August 13, 2026
Pitch Perfect: Founders showcase the future of food
Founders, investors, buyers and industry leaders came together in August to celebrate the next generation of Australian food and beverage innovation at the FaBA Entrepreneurs' Showcase.
The Showcase, hosted in partnership with UQ Ventures, highlighted the growing strength of Australia’s food and beverage innovation ecosystem, bringing together startups, scale-ups and emerging ventures from across FaBA’s entrepreneurship programs.
The evening opened with the announcement of Refilled as the 2026 FaBA Food & Beverage Startup of the Year as part of The University of Queensland (UQ) Entrepreneurship and Innovation Awards.
Refilled is replacing single-use bottles and cans with smart beverage dispensing technology that delivers customised still and sparkling drinks on demand. The Sydney-based company was recognised alongside finalists Canefields Distillery and Zest Element.
UQ Ventures, iLab Program Manager, Tyson Jennings said the FaBA Growth Hub was designed to give founders practical support at a critical stage of growth.
“Our role at UQ Ventures is to back founders as they build the skills, networks and confidence to take bold ideas further,” Tyson said.
“The evening was a celebration of that ecosystem, and of the talented people whose ideas are already creating impact.”
FaBA
Nine businesses took to the stage to pitch, following the successful completion of the 2026 FaBA Growth Hub. Throughout the 12-week program, participants worked closely with Entrepreneur-in-Residence Philippe Ceulen to refine their growth strategies, strengthen business models and sharpen investor pitches.
“Very few programs in Australia are designed specifically for food and beverage founders, and that’s what makes the Growth Hub so valuable,” Philippe said.
“Our commercial support sits hand in glove with FaBA’s expertise in food science and manufacturing, so founders get both sides of the equation in one place. The growing interest we’re seeing from the sector shows how much that’s needed.”
Guests also had the opportunity to taste, test and trial products from businesses that have participated in the 2025 and 2026 Growth Hub, the FaBA Kickstarter program and the Food Innovation Challenge designed for UQ and QUT students.
FaBA Training Centre Program Lead Professor Nidhi Bansal said the Showcase demonstrated the breadth and depth of support available to food and beverage entrepreneurs.
“The FaBA Entrepreneurs’ Showcase is special because we are bringing together the best parts of Australia’s food and beverage innovation ecosystem,” Professor Bansal said.
“From students with an idea, to founders building a company, to ambitious businesses preparing to scale. At FaBA, that is what we are here to support.”
FaBA Director Dr Chris Downs said the event celebrated the resilience and determination required to build successful businesses.
“The future of food and beverage manufacturing will be built by founders who combine vision with execution, embrace uncertainty and keep moving forward when challenges arise.
Success rarely happens overnight. The founders we celebrated showed the courage, perseverance and determination required to turn vision into impact.”
The showcase featured a diverse range of ventures spanning novel food and beverage products, nutrition, agrifood technology, sustainability and advanced manufacturing. Participating businesses included Ag Intellisense, ALTR, Canefields Distillery, Everyday Iron, Made for Change, Mama Nature, Matcha Yu Tea, My Daily Gut, Pollinate, Purelyte, Sea Country, The Tassie Hemp Shop, Yaala Sparkling, Yuvo Naturals and Zest Element.