Frustrated that women entrepreneurs receive only about 2% of all venture funding, despite owning 38% of US businesses, Stacy’s Pita Chips is expanding its Rise Project to help female founders grow their businesses with an additional $200,000 in funding...
When pitching a company or a product to investors, startups should brace to hear ‘no’ – a lot – but they can increase their chances of hearing yes by learning everything they can about the investment community at large and individual investors before...
While some entrepreneurs of startups might frown upon a partnership with a large food company as ‘selling out,’ many others increasingly see such arrangements as ‘selling up’ and as a way to take their businesses to the next level.
Attracted to recent high-dollar acquisitions, consumer demand for healthy and sustainable options, and the opportunities created by a diversifying retail landscape, the number of investors flocking to the food and beverage industry continues to grow exponentially...
Developing and launching a new product is never easy, but according to the CEO of the chickpea snack company Biena, the specific challenges entrepreneurs will face across sales, marketing and operations will vary significantly based on whether they are...
While the sugar-free kids’ beverage company Hapi Drinks was the only one of the 10 startups in PepsiCo’s Nutrition Greenhouse North American’s inaugural class to receive the coveted $100,000 grant awarded by the accelerator, all of the participants –...
One of 15 startups pitching at Rabobank’s FoodBytes! event in San Francisco, Planetarians uses a proprietary process to transform defatted oilseeds – the dry matter left after oil extraction - into high-protein, high-fiber ingredients that are now being...
One of the main goals of effective branding and packaging is to set a product apart from the competition, but how this is achieved is fundamental to whether a product will be embraced or shunned by consumers.
Many millennials worry about nutritional gaps in their diet, but would prefer to get what they need from food rather than popping pills, says GEM, a Los Angeles-based online subscription business delivering whole food based daily ‘bites’ containing 15...
While the food and beverage industry is virtually oozing with innovation as entrepreneurs launch category-breaking and -making ideas at a rapid-fire clip, the full potential of many new products and companies is held back by lackluster branding that a...
As conscious consumerism gathers momentum, retailers, investors and shoppers all are scrutinizing companies’ values more closely and looking to support brands that are focused on more than just profits.
Shaka Tea, Bushel, and Toast Ale scooped the top prizes at FoodBytes! San Francisco 2019, Rabobank’s 15th global pitch competition for food and ag startups, after wowing judges with their innovative products and business models.
60-second interview: Mike Mauzé, founding partner, VMG Partners
If you walk into someone by mistake as you push through the crowds at the Natural Products Expo West show these days, you are just as likely to find yourself apologizing to an investor as a retail buyer searching for hot new brands. But what does all...
While modern wisdom may favor launching fast and iterating quickly based on consumer feedback, the director of innovation at Endangered Species Chocolate says when it comes to packaging and branding it is better to slow down and invest in consumer research...
