SKU Dallas and BeyondSKU are looking for CPG leaders, serial entrepreneurs, and investors who want to help shape the next generation of consumer product brands as mentors. 

The second track of SKU Dallas, which focuses on later-stage emerging brands with revenues of $500,000 and above, kicks off in August and runs through November. Mentors do not need to be based in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. 

The third track of New York-based BeyondSKU runs October through January. BeyondSKU is for natural product brands in the Tri-State area. It is a joint venture between top-tier New York City agency BeyondBrands and SKU. Mentors and brands must be based in the Tri-State area. 

Both programs combine in-person and virtual programming with mentoring. Each founder is surrounded by a hand-picked team of mentors who are laser-focused on helping them grow their businesses. 

Joining SKU as a mentor means becoming part of a community of some of the nation’s top CPG talent — a who’s who in the industry. Mentors include top executives from some of the most successful consumer product companies such as PepsiCo, Mondelēz International, and Amazon, as well as the founders of such companies as Vital Farms and Sweet Leaf Tea.

“SKU brings together some of the smartest mentor leaders in the CPG community under an umbrella of trust and learning to accelerate a young company’s trajectory,” says Scott Jensen, founder of Rhythm Superfoods. “Those entrepreneurs that are chosen to go through the program become part of a strong network of highly effective professionals that are motivated to help these entrepreneurs succeed.”

For mentors, SKU offers a unique opportunity to be at the forefront of the industry.

“I become even more excited about CPG innovation when I see passionate entrepreneurs seek to understand their consumers and overdeliver on their needs. I couldn’t be more appreciative of this opportunity to serve and have a front row seat to the future of CPG!” says Adam Michaels, Head of Strategy and M&A for Mondelēz, who is also mentor for both BeyondSKU and SKU Dallas.  

SKU is the nation’s first CPG accelerator. It has produced more than 75 alumni including a variety of innovative and successful brands, including Siete Foods, Seaweed Bath Co., Austin Eastciders, and EPIC Provisions. 

If you are interested in being a mentor for either SKU Dallas or BeyondSKU, please email mentors@sku.is.