PepsiCo announced today the launch of its Nutrition Greenhouse accelerator program in North America, an innovation initiative designed to discover and support emerging brands in the food and beverage sector. The North American program follows the launch of PepsiCo’s Nutrition Greenhouse in Europe, now in its second year. In 2017, eight start-ups in the European program delivered an estimated combined sales growth of over €10 million – a fourfold increase throughout the duration of the 6-month program.
“Nutrition Greenhouse is part of our commitment to open innovation and collaborating with the changemakers of the future,” said Jim Andrew, PepsiCo Executive Vice President, Corporate Strategy and Chief Venturing Officer. “In line with our Performance with Purpose vision, we want to find and support entrepreneurs who are helping transform the food and beverage industry with nutritious, natural and sustainable products. We’re very excited to bring this program to the U.S. and Canada and hope to expand it throughout the rest of the world.”
PepsiCo is seeking 10 start-ups based in the U.S. or Canada that are helping transform the food and beverage industry and whose values are consistent with PepsiCo’s Performance with Purpose vision. The selected start-ups are guaranteed $20,000 in grant funding and will participate in a 6-month business optimization program designed to accelerate growth. The program includes personalized mentorship with experts from some of PepsiCo’s leading and emerging brands, including Quaker, Naked, KeVita, Stacy’s, Red Rock Deli and Off the Eaten Path. At the end of the program, one start-up will be awarded an additional $100,000 in funding to continue its expansion, and an opportunity to continue partnering with PepsiCo to further their growth.
