How Chobani Incubator supports natural entrepreneurs

Updated July 28, 2020.

In this series, New Hope Network covers the ins and outs of accelerators and incubators across the United States that provide mentorship, funds and resources to help grow natural businesses. Here, Zoe Feldman, director of Chobani Incubator, provides insight into the program, which has also run two food tech cohorts and one cohort specifically dedicated to U.S. military service veterans.

What: Chobani Incubator; a three-month on-site program in New York with Chobani team members; travel expenses and equity-free capital provided.
When: Annually, next cohort expected in 2022.
Notable alumni: Banza, A Dozen Cousins, Partake Foods.

What type of companies does Chobani Incubator assist?

Chobani Incubator works with emerging and established CPG food and beverage companies. Eligible companies must already have a packaged product on shelves and be generating revenue in market.

What’s your mission in doing this work?

The goal of Chobani Incubator is to help companies bring better food to more people. Using the structure of the incubator, the incubator provides access to Chobani’s resources, employee expertise, mentorship community and equity-free capital to enable founders to grow their businesses. Chobani Incubator is extremely focused on offering folks who may not have had prior opportunities a seat at the proverbial table.

What top attributes is Chobani Incubator looking for in applicants?

We want to support like-minded founders. We look for companies that share Chobani’s values—striving to make delicious, nutritious, natural and affordable foods and disrupt their categories with options that are better for you and better for the planet. Chobani Incubator particularly loves scrappy, passionate founders with big hearts and a desire to create real change, whether social or environmental.

What one game-changing piece of advice you have for entrepreneurs?

Be kind, be humble, be scrappy, be open.

What is your favorite project to have come out of your accelerator?

We could never pick just one. All 45 of our companies give us a reason to boast as proud parents.