Food Entrepreneur NEW YORK — SKU, the Austin, Texas-based consumer packaged goods accelerator, and BeyondBrands, a natural products consulting agency in New York, are encouraging food and beverage startups to apply for the next BeyondSKU program, which begins in September.

Participants will receive education, mentorship and networking opportunities during the 12-week track, held in New York through December. Brands are selected based on market traction, innovation and founder story. The program culminates in a pitch event in January.

“Building on the continued success of Austin’s 18 tracks, we are excited to kick off BeyondSKU Track 4 this September,” said Eric Schnell, founder and chief executive officer of BeyondBrands. “I am proud our New York focused accelerator plays a key role in growing our local entrepreneurial community of small brands to become household names, while leveraging the collective wisdom of our diverse talented group of seasoned CPG veterans who lean in deep with mentorship and networking.”

Epic Provisions and Siete Family Foods are among the more than 120 companies that have participated in SKU since it was established in 2011. In recent years, SKU has developed programs in additional cities, including Dallas, Minneapolis and Atlanta. BeyondSKU launched in 2019, and previous participants include Dalci, Occo, Sunny Culture, Creation Nation and Fabalish.

“BeyondSKU provided us with an incredible opportunity to refine our brand, perfect our pitch, and build an incredible network of industry veterans,” said Paul Majcherczyk, co-founder of Fabalish. “In addition to the excellent coursework, we were assigned a team of dedicated mentors that gave us hands-on support in building our business and strategy. It has enabled us to take a big step forward as a brand.”

Founders may apply at beyondsku.org through June 15. Industry professionals who are interested in becoming mentors may send an email to [email protected]


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