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Calling all food + tech startups — apply to pitch, demo + win at the 5th annual Smart Kitchen Summit

Global food tech event welcomes future food and food tech startups to the table to participate in SKS and receive awards from Blu1877 and WeWork Labs

Seattle, WA – June 26, 2019Smart Kitchen Summit {SKS}, the leading executive food tech conference in North America, is opening applications for two major competitions at this year’s event. The first is the 5th annual food + kitchen tech startup competition known as the SKS Startup Showcase. The Startup Showcase was designed at the very first Smart Kitchen Summit as a way for early stage innovators who were developing disruptive solutions in food, cooking and kitchen related markets. Additionally, SKS is introducing an opportunity for food-based startup companies who are reinventing what food is made of and where it is sourced from to come and pitch and give samples in a demo area at SKS 2019.

Startup Showcase Competition

The SKS Startup Showcase is a well-established food tech startup competition that gives early stage companies the opportunity to pitch and demo their innovation to a leading executives, journalists, VCs and influencers across a broad spectrum of industries and solutions.

Applications are open through August 15, 2019 and judges will select up to 15 finalists to bring their product to SKS in October and present + demo their idea with a pitch on stage and a showcase table at our FoodTech Innovation reception on October 7, 2019, following the first day of SKS. Winners will be presented with a trophy on stage and receive an annual membership to WeWork Food Labs, giving them space and a supportive environment to help build and test their product.

Future Food with Blu1877

The pace of innovation in agriculture, food production, alternative food sources and sustainable food has never been faster. New for 2019, SKS in partnership with Blu1877, the innovation/venture arm of Barilla, is inviting future food startups with a vision to disrupt the traditional way of thinking about food, to apply for the Future Food Startup Pitchfest at SKS 2019.

At SKS, FF Startup Pitchfest participants will be able to network, share samples and discuss their brand and plans to transform food as we know it. There will also be a startup stage where each finalist will present their future food product and one winner will be announced on stage and awarded a weeklong trip to Parma, Italy to visit the Barilla Innovation Lab. Applications are open until August 15, 2019.

Michael Wolf, founder of SKS North America, curator and publisher of The Spoon commented:

“This year we’re expanding startup opportunities because we know it’s disruption and innovation that will move this space forward. In year 5, SKS will feature two separate, exciting opportunities for startups across the food and tech spectrum. Whether you’re reinventing grocery ordering, changing the face of cooking technology, creating alternative protein from crickets or cultivating sustainable seafood in the lab – we want to hear from those creating the future of food and kitchen.”

For more information on this year’s event or to submit to speak or inquire about a sponsorship or partnership with SKS, visit www.smartkitchensummit.com and to stay up to date on event announcements, follow us on Twitter.

About SKS North America

Created in 2015 by smart home and IoT veteran analyst Michael Wolf, the Smart Kitchen Summit {SKS} is the leading global food tech event and community. Along with its sister editorial site The Spoon, SKS aims to be the annual forum for leaders, executive, disruptors and decision makers across the future of food, cooking, restaurant and kitchen to discuss trends, develop partnerships and envision the future of this fast-changing ecosystem. SKS North America will be held on October 7-8, 2019 in Seattle, WA.