Dive Brief:
- Anheuser-Busch InBev and Techstars announced Monday the inaugural class of startups for the NYC-based accelerator Techstars Connection, according to a company statement.
- The 10 initial startups and their products and services run the gamut but all tie back to the food and beverage industry, including both B2B and consumer-facing applications.
- Concepts range from a platform that uses AI to create beers tailored to a consumers’ flavor preferences (Intelligent Layer) to a platform that connects party-loving consumers with a global community of nightlife enthusiasts in more than 150 countries (Party With a Local).
Dive Insight:
Many other food and beverage startup accelerators and VC funds, such as Food-X and AccelFoods, have focused on brands and products themselves. But Techstars Connection, which announced its partnership with the megabrewer in April, has a clear technology bent while still being relevant to manufacturers and consumers in this industry.
The inaugural class represents a blend of startups that serve consumers and manufacturers in different capacities. Consumers can use Paranoid Fan’s mobile software to find other fans at venues and in their communities using social mapping, and Quantac offers wearable technology that monitors blood-alcohol content using transdermal sensing technology.
For manufacturers, Techstars Connection recognizes the potential for Afineur, a biotech startup that has pioneered using controlled natural fermentations to make better, healthier and more sustainable food and beverage products. Another manufacturer-facing startup, GoNative, employs cutting-edge technology to innovate, scale and accelerate brands’ video content production process.
More companies are getting into the business of funding startups or founding accelerators, including Chobani, which just released its own inaugural lineup of startups for its incubator last month. When the startup is a brand, this offers the manufacturer an early "in" with the startup before it expands and becomes a competitor. For AB InBev, the company may be able to leverage some of these tech services and platforms as R&D or marketing avenues for its own portfolio of brands in the future.