NIUM among the 500 most innovative foodtech companies in the world
NIUM among the 500 most innovative foodtech companies in the world
NIUM, a startup incubated at UPTEC – Science and Technology Park of the University of Porto, has been recognized as one of the world’s 500 most innovative companies in the FoodTec sector by being selected for the prestigious FoodTech500 2024 ranking, organized by the global platform Forward Fooding.
With over 1,420 applications from 50 countries, the ranking highlights companies shaping food’s future through innovation and sustainability. NIUM stood out for its innovative approach to personalized nutrition and intestinal health, with its solution for modeling gastrointestinal metabolism with various applications.
A spin-off from the University of Luxembourg is developing a revolutionary system replicating the entire human gastrointestinal system on a chip. With this technology it will be possible to create predictive models, which will facilitate the development of innovative food products and personalized nutritional recommendations, including pre- and probiotics.
“We had doubts about fitting into the ranking, as we focus more on the technological component rather than direct food product development. However, we believe our approach is transforming how future food products are created and evaluated “, explained Alberto Noronha, CEO and co-founder of NIUM.
Forward Fooding evaluates companies based on three factors: business performance, social impact, and technological innovation. For NIUM, technological innovation played a key role in this achievement.
The recognition is already bringing results, with an increase in interest from new partners and investors, especially outside Portugal and Luxembourg, where NIUM has a strong presence. “This distinction increases our visibility and validates our proposal in an international context” (Translated from Portuguese), added the CEO.
NIUM believes that personalized nutrition and access to concrete scientific data will be crucial for the future of the food industry, particularly in the areas of digestive, mental, and metabolic health. The startup focuses on combining microbiome, artificial intelligence, and preventive medicine to create food solutions tailored to everyone.
March 18, 2025