We've been at the Web Summit in Dublin last week and had a look at about 2,000 startups from all around the world. Many of them were related to food, cooking, and health so we thought we would give you a quick summary of what's happening on the global stage of food startups.
Every Cook
Every Cook (from Zurich, Switzerland): Let IT cook for you - this kitchen device is meant to cook your meals for you; you just add the ingredients and it does the rest. When we spoke to the team at the Web Summit in Dublin, they said the machine currently works with 30 recipes from their own DigiMeals database. Though the concept is cool and the device looks great, this isn't really a "set it and forget it" solution - for many recipes you still have to stand by to insert the next ingredient in the list.
Twitter:
@EveryCook
Website:
http://everycook.org
APIC
APIC (Belgium) - Part social network and part photo-taking hardware, APIC offers chefs and other foodies the opportunity to take high-quality photographs of their creations and share these and their recipes across social media and even with potential recipe buyers. The device, the APIC.studio, costs €1499,00 and access to APIC.online is an additional €199,00 per year. That brings the total cost to a substantial €1698,00. Perhaps this is a great option for high-paid professional chefs, but hobby cooks and food bloggers will probably stick to their iPhones.
Twitter:
@apicbase
Website:
https://www.apicbase.com/
Snacket
Snacket (India) is an app that wants to save you time waiting in line. The idea is that you could contact their partners—movie theaters, restaurants, coffee shops, etc.—and place your order for pick-up. We couldn't find the app online, but we're curious to see where it goes!
Website: http://snacket.in/
ViewEat
Vieweat (Israel) claims to be the "next generation search engine for restaurants and dishes." You should be able to search for restaurants near you that meet certain requirements, such as gluten free, vegetarian, and even restaurants with low calorie dishes. You should also be able to find a specific dish, so if you're craving burgers you can find your city's best. It seems to only work for cities in Israel (where the company is based) or at least we couldn't find a single restaurant serving pizza in New York City. In any case, this is definitely a need that must be filled, but we think it has a way to go in terms of semantic search.
Twitter:
@vieweat
Website:
http://vieweat.com
Modern Cooking
Modern Cooking (UK) is an ambitious cooking platform that aims to connect people with new, inspired recipes from top professional chefs. They also plan to offer resources to help users choose the best ingredients and learn cooking techniques. For now you can sign up to keep updated with their progress and follow them on Twitter.
Twitter:
@mdrncooking
Website:
http://www.moderncooking.com/
General Recipe
General Recipe (Czech Republic): This startup has the goal of helping users transform their bodies through healthy eating and exercise. Their English site is available here: http://www.srecipes.eu/
Twitter:
@mdrncooking
Website:
http://www.moderncooking.com
Foodfriends
foodfriends (Spain) wants to help people find and book restaurants. There is not much information available (coming soon), but it appears the app may help connect diners with other hungry people so you don't have to eat alone. We'll see!
Twitter:
@foodfriendsnet
Website:
http://foodfriends.net
AbraResto
AbraResto (Indonesia): Similar to Vieweat, this start up aims to connect Indonesian diners with the right restaurants. You can search by restaurant, dish, or cuisine.
Twitter:
@abraresto
Website:
https://abraresto.com
Eat to Meet
Eat to Meet (The Netherlands): Hungry for adventure? Eat to Meet will connect you with likeminded people—at their homes for dinner parties or at communal tables in restaurants.
Twitter:
@eattomeet
Website:
http://www.eattomeet.com/
HelloFresh
HelloFresh (Germany) makes it easy to cook healthy. They assemble boxes with the ingredients you need to prepare the recipes they include. You can order a subscription or order the boxes whenever you're in the mood to have someone else do your shopping. You still have to cook the meals yourself ;) A $69 box contains 3 meals for 2 people - so $11.50 per meal. Not exactly a bargain, but healthier than eating out would be! You can always view the recipes for the upcoming week on their website. Delivers across the US as well as in Australia, the UK, Germany, Austria, and the Netherlands.
