20 startup teams selected for bootcamp as FAO prepares to identify promising innovations for incubation and scaling
DHAKA, November 4: The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in Bangladesh is supporting young entrepreneurs in developing innovative business solutions to transform the country's agrifood sector through technology, entrepreneurship and sustainable practices.
Under the second season of its 'Innovators' Brew: Youth Agri Startup Olympiad', FAO Bangladesh, in collaboration with the World Food Forum (WFF) Bangladesh Chapter, has brought together 20 promising startup teams for a bootcamp to develop solutions to challenges across the country's agricultural value chains.
The bootcamp round was held at Sheraton Dhaka, following nearly 90 applications from young agripreneurs across Bangladesh.
Inspired by the 2026 World Food Day theme, 'Innovate today. Nourish tomorrow', the initiative aims to harness young people's creativity, technological capabilities and entrepreneurial potential to build more inclusive, resilient and sustainable agrifood systems.
The selected teams presented their startup ideas and business models before a panel of experts from FAO and leading agritech companies.
Each team was given four minutes to pitch its proposal, followed by a six-minute question-and-answer session. The judges assessed the ideas based on innovation, feasibility, scalability and their potential impact on the agrifood sector.
ImanunNabi Khan, assistant FAO representative in Bangladesh, delivered the welcome address, highlighting the importance of youth-led innovation and entrepreneurship in transforming the country's agrifood systems.
He encouraged young entrepreneurs to explore opportunities across the agricultural value chain and develop practical solutions to challenges related to food security, nutrition and sustainability.
The judging panel comprised Imtiaz Farhan bin Habib, chief executive officer and founder of Agronochain; Diptha Saha, co-founder and chief operating officer of Agroshift; Surajit Sarkar, national mechanisation specialist at FAO; and Mohammod Arif Hossain, FAO data protection and cybersecurity expert.
Md Monjurul Alam, national senior precision agriculture and technical adviser at FAO, chaired the judging session.
Delivering the closing address, Dia Sanou, deputy FAO representative in Bangladesh, encouraged young innovators to look beyond traditional farming and recognise agriculture as a growing sector with opportunities in technology, agribusiness, food processing, logistics and digital services.
The bootcamp will identify the top-performing teams, which will present their solutions before a distinguished panel of judges at a High-Level Dialogue Forum scheduled for November 2026.
The forum will recognise the top three teams and provide opportunities to integrate, incubate and scale their innovations through innovation hubs under FAO Bangladesh's ongoing programme portfolio.
Through the second season of Innovators' Brew, FAO and the World Food Forum Bangladesh Chapter aim to expand youth participation in agrifood innovation and entrepreneurship.
The initiative seeks to turn promising startup ideas into viable businesses that can create employment, strengthen agricultural value chains and contribute to sustainable development.
By connecting young entrepreneurs with industry experts, stakeholders and potential incubation opportunities, the programme also aims to position young people as key drivers of Bangladesh's future food systems transformation.
