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Daily news and analysis about the food tech revolution

Chobani

Chobani Creates a Food Incubator Cohort for U.S. Veterans

CPG heavyweight Chobani announced this week it is adding a new cohort to its popular Incubator program, this one designed to help current and former armed service members who are also food entrepreneurs grow their businesses.

Dubbed, The Chobani Incubator Veterans Cohort, the program is set to take place over one week this December, according to a press release sent to The Spoon. Participants will head to the Chobani offices in Soho, NYC to learn about sales, marketing, and food innovation from Chobani team members.

For the program, Chobani has partnered with the Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF) at Syracuse University, an organization founded to help veterans transition into post-service careers. Besides offering higher education and general career training, the IVMF foundation also has an entrepreneurship program those participating in the Chobani cohort will be able to connect with.

Misty Fox, Director of Entrepreneurship IVMF, noted in a statement that the partnership with Chobani will provide veterans “with critical start-up environments that provide consulting, networking and administrative support — a big advantage early on in a business life cycle.”

Chobani has already chosen the three companies who will participate in the Chobani Incubator Veterans Cohort:

J. Lee’s Gourmet BBQ Sauce. The Biloxi, MS-based company was founded in 2013 by Army Veteran James Lee and his mother Helen Lee, and creates BBQ sauces designed specifically for diabetics. The products are already available at stores like Walmart, Publix, and Kroger as well as at military commissaries and via Amazon.

Amore Congelato. Founded this year by Naval Reserve Officer Thereasa Black, the Chantilly, VA-based business makes gelatos and sorbets sweetened with agave nectar.

Savor the Flavor. started back in 1992 by the current generational founder’s grandmother, the Sumter, SC company produces hand-bagged southern staples like grits and rice mixes.

The program is something of a first-of-its-kind in terms of offering military veterans an incubator-style setting in which to start growing a food business.

3 Food Tech Accelerators Taking Applications Right Now

Thinking of joining a food accelerator? While they’re not for everyone, these programs offer a growing number of startups access to things like mentors and potential investors, as well as assistance in taking a business to its next phase of growth. Yes, there’s some money involved in many cases, though experts will tell you that shouldn’t be the prime motivator for joining an accelerator or incubator.

Applications for many of these programs will open in early 2020. In the meantime, here are a few early opportunities for startups both in the U.S. and overseas.

Chobani Incubator
New York City & Remote

Taking applications for Spring 2020 is the Chobani Incubator, one of the most well-known programs to be run by a major CPG company. According to the program FAQs, Chobani looks for early-stage food and beverage companies who are already producing and selling their products “with some early traction” to join the four-month-long program, which will kick off in March of 2020.

Chosen companies — usually six or seven — spend roughly one week per month onsite at the Incubator HQ in Manhattan’s SoHo neighborhood and visiting Chobani manufacturing sites. Other program work can be done remotely, though participants should expect to travel during their time in the program. Chosen startups also each receive a $25,000 equity-free grant, a stipend for travel expenses, mentorship opportunities, and access to potential investors.

Applications close December 1, 2019.

Food-X Food Innovation Accelerator
New York City

It feels like Food-X just started working with Cohort 10, but already the NYC-based accelerator is looking for startups to join Cohort 11, which will kick off in March of 2020 and run until June.

Food-X works with companies up and down the food innovation stack, with sustainability, health, supply chain efficiency, and food traceability being just a few areas of focus. Chosen participants relocate to NYC to work out of the Food-X offices in Manhattan. In exchange for 8 percent equity, companies also receive $70,000 in cash, mentorship, access to the larger Food-X community, and potential investment opportunity. Food-X normally takes about eight companies per cohort — from an applicant pool that’s in the hundreds at this point.

The final application deadline is January 12, 2020.

FoodStars
Den Haag, Netherlands

Netherlands-based program FoodStars looks for agtech startups to join its community on an ongoing basis. Companies can be developing new technologies, production methods, and business models that improve food production and prioritize things like health and sustainability. Some areas of focus include food waste, horticulture, and control farming.

Those chosen to join the community/program get a minimum 12 months of mentorship, training programs, access to FoodStars events, a startup visa (for international companies), and office space in The Hague. In exchange, FoodStars takes 2 percent equity.

