PepsiCo announced 10 finalists from around the world that join its 5th annual Greenhouse Accelerator, a mentor-guided program supporting the acceleration of the latest innovators that seek to transform the ways consumers eat, drink and live their lives.

Judie Bizzozero, Content Director

January 14, 2021

3 Min Read
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The finalists were selected by a committee of leaders within PepsiCo based on their ability to offer ingredients, products or services that encourage a healthy lifestyle and enable health management and wellness on a global scale.

This 2021 Greenhouse Accelerator program looks outside the box in areas like emerging science and technology that can help PepsiCo stay close to evolving consumer tastes and preferences. Each of the participating companies will receive $20,000 in grant funding and begin a six-month business program designed to accelerate their growth through personalized mentorship.

“We’re excited to evolve our Greenhouse Accelerator program to new areas including cutting-edge science and technology,” said Daniel Grubbs, managing director, PepsiCo Ventures Group. “We have a lot to learn from this group and look forward to collaborating closely with these 10 innovators who are changing the game through personalization, emerging technologies, and unique services and ingredients.”

The 10 innovators will receive personalized mentorship from experts at PepsiCo across functions including research and development (R&D), supply chain and design. Mentors will collaborate with the companies to solve a range of business challenges, including business model development, scaling technology and go-to-market strategy. In June, one company will be awarded an additional $100,000 in funding to continue its growth.

“There’s no question that COVID-19 has renewed consumer interest in taking control of their personal health and wellness, and we continue to explore how this evolves in the food and beverage space,” said Antonio Tataranni, SVP, R&D and Chief Medical Officer, PepsiCo. “Our research and development team continues to look for emerging and disruptive solutions that address consumer needs, such as creative innovations in personalized nutrition, functional foods and supplements, and new technologies that enable vitality.”

The 10 companies selected for the fifth annual global PepsiCo Greenhouse Accelerator program are:

  • BioLumen, a San Francisco-based nutritional technology company that engineers 100% natural structured fiber that absorbs sugars and fats in the stomach.

  • Biosustain Labs, a Kodagu, India-based developer of sustainable functional food products for consumers looking for specific health benefits from their foods.

  • Braingaze, a Barcelona-based innovator offering a scientifically proven and clinically validated digital solution to detect and treat cognitive dysfunctions using mind-tracking technology.

  • Canomiks, a Rochester, Minnesota-based company making food as medicine a reality through its genomics and AI-based Product Superiority Platform that helps companies in the functional food and beverage, dietary supplement and skincare industries develop safe and efficacious products.

  • Carbiotix AB, a Lund, Sweden-based company pioneering microbiome health care through modulators and gut health testing services.

  • LifeNome—Ask Sophie, a New York-based precision pregnancy nutrition and health companion that targets an expecting mother’s unique biological needs from preconception to post-delivery.

  • Melico Science, a London-based firm specializing in specializing in precision nutrition and wellness. The company uses advanced technology to provide metabolically personalized dietary advice using chemical fingerprinting of a urine sample to give consumers the tools they need to be their healthiest self.

  • Seqbiome, a Cork, Ireland-based company offering microbiome sequencing, analysis, and consultancy for industry to academia clients. The company is seeking to expand this into a B2C offering to athletic and performance consumers to improve or maintain their overall physical and mental performance.

  • Sphera Encapsulation, a Verona, Italy-based company building a more sustainable food system by using patented technology to develop the next generation of encapsulated products, such as functional foods or taken as functional supplements that have a meaningful social, environmental and health impact.

  • ZBiotics, a San Francisco-based company using proprietary technology to make genetically engineered (GE) probiotics that execute specific beneficial functions for the body.

About the Author(s)

Judie Bizzozero

Content Director, Informa Markets Health & Nutrition

Judie Bizzozero oversees food and beverage content strategy and development for the Health & Nutrition group at Informa Markets (which acquired VIRGO in 2014), including the Food & Beverage Insider, Natural Products Insider and SupplySide/Food ingredients North America brands. She reports on market trends, science-based ingredients, and challenges and solutions in the development of healthy foods and beverages. Bizzozero graduated from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University in 1987 with a bachelor’s degree in journalism.

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