By Aubrey Lenyard, Georgia Tech, FBA
For the past year, Brandy Nagel and I have been on a journey that tested our patience, our determination, and our faith in what we were building at the Georgia Tech Food and Beverage Accelerator. As the program’s director (me) and assistant director (her), we’ve spent months looking for funding and sharing our vision with anyone who will listen, knowing that if we could just keep the program alive it would become something really amazing.
Then we got the news we’d been hoping for: The accelerator was funded for another year.
We celebrated for about five minutes, then got back to work.
We immediately distributed applications for our 2026 incubator and accelerator cohorts. We weren’t sure what to expect in return, but Georgia’s food entrepreneurs knew what they wanted. By the deadline, we had received 116 applications from founders across the state. Every application represented a dream, a family recipe, or a vision — sometimes all three.
After reviewing the applications, we invited 80 founders to join our 2026 Georgia Tech Food and Beverage Incubator. The incubator program is designed for entrepreneurs who are in the early stages of building their business. Throughout the year, they’ll participate in educational workshops, receive mentorship, connect with industry experts, and build the foundation needed to successfully launch and grow their companies. One of my favorite parts of this program is watching someone arrive with just an idea and leave with the knowledge and confidence to turn that idea into a real business.
The Georgia Tech Food and Beverage Accelerator, on the other hand, was created for founders who have already brought their products to the marketplace and are ready to scale. From the 116 applications, we selected 30 companies to participate in a short series of pitch and demo days hosted at Georgia Tech’s campus.
Those two days were some of the most inspiring I’ve experienced since launching the program. Founders stood before our judges telling their stories, explaining their business, and sharing the products they worked so hard to create. The room was filled with excitement and nervous energy, not to mention incredible food. There were beverages, breads, sauces, seasonings, snacks, coffee, mixers, juices, and products inspired by cultures from around the world. Every table had a story, and every founder reminded me why the food industry is such a thriving part of Georgia’s economy.
Choosing ten companies to participate in the accelerator was not an easy task. The quality of this year’s applicants exceeded all expectations. After having thoughtful discussions and asking challenging questions, our judges hand-picked the founders they believed were in the best position to take advantage of the accelerator’s intensive curriculum, mentorship, and industry connections.
Please join me in congratulating the ten founders selected for the 2026 Georgia Tech Food and Beverage Accelerator: Ed Bauer of EZE Top Shelf Mixers, Charlette Bell of Lady Belle, Sharan Aulakh of Sumthin About Spice, Thays Urdaneta of Tati’s Bread, Murilo Farias Santos of Boarding Pass Coffee, Nadia Fountain of Go Juicy, James Wofford of Purpose Protein, Symantha Kennedy of Bonappa Beverages, Rosa Thurnher of El Ponce, and Tiffany Ellis of G. Ann’s Cold Pressed.
Together, our 80 incubator founders and ten accelerator founders represent the next generation of Georgia food entrepreneurs. Some are just beginning their journey, while others are preparing to scale their businesses to new markets. Looking across both cohorts, I feel very optimistic about the future of Georgia’s food and beverage industry. I can’t wait to walk alongside these founders in the coming year and watch their ideas turn into thriving businesses.
Aubrey Lenyard is co-director of the Georgia Tech Food and Beverage Accelerator (GT.FBA). The GT.FBA assists food entrepreneurs in Georgia to start, grow, and scale their brands. Learn more online at https://gtfba.innovate.gatech.edu/. You can reach Lenyard at aubrey.gt.fba@innovate.gatech.edu or connect on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/aubrey-lenyard.