Applications are taken on a rolling basis.

Chobani Reveals the Chosen Companies for Its Fall 2019 Food Tech Residency

Dairy-focused CPG Chobani just announced the chosen companies participating in the company’s 2019 Food Tech Residency, a three-month program for startups using technology to solve issues in the food system. Joining this year are Via Separations, a platform for membrane filtration, and Acumen Detection, who makes a pathogen identification system that can detect contagious disease in cows.

While closely tied to Chobani’s popular Incubator program, the Residency differs from it in a few respects. For one thing, it’s much smaller, accepting just two companies instead of the six to eight the Incubator takes. And where the Incubator works specifically with CPG startups in a curriculum-based format, the Food Tech residency brings companies to the Chobani’s facilities to work side by side with with its operations team.

There’s no one specific set of areas Chobani focuses on when selecting companies for the Residency. Rather, the company considers which challenges startups are trying to solve in the food system, the process and product by which they plan to solve them, and how valuable Chobani can be in that equation. “We decided on Acumen Detection and Via Separations because we saw how much knowledge and value we could provide for their growth, as well as their abilities to support Chobani’s initiatives around sustainability and innovation,” the company said in an email to The Spoon.

Once chosen, Residency startups get tailored programming that includes paid trips to Chobani facilities, workshops and one-to-one meetings with Chobani leaders, access to farmers and retailers, and networking opportunities. At the close of the three-month program, startups get a chance to pilot their solutions with Chobani and other food manufacturers.

For the Fall Residency, the company picked two companies to help further the mission of improving the well being of dairy cows and creating value from waste streams on the dairy farm. Via Separations, a MIT spinout based out of Massachusetts, uses membranes to process acid whey, a byproduct of many dairy items including Greek yogurt and cottage cheese, and turn it into a usable food ingredient. Meanwhile, Syracuse, NY-based Acumen Detection has a patented, portable on-farm laboratory that detects mastitis pathogens, which affect cows, in three hours or less. According to Chobani, farmers can save “over $400 per case through early detection.”

Programming for the Residency will be held at Chobani’s factories in Central New York and Twin Falls, Idaho, as well as at the company offices in NYC.

Chobani is one name on a growing list of major CPGs using accelerator- and incubator-type programs to stay closely connected to both food innovation and the startup landscape.

4 Food Tech Incubators Startups Should Look Into Right Now

Last week, The Spoon chatted with WeWork Labs’ Tessa Price and Food-X’s Peter Bodenheimer about foodtech accelerator programs and what they can offer to startups seeking the next phase of growth.

Brought up during the conversation was an important point that sometimes gets lost: the difference between accelerators and incubators. While the sheer number of programs nowadays means the distinction between the two is often, as Bodenheimer suggested, “interchangeable,” there are still some key differences. Most notably, incubators tend to foster companies who are still very early on in terms of their growth and who may not necessarily be ready to commercialize. And unlike accelerator programs, which typically run for a set amount of time, incubators most commonly take participants on a rolling basis.

Even those distinctions aren’t set in stone, however, and the best way to decide if an incubator is right for your food business is to examine the program details and see if they line up with your own ideas and goals about your business. With that in mind, here are some of today’s most popular food tech incubators:

The Kitchen
Israel

The Kitchen bills itself as a “FoodTech Hub” and takes companies on a rolling basis. It was founded by Israel’s largest food and beverage manufacturer, the Strauss Group, and invites participants from up and down the food chain. Notable members of its portfolio include food safety company Inspecto and cellular agriculture startup Aleph Farms.

To apply, startups are asked to introduce themselves via email that includes an overview of the company, team, and competitive advantage. If your credentials pass muster, The Kitchen will set up an interview process that leads to an eventual meeting with its Office of the Chief Scientist, with whom the buck stops. Chosen companies get a $500,000 budget over a two-year work plan, office space, and assistance from various business leaders in the food industry.

Email The Kitchen to start the application process.

Chobani Food Tech Residency
NYC

In some ways, Chobani’s Food Tech Residency operates more like an incubator than the company’s officially titled Chobani Incubator program. The Food Tech Residency brings startups to Chobani’s facilities so they can work side-by-side with members of the company’s operations team. Since the Residency is all about innovation and improving ideas and solutions, startups don’t have a product in the market yet to be eligible. Successful applicants will be given a chance during the program to pitch their businesses and potentially secure funding.

