In collaboration with Basque Culinary Center and GOe – Gastronomy Open Ecosystem, UCL School of Management organised the third London edition of GOe On The Road at its Canary Wharf campus. With previous stops in Tokyo and upcoming events in Boston and Buenos Aires, the event continues to bring together a vibrant international community of food-tech entrepreneurs and investors.

After opening remarks from PJ Hanard, School Lead for Entrepreneurship at UCL School of Management, Raquel Martín, Head of Strategic Development at GOe– Gastronomy Open Ecosystem, highlighted how global innovation ecosystems connect stakeholders across sectors, fostering talent, connection and collaborative growth.

The first keynote, titled ‘Tasting Flavours,’ was delivered by Barry Smith, Director of the Institute of Philosophy at the University of London. He discussed collaboration as driver for innovation, observing that “Collaboration accelerates innovation, challenges our assumptions, and forces us to reflect on why we do what we do. He also examined how all our senses shape our perception of flavour illustrating how environmental factors such as noise, including the use of noise-cancelling headphones to improve taste perception on aeroplanes, can alter flavour experience. He further discussed how the shape of food and even its position on a plate can influence how it is perceived and enjoyed.  

The programme continued with a roundtable discussion on London’s Innovation Ecosystem Agents, featuring Tomer Niv from Entrée Capital, Tom Nicholson from and Ali Morrow from Clay Capital, moderated by Irati Lekue, Head of Entrepreneurship at GOe – Gastronomy Open Ecosystem. The panel explored the evolution of London’s innovation ecosystem, emerging investment opportunities in food tech, and common risks and pitfalls for startups. They further stressed the importance of cross-ecosystem collaboration in accelerating innovative and sustainable solutions. 

The second keynote was delivered by Laura Vázquez, Head of Sensory Analysis at the GOe Tech Center, in a presentation titled  ‘Food design: framing food identity and acceptance through consumers’ cultural profiles.’ She outlined how sociocultural consumer profiling can inform the design of new food products aligned with cultural identities and eating habits. 

The third keynote was presented by Marianna Obrist, Professor of Multisensory Interfaces at UCL. In ‘Multisensory experiences: where the senses meet technology, a taster session.’ She shared insights from her research and eflected on how sensory experiences can be translated into digital environments and applied in entrepreneurship.

The evening concluded with venture pitches from four finalists who presented their ventures to a jury comprising representatives from GOe – Gastronomy Open Ecosystem, GOe Tech Center, UCL, Entrée Capital and Clay Capital.

After deliberation, the jury selected Fermtech as the London edition winner and the team will now advance to the grand finale in Donostia–San Sebastián in May.

Reflecting on the event, PJ Hanard commented, “At UCL School of Management, we believe progress comes from research that challenges assumptions, and entrepreneurship that turns ideas into action. Together with Basque Culinary Center, we bring together a community of researchers, entrepreneurs and investors, to connect their knowledge and practice in advancing the future of food.”