Seeking breakthrough ingredient and technology start ups and entrepreneurs to join PepsiCo's Greenhouse Accelerator Program

Now accepting applications for PepsiCo's 2020-2021 Greenhouse Accelerator
Qualified companies are eligible to receive a $20,000 grant and mentorship from PepsiCo leaders

Our goal

Identify and support the acceleration of emerging and disruptive brands, ingredients, technologies and services that are transforming the way consumers eat, drink and live their lives through a collaborative and mentor-guided business acceleration program.

Our focus

We’re looking for breakthrough functional innovations and technologies that offer proven clinical solutions to improve the aging process through wellness and health management. We’re most interested in the areas of:

• Ingredients and/or products that are proven to support health management
• Ingredients, both natural and synthetic, that support personal wellness
• Devices & services that assist in health management and monitoring
• Innovations that encourage healthy diet and lifestyle through all life stages

Our commitment

We’ll offer up to 10 breakthrough innovators a $20,000 grant as well as an invitation to participate in a 6-month program designed to accelerate their idea. At the end of the program, we’ll award one company with a $100,000 grant to continue growing their business.

We are looking to discover and nurture game-changing innovations in technology and nutrition companies with a particular focus on the following areas:

• Scientifically proven nutritional ingredients: We want to help innovators with science-supported ingredients and products that enable each of us to take an active role in improving their personal nutrition and lifestyle.
• Wellness and health management: We’re looking for innovations that encourage overall wellness such as products and services that enable us to age with more vitality, confidence and enjoyment.
• Personalized nutrition & health monitoring: We want to help entrepreneurs accelerate devices, applications and services such as wearables and wellness monitoring methods that encourage health awareness, behaviors and practices to help us all enjoy life through the ages.
• Purpose-driven & globally responsible: We want to help accelerate companies with a true mission to be great stewards of our personal wellness as well as our planet, representing diverse backgrounds and lifestyles.

How it works

The Greenhouse Accelerator is a 6-month program where up to 10 innovators will be selected and paired with a PepsiCo mentor team. The team will be challenged to demonstrate collaboration and measurable progress, based on a mutually developed action plan. Companies will have access to subject matter experts, resources and a curriculum of business and training modules, and will also be able to collaborate with other participating companies. Companies will benefit from PepsiCo research & development experience as well as perspectives on business models, product development, science & regulatory practices, market activation and other disciplines.

Participating companies and their mentors will plan and execute an initiative using a $20,000 grant to demonstrate collaboration and tangible results in an entrepreneurial fashion. An evaluation committee made up of a third party adjudicator, PepsiCo business units and PepsiCo External Innovation team will award a $100,000 prize to one winning company based on the company’s progress, level of collaboration and effective use of the $20,000 grant.

Up to 10 participating companies will be required to participate in three events:

• Greenhouse Accelerator virtual kick-off and orientation event on January 13, 2021.
• A virtual mid-term event to share progress updates on or about March 24, 2021.
• A virtual final program graduation event and final $100,000 grant recipient announcement celebration on or about June 16, 2021.

All participating companies will be required to sign a Greenhouse Accelerator Participation Grant Acceptance Agreement. The $20,000 grant comes with ‘no strings attached’ except that it may not be used to pay debt or bonuses. The $100,000 prize also carries similar restrictions.