Sprout Beverage is an invite-only accelerator for the most promising adult beverage brands. We consider brands in the alcohol, non-alcohol, and cannabis categories.
Founders receive actionable advice and connections directly from leading experts in the adult beverage industry. They exit the program equipped to bring their products to market, scale their businesses, and raise growth capital. At the end of each cohort, brands have an opportunity to pitch the team for a $100,000* investment.
Here’s what you can expect if you’re invited to join.
Sprout Beverage hosts two 3-month programs each year — one from February through April, and one from September through November.
Founders meet as a group for two days a month for intensive sessions. Two sessions are held in-person in Chicago, and one is virtual. Founders also attend weekly 1:1 virtual office hours with a Sprout senior partner for personalized coaching on the topics that are most relevant to them.
We help stack the odds in the favor of the independent brand and equip founders with the confidence to make the right decisions for the business. The program’s curriculum is focused on four key pillars, and sessions are taught by leaders in the adult beverage industry.
At the end of the program, founders participate in a pitch competition in front of leading CPG and beverage investors for the chance to receive a $100,000* investment of capital and services from the Growth Beverage portfolio of brands.
The support doesn’t stop at the end of the program. Each alum also receives:
Hear directly from some of our graduates.
Our winter cohort kicks off on February 21 in Chicago.
Sprout Beverage serves the founders of promising, early-stage brands in the adult beverage space. Those in the alcoholic, non-alcoholic, and cannabis categories may apply. We select brands based on several criteria. In general, brands must:
Each cohort accepts a maximum of 15 brands. We allow one brand per category and subsegment: spirits, beer, wine, non-alcoholic, cannabis, ready-to-drink.
The process is simple:
Sprout Beverage offers several payment options that vary from a flat fee to a combination of equity and fee. The program director will discuss cost during your interview process, and you will be able to select a payment that is most aligned with your personal preferences and company stage.
Included in the cost of admission are: all program materials and courses, office hours, and meals and social events during in-person sessions.
Sprout Beverage is the brand incubation and accelerator arm of Growth Beverage. Growth Beverage is the only organization that supports independent beverage brands at all stages of their lifecycle – from start to store to scale. Its companies include Sprout Beverage, InvestBev, Algoma Capital, and BevStrat. Here’s our founder, Brian Rosen, talking more about the Growth Beverage brand.
The deadline to apply is January 15, 2024.
We strongly recommend that participants be in Chicago for our sessions.
We believe that in-person interaction enhances the program and outcome for everyone. However, we recognize that travel isn’t always possible and will allow virtual participation if necessary.
Our program is designed for founders who have developed a product and have demonstrated early traction through sales; however, ideas that are disrupting the adult beverage category will be considered.