SnackFutures, the Mondelēz International innovation and venture hub, announced the nine start-ups selected to participate in its third cohort of CoLab. The start-up engagement program, which launched in 2021, was designed to help build a portfolio of disruptive brands and venture pipeline for the global snacking leader. This year CoLab sought start-ups taking a unique approach to making snacks delicious, focusing on those that can strengthen Mondelēz International’s core businesses, as well as offer the potential to explore new categories.

The nine participants are:

• CocoTerra is an entrepreneurial personal chocolate maker. The CocoTerra machine enables chocolate lovers to simply and easily create their own dark, milk and white chocolate right in their own kitchens.
• DreamPops was created by ice cream and confection lovers who dreamed of enjoying iconic flavors in simple, non-dairy treats but couldn’t find any that satisfied their standards or sweet tooths. Their aim is for everyone to be able to enjoy plant-based, clean label frozen pops, bites and shelf stable candy crunch.
• Freezcake delivers small bites of fresh and creamy cheesecake that can be enjoyed with a cup of coffee or in the car. Crafted by a skilled pastry chef, every batch is prepared from scratch and ultra-dried at the height of its freshness.
• Incredible Eats allows consumers to treat themselves just a little longer with edible spoons and straws, which provide an alternative to single-use plastic utensils. They come in sweet and savory options, function for about an hour in cold foods and replace the use of single use plastics and dirty silverware.
• Legally Addictive gives consumers a sweet and salty experience all-in-one bite with its cracker-based cookies. The cracker base is topped with chocolate, handmade salted toffee and comes in a variety of flavors.
• Mezcla delivers a delightful combination of PUFF-CRISPY texture and plant protein in a crunchy snack bar experience. Each bar contains plant protein in unique flavor profiles.
• New Gem aims to make wrapping a serving of fruit / vegetable into your daily routine as easy as making a sandwich wrap or sushi. These plant-based wraps use innovative technology that makes them alternatives to bread, tortillas and seaweed.
• Steiner’s Coffee Cake of New York prides itself on bringing fresh ideas to coffee cake, using ingredients that make it so delicious and yet gluten free. Created by a New York grandmother who was diagnosed celiac, Steiner’s still uses its original family recipe.
• Whoa Dough is a shelf-stable cookie dough bar created for health-conscious consumers. This ‘on-the-go’ version of the iconic kid bowl-licking experience is plant-based, gluten free and vegan.

Jackie Haney, head of CoLab, says the theme of each class and its participants are carefully curated to be a collaborative, growth-centric experience.

“SnackFutures’ focus is to curate a portfolio of disruptive brands that can give Mondelēz International first-mover advantage on snack innovation, get us even closer to the consumer, and accelerate our financial, reputational, and cultural growth,” says Haney. “CoLab is pivotal to that because it allows us to work with, learn from and nurture early-stage brands that have the potential to scale.”

Participants of CoLab receive a 12-week curriculum of virtual and hands on sessions, networking opportunities and a $20,000 grant.