Chobani is currently taking applications for the next Residency program, which kicks off in September 2019. Applications are open until July 14. Since the program is more tech-focused, traditional packaged food and beverage products are not eligible for this program.

The Hatchery
Chicago, IL

The Hatchery is a massive facility in Chicago that offers food entrepreneurs access to shared kitchen and co-working space. It also maintains an incubator-like program that offers, coaching and consultations, access to a large member network, classes, and opportunities for financing (via The Hatchery’s joint-venture partner Accion).

One of the cool things about this program is its large number of events and workshops open to the public, which give potential applicants a chance to check out the facility and its culture in depth before handing over an application fee. Check the schedule here, and if it’s intriguing enough, you can apply to become a member on an ongoing basis.

Those serious about joining should be willing to base their operations out of the Chicago area.

Union Kitchen
Washington, D.C.

Union Kitchen offers multiple levels of involvement for food startups, from simply using its shared kitchen space in Washington D.C. to joining its incubator program (which it confusingly refers to as an accelerator). For the latter, chosen companies work with Union Kitchen to move from idea to concept and to actual product, and eventually launch their goods and/or services first in the D.C. area and then into other regions.

Union Kitchen participants come from across the food industry, though there is a strong emphasis on consumer packaged goods. The program happens in three phases over the course of about a year and a half. Those interested can schedule a tour beforehand. Union Kitchen takes applications on an ongoing basis.

Food Tech News: Chobani and Taco Bell Embrace Vegan, Juicebot Announces Launch

We just closed out an epic week at CES covering all things food tech, from plant-based burgers to super-speedy countertop pizza ovens. But we still can’t get enough. Here are a few interesting food tech stories from around the web that caught our eye this week. Happy weekend, all!

Chobani to launch new plant-based products
Greek yogurt darling Chobani announced this week that it will launch its first line of dairy-free products. The company will roll out the nine plant-based products, including yogurt cups and drinks, this month at grocery stores around the country. Made with coconut milk, the cups have a suggested retail price of $1.99, and $2.49 for the drinks. Plant-based dairy products are experiencing a boom in popularity. It makes sense that the leading yogurt producer in the U.S. would hop on the dairy-free bandwagon — in fact, I’m surprised it took them this long.

 

Chicory teams up with MilkPEP for digital milk aisle
Grocery tech company Chicory has partnered with the Milk Processor Education Program (MilkPEP) to test what the press release calls a “digital milk aisle experience.” Basically, MilkPEP is using Chicory’s in-recipe ads to promote milk. When someone sees a recipe containing milk on Chicory’s platform, an ad prompting them to “shop now!” will appear and nudge them towards online shopping sites where they can purchase their dairy. Currently, the program works with Meijer and AmazonFresh, and will roll out to include more retailers after the test.

 

Photo: Taco Bell

Taco Bell to test dedicated vegetarian and vegan menus
Plant-based food has been edging onto fast food menus around the country, from White Castle’s Impossible slider to Carl’s Jr.’s Beyond Famous Star Burger. It seems like Taco Bell wants to “beef” up its vegetarian offerings as well. The company announced this week that it would start testing its first dedicated vegetarian menu later in 2019. The fast-food chain already has over 8 million vegetarian combinations, but this will mark the first time meat-free and vegan options will have their own dedicated menu.

 

Photo: Mitte

Mitte launches equity crowdfunding campaign
This week Mitte, the Berlin-based company which makes a connected countertop mineral water machine, launched a campaign with Republic, an investment platform for startups. The news comes just a few months after Mitte raised $10.6 million in seed funding. When we spoke with Mitte’s CMO Karan Sarin, he told us that the company decided to turn to equity crowdfunding in order to democratize investment. Mitte will use the funds from the campaign for marketing efforts and to support its product launch in the U.S.

 

Photo: @juicebot on Instagram.

Juicebot announces launch
Robotic juice dispenser/vending machine Juicebot announced on Instagram that it will officially launch on Saturday, January 19th. All Juicebot juice and smoothies are made within 48 hours of being placed inside the machine, and are kept fresh inside stainless steel containers. Juicebot, which had a beta launch in 2017, is trying to replace traditional juice bars and make fresh, raw juice available everywhere from apartments buildings to gyms to grocery stores.

