Lion has launched Lion Unleashed, an innovation initiative that will see Lion partner with startups and entrepreneurs in the food and beverage space in Australia, New Zealand and beyond.
The 12 week accelerator program, designed in partnership with corporate accelerator specialist, Slingshot, will connect Lion’s market-leading brands such as XXXX, Hahn SuperDry, Dairy Farmers, Dare Iced Coffee and Steinlager, with world-class entrepreneurs to accelerate Lion’s innovation agenda.
“Lion Unleashed is an opportunity for startups and scaleups to work with Lion to unlock even more value at every stage of the value chain and bring new ideas in the food and beverage sector to life,” said Lion CEO Stuart Irvine (pictured).
“Innovation has been at the heart of Lion’s 177 year success and is critical for our long term, sustainable growth. Together with the R&D expertise of our parent company Kirin, we have a strong track record of evolving both our alcohol and dairy portfolios to meet the changing needs and tastes of consumers.
Startups accepted into Lion Unleashed will exchange equity for up to $50,000 from the Slingshot Investment Fund. In addition, Slingshot network partners can access technology, software, hosting, office space and catering benefits valued at over $500,000, along with mentoring advice from the likes of Kate Parker, CEO of Your Tea, Alistair Venn, Managing Director of Menulog and Mark Moran, Head of Global Partnerships at LaFourchette (A Trip Advisor Company).
“The F&B industry is not only critical to the economy but also a meaningful part of our daily lives. We see a massive opportunity for disruption and exciting innovation in this space and are thrilled to partner with Lion to drive collaboration between two powerful forces – a leading global business and the startup communities in Australia, New Zealand and the broader APAC region,” said Karen Lawson, CEO of Slingshot.
Lion and Slingshot will kicked-off the international search for entrepreneurs on 14 June.