Twitter:
@HelloFresh
Website: http://www.hellofresh.com
Food Novate
Food Novate (Lyon, France) creates digital menus for restaurants, currently only in France. They aim to use tablets and other devices to improve diners' experiences in restaurants. We had a peek at their app and it looks great - the bit about wine pairings is especially neat.
Twitter:
@remy_taglang
Website:
http://foodnovate.agorasoft.com
Orderella
Orderella (UK) is the app you need if you drink in popular, overcrowded bars or if you hate carrying around cash. Avoid lines by preordering your drinks and bar snacks and paying digitally. Currently available for nearly 95 pubs in the UK/Ireland.
Twitter:
@orderella
Website:
http://www.orderella.co.uk/
MyFoody
MyFoody (Milan, Italy) is a fantastic concept to reduce food waste. Food distributors can sell their excess, expiring, or simply unattractive (but still delicious) foods at a reduced price, instead of throwing them out. Consumers, on the other hand, can look to save 30-70% off their bill. You can either pick up your goods or have them delivered via a sustainable form of transport.
Twitter:
@MyFoody_
Website:
http://www.myfoody.it
Foona
Foona (Pakistan) aims to help people search for and discover restaurants. With their search tool, diners should be able to find the best restaurants. Since sites like Yelp do not seem to cater to their region, this could turn out to be a valuable tool in the future.
Twitter:
@foonaReview
Website:
http://foona.net
Easy Dinner
Easy Dinner (Italy): Sort of like Groupon exclusively for restaurants, you can use Easy Dinner to find restaurant deals, such as 2 pizzas and 2 glasses of wine for 25 euros. The site is currently in beta, but free apps for Android, Windows Phone, and iOS are already in their respective app stores.
Website: http://www.easydinner.it
Natural Machines (Foodini)
Natural Machines (Spain): This 3D food printer uses natural ingredients to create healthy meals. Though definitely impressive, it seems more creative than practical, and most of their example dishes seem more like artwork than food we would really eat on a normal weeknight. We can totally see how upscale restaurants or bakeries would make good use of this, but as home cooks we don't think we'll add this to our kitchens.
Twitter:
@NaturalMachines
Website: http://www.naturalmachines.com
Food Square
With Food Square (Italy), you can quickly create events at restaurants, specifying the location, number of reserved places, etc., and find other hungry people who are happy to join you.
Twitter:
@FoodSquareIt
Website:
http://www.foodsquare.it
Drop
Drop (San Francisco, California) is a smart scale that connects to your iPad and an interactive recipe app that makes baking much less complicated. You can use it to find recipes, make a shopping list, reduce or increase the number of servings, and share your baked goods with the world. It reminds us of The Orange Chef ( theorangechef.com), just focused on baking. Plus, this sleek device is probably cheaper than you think - $99.95.
Twitter:
@dropkitchen
Website:
http://getdrop.com
Appetitoso
Appetitoso (Florence, Italy): Like some of the other apps we've mentioned, Appetitoso wants to help people find the right restaurants for their cravings. They recommend restaurants that were mentioned in blogs or by local foodies to ensure the restaurants are considered must-visit locations.
Twitter:
@Appetitoso_app
Website:
http://appetitoso.it
Artizone
Artizone (Dallas, Texas): Live in Dallas or Chicago? Artizone delivers artisanal products to your home, from ice cream to honey to bread. Make shopping lists, find recipes, and learn more about the people producing your food. The site can be a little hard to use, but it makes up for it with its cute and personable design.
Twitter:
@artizone
Website:
http://www.artizone.com
All in all, there are some clear trends in the food startup scene: restaurant finding tools, social dining apps, food delivery, and smart, high-tech cooking appliances. We plan on entering the ring in some of these areas soon, so as always, stay spooned!
Author
Written by Crystal Schlegelmilch on November 9th 2014
More Interesting Articles to Read
Techweek Chicago 2015: Food Startups Compete in LAUNCH Competition
Looking for a good replacement for Evernote Food? Try spoonacular!
What is the Best Recipe Search Engine in the World?
