# Branded Startup Labs The Coca-Cola Founders Program is a Corporate-Sponsored Business Incubator By Alyson Wyers | Published 2014-11-11 | Business Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/business-incubator References: [techcrunch](http://techcrunch.com/2014/11/10/coca-cola-hopes-its-startup-incubator-is-the-real-thing) & [coca-colafounders](http://coca-colafounders.com) In an effort to get ahead, [Coca-Cola](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/cocacola-creations) is one of the big consumer brands looking to get in on the [business incubator](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/with-life-cultivator) game. The Coca-Cola Founders Program not only provides investment opportunities in new, innovative startups, but also gives the brand fresh insight. Companies starting from fresh can offer corporations like Coca-Cola the "creativity, agility and speed to market they lack" according to [TechCrunch](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/inapp-games). The new program provides budding entrepreneurs funds from $1 to $1 million. They are also offering executive expertise to these new ventures to help them get their creative ideas off the ground. This presents some challenges, as Coca-Cola VP of Innovation David Butler explains, because often large brands don't mix well with small startups. The international program will certainly be an experiment. ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 5.3/10 - Popularity: 60% | Activity: 92% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Millennial, Gen X - Top markets: North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Business](https://www.trendhunter.com/business) > [New Ventures](https://www.trendhunter.com/newventures) ## Key Themes ### What Makes This Trend Stand Out - **Corporate Incubation Programs:** Corporate companies are investing in business incubator programs to gain fresh insights and innovative ideas from startups. - **Startup Funding Opportunities:** Corporations are providing funds to startups ranging from $1 to $1 million to support their creative ideas and business ventures. - **Executive Expertise for Startups:** Corporations are offering executive expertise to startups to help them get their creative ideas off the ground. ### Sectors Adopting This - **Beverage Industry:** Beverage brands like Coca-Cola are investing in corporate incubation programs to gain innovative strategies to broaden their product line. - **Consumer Goods Industry:** Consumer goods companies are investing in startup funding to support the production of new products and innovative ideas. - **Business Consulting Industry:** Business consulting companies are working with corporations to offer executive expertise to startups to help them achieve their goals and expand their businesses. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Global Beverage Innovation Hubs](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/cocacola-creations.md) - [CPG Goods-Focused Initiatives](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/accelerator-program1.md) - [Hispanic-Focused Business Opportunities](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/greenhouse-accelerator-program.md) - [CPG-Startup Supporting Campaigns](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/the-pop-up-grocer-fund.md) - [Energy Food Incubators](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/trailblazers-incubator.md) - [Blueberry Acceleration Programs](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/ushbc.md) - [Food Entrepreneurship Programs](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/youth-entrepreneurship-platform.md) - [Branded Smart Retail Hubs](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/coke-buddy.md) - [CPG-Focused Service-For-Equity Models](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/crave-ventures.md)