 Million
• Investors Include: Pioneer Fund, AirAngels, Gaingels

Snackpass is a food tech startup that has built a social commerce platform dedicated to mobile order pickup from local restaurants. They’re leveling up the experience of going out to eat with friends and creating an attractive restaurant ordering experience that’s dynamic and includes shared rewards, gifts, and even a social activity feed. 

• Location: Chicago, Illinois
• Founder(s): Hanish Pahwa, Keval Raj
• Founded In: 2020
• Funding: Seed, $5.3 Million
• Investors Include: JAM Fund, Great North Ventures, Adam Goldenberg

Quicklly is an online marketplace that allows customers to browse and purchase a wide range of Indian cuisines and groceries with just the click of a button. If you want to satisfy your cravings for Indian food and browse authentic Indian groceries on a whim, Quicklly is making that happen for Indian food lovers everywhere. If you want warm Indian meals delivered to your door, they also offer subscription packages for cooked Indian food delivery. 

• Location: Clackamas, Oregon
• Founder(s): Abhi Ramesh, Edward Lando
• Founded In: 2018
• Funding: Series C, $526.5 Million
• Investors Include: Accel, SoftBank Vision Fund, Covalent Ventures

Misfits Market is a startup that developed an organically sourced produce and grocery subscription box. When you sign up with Misfits Market, you can skip the grocery store and choose from a wide variety of meat, seafood, produce, dairy, and bakery items weekly to have delivered. Compared to grocery store prices, some items on Misfits Market can save subscribers up to 40% and give them peace of mind that they’re purchasing organic produce and high-quality grocery products.

• Location: Singapore
• Founder(s): Fengru Lin, Max Rye
• Founded In: 2019
• Funding: Series A, $39.4 Million
• Investors Include: VERSO Capital, KAAN Ventures, Chaos Ventures

TurtleTree is a foodtech startup based in Singapore that’s creating a new generation of sustainable foods. They use modern cell-based technology to develop kinder, healthier foods that both taste great and are good for you at the same time. Employing a world-class team, TurtleTree is on track to grow rapidly and use its team member’s knowledge, expertise, and research to find better ways for the world to feed itself. 

• Location: New York, New York
• Founder(s): Joe Ariel, Joel Gillman, Trevor Stow, Vanessa Torrivilla
• Founded In: 2012
• Funding: Series C, $133.1 Million
• Investors Include: Intel Capital, Spectrum Equity, Enlightened Hospitality Investments

Goldbelly is building an online delivery platform for artisans and specialty food makers. Some of their most popular product categories include chef meal kits, care packages, seafood, ice cream, BBQ, cakes, and iconic sandwiches. If you’re craving some unique artisan food or just want to see what’s out there, browsing the Goldbelly marketplace will allow you to discover some incredibly tasty food options. 

• Location: London, United Kingdom
• Founder(s): Pierre Paslier, Rodrigo García González
• Founded In: 2014
• Funding: Grant, £16.4 Million
• Investors Include: Torch Capital, Horizons Ventures, Lupa Systems

Notpla is a sustainable packaging startup company that’s working to develop material derived exclusively from plants and seaweed instead of plastic. Using their revolutionary material, packaging can biodegrade in just weeks through natural processes and reduce the amount of pollution in our oceans and various plant and animal ecosystems around the world. 

• Location: Austin, Texas
• Founder(s): Amin Bahari, Amir Bahari, Timothy Cole Jr.
• Founded In: 2018
• Funding: Seed, $2.2 Million
• Investors Include: Capital Factory, Siddhi Capital, Constellation Capital

Elite Sweets is a food-tech startup company that’s working to redefine sweets with “The Elite Donut.” Every single one of the donuts they bake has low sugar content, is gluten-free, keto-friendly, and packed with protein. Donuts don’t have to be an unhealthy snack or dessert anymore – by eating these donuts, you’ll never feel guilty about consuming a donut again!

• Location: San Francisco, California
• Founder(s): Andrew Munday, Jon Goldsmith, Jordan Bramble
• Founded In: 2020
• Funding: Series A, $28 Million
• Investors Include: General Catalyst, Pear VC, Human Capital

Local Kitchens is a startup that’s working to bring some of the best local restaurants in the Bay Area together under one roof through the creation of a “micro food hall.” They allow customers to order and have easy pickup and delivery in one central location. Best of all, if you want to order from several different local restaurants at one time, it can be done on one single check making it great for group orders or families. 

• Location: Berlin, Germany
• Founder(s): Constantinos Calios
• Founded In: 2014
• Funding: Series B, $90 Million
• Investors Include: HV Capital, SevenVentures, Partech Partners

KoRo is a direct-to-consumer (DTC) company that delivers high-quality, affordable snacks, beverages, and supplements made from sustainable food ingredients. The company’s online platform offers a variety of unique products, such as organic hazelnut cream and plant-based food powders made from ingredients like peas and lupine. 

Recommended: Check out our full list of the top startups to watch!

• Startup Ideas for Food Lovers
• Venture Capital Firms for Food Startups
• Hottest Food and Beverage Startups to Follow
• Top Food Startups Serving Up Innovation
• Fast-Growing Snack Food Startups to Watch
• Startups Addressing Food Waste and Hunger