PepsiCo Announces Alternō as APAC 2024 Greenhouse Accelerator Program Winner

PepsiCo today revealed Alternō as the winner of its 2024 Greenhouse Accelerator Program – APAC Edition, highlighting the company’s continued desire to help drive next-generation solutions for a more sustainable future. The Greenhouse Accelerator is an important initiative as part of PepsiCo’s pep+ strategy, which aims to promote sustainability across the company’s operations. By supporting entrepreneurs in the APAC region, including the Philippines, who are focused on reducing waste, improving food safety and combating climate change, PepsiCo strengthens its efforts to work towards a sustainable food that benefits both people and the planet.

This year, one of the finalists in the program was Takachar, a Filipino startup that was chosen for its innovative approach to transforming agricultural and forestry residues into high-value, carbon-negative products like fertilizers, chemicals and biofuels, thus helping to advance the climate. justice. By developing small, portable, inexpensive systems that attach to tractors and vans, Takachar enables deployment in remote rural areas, strengthening local bioeconomies while helping to reduce air pollution and carbon emissions caused by outdoor biomass burning.

Selected from a group of 10 finalists from the APAC region, including the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Australia and China, the 2024 Greenhouse Accelerator Program winner, Alternō, was selected for its pioneering approach to reducing carbon emissions in agriculture, industry and residential heating. thanks to thermal energy.

As part of this win, Alternō will receive an additional grant of $100,000 to further develop its solution. This grant will help them scale their sand-based battery, which was recently tested at PepsiCo’s food factory in Vietnam, by completing a project to dry pellets for subsequent testing of fuel oil.

“Winning PepsiCo’s APAC Greenhouse Accelerator 2024 program is a pivotal moment for our startup,” said Hai Ho, co-founder and COO of Alternō. “PepsiCo’s mentorship and resources have helped us refine our strategy and accelerate our growth. We look forward to further collaboration with PepsiCo to expand the reach of our solution and contribute to a more sustainable future.

The Greenhouse Accelerator program is designed to be a launchpad for startups that are reinventing the future of business through sustainability. Participants received personalized mentoring from PepsiCo executives, a $20,000 grant, and access to PepsiCo’s extensive industry network, positioning them to accelerate the commercialization of their innovative solutions.

Wern-Yuen Tan, APAC Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) of PepsiCo, said: “The APAC Greenhouse Accelerator program goes beyond celebrating a single winner; it highlights the growing momentum behind sustainable innovation. Through our pep+ strategy, PepsiCo is proud to support visionary entrepreneurs who help build a future where businesses and the planet can thrive. By fostering collaboration, mentoring and access to resources, we help develop innovative ideas that seek to address critical environmental and social challenges. This program represents an investment in the future of our planet, and we look forward to continuing this journey, ensuring that these solutions can continue to grow and benefit generations to come.

A diverse panel of judges evaluated the startups based on their innovation, feasibility, scalability and alignment with PepsiCo’s sustainability goals. The panel included Pariwat Wongsamran, deputy executive director of innovation system at the National Innovation Agency; Yosavee Niranvichaiya, senior investment director for Thailand at Circulate Capital; Oranuch Lerdsuwankij, CEO and co-founder of Techsauce Investor; Alan Choi, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of PepsiCo APAC; Ashley Brown, Vice President Supply Chain ANZ and Director of Sustainability at PepsiCo APAC; and Sudipto Mozumdar, Managing Director of IndoChina Foods and CCO for APAC at PepsiCo.

In just four months, the Greenhouse Accelerator 2024 program has launched seven startup pilot projects within PepsiCo’s value chain, focused on climate action, sustainable agriculture and the circular economy, which address challenges such as reducing carbon emissions, improving resource efficiency and promoting circular supply chains. . Building on the success of the 2023 cohort, which now has four pilot projects underway at various stages, the 2024 pilot projects set the stage for greater environmental and operational impact.

Among last year’s entrants, finalist TURN successfully partnered with Gatorade to launch the Gatorade x TURN reusable cup, which is currently being trialled with AFLW and AFL clubs in Australia. The initiative is expected to replace around 200,000 single-use cups, illustrating the impact Greenhouse startups can have on sustainability. Adiona – a startup that brings real-time data visibility to delivery operations – is already in a second pilot phase with wheels on the ground, analyzing PepsiCo’s delivery data and proposing efficiency improvements at its factory. Tingalpa. These improvements can potentially reduce the distance traveled and, therefore, help reduce CO2 emissions.

Last year’s GHAC winner, Powered Carbon, has achieved several business milestones since participating. To date, Powered Carbon has supplied its low-carbon biofertilizer to PepsiCo’s potato fields in Guangdong, Shandong, Gansu and Inner Mongolia. Since participating in the Greenhouse Accelerator program, Powered Carbon has not only raised market awareness and attracted investor attention, but has also seen a six-fold increase in revenue since August 2023.

PepsiCo is exploring a third edition of the Greenhouse Accelerator program in the APAC region, planned for 2025. To date, startups from the previous 11 editions around the world have generated a total of $200 million in annual revenue, demonstrating the program’s ability to fuel growth and support the launch of sustainable solutions.

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