March 2027 — Spring ’27 track · Not yet announced — window opens October 2026
SKU is a consumer products accelerator based in Austin, Texas for emerging brands in food, beverage, beauty, personal care, wellness, pet care and apparel. Founded in 2011 by attorney Shari Wynne Ressler and entrepreneur Clayton Christopher, it describes itself as the original accelerator for consumer brands. Each 12-week track pairs a curriculum on branding, channel strategy, supply chain and fundraising with a hand-picked team of mentors and ends with a Demo Day and Showcase in Austin. The program is hybrid, so founders outside Texas take part mostly online. Brands pay no cash fee and the program invests no money; they give up a small equity stake, held mainly by the mentors who work with them. More than 160 brands have completed the program, which runs a Spring and a Fall track each year. SKU ranks 42nd on the 2026 TIME and Statista list of America’s Best Incubators and Accelerators.
Frequency
2x/year
Duration
12 weeks
Investment
None — no cash investment provided
Equity
Undisclosed — small equity stake (4%-8%)
Program fees
None — paid in equity
Where
USA
Sectors
Beauty, Consumer, Fashion, FoodTech, Pet Care
Stages
Seed, Series A
Eligibility
• Annual revenue of $100,000 or more and proven market traction, ideally with some retail distribution already in place
• An innovative product in a fast-growing category and a compelling founder story
• Founders working toward a significant liquidity event, such as an acquisition by a strategic buyer
• Concept-stage ideas without market validation are not accepted, and neither are services or franchises
• Founders must be willing to give up a small equity stake in the company
• Open to founders outside Texas, since classes and mentor meetings are mostly remote
Selection process
• Brands are selected on market traction, product innovation and founder story
• SKU holds virtual founder information sessions ahead of application deadlines
• Selected brands are announced a few weeks before the track begins
Benefits
• A hand-picked team of mentors for each brand, drawn from CPG leaders, founders, investors and subject-matter experts
• Mentors hold equity in every company from their track, which ties their incentives to the brand’s outcome
• Investor readiness work on the pitch, ending in a produced pitch video for each brand and a Demo Day and Showcase in Austin before investors and retailers
• A peer community of founders from the same and other tracks
• Mentor relationships that often continue after the program as advisors, board members or team members
• Optional in-person events for founders and mentors, with most classes and meetings held online
• Partner perks such as special pricing and free trials, plus a Preferred Provider directory covering legal, finance, packaging, logistics, marketing and retail data
• Continuing education programming for alumni
Notable alumni
Network
Mentor network of more than 700 CPG leaders, including founders of Vital Farms, Seventh Generation and Waterloo Sparkling Water and executives from Coca-Cola, 7-Eleven and General Mills. Board includes Doreen Lorenzo, Christine Mei, Scott Jensen, Shari Wynne Ressler and Richard Ressler. Partners include Foley & Lardner, Foster Garvey, NielsenIQ, RangeMe, Vividly, Shipfusion and Central Texas Angel Network. Led by Executive Director Beau Bergman.
Portfolio
160+ brands
Funds raised
Unreported — no aggregate alumni-raised total available. Siete Foods was acquired by PepsiCo for $1.2B in 2025.
🕐 Sep 2026
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