October 27, 2022

NEENAH, WISCONSIN – Georgia-Pacific, in partnership with global venture firm and startup accelerator gener8tor, has kicked off its third 1915 Studios gBETA accelerator program. Welcoming four new startup companies to its fall cohort, Georgia-Pacific’s 1915 Studios enables the success of early-stage startups that supply innovative sustainability solutions.

The selected companies, which include Adept Materials, Celcy, SAVRpak and MiFood Tech, share a common focus on foodservice sustainability innovation. They each have access to and support from Georgia-Pacific’s 1915 Studios, which is at Georgia-Pacific’s Neenah Technical Center (NTC), a research and development facility of more than 250 scientists, engineers, technicians, and support staff who, together, offer centuries of papermaking, product development and testing expertise.

"The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that each year, U.S. food loss and waste embodies 170 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent GHG emissions (excluding landfill emissions), equal to the annual CO2 emissions of 42 coal-fired power plants,” said Dave Hahn, vice president of research and development at Georgia-Pacific. “We see incredible value in building and supporting an ecosystem where innovators in fast-moving industries, like foodservice sustainability, can thrive.”

Georgia-Pacific’s 1915 Studios is a free accelerator for early-stage technology startups following the model of gener8tor’s gBETA program, which operates 20-plus other programs across the country. The gBETA program provides participants with intensive and individualized coaching and access to gener8tor’s national network of mentors, potential customers, corporate partners, and investors. 1915 Studios’ 12-week program is designed to help startups prototype and build their products, gain early customer traction on their product or idea, and establish metrics that make them competitive applicants for full-time accelerators or seed investment.

“Together, the gBETA program and Georgia-Pacific partnership aims to bring economic diversity and job growth to Neenah,” said Brian Davis, gener8tor program manager of 1915 Studios.” We are working to help establish tomorrow's leading companies and support these startups in solving sustainability challenges.”

Started at Georgia-Pacific’s NTC in 2021, 1915 Studios is held twice per year, with up to five companies accepted per cohort. At the end of the program, startup founders will pitch their companies to investors, community partners and the public at a showcase event on December 6 in Neenah.

Startup companies and founders interested in learning more about the program are encouraged to visit here.

To date, gBETA alumni have raised $492M in follow-on financing and created more than 3,000 jobs. Recent 1915 Studio alumnus, Eric Garrison, founder of CASSIE, an industrial filtration company, recounted his experience while working with the accelerator as a cohort partner.

“1915 Studios and Georgia-Pacific really assisted in our moving the needle on the manufacturing process by helping us develop pieces of our technology that allowed us to grow into a real company,” said Garrison. “After partnering up with 1915 and Georgia-Pacific, we were able to raise money and get the ball rolling on fixing the world's air quality issue.

Adept Materials develops multifunctional materials that increase the durability, energy efficiency, and comfort of buildings while simplifying construction. The core technology is patent-protected, the raw materials are low-cost and abundant, and can be combined with building products at the factory using existing manufacturing processes. Adept Materials has partnered with a film extruder to develop licensed materials for performance footwear and apparel applications and has entered into discussions with multiple global manufacturers of architectural products and packaging materials.

Celcy, a patented IOT, autonomous, countertop robot combines a freezer and an oven to offer unparalleled on demand quality food. The freezer stores 5 pre-made meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, etc.) and allows the user to select a meal from their phone, tablet or connected device. Celcy then moves it to the oven, handles the cooking details including style of cooking (broil, bake, convection, etc.), duration and when to start it in order to have it ready when you want it, all transparent to the user. Celcy launched their beta this past July.

SAVRpak manufactures and sells patented non-woven airlaid sachets to remove excess moisture from the air inside food containers. This triples the shelf life of berries and leafy greens and keeps hot delivery food crunchy and crispy (good-bye soggy fries). SAVRpak is 100% chemical free, food-safe, single-use and made of degradable plant-material. SAVRpak was named a Fast Company World Changing Idea finalist in 2022 and a TIME Magazine Best Invention in 2021, SAVRpak can be found in 41 states and 21 countries.

MiFood Tech provides automatic kitchen solutions for restaurants to replace human labor on the most repetitive prepping and cooking work in the restaurant to solve labor shortage problems and increase restaurants’ profit. MiFood Tech recently designed and developed their prototype of the automatic cutting machine. During customer discovery, Mi Food Tech identified some customers who wanted to use their products in their restaurants and casinos.

About gener8tor

gener8tor is a global venture firm and accelerator network that supports startups, founders, workers, employers, artists and musicians across race, place and gender. gener8tor partners with companies, governments, universities and nonprofits to operate programs in more than 41 communities across 22 states and two countries. Fast Company named gener8tor one of the Best Workplaces for Innovators in 2021 and 2022.

About gBETA

gBETA is a non-equity accelerator that facilitates the growth of early-stage companies through a network-driven program. This accelerator supports five startups per cohort and requires no fees for startups and takes no equity. Since launching in 2015, gBETA accelerator alumni have raised $487M+ in capital and created 3,355+ jobs across the U.S. and Canada.