November 11, 2024

Created to help bridge the funding gap for female founders, the Stacy’s Rise Project has been connecting and empowering women business owners for years. But Stacy’s Pita Chips wasn’t always a household name. Marketing, mentorship and monetary support helped this female-founded brand rise from a humble sandwich cart to the nation’s supermarkets. And it’s these same resources that today’s women need to succeed – now, more than ever. So that’s exactly what Stacy’s is offering to 15 women in their journey to make their dreams a reality with the latest iteration of the Rise Project. 

From May 4-29, 2020, Stacy’s is accepting applications from female founders at https://stacysrise.helloalice.com/ with 15 chosen to receive the following from Stacy’s through its affiliation with Frito-Lay/PepsiCo:

  • Advertising: Including expert design consultation and donated media space to raise awareness for these female-founded brands.
  • 1:1 Mentorship: Pairing with Frito-Lay and PepsiCo leaders who are experts in sales, supply, marketing, R&D, and more.
  • Grants: Each finalist will receive a $10,000 grant to help advance her business.

 A panel of Frito-Lay/PepsiCo leaders, as well as partners from Hello Alice, will choose the 15 finalists based on such factors as the uniqueness of their brand proposition, as well as their commitment to social impact and how as a female founder they have leveraged their network or creativity to overcome recent challenges for their business. 

Last year, Stacy’s partnered with Padma Lakshmi to announce Hakuna Brands Founder Hannah Hong as its inaugural $100,000 grand prize Stacy’s Rise Project winner from among a group of five finalists (chosen from an initial pool of 400 applicants). 

While female founders have always faced significant obstacles – receiving only 2.7% of venture capitalist funding in 2019 – the economic challenges of 2020 inspired Stacy’s to expand the program to impact even more women and share additional brand resources. 

The 15 finalists will be unveiled in July. Stay tuned to the Stacy’s Instagram page (www.Instagram.com/Stacys) for more on the Stacy’s Rise Project and to share in the journey.