Supports food-focused entrepreneurs through the process of building an investible business model which includes a financing strategy unique to your business, to grow and scale.
This national program serves Food, Beverage, Technologies, Value-Added Agriculture, and Processing businesses.
Applications are due by Dec 4, 2025.
Participants say…
“Thanks to the FFI Fellows program and MVP training sessions, we’ve been able to build new tools that improve our current processes and help us reach more customers in the future. We’re excited to start construction of a new facility this summer, supported by a grant from the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation. I’m incredibly grateful for everything I’ve learned through FFI!”
— Francisco Guerrero, Redwood St Roasters
What is the FFI Fellows Program?
In the FFI Fellows Program, you will work with an expert coach and peers with experience in your type of food business. This program is FREE and open to any food-focused entrepreneur in the United States.
Each cohort cycle lasts 4 months, kicking off with FFI’s foundational food business finance course and ending with your investor pitch. During the program, your learning will be provided through regular virtual meetings with your cohort and 1-on-1 with your coach, on all key areas of your business:
- Sales
- Operations
- Accounting
- Finance
- Food Safety
- Marketing & Branding
Hear Our Fellows Tell Their Stories:
Program Impact
Cumulative, through most recent calendar year:
Program Overview
All Fellows receive free:
- One-on-one coaching
- Full access to Food Finance Learning Center offerings, including:
- Deep Dive (on-demand) courses
- Immersion Trainings including Financial Foundations for Food Brands and Farms, Raising Equity, and Navigating Uncertainty
- Expert industry connections and introductions
- Biweekly Fellows-only cohort meetings with training on:
- Accounting, Sales Management, eCommerce, Branding & Marketing
- Operations Development, Process & Supply Chain Optimization
- Food Safety, Quality & GFSI, Legal/Risk Management
- Financial Planning, Raising Equity, Sources & Uses of Capital
- Investor Pitch Presentations
- Fellows Program alumni meetings: Including new Fellows in and outside of Wisconsin
- FFI broader network access: investors, UW and Universities of Wisconsin OBE
- Exclusive access to FFI Partners products and services
Participant Commitment
– Owner participation in the FFI Fellows Program commitment schedule, which includes four months of biweekly virtual cohort meetings and one-on-one coaching sessions
– Reporting to the Food Finance Institute with your revenue, sales, and employment count for three years
– Ongoing participation in FFI Fellows Program-related activity as requested and available
Program Eligibility
– Must have demonstrated success in sales with a growth focus
– Must have a website beyond a Facebook / social media page
– Must be operating in the food space
– Business in the United States
Apply to the cohort that feels best to you, if accepted, we will ensure you’re placed into the correct cohort!
Selection Criteria
Applicants will be scored by an esteemed group of industry judges that will rank each business/product based on:
– Product or service scalability and extendibility
– Product and brand differentiation
– General business awareness, focus, and acumen of ownership
– Other cohort consideration
The Fellows Program is funded in partnership with the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation.
The Fellows Program is also supported by our sponsors. Learn more about them here!
Reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities will be made if requested at least two weeks in advance. Email us or call 608-263-7794.