Ten startups and scaleups have been selected to participate in Lion’s 12-week food and beverage industry accelerator program.
Run by corporate accelerator Slingshot, Lion ‘Unleashed’ will pair this cohort with Lion’s brands. The following startups and scaleups were drawn from amongst 300 applicants worldwide:
- BoozeBud – an alcohol discovery and delivery platform
- Earlypay Exchange – a platform that facilitates and automates mass early payment negotiation between corporate customers and their vendors.
- Freight Exchange – an online logistics company offering interstate freight transport across Australia.
- KegIt – Software and technology to track kegs, primarily in the craft brewing market.
- Perkii Probiotics – a probiotic drink brand.
- SHOUTback!: A social coupon tool for hospitality venues.
- SmartSpotter – crowd sources shoppers to provide real-time feedback and data on store promotions.
- SnackProud – a healthy snack catering service for offices.
- Tayble – an app that enables people to order, pay and eat without leaving their seat. Servicing bars, pubs, clubs and restaurants across Sydney.
- Tailor Brews: An online solution allowing customers to go online and create their own customised beer.
CEO of Lion, Stuart Irvine, said the cohort addresses some key opportunities and challenges in the food and beverage industry including greater connectivity with consumers, streamlining logistics and handling, making healthy choices easier and taking advantage of new marketing channels.
“We are incredibly excited by the breadth of businesses taking part in our first Unleashed program and by the cohort’s depth of talent,” he said. “Great ideas can come from the edge and we want to work with people and businesses that can bring these to life and get results. We are looking forward to using our size, scale and resources as well as Lion’s extensive network to help them to be successful.”
CEO of Slingshot, Karen Lawson said the program will give these businesses the boost they need to make it in a complex and ever-changing industry.
“Food and beverage is a major industry sector for the ANZ economy and the market opportunity is huge,” she explained. “Unleashed will facilitate true collaboration between Lion, who operates on a large scale, and emerging players, who have the flexibility to meet niche demands and innovate on pre-existing systems. By combining these two powerful and complementary forces we are set to supercharge an already strong market and cement Lion’s place as a leader in F&B.”
Designed in partnership with lSlingshot, the program will see entrepreneurs work with Unleashed mentors like Kate Parker, CEO of Your Tea, Alistair Venn, Managing Director of Menulog and Mark Moran, Head of Global Partnerships at TripAdvisor/Dimmi/LaFourchette.
Startup participants will exchange equity for up to $50,000 from the Slingshot Investment Fund and receive additional benefits such as access to software and coworking space, valued at over $500,000 from the likes of AWS, IBM, Xero and WeWork.
Lion Unleashed participants will show the culmination of their work by pitching to Lion executives, stakeholders and potential investors at Demo Day on the 6 December 2017.