CHICAGO — Nine startups have been selected to participate in the inaugural class of Mondelez International’s SnackFutures CoLab Tech accelerator program. Entrepreneurs representing alternative ingredient, food safety, improved manufacturing and regenerative agriculture technologies will receive hands-on experiences, virtual sessions, one-on-one mentorship and access to the company’s global network of partners and experts.

Led by the company’s research and development team, CoLab Tech was established to identify solutions that may help Mondelez International accelerate growth and innovation in chocolate, biscuits and baked snacks while reducing carbon footprints, enhancing sensory experiences, improving nutrition profiles and modernizing production processes, according to the company.

“One of the most exciting parts of this process was learning about the creative and clever solutions being developed across the globe to solve the food industry’s most pressing ingredient, process and sustainability challenges,” said Ian Noble, vice president for global ingredient research and development at Mondelez International. “We are eager to start learning from and collaborating with these cutting-edge entrepreneurs who will introduce us to new capabilities and also learn from our expertise.”

The nine participants are:

Captic, helping food processors identify profit and cost-savings opportunities;

Computonics, using machine learning and metagenomics analysis to monitor pathogens;

Cultivated Biosciences, using fermentation technology to produce a dairy-free, creamy fat ingredient;

Eggmented Reality, using precision fermentation to develop customized functional ingredients;

Epogee, a developer of a modified plant-based oil that reduces calories and fat while maintaining mouthfeel, satiety and texture;

Prote-in, a producer of carbon-negative, farm-free proteins using a continuous carbon dioxide fermentation technology;

SoilTech Wireless, developing wireless sensing technology and data analytics platforms to improve the global agricultural supply chain;

Stephane Thermal Runs, creating unique sensors and software to optimize thermal profiling in baked snacks;

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