Did we miss anything? Let us know in the comments or tweet us @TheSpoonTech! 

Here Are the Latest Foodtech Accelerators You Can Apply to Right Now

As I mentioned earlier this year, foodtech is making up for lost time in terms of innovation, and part of what’s driving that is the number of accelerator programs out there. And while we’re halfway through 2018, there are still plenty of programs to which food startups of all shapes and sizes can apply—so many, in fact, that it’s not really possible to fit them all into a single post. We’ve hand-picked a few here and listed them in order of application deadlines. Feel free to add yours in the comments below.

BSH Future Home Accelerator (new)
Applications: Accepted starting July 23rd

BSH Home Appliances (BSH Hausgeräte GmbH) is teaming up with Techstars to create the “BSH Future Home Accelerator Powered by Techstars”, an accelerator targeted at “early stage companies with innovative digital business models that want to accelerate their ideas around the connected kitchen of the future home.”

The program, which will kick off in February 2019 with an initial cohort of 10 companies, will have a total of three cohort classes over the course of three years (2019-2021) and mentor a total of thirty startups.

Land O’Lakes Dairy Accelerator
Applications Due: June 29

Those companies wanting to disrupt the dairy space should apply to the Land O’Lakes’ Dairy Accelerator, which kicks off in mid-September. Participants don’t have to fully relocate to the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, but are expected to travel there for the session days taking place throughout the program. All companies receive a $25,000 stipend to offset travel and other costs, as well as training, mentorship, and networking opportunities.

Land O’ Lakes wants companies using dairy as a prime ingredient in their products (duh) and who have done around $200,000 or more in revenues over the last 12 months. Detailed information is in the accelerator’s FAQs.

Chobani
Applications Due: July 2

Greek yogurt maker Chobani has one of the more high-profile incubators coming from a CPG. As Catherine Lamb noted recently, the current round of applications are for the fourth iteration of the program. The chosen ones will be early-stage food and beverage startups who already have some traction in the market (roughly under $10 million in revenue).

Six to seven companies in the manufacturing space will be selected. Chobani provides pretty thorough details on its selection criteria, so you can easily determine if you’re an appropriate fit.

In addition to the company’s high-profile incubator, Chobani just launched a new food tech residency program focused specifically on food and ag tech startups. The program, which is targeted at early stage startups with strong technical pedigrees that could benefit from access to Chobani’s food expertise, will run simultaneously with the Chobani incubator program and culminate in a joint demo day in December. Applications for this new program are also due July 2nd.

FoodForward

Applications Due: July 29

FoodForward is a new food tech accelerator managed by Deloitte Italy in partnership with a group of Italian corporate partners such as Amadori, Cereal Docks and Gruppo Finiper and food innovation entities such as Innogest, Digital Magics, Seeds & Chips and Federalimentare Giovani. The accelerator is open to both Italian and non-Italian startups that fit into the following themes: new foods, quality and traceability of food, healthy lifestyle, circular economy, new delivery models, smart packaging and precision agriculture.

The program, which will accept seven startups in its initial cohort, will run between January and May 2019 in Milan. Each startup will receive a commitment of access to €20k in cash contribution and €50k in services in direct investment in exchange for 6% of of the company’s equity.

Food-X

Applications Due: July 15

“We use a pragmatic, data driven approach to perfect your offering, your operation, and your message,” claims the Food-X website. In terms of how that helps your growing startup, that means access to Food-X’s extensive network of mentors, investors, and other partners, including AWS, Hubspot, California Technology Council, and DigitalOcean. Chosen participants also get $50,000 in cash upon starting the program (in exchange for 7 to 10 percent equity).

Food-X looks specifically for early-stage companies at the “product-market fit” stage. The accelerator takes place at the company’s NYC offices over a 14-week period.

Accel-VT Ag & Food-Tech
Applications Due: August 15

Accel-VT cohort members are chosen based on their company’s ability to use technology to solve an issue related to agriculture—supply chain management/traceability, reducing energy usage, and food distribution, to name a few. The accelerator consists of three, four-day sessions onsite in Burlington, Vermont. There are webinars and homework assignments in between sessions.

