How Small Food Startups Can Grow With 3 Big Food Business Accelerators

It’s a good time to seek backing from well funded food business accelerators—if what you’re creating and building aligns with their missions.

But before you pitch, you’ll need a track record of success and real evidence for why your company or project has world changing and / or massive revenue potential.

See who’s gotten backing so far from the Chobani Incubator, General Mills’ 301 accelerator, and Mars’ SEEDS of CHANGE for some examples as you plot your own strategy:

Chobani Incubator

Chobani started its incubator in New York where teams could work out of Chobani offices and also includes travel to the company’s factories and retailers. (Cool!)

Mission: The Chobani Incubator is a program for companies taking on broken food systems to bring better food to more people. In addition to investment, we give startups access to our network and expertise in order to scale up their operations and achieve significant growth.

The company’s Food Tech Residency adds another great initiative to solving major food system challenges.

In the last few years they have funded and supported dozens of food and beverage startups.

Which food companies did Chobani select for their 2019 incubator? Check out their awesome infographic detailing the breakdown of company locations, team makeups, etc.

You’ll notice the companies Chobani has chosen to support — from beverages to snack foods and food security projects — are earlier stage and focused more on international flavors and themes than companies that, for example, General Mills 301 has funded.

In fact in 2023 Nona Lim, which Chobani incubated, was acquired!

General Mills 301 Emerging Brand Elevator

Mission: 301 INC is an energetic and enthusiastic team looking to collaborate with emerging food brands; to roll up our sleeves and work together to create breakthrough innovations and build successful businesses.

Companies they’ve chosen to support include:

• GoodBelly Probiotics
• Urban Remedy salads, snacks and smoothies – they’ve gotten their own refrigerators into some Whole  Foods
• Purely Elizabeth grain-free cereals
• Farmhouse Culture krauts and chips
• Kite Hill plant-based yogurts and milks (ok, mylks)
• Tio Gazpacho drinkable soup in bottles (Why didn’t anyone think of this before?!)
• Beyond Meat vegetarian meat, you know, the ones with the hefty stock price
• Good Culture cottage cheese made better
• Rhythm Superfoods yummy kale chips and other vegetable chips

Learn more about 301 Inc.

SEEDS of CHANGE™ Accelerator (Mars)

(As of 2023 the accelerator does not seem to be active.)

Mission: The SEEDS of CHANGE™ Accelerator fast-tracks growth for early stage food businesses that are building a healthier and more sustainable future by shaping the meals of tomorrow.

In 2019 the final SEEDS of CHANGE™ Accelerator class was selected from over 200 applicants.

The panel selected 6 US-based participants out of the search that focused on companies that share the Mars Food purpose – Better Food Today. A Better World Tomorrow. – through world flavors, plant-based eating, easy-meal solutions, responsible food and creating with care. The final companies include:

1. Brooklyn Delhi – delicious and nutritious condiments and sauces for modern American meals inspired by the timeless culinary traditions of India.
2. Fora – non-dairy butter, Faba Butter, and soon to release future products with a taste, functionality and convenience superior to their animal-based counterparts.
3. NoBull Burger – hand-crafted, premium veggie burgers that uses only real-food, high-quality ingredients to make an exceptional tasting plant-based veggie burger.
4. Oxtale partners with acclaimed chefs from each cuisine it represents to craft delicious, convenient “starters” to help people cook traditional dishes in under 30 minutes.
5. Prommus – bringing purpose to traditional Middle Eastern cuisine, starting with a delicious line of value-added hummus while helping provide school meals to children in food-insecure areas of the world.
6. True Made Foods – making Ketchup, BBQ Sauce and Sriracha with real vegetables instead of added sugars.

In addition to a grant of up to $50,000 (U.S.), each start-up will undertake a tailored four-month program to scale its operations and will get access to a panel of industry expert mentors.

The other four finalists included:

1. Crafty Counter makes easy-to-prepare vegetable packed foods that solve lunch or dinner for a family in a pinch and/or adopting “flexitarian” diets.
2. Renewal Mill is on a journey to create a new circular economy of food by upcycling byproducts from food manufacturing into high-quality ingredients and products.
3. Splendid Spoon provides convenient and healthy meals that are chock full of clean, nutrient-dense ingredients and always 100% plant-based.
4. Wild For is a superfood company making healthy, tasty foods based on the ancient Ethiopian grain, teff.

Interested in applying? The checklist of what the program looks for in a food startup includes global flavors, responsible production, easy meal solutions and ideally foods that are plant-based.

For more information about the six finalists of the SEEDS of CHANGE™ Accelerator program and their journey, visit www.socaccelerator.com.

P..S. Get funding pitch tips and lessons from those who failed to score.