Kif & co

The SKU Fall '24 Showcase was an overwhelming success. Each of the seven brands crushed their pitches in front of the standing-room only crowd in Rowling Hall at the Texas McCombs School of Business. CPG leaders and investors flew in from around the country for the event. The event kicked off with an inspiring and heart-felt keynote address by SKU co-founder Clayton Christopher. Clayton is a serial entrepreneur and respected CPG investor known for founding Sweet Leaf Tea Co.(acquired by Nestlé), Deep Eddy Vodka (acquired by Heaven Hill Distilleries NZ Ltd), and Waterloo Sparkling Water (acquired by Flexis Capital), CAVU Consumer Partners and Astō Consumer Partners. Congratulations to Dr. Arash Aftabi and Dr. Farnoush Fadavi, the founders of Bala Enzyme, Jenn Brown, founder of Foraged & Found, Caroline Brain, founder of Kif & co, Samuel Taylor, founder of Long Table, LLC, Eric Wentworth and JD Mitchell, founders of Modica, Maddie M., founder of Peace Love Hormones and Buddy Jordan and Joey Kindred, founder of The Bloody Buddy. Their decks were created by the talented Kelly Stevens at Seven Creative. Congratulations to Samuel and Long Table for winning both the Judge's Choice and the Fan Favorite. A big thank you to our judges: Ann Frazier, founder of 731 MGNT, Christopher Cain, Co-Chair Transactions Practice Group of Foley & Lardner LLP, Alex Bodney, Co-founder of Midnight Venture Partners and Karen Howland, managing director of Rose Park Advisors. Thank you Jon Brumley Texas Venture Labs for hosting us. And a special thanks to the sponsors of the prize package: Proof Advertising, TikTok, , eBusiness Solutions, Inc., Balanced Business Group, 1Q, Wonderkind Co and Foster Garvey PC. As the Fall Track comes to a close, we are preparing for the Spring '25 Track. If you are a dedicated and creative founder with a disruptive product with the potential and passion to successfully scale, we invite you to apply to the Spring '25 SKU Track. Learn more here: https://sku.is/apply/ Michelle Breyer Brooke Wilson Buff Greebe Maddie S. Adrien Petersen

Come celebrate the culmination of the SKU Fall '24 Track with the Showcase pitch event for the seven participating brands in Austin on Tues, Nov. 19th at Robert B. Rowling Hall at the Texas McCombs School of Business. Come meet fellow entrepreneurs, investors and industry experts from around the country as we highlight these disruptive brands from the startup world in the food, wellness and wellness sectors. The SKU Showcase is one of the industry's premier events! Doors open at 4:30 PM and the first pitch will begin at 5 PM. A special thanks to our host The Jon Brumley Texas Venture Labs at The University of Texas at Austin (TVL). RSVP here: https://lnkd.in/gV8ug6Jm The seven Fall ‘24 brands are: Bala Enzyme founded by husband-and-wife team Dr. Arash Aftabi and Dr. Farnoush Fadavi, is the world’s first and only nutrition powder mix that is made with a patent-pending blend of plant-based enzymes, turmeric, electrolytes and amino acids. It promotes both recovery and rehydration. Foraged & Found, founded by former marketing-executive-turned chef Jenn Brown, revolutionizes pantry staples by infusing everyday foods with sustainably harvested kelp. It offers innovative products like kelp pickles, pasta sauces, and salsas. Kif & co., founded by Caroline Brain, is a probiotic beverage company that crafts kefir water, a low-sugar, less vinegar-y alternative to kombucha. ?The brand was Inspired by founder Caroline’s? own personal gut health journey and her search for a better-tasting probiotic solution. Long Table is next-gen pancakes from heirloom grains, powered by love. Founded by Samuel Taylor, Long Table makes nutrient-dense, regeneratively grown, heirloom whole-grain pancake + waffle mixes. Modica, created by professional mixologist Eric Wentworth and business partner JD Mitchell, is a line of award-winning cocktail and mocktail mixers developed using better ingredients. Peace Love Hormones (PLH) PLH is dedicated to empowering women to reclaim control of their hormone and reproductive health. Founded by Maddie M., the clinically-dosed, effective herbal supplements offer natural relief and long-term support. The Bloody Buddy is a perfectly handcrafted chili-pepper infused vodka and bloody mary mix together in one bottle. The Bloody Buddy was created behind the bar by former bartenders Buddy Jordan and Joey Kindred and is preservative free, gluten free and all natural. Michelle Breyer Buff Greebe Maddie S. Brooke Wilson Adrien Petersen Doreen Lorenzo Christine Mei Scott Jensen Richard Ressler Shari Wynne Ressler #accelerator #cpgaccelerator #cpg #mentors #startups #cpgstartups #emergingbrands #foodandbeverage #alcoholicbeverages #functionalbeverages #antiinflammatory #hydrationbeverage #kefirwater #probiotics #kelpproducts #cocktails #mocktails #mixers #pancakes #pancakemix #mixes #heirloomgrains #regenerativeagriculture #herbalmedicine #hormonealternatives #menstrualcare #guthealth #bettersleep

One of the highlights of the 2-day Fall ‘24 launch event in Austin was the invaluable opportunity for the brand mentor teams to gather in person. They were productive and powerful conversations, with mentors providing key insights as they work on strategies to successfully scale. There is something special about meeting face to face. We are excited about the chance to meet again in November for the Showcase, a chance to celebrate and show off tge progress that’s been made.