SKU has selected the five companies for the third cohort of SKU Dallas. The five brands span a wide range of categories, from functional beverages to sexual wellness. For the first time in SKU’s history, all of the brands in the cohort are female founded.
“The companies in the cohort were selected based on their innovation, traction in the market and the strength of the founders,” says Emily Kealey, Managing Director of SKU. “It is the first time in SKU’s 10-year history that all of the brands are led by female founders. This is also an incredibly unique cohort in a wide range of categories, including desserts, baby products, beverages and sexual wellness.”
The SKU Dallas ’22 Participants are:
- Mortal Ventures: Becca Schepps launched Mortal Kombucha to appeal to people who love soda and other functional energy drinks but might never try kombucha. Mortal Kombucha is a rebel kombucha brand with both a hard kombucha and non-alcoholic kombucha. In addition to kombucha, Mortal sells a functional sparkling water.
- Nakey: Founded by Shawna Watterson and Hannah Rose, Nakey is a female-owned sexual wellness and body product company challenging conventional standards of beauty and sexuality. Its flagship offering is the playfully named Muff Masque, which is a fragrance-free sheet mask for your vulva.
- OMNI Bev: Founder Tammy Huynh created the first ready-to-drink authentic Vietnamese cold brew coffee. From the grower to the roaster, the single-origin coffee beans are harvested directly from her family farm in Vietnam. OMNI Bev, would like to introduce the rest of the world to the Vietnamese coffee culture through their coffee products as well as virtual tasting experiences.
- Pippy Sips: After facing her own problems when pumping breast milk, Amberlee Venti created Pippy Sips to develop pumping accessories that improve upon the status quo. The first product, Maia™, is a patented, award-winning system for storing, cooling and monitoring breastmilk.
- True Scoops: Founded by Kelly Williamson and Shelly Marshall, True Scoops makes DIY ice cream and topping mixes that create an easy and fun ice cream making experience at home. The ice cream can be made with a blender or an ice cream maker and requires only 1 added ingredient, Half & Half. It is a true scoop of fresh, premium ice cream.
Jake Karls, co-founder and CEO of Mid-Day Squares, is the keynote speaker for the August 29 kickoff. The Canada-based, functional chocolate company has taken the snacking world by storm.
During the 12-week program, founders participate in classes presented by some of the industry’s top experts invaluable to CPG entrepreneurs, including channel strategy, positioning and branding, packaging, labeling and safety, operations and fundraising.
SKU’s mentors are what truly sets the accelerator apart. Brands are surrounded by a customized mentor team hand picked to meet their needs. SKU’s mentor community is a who’s who in the CPG industry and includes successful entrepreneurs, investors and top executives from some of the most successful consumer product companies including Coca-Cola, 7-Eleven and Target. They all are united in their desire to help founders successfully scaling these companies.