Those looking to apply should be at startup or seed stage, have at least two team members, and demonstrate, according to the Accel-VT site, “market adoption in the form of a pilot or paying customer.”

FoodFutureCo
Applications Due:On a rolling basis

The Food Future Co folks pride themselves on being a slightly different kind of accelerator, namely one that caters to founders wanting to scale up their concepts and solutions. Its four-month program, which runs twice per year, looks for entrepreneurs who have some proof of concept and are on track to gross $1 million and up.

FoodFutureCo just wrapped Cohort 3, which took place at Project Farmhouse NYC. For future cohorts, four to six companies will be selected and receive mentorship as well as an in-kind value of up to $100,000 per company.

Food System 6
Applications Due: On a rolling basis

FS6 looks specifically for companies wanting to solve challenges in the food system, be it finding pesticide alternatives to reducing food waste and creating tools for regenerative agriculture. The four-month program takes place twice per year, all of which take place in the San Francisco Bay Area. A mix of for-profit and non-profit companies are selected to participate.

The chosen few (6 to 10 companies) receive training and mentorship, as well as opportunities to connect with partners and investors.

Food Tech News Roundup: Ben & Jerry’s, Food Waste Snacks, and Target Takeovers

It may have been a short week (at least for some of us), but it still feels good to reach the weekend finish line. Let’s celebrate with some food tech news, shall we?

We’re still riding a high from the announcement of the FoodTech 25: twenty five companies we think are changing the way we grow, source, cook, eat, and think about food. But lots of other food innovation news popped up around the web as well! Here are a few of our favorite stories, from Ben & Jerry’s new sustainability initiative to BYO homebrewing packs.

Chobani incubator to focus on food tech
Lately, quite a few CPG brands have been launching food-related incubators — including Greek yogurt darling Chobani. This week Chobani announced new incubator program which will revolve around our favorite subject: foodtech. The Food Tech Residency will be the company’s fourth incubator initiative, and will run parallel to their original incubator class. They’re currently searching for startups involved in agtech, food safety, innovative packaging, and other areas to improve the food system. Once selected, participating companies will have access to all Chobani Incubator programming, including factory visits, mentorship, opportunities to pilot new products, and a chance to pitch for funding. They have three spots open, so if you’re an emerging food tech or agtech startup, get on it!

 

Tyson Foods rolls out snacks made of food waste
Poultry giant Tyson Foods has created a snack brand which makes “Protein Crisps” out of food waste such as chicken breast trim, spent grain from beer brewing, and excess vegetable purée from juicing. Dubbed “¡Yappah!,” the brand will be used as an umbrella under which Tyson will release other sustainable food products. Each individual 1.25-oz serving has 8+ grams of protein and is packaged in a recyclable aluminum can. The crisps launched on IndieGoGo on May 31st, and are available to back now with a projected ship date of July 2018. Clean meat, food delivery startups, and now food waste snacks? Tyson Foods continues to work to be on the cutting-edge of all emerging food innovation trends.

PicoBrew now offers DIY PicoPaks
Countertop homebrewing startup PicoBrew rolled out DIY PicoPaks this week via Kickstarter, an option that lets Pico users load up their own ingredients to make beer and fusion drinks. The new bring-your-own ingredients option – which will work with the new Pico U as well as the existing Pico Cs and Pico Pros – provides an option for those in the Pico community who have wanted brewing flexibility beyond want preconfigured PicoPaks allow. The reward bundle includes containers for both beer brewing and PicoPak minis to create “fusion drinks” at home such as kombucha or goldenmilk. Post-Kickstarter, it will be interesting to see if PicoBrew offers brewers a variety of DIY container bundles depending on their preferences and brewing frequency.

Three new Targets to open up in Seattle area in 2019 & 2020
Target will add three smaller, grocery-sized stores in the Seattle area over the next two years, according to the Seattle Times. These are in addition to their original urban format store, which opened in Seattle in 2012. Their new stores are designed to fit into dense cityscapes and will stock products tailored to the surrounding neighborhood. This, as well as their recent expansion into same-day delivery, smart home-powered replenishment service, and acquisition of Shipt, is another way that Target is trying to keep up with the shifting grocery game and fight against Amazon.

