Teams of young innovators and entrepreneurs are invited to compete for funding and mentorship, and develop their bold ideas into real solutions that feed 9+ billion people by 2050AMSTERDAM, Jan. 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Thought for Food, the world's leading organisation dedicated to engaging and empowering the next generation of innovators and entrepreneurs in food and agriculture, today launches the 5th edition of the TFF Challenge, inviting young leaders from around the world to sign up and develop new ideas and business concepts that tackle the challenge of sustainably feeding our world's growing population. This year the competition is open to everyone under the age of 35.The TFF Challenge was established in 2012 to find new answers to the question: how do we feed 9+ billion people by 2050? It calls on young innovators to address a wide range of food and agriculture challenges by encouraging technology and business model innovation in all parts of the food chain - from production to distribution, as well as consumption and waste. Previous entries have covered key areas such as vertical farming, logistics, breeding, agtech, open data, aquaculture and livestock, food waste, synthetic biology, new proteins and appropriate tech for smallholders.

What if? 2018 TFF Challenge Campaign poster (PRNewsfoto/Thought For Food Foundation)From 15 January to 4 May 2018, participating teams will develop new ideas through an independent online platform that offers training tools such as a Design Thinking Lab and 12-week Startup Bootcamp. No pre-existing idea or business is required. Teams of three to five participants will be formed and led through a series of exercises that will help them identify an opportunity, and develop an innovative solution. TFF will work with teams to nurture their concepts into workable businesses."Thought For Food believes we need transformative thinking to tackle food security. With so much untapped potential and a need for industry change in mind, our annual TFF Challenge disrupts the standard development of food security solutions by incentivizing and rewarding innovations developed by young people from around the world," says Christine Gould, Founder and CEO of the Thought For Food Foundation. "We ask youth to do what they do best - which is to push boundaries and question assumptions. Through the years, this approach has delivered tangible impact with some of the most robust and inspired ideas of our generation - we can't wait to see what 2018 brings forward."Since 2013, the TFF Challenge has engaged more than 8,500 youth from over 130 countries, and has kick-started and supported the creation of 37 impact-oriented food and ag startups, including FoPo Food Powder, Biteback, Sparky, Agrilution, Unibiome and AgroSmart.The TFF Challenge culminates with the annual TFF Summit, which will be held in Summer 2018. This event brings together hundreds of entrepreneurs, innovators and radical thinkers to uproot the status quo and invigorate innovation around food security. Additionally, 10 Finalist Teams will pitch their ideas for the chance to win cash grants from Thought For Food and partners such as the Kirchner Food Fellows and the Borlaug Institute for International Agriculture.Note to the editor:About Thought for Food:Thought for Food is the leading global organization engaging and empowering the next generation to feed 9+billion people by 2050. We work with thousands of youth from over 130 countries and organize a number of activities that bring the next generation voice into the conversation and solution development about the future of food and agriculture. We help build talent, forward innovation and raise the reputation of the industry as a whole. Thought For Food is a 501c3 non-profit entity. http://www.tffchallenge.com/The 2018 TFF Challenge that runs from 15 January to 4 May is an annual, global competition that incubates and accelerates new, youth-led food and agriculture projects. Since 2013, thousands of new ideas have been developed based on our robust curriculum and training programs, and 37+ new for-profit and non-profit ventures have been launched. http://www.tffchallenge.com/challenge/The Global TFF Summit is our annual flagship event that brings together the world's foremost thinkers and doers dedicated to creating a more food secure world. With diverse backgrounds and experiences, these innovators and leaders build powerful connections, ultimately leading to critical solutions for the future of humanity.TFF Community:The Ambassador Program is comprised of dedicated community members who stay engaged after participating in the TFF Challenge, to advocate for TFF's mission, leading workshops and mentoring teams to help us scale in reach and impact. The Next Generation Council is our hand-selected community advisory board, who communicate and manage regional Ambassador teams and advise on new program and partnership ideas.Press materials:Photos in this folder on DriveVideos on TFF Challenge VimeoAnnual Report 2017 for information about startupsFor additional information and interview requests:Tessa Wernink188777@email4pr.com+31 6 11 429 429Christine Gould - Founder & CEO188777@email4pr.com