INESC TEC spin-off won Altice International Innovation Award 2024, worth €75K

Less than a month after being one of the finalists of the Crédito Agrícola Entrepreneurship and Innovation Award (receiving the “Born From Knowledge” award by ANI) and half a year after featuring on the world top 11 of Nature Magazine, Seedsight – an INESC TEC spinoff – won the Altice International Innovation Award 2024, worth €75K.

The competition received 91 applications from various countries – Portugal, Luxembourg, Ireland, the United States, Germany, Poland, Estonia, Spain or Croatia – and selected six projects to be awarded in two categories – “Startup” (€75k) and “INCLUI” by Altice Foundation (€25K). Seedsight received the award in the first category.

This was the eighth edition of a competition that, every year, acknowledges companies that present innovative proposals in relevant technological areas like intelligence, AI, cybersecurity, digital health, etc.

According to Joana Paiva, CEO of Seedsight and researcher at INESC TEC, this award translates into a “recognition of several years of research and the effort made by the Seedsight team to develop an accessible platform that increases efficiency, reduces costs and waste, optimises flour production and promotes transparency in the food chain, ensuring quality food at fair prices and preserving natural resources.”

It’s worth mentioning that Seedsight provides advanced quality assessment solutions for the cereal and grain industry.  The Portuguese company has made it possible, for the first time in the world, to analyse seeds and grains in less than a minute, thus maximising food availability.

“Since the first edition, in 2017, the Altice International Innovation Award (AIIA) has stood out as an essential platform for promoting and recognising entrepreneurship and technological talent in Portugal. Through this award, Altice Portugal reinforces the country’s position in the development of global innovation, boosting national talent and disseminating it in international markets”, according to the statement available on Altice’s website.