 

Photo: Ben & Jerry’s.

Ben & Jerry’s works to offset their ice cream’s carbon footprint
Customers at Ben & Jerry’s scoop shop in London’s Soho neighborhood now have an opportunity to counterbalance the carbon footprint of their waffle cone of Cherry Garcia or Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough. For each purchase, Ben & Jerry’s will pay a penny to offset the carbon used to raise the cows, produce the ice cream, and ship it to the shop. Customers then have the option to donate a cent of their own and double the impact.

According to Forbes, the ice cream company is partnering with a not-for-profit who is helping them use blockchain to divide carbon credits — which are typically quite large — into smaller transactions which can link up to each ice cream purchase. They’re even developing an app to help customers keep track of their person carbon offsets.

 

Photo: Anova

Anova finally opens new Anova Kitchen
We’ve been monitoring the retail ambitions of sous vide specialist Anova closely, so we were intrigued to learn this past week that the company will finally open the Anova Kitchen for a sneak peek on June 6th. A company spokesperson told The Spoon that the new space will be used for events and will have some public-facing retail space, but that we shouldn’t expect the Anova Kitchen to be open to the public every day.  This contrasts with Brava, who plan to open a full time retail space early this summer.  Either way, we’re intrigued to check out the Anova’s new retail/event space. If you are too, make sure to RSVP for next week’s event and report back to us!

Did we miss anything? Tweet us @TheSpoonTech to let us know the best food tech news of the week!

Roundup: CPGs Are Exploring Foodtech Through Startup Incubators

There’s no shortage of news about foodtech startups and the incubators that hatch them. Of late, though, an old player has entered this relatively new space: the CPG.

Huge corporations like Kraft and General Mills are struggling to stay relevant and maintain market share. According to one recent study, U.S. food and beverage sales for the top 25 food manufacturers declined from 66 percent in 2012 to 63 percent in 2015. And we don’t need a report to know that artificially flavored cereals and processed cheese are in direct conflict with recent shifts in the way consumers eat.

It makes sense, then, that these CPGs are associating themselves with startups through foodtech accelerators and incubators. Some simply invest, while others actually run their own programs or partner with programs.

Here’s a rundown of just some of the CPGs tapping into the world of emerging foodtech startups.

Springboard

Kraft Heinz just announced a new platform called Springboard, which will partner with and nurture up-and-coming brands focused on one of the “four pillars” of food: natural and organic, specialty and craft, health and performance, and experiential options.

Springboard also announced an incubator program for pre-valuation-stage companies in Chicago (date TBA). Selected participants will get $50,000 funding upon acceptance, with the chance to raise up to $50,000 more. They’ll also receive guidance on research, development, and networking. And in case you wondered if this was just another way for Kraft Heinz to snag ideas, participating companies will be encouraged to stay in charge of their organizations, with the CPG playing a more mentor-like role.

Springboard is accepting applications for the incubator through April 5.

Chobani

Greek yogurt maker Chobani runs one of the more well-known startup incubators. This past week they announced the Spring 2018 class for the program’s third installment. According to a press release, participants were “hand selected by Chobani CEO Hamdi Ulukaya.” The lucky ones include an organic baby food company, a startup making superfood smoothie packs, a handful of organic-snack companies, and a tea maker.

Participants receive $25,000 in grants, opportunities for mentorship, and access to Chobani’s network. The class will run from April through July at Chobani’s sales and marketing offices in NYC.

Nutrition Greenhouse

You wouldn’t automatically pair edible insects and tortillas made from beets with the maker of one of the most sugary drinks on the planet. But that’s what you’d find at Pepsi’s Nutrition Greenhouse incubator. The drink company has been very clear that its incubator is focused on emerging health and wellness brands.

The first installment, which focused on companies catering to European consumers, has already wrapped. Eight companies took part in the program, with all of them receiving €25,000 as well as assistance with growing their business throughout the six-month program. Plant-based food company Erbology won the grand prize, a €100,000 grant.

There’s no word yet on the next set of dates, or if that focus will expand to include other parts of the world.

301 INC

General Mills doesn’t have an emerging brand incubator; it has an “emerging brand elevator.” 301 INC works with up-and-coming foodtech brands who already have a compelling product and are looking to turn it into a viable business and gain access to capital. Right now, Rhythm Superfoods, Beyond Meat, and plant-based food company Kite Hill are all partners.

