WFP Innovation Accelerator named one of the Fast Company Best Workplaces for Innovators — again!
Fast Company has announced the 100 Best Workplaces for Innovators — and we’re on the list! #1 for Education and Nonprofits.
By Lucy Bloxham
It’s an important moment for the World Food Programme (WFP), as the renowned tech magazine Fast Company just announced that the WFP Innovation Accelerator was named as one of the Best Workplaces for Innovators for the third time running.
More specifically, the WFP Innovation Accelerator secured the №32 spot on Fast Company’s 2024 list of 100 Best Workplaces for Innovators, winning the Education and Nonprofits category and being named a finalist in the Best Workplaces for Innovators International category.
This award couldn’t come at a more critical time. Conflict, climate change and economic shocks are worsening the existing global food crisis. This Fast Company Award is an important sign of the role of innovation for WFP and what it can achieve to help hungry people at scale.
“This recognition celebrates everyone in WFP that innovative towards zero hunger; from AI for more efficient supply chains to startups that increase smallholder farmers’ income. It’s a true testament to the work of our amazing WFP colleagues worldwide, and our commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals.” Rania Dagash-Kamara, WFP’s Assistant Executive Director for Partnerships and Innovation
What is the Best Workplaces for Innovators award?
The 2024 Best Workplaces for Innovators list ranks 100 winners from a variety of industries, including entertainment, biotech, consumer packaged goods, marketing, education, healthcare and many more. The top 100 includes Google’s Moonshot Factory, AB Inbev, Mastercard, Siemens, American Express, L’Oreal, Morgan Stanley, LeNovo and Canva.
“Innovation is a global priority that cuts across all industries, and this year’s list reflects that diversity,” says Brendan Vaughan, editor in chief of Fast Company.
The award honours organizations that demonstrate an inspiring commitment to encourage and develop innovation at all levels and is an acknowledgment of the remarkable work by all our WFP colleagues working to achieve Zero Hunger.
Why is it important?
Innovation is embedded in WFP’s operational mindset and culture. The pursuit of making humanitarian efforts within WFP faster, cheaper and more efficient cannot be achieved without innovation, and its necessity to achieve our mission is one of the reasons why the WFP Innovation Accelerator was created back in 2015. Working closely with WFP regional innovation hubs and country office innovation teams, the WFP Innovation Accelerator drives bold solutions for Zero Hunger and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by providing startups with funding, mentorship and hands-on support. Leveraging innovations like mobile tech, AI, and blockchain, we connect solutions with WFP’s global network in over 120 countries and territories globally and share knowledge to transform service delivery to vulnerable communities. In 2024, the WFP Innovation Accelerator is running a total of 20 social impact accelerator programmes.
We are proud to receive this acknowledgement because it serves as a reminder that we’re doing something right. It signals that the innovative spirit running through our veins is keeping the heart of what we do going: innovating for Zero Hunger.
Innovation at the WFP Innovation Accelerator
At the WFP Innovation Accelerator, we’re driving innovative solutions to bridge funding gaps, strengthen collaboration and foster a culture of creativity — all with the ultimate goal of ending global hunger. Here’s a glimpse of how we’re making an impact.
Bridging funding gaps
To tackle the SDG funding shortfall by 2030, we launched the Innovative Finance and Venture Launchpad portfolio. One standout initiative, SheCan, enables women in WFP-assisted areas to overcome barriers to financial inclusion by blending donor support with private lending, enhancing financial literacy and expanding access to markets. In 2023, SheCan piloted in Zambia and Malawi, raised over US$200,000 through crowd-lending in Rwanda and introduced streamlined operational tools. Looking ahead, it will expand with a pilot in Iraq, integrating micro-loans with climate risk insurance.
We also launched WFP Innovation BRIDGE, an initiative providing flexible, risk-tolerant funding to impact businesses disrupting hunger. This model allows WFP to reinvest repayments, driving sustainable food systems and unlocking greater investment potential for innovative ventures.
WFP Rwanda BRIDGE, launched in November 2023 with the support of the Rwanda country office, targets agriculture value chain businesses and focuses on youth job creation in Rwanda. The investment thesis of WFP Rwanda BRIDGE aims to improve the livelihoods of smallholder farmers and positively impact local food systems, with a focus on youth and women.
Strengthening collaboration
With the rise of AI, our AI Sandbox initiative offers a dynamic platform for teams to experiment, innovate, and scale AI solutions aimed at combating hunger. This collaborative space accelerates the deployment of data-driven systems, enabling WFP teams to work more efficiently and deliver greater impact across the globe.
Enabling locally-driven innovation
At the WFP Innovation Accelerator, we focus on fostering innovation from the ground up, supporting WFP country offices and expanding global innovation capabilities. For example, in 2023 Nilus — which aims to eradicate hunger by lowering the cost of healthy food and groceries for low-income people using technology to streamline inefficiencies by connecting producers directly with consumers — collaborated with the WFP Innovation Accelerator and WFP Peru to launch operations in the country, targeting social gastronomy channels, reaching 9,000 community members and leaders.
As the convener of the WFP Innovation Network, we built a knowledge-sharing ecosystem, unified innovation systems and provided strategic advisory services to embed innovation into country operations. This locally-driven approach ensures that solutions are contextually relevant and aligned with programmatic needs, creating meaningful, sustainable change.
Fostering a diverse workplace culture
At the heart of the WFP Innovation Accelerator is a commitment to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace. Our team of 73 innovators from 37 nationalities, 69 percent of whom are women, brings a wealth of perspectives, backgrounds and skills to the table. We believe that this diversity drives our creativity and strengthens our ability to tackle complex challenges.
Impact
Of course, the most important thing about innovation is impact. In 2023, the WFP Innovation Accelerator reached over 60 million individuals across 70 countries and territories and raised a total of US$295M of grant funding for innovations. The innovations address a wide range of social impact and sustainability issues, including climate change, primary healthcare, gender equality and emergency response with the support of WFP regional innovation hubs and country office innovation teams, portfolio ventures and partners.
Join WFP’s innovation journey
- Access the Innovation Database and Playbook: For WFP staff, this internal search engine provides information on all WFP innovation projects, people and knowledge. The WFP Innovators’ Playbook offers field-tested tools, templates, and strategies based on the practical experience of WFP’s innovation teams. Developed by the WFP Kenya Country Office, the WFP Regional Bureau for Eastern Africa and the WFP Innovation Accelerator, the Playbook aims to demystify innovation, presenting it as a problem-solving process accessible to all WFP colleagues.
- Learn about the highlights of WFP Innovation Accelerator’s programmes and activities in its Year in Review 2023.
- Subscribe to the WFP Innovation Accelerator’s Newsletter and social media channels: Follow them on X (Twitter) and LinkedIn to stay updated on upcoming innovation challenges and announcements.
Thank you to Fast Company for your recognition!
The WFP Innovation Accelerator is proud to have won a number of Fast Company awards over the years. These include: Best Workplace for Innovators (2020, 2021 and 2024), Most Innovative Companies (2017, 2021), Innovation Team of the Year (2020), Innovative Leader of the Year finalist (2021 and 2023), Finalist for World Changing Ideas 2019.
