Nominations are now open for the Food and Beverage Accelerator (FaBA) Food and Beverage Startup of the Year Award, part of the University of Queensland (UQ) Ventures Entrepreneurship and Innovation Awards. The award recognises exceptional startups within the Australian food and beverage sector.
FaBA works with companies of all sizes to support food and beverage manufacturing innovation in Australia, bringing together university minds with industry experts. The organisation recently launched its FaBA MakerSpace at UQ, aimed at accelerating product development and strengthening collaboration between industry and researchers. FaBA is also currently running its Growth Hub program, a 12-week course built to accelerate Australian food and beverage SMEs and startups ready to innovate, scale, and meet the demands of a changing market.
The UQ Entrepreneurship and Innovation Awards (E&I Awards) showcase and celebrate the breadth of UQ entrepreneurship – from student entrepreneurs to research-based startups that offer solutions to local and global challenges and create positive change.
The Awards celebrate the great success stories of entrepreneurship across the University and Queensland, extending into industry and our communities.
The FaBA Food and Beverage Startup of the Year Award celebrates exceptional businesses delivering innovation across the food and beverage sector, that have been founded within the five years before the date the nominations open.
Judging criteria includes;
- Proof of traction: Demonstrated growth through revenue and staff numbers and/or funding attracted.
- Impact on focus area: Demonstrated impact in the startup’s target area of food and beverage.
- Innovative offering: Unique offering utilising new technology or approaches.
The winning nominee of the FaBA Food and Beverage Startup of the Year award category will receive a $5000 cash prize.
Nominations close on 7 June, with the award winner announced at the FaBA Food and Beverage Entrepreneurs Showcase on 5 August. Head to ventures.uq.edu.au for further information and to nominate.