301 INC is slightly different from other incubators in that there’s no stop and start date for participating companies. Instead, members work with the 301 team on an ongoing basis (although they do hold events from time to time). Interested companies should contact 301 through the program’s website.

VEB

Similar to 301 INC, Venturing and Emerging Brands (VEB) is a unit within Coca-Cola that fosters emerging brands on an ongoing basis. In this case, Coca-Cola is focused on beverage-specific brands who fall within one of the company’s four phases: experimentation, proof of concept, pain of growth, and scale to win. How much the CPG invests in each startup is determined by where that emerging company is in the four phases.

Coca-Cola notes that a successful brand “eventually graduates from VEB to join one of The Coca-Cola Company’s key business units.” Which is a fancy way of saying participants can eventually expect to become a cog in their machine. Whether that’s good or bad for innovation is up for debate.

That question might be true for all these programs. As CPG-driven accelerators and incubators are still a fairly new concept, it remains to be seen how these startups will change and grow once they have corporate capital and involvement. Call me overly optimistic, but I think this trend will end up doing more good than harm, giving emerging companies the ability to bring healthier lifestyle choices to the average consumer.

 

Chicago

Startup Roundup: Foodtech Incubators to Watch in 2018

While developing food technology has been a priority for many since the beginning of last century, it’s only been in recent years the concept of startup accelerators/incubators has taken hold.

It seems, though, that foodtech is making up for lost time. Startups are everywhere now, from new takes on the meal kit concept to vertical farming platforms to managing pesticide levels. And everyone from Tyson to IKEA to the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) is getting involved. Last year saw some noteworthy programs from NYC’s Food-X, the student-focused Fund the Food, and Chobani’s incubator, for which applications just closed.

If you missed the application deadline for that last one, fear not—2018 will see many more programs geared towards nurturing the next wave of foodtech business, from the farm to the data center. Here are a few of our favorites to keep an eye on in the coming months:

Yield Lab Accelerator

Since growth of plants and/or animals is a huge part of AgTech, Yield Lab’s program runs for nearly a year, either in St. Lous or Europe. Participants can apply to both. Once selected, each company visits its designated location for two-day sessions that take place six times course of nine months. The Yield Lab provides mentoring and networking opportunities, as well as $100,000 in funds. The program begins on March 6, 2018. The application process for St. Louis is open now. Europe will be announced in the near future, according to Yield Lab’s site.

Techstars’ Farm to Fork

Entrepreneurship network Techstars recently announced its Farm to Fork Accelerator, to be held in Minneapolis-St. Paul this summer. The program invites early- and late-stage startups in AgTech, food safety and waste management, and manufacturing to apply. Ecolab and Cargill have partnered with Techstars for the three-month program, which helps companies with finding mentors, product development, and learning how to communicate with investors. Applications close on April 8 2018.

IFTNEXT

The Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) is still taking applications for its six-week-long IFTNEXT Food Disruption Challenge, which is aimed at helping emerging and investment-ready foodtech startups and entrepreneurs. At the end of the program, IFT will select six finalists (from the 25 participants) to pitch their companies to a panel of judges at the upcoming IFT18 conference. Applications are open until February 8.

TERRA

Tech/startup network RocketSpace teamed up with food- and agriculture-financing company Rabobank to start TERRA, a program is open to a wide range of CPG, AgTech, and foodtech startups alike. Participants head to San Francisco for eight weeks in workshops and mentoring sessions, followed by eight more weeks piloting their businesses. Seed-funded startups are preferred, and applicants’ products should be either in market or ready to launch. Cohort II of TERRA is happening as we speak, but applications are already open for Cohort III.

Food Nest

The Food Nest looks to scale early-stage companies focused on health, wellness, and nutrition to the next phases of their growth. For that, applicants should have at least one proof of concept in market and a run rate between $500,000 and $2 million. The Alameda, CA-based program will select eight to 10 participants from the pool of applicants who will head to program headquarters for four months of curriculum, mentoring, and networking. Companies receive an upfront investment of $40,000 for 5 percent equity in the company. Applications are due by February 28.