New York Ag Connection - PepsiCo's Names Inaugural Nutrition Greenhouse Class Startups

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PepsiCo's Names Inaugural Nutrition Greenhouse Class Startups
New York Ag Connection - 11/14/2018

PepsiCo announced the 10 emerging food and beverage brands that will join its first collaborative accelerator program in North America. Each of the 10 participating startups will receive $20,000 in grant funding and participate in a 6-month business optimization program. The Nutrition Greenhouse program is designed to accelerate the growth of these startups with personalized mentorship from experts at some of PepsiCo's leading and emerging brands, including Quaker, Naked, KeVita, Stacy's, Red Rock Deli and Off the Eaten Path.

The PepsiCo mentors will collaborate with the startups on areas ranging from marketing, distribution, manufacturing, supply chain, packaging, label claims, and fundraising, in addition to addressing other challenges related to growing their business.

At the end of the program, one company will receive an additional $100,000 in funding based on the company's progress, the level of collaboration and partnership with the PepsiCo mentors, and the effective use of the initial $20,000 grant. That company will also have the opportunity to continue partnering with PepsiCo.

The 10 startups* are:

- Bohana (Boston, Mass.) - Reinvented an ancient high-protein snack with popped water lily seed.www.bohanalife.com

- Hapi Drinks (Austin, Texas) -- Sugar-free kids drink founded with the mission to fight childhood obesity and type II diabetes. www.hapidrinks.com

- IQ BAR (Boston, Mass.) -- A nutrition bar formulated for cognitive energy, function, and health. www.eatiqbar.com

- Remedy Organics (Englewood Cliffs, N.J.) -- Delicious plant-based functional beverages made with potent superfoods, ayurvedic herbs and botanicals as well as protein and probiotics. www.remedyorganics.com

- Rule Breaker Snacks (Brooklyn, N.Y.) - Innovative bean-based treats that are packed with protein and fiber, gluten-free, vegan, non-GMO, free from the top eight allergens and defiantly delicious. www.rulebreakersnacks.com

- Sophie's Kitchen (Sebastopol, Calif.) - The first company to make plant-based seafood alternatives which are 100% gluten free, 100% soy free, Non-GMO Project Verified, and Kosher. www.sophieskitchen.com

- Too FIT (Fort Worth, Texas) - A lifestyle brand dedicated to crafting and delivering the highest quality nutritional supplements to inspire, educate, and fuel the passions and journeys of adventurers, athletes, and weekend warriors. www.toofit.com

- Torii Labs (Calabasas, Calif.) - A health product company creating powerful plant-based functional beverages that balance, build and brighten your body and mind. www.toriilabs.com

- Wildway (San Antonio, Texas) - A better-for-you breakfast and snack food company that inspires others with products that provide real nutrition from real food to fuel life's wild adventures. www.wildwayoflife.com

- YoFiit (Toronto, Canada) - A plant-based company focusing on functional, clean and innovative meal solutions, one of which is a patent-pending high protein, high omega-3 and gum-free chickpea milk alternative with flax offering 40 grams of protein per container. www.yofiit.com

The finalists were selected by an external and internal committee of PepsiCo leaders, and were chosen based on their product and brand qualities, focus on consumer nutrition, scalability of their business model and uniqueness in the market.

"Nutrition Greenhouse was created with the intent of supporting change-making startups of the future," said Daniel Grubbs, Managing Director, PepsiCo Ventures Group. "We are very excited to collaborate with, help grow, and learn from these incredible companies. Each finalist is unique in their own way, but one thing they all share is they're mission-driven and purposeful, which is very much aligned with our own Performance with Purpose agenda."

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