By Sarah Bain, Managing Director of the Techstars Future of Food powered by Ecolab Accelerator.

Applications are open now. Apply here.

As we enter the eighth year of the Techstars Future of Food Accelerator powered by Ecolab, we remain focused on driving innovation at the intersection of food and technology.

Food and water are fundamental to sustaining a healthy, growing population, and food safety and public health are critical to a resilient supply chain. Recent challenges have shown how disruptions can ripple across food production, grocery stores, restaurants, and retail, affecting consumers and the broader economy.

With rising demand and increasing pressure on supply chains, investing in technology that strengthens and streamlines the food system has never been more important. Below are the five key focus areas for the 2025 Future of Food Accelerator: 

Restaurant & Retail Tech is key to addressing urgent industry challenges, including labor shortages, food waste, and operational inefficiencies. Startups that leverage robotics, AI, and automation in back-of-house (BOH) and kitchen operations are key to building a more scalable, resilient, and efficient food system.

• Kitchen tech & robotics

• Back of House (BOH) Operations technology

• Automation

• Kitchen enablement technology / software

• AI/ML/Vision

• Labor optimization / elimination

• Food waste

• Cleaning & sanitation

Food Production represents a critical leverage point for transforming the food system at scale. By integrating AI, automation, and digital technologies into supply chains and production environments, startups can reduce waste, improve labor efficiency, and ensure access to clean, safe food and water, all while upholding the highest standards of sanitation and sustainability.

• Digital technology

• AI/ML

• Labor optimization / elimination

• Food waste

• Clean & safe food and water

• Cleaning & sanitation

Labor remains a critical challenge in the food industry, with ongoing issues like workforce shortages, high turnover, and increasing demands for safety and compliance. Innovations in automation, robotics, and workforce enablement tools are essential to easing operational strain, improving efficiency, and creating safer, more sustainable working environments across the food system.

• Automation & Efficiency 

• Compliance & Training 

• Acquisition & Retention 

• Safety & Security 

Supply Chain & Logistics plays a vital role in shaping a resilient and efficient food system. Innovations in smart manufacturing, redundancy, and waste reduction not only improve agility and performance, they also support long-term endurability and progress toward net-zero goals.

• Redundancy & Optimization 

• Net zero 

• Smart manufacturing/Modular manufacturing 

• Food waste

Sustainability remains a key area of focus given the food system’s significant impact on natural resources and the climate. Innovations in water and energy efficiency, bio-based materials, and Scope 3 emissions reduction are essential to building a more regenerative, climate-aligned food future.

• Water 

• Energy

• Bioenergy/Biomaterials 

• Scope 3 

Things we haven't thought of yet:

Safe to say this is the largest bucket, but we love moonshots.

Kicking off on September 8th, the 2025 Techstars Future of Food Powered by Ecolab Accelerator is more than an investment—it's a commitment to backing bold entrepreneurs who are reimagining how the world produces, distributes, and consumes food.

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