Meet our Rockstar Mentor Network
SKU mentors are a powerful team of serial entrepreneurs, industry experts, and investors
Our mentor community has over...
Mentors
Represented Industries
Years Combined Experience
MENTOR OPPORTUNITY
SKU differs other incubators and accelerators because mentorship goes deep. In addition to our intensive curriculum, our founders are surrounded by a team of mentors. We like to say that our mentors are our special sauce.
Our Mentors all are united by a desire to help promising consumer product startups achieve maximum success, providing the expertise and connections that enable them to do that. In addition to the rewarding experience of working with entrepreneurs, mentors also enjoy the relationships they build with other mentors.
Our mentor community includes a diverse group of successful entrepreneurs, top industry executives, subject matter experts and investors. When recruiting mentors, we look for the best of the best – people like the founder of Vital Farms, the director of content and creative excellence at The Coca-Cola Co. and editor-in-chief of Nosh/BevNET. Our mentor community includes the man who developed the pumpkin scone for Starbucks and one of the creative minds behind the Dos Equis “Most Interesting Man in the World” campaign.
Equity Mentors pay a membership fee to join the SKU equity mentor pool. As a benefit of membership in the community, every SKU equity mentor owns a portion of equity in each company from the track in which they participate.
You need not be based in a particular city to mentor for SKU. Our programs are run virtually, with two optional in-person events. We recruit mentors from around the world, looking for those exceptional people with the talent and experience to help build brands into the next household names.
If you would like to learn more about mentoring for SKU, please fill out this form and a SKU team member will contact you to set up an interview.
Food & Beverage '23 Mentors
Dallas '22 Mentors
Austin '22 Mentors
Atlanta '22 Mentors
SKU Dallas '21 Mentors
Previous Mentors
Snack Factory (Pretzel Crisps), Whole Foods Market
Antonelli’s Cheese Shop
Cece’s Veggie Co.
Director, Office of CEO, PepsiCo
Founder, Taproot Growth Solutions
Lone Star Direct
President at Waco Bend Asset Management
YETI, SharkNinja
Seraph Group, Dell
Milk + Honey
Milk + Honey
AutoImmuneMom.com, ApartmentRatings.com
Little Spoon Consulting
Director of Transportation and Logistics Partnerships, Shopify
Twyla
GloFish
Pepe Z Tequila, Barton Medical
Partner, BevCap Management
Brandt Financing
Rice University, Scout Island Ventures
The Butler Bros
Appconomy, Starbucks, Daimler
One Technologies, difference.vc
CAVU, Sweet Leaf Tea, Deep Eddy Vodka, Waterloo Sparkling Water
President at Bridge Finance Group, Partner at Access Opportunity Fund
Partner, Blue Zenith Capital Partners
Grav Labs
Vice President Better Choice Snacking Brands, FLNA, PepsiCo
MHD Marketing, Heineken, Gilt Groupe
Capital Factory, Clearhead
Vital Farms
Startup Jeannie
Envirocon Technologies (Lemi Shine)
Thunderbird Energetica, Kona Energy
RoyaltyZone
Co-Founder, Four Corners Brewing Co.
AustinBeta, PartsTree.com
HeatGenie, Marvell Semiconductor, Intel
Ketra
Silver Falcon Capital
Coca Cola, The J.M. Smucker Company, Glazer’s, Stubb’s, Whole Foods
Glass Talent Strategies, Starbucks
Amplify Snack Brands
OrganiCare
Springdale Ventures, Herbal Zap
Storyteller, LG Pictures, Dell
Rhythm Superfoods, Bowery Farming
Catapult Systems
Sr. Product Manager, Alen Corp.
Red Idea Partners
Co-Founder of Peregrine Energy Partners and Access Capital
Far West Capital
Planet Tan
Envirocon Technologies, Inc.
Cybernance Corporation
SmartSweet
GlassWire
PHM Consulting Limited, The Handmade Cake Co.
Nebulous Concepts, E & J Gallo Winery
Ecomm Marketing Head, PepsiCo
ATX Venture Partners, icanmakeitbetter, Sentient Services
PACT, EVOL Foods, Bear Naked Granola
Rhythm Superfoods
NadaMoo!
Bumble, McKinsey & Co.
The Stable, L’Oreal
Chief Financial Officer, Mercato
HumanCo, Hu Kitchen
Tiff’s Treats, Austin Acquisitions
Cokesbury, THORN Americas, Spalding, Cadbury Schweppes
ConAgra Foods
Buttermilk Creative
Giggle Beauty, TIGI, American English
Alen Corp
Arpeggi, MarketZero, Zynga
TreeHouse, Get Backed, Saturn Five
University of Texas, Vidlet Inc., The Foundry, Quirky, Frog
Mushroom Revival, Shoestring Solutions, Stubb’s Legendary BBQ
SIA Scotch Whisky
Richlund Capital
Articulate Persuasion, L3
Oransi, WSA/Alen
Vital Farms, Mondelēz International
MIMCO
Renewal by Andersen, Intuit, Toyota, Sears
Texas Entrepreneur Network, National Instruments
Dynabrand Ventures, Beam Founders, PEWIN
Book in a Box, NYT Best-selling Author
Dell, Kodak
Let’s Gel, Barton Medical
Amplify Snack Brands, United PF Partners
Good Catch
Food + City
Forward Foods
Borden Dairy, PepsiCo
CXO Service, Disc Nation
CSID, Rackspace, Zappos
Vital Farms, Barter Exchange
TxCo Partners
Brandarella, Governess
Village Liquor, Bagel Dots
FitJoy Nutrition, Arrive Logistics, Mighty Equities
Smart Flour Foods, SiteStuff
Territory Foods, All Y’alls Foods
Far West Capital
Project Genius, Inc., Recent Toys
Accent Food Services, Shift + Bloom, My Fit Foods
Beyond Meat, The Coca-Cola Company
DFW CPG, Samsung Mobile
Suraksha
Guns & Oil Brewery, Western Collective Beer, Black Star Hospitality
Bhoomi Cane Water, Strategic Rise Partners, Vital Farms, Whole Foods
Michael Angelo’s Gourmet Foods
Michael Best
Sente Mortgage
Peak Rock Capital
Studio Image Inc / Chalk Ink® Markers
Rosso & Flynn Modern Butcher
HIVE Incubator at PepsiCo
Michaels, Circuit City, Frito-Lay
HireBetter, Bee Cave Capital
Ranch Rider Spirits Co., Deep Eddy Vodka,
Capital Factory, Wild About Music / Toy Joy / Yummi Joy / Austin Rocls
ProInfluence, LLC
Kendra Scott Designs
Stubbs BBQ, Four Corners Sourcing
Chowbotics
Hershey Insights Center
Visa
ATX Seed Ventures
Coca-Cola, BrandVita
Austin Chamber of Commerce, LifeProof Cases
High Brew Coffee, Sweet Leaf Tea
Bamboo Worldwide
Texas Municipal Retirement System
Enterprise Island
Bamboo Worldwide
Amazon, Greenling, Whole Foods Market
Rhythm Superfoods, Hunt Private Equity Group
Whole Planet Foundation, Whole Foods Market
AVL Growth Partners, Austin Eastciders, Bridgepoint Consulting
Indeed
Western Square, Toddle
Centrist Capital, Mission Residential, Convenience Retail Group
HireBetter, Bee Cave Capital
Howler Bros, Stage One Capital
UpSpring, American Achievement, PepsiCo
Curiate.co, Brandimation,