Mondelez India Selects Five Startups For CoLab Accelerator Program As per an official statement, the startups were handpicked from a competitive pool of over 250 applications across categories like baked snacks, chocolates, confectionery, and savory snacks from all corners of India
By Teena Jose
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Mondelez International's accelerator program CoLab in collaboration with Huddle has shortlisted five cutting-edge startups set to redefine the snacking industry in India. The final cohort comprising Flyberry, TruVitals, Evolve Snacks, Happy Jars, and Nova Nova represent a diverse group of snacking brands with varied formats, well-being proposition, commercial excellence, and sound omnichannel plans.
As per an official statement, these startups were handpicked from a competitive pool of over 250 applications across categories like baked snacks, chocolates, confectionery, and savory snacks from all corners of India. The joint initiative between Mondelez and Huddle aims to nurture India's burgeoning entrepreneurial ecosystem, fostering growth, innovation, and leadership in the country's snacking sector.
"We're thrilled to announce the cohort for the first class of the CoLab India Accelerator. Each of these remarkable startups epitomize the essence of innovation and hold the potential to reshape the trajectory of the snacking industry in India. Working with them as part of the CoLab program is going to move the needle on their brands, support our innovation agenda, and ultimately help deliver on consumers' desire for right snacks, for the right moment, made the right way," said Sonali Mitra, director- Strategy, Mondelez India.
The five chosen startups will embark on a 12-week curriculum featuring weekly virtual sessions and in-person interactions with mentors from Mondelez India and industry experts. The program will culminate in a showcase event, where the selected start-ups will have the opportunity to pitch their ideas and secure funding from Huddle and potential investors, propelling them towards their next phase of growth, the statement said.
Also, it said, the accelerator program is set to feature more than 35 industry leaders from India and abroad as mentors for the shortlisted start-ups, providing guidance on pertinent business themes such as product manufacturing, packaging, design, corporate governance, and logistics.
"There's a playbook that has worked for several brands that have become household names, and with CoLab India, our objective as avid backers in building early-stage brands, the endeavor is to assist the selected cohort in learning and growing from this playbook. With CoLab India, our goal is to bring together the key stakeholders to ensure this ecosystem builds in a continuous and sustainable manner," said Sanil Sachar, founding partner, Huddle.
