Food and beverage giant PepsiCo has announced the return of its Greenhouse Accelerator (GHAC) program in the Asia Pacific (APAC) region for the third consecutive year.
The GHAC is a pilot-oriented, mentorship-based program dedicated to fostering sustainable innovation in agriculture, circular economy, and greenhouse gas emissions reduction by providing start-ups focusing on such solutions with expert business advisory and collaboration opportunities with PepsiCo.
In Australia, the program launch comes as SMEs prepare to play a role in the Government’s rising environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) requirements. While most are exempt from ESG reporting due to their size, SMEs that are part of larger enterprises’ supply chains can fall under ‘scope 3’ emissions and need to engage with climate reporting.
“PepsiCo’s Greenhouse Accelerator Program is dedicated to empowering start-ups with the tools, resources and mentorship required to drive meaningful change and scale innovations across our food systems. Over the past two years, the program has successfully launched 15 start-up pilots across APAC with PepsiCo and partners, and engaged with 95 venture capital firms and institutions, reinforcing our focus on fostering a robust sustainability ecosystem,” said Ashley Brown, VP Supply Chain A/NZ and Chief Sustainability Officer, PepsiCo APAC.
GHAC will award $20,000 USD grants to each of the 10 finalists, with an additional $100,000 USD granted to the winning start-up. Finalists will also receive wrap-around mentorship from PepsiCo executives and business accelerator experts to help overcome challenges and catalyse growth.
Since its launch, the program has established a track record of successful first-of-a-kind pilots leading to further collaboration with PepsiCo and partners. For this year, GHAC has teamed up with GC Ventures, the corporate venture capital arm of PTT Global Chemical (PTTGC) and long-term collaborator Circulate Capital to provide tailored feedback and guidance to participants throughout the program.
“As sustainability rightly grows in importance for investors, consumers, and employees, accelerator programs like GHAC play a crucial role in helping entrepreneurs meet these expectations and remain competitive. Applicants benefit not only from mentorship with seasoned professionals but also from direct collaboration with PepsiCo, a global industry leader that drives the program and acts as the end user of their innovations. This provides access to decades of industry expertise, a strong partner network, and valuable insights to refine solutions and shape pilot opportunities,” Brown added.
