PURCHASE, NY. —  PepsiCo, Inc. has unveiled the 10 finalists for its fifth 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. The innovators, selected this year for their work in emerging science and technology, will receive $20,000 in grant funding and participate in 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.”

At the end of the program in June, one company will receive an additional $100,000 in funding based on its progress, level of collaboration and partnership with PepsiCo mentors and effective use of the original $20,000 grant. That company also will have the opportunity to continue partnering with PepsiCo to fuel further 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, senior vice president, research and development, 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 startups selected for the 2021 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, Spain-based innovator offering a scientifically proven and clinically validated digital solution to detect and treat cognitive dysfunctions using mind-tracking technology.
• Canomiks, a Rochester, Minn.-based company that is making food as medicine a reality through its genomics and AI-based Product Superiority Platform, a 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 seeking to pioneer 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 company 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 developer of microbiome sequencing, analysis, and consultancy for industry to academia clients. The company is now 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 probiotics that execute specific beneficial functions for the body.

The Greenhouse Accelerator program first launched in Europe in 2017 and expanded to North America in 2018. Over the years, the program has evolved to support the innovators and entrepreneurs that appeal to consumer needs.