Coca-Cola Founders Program invests in entrepreneurs' startups
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Money
  • Leadership
    • Career
    • Education
    • Jobs
    • Men
    • Women
  • Technology
  • Lifestyle
  • Events
    • Black Men Xcel
    • Entrepreneurs Summit
    • TechConneXt
    • Women of Power
    • American Black Film Festival
    • ABFF Honors
  • Lists
  • Magazine
  • Videos
  • TV Shows
    • Our World
    • Women of Power
25 black women who are changing the world

January/February 2018

Black Enterprise
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Money
  • Leadership
    • Career
    • Education
    • Jobs
    • Men
    • Women
  • Technology
  • Lifestyle
  • Events
    • Black Men Xcel
    • Entrepreneurs Summit
    • TechConneXt
    • Women of Power
    • American Black Film Festival
    • ABFF Honors
  • Lists
  • Magazine
  • Videos
  • TV Shows
    • Our World
    • Women of Power

Coca-Cola Founders Program Invests in Tech Startups

by  Joel Lyons
May 22, 2015
Coca-Cola Founders Program Invests in Tech Startups
(Image: File)

Coca-Cola is recruiting established entrepreneurs to the Coke side of life.Since 2013, the beverage giant has been scooping up “co-founders” for the Coca-Cola Founders Program and investing in their “intrepreneurial” projects.

[Related: 3 Ways to Stand Out in a Saturated Market]

“First, we partner with experienced entrepreneurs around the world. Then we immerse them in the power of Coca-Cola–our relationships, resources, and reach–before they create a startup. Together we focus on big problems lots of people have. Using lean startup methods, they grow the startup with Coca-Cola as the lead backer. Once the business model is proven, Coca-Cola becomes a minority shareholder. We collaborate from the very start to create more speed, more scale, and more impact,” the program’s website says.

To be clear, the entrepreneurs–who must have previous success launching startups–are sought out by Coke, not through some application process. And the entities are not going through some form of tech accelerator. Instead, they are being granted access to the way Coke runs business and are able to pick projects they think will make the brand grow.

But, as Business Insider points out, the endeavor helps the company embrace some of the disruptive techniques that have shaken up other industries. With Coke’s 700,000-plus network of employees and contractors working on shipment, bottling, stocking, staffing, sales and marketing initiatives in about 200 countries around the world, there’s likely room for improvement and innovation. Coke also gets a 20% stake in whatever develops from the co-founders’ participation, which are theoretically products that can be spun off into the general business world.

So far, 11 different startups–two with female co-founders–are a part of the Coca-Cola Founders Program, its site says. Their creations include on-demand staffing, a video search service, a real-time activity finder and an analytics developer. Those ideas came from co-founders based around the world, including in Buenos Aires, London, Tel Aviv, China and San Francisco.

Visit the Coca-Cola Founders Program‘s website to learn more.

Join the Conversation


MORE ON BlackEnterprise.com
franchise
Entrepreneurship
More Black Americans Are Becoming Franchise Owners and Fueling Small Business Growth
by  Jeffrey McKinney
Education
Creating Opportunity, One Internship at a Time
by  Robin White Goode
Founder, Christian Annice (Image: eMillions+)
Money
Four Tips to Increase Your Credit Score From a Credit Expert
by  Sequoia Blodgett

BETV

TRENDING

  • Baltimore May Sell Homes for $1 to Revive Neglected…
  • Spotify is Looking for New Female Podcasters of Color
  • Meet Melissa Harville-Lebron: The First Black Woman to Own a
  • Free Money? The Top 10 Grants Available to Black, Minority…
  • 7 Top Grants Or Free Money For Black Women Entrepreneurs
  • U.S. Small Business Administration and Milken Institute…
  • 5 Books Every Millennial Entrepreneur Must Read
  • Top WNBA Salaries vs. NBA Salaries: Who Earns More? [2017…
  • Meet the Dallas Mavericks’ New CEO
  • Chance the Rapper Hosts Holiday Party to Help the Homeless
Tech Connext
Women of Power WOMEN OF POWER SUMMIT
Entrepreneurs Summit ENTREPRENEURS SUMMIT
American Black File Festival AMERICAN BLACK FILM FESTIVAL
Our World OUR WORLD WITH BLACK ENTERPRISE
Women of Power TV WOMEN OF POWER TV
25 black women who are changing the world
SUBSCRIBE
GIVE A GIFT
CUSTOMER SERVICE
  • © 2018
  • BLACK ENTERPRISE
  • Management
  • About
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
  • Site Map
  • Masthead
  • Media Kit