In an effort to make real food accessible for all, the Chipotle Cultivate Foundation held a seven-month accelerator program that gave growth-stage ventures a spotlight and mentoring from established leaders.
In December of 2018, our partners at Uncharted helped select eight growth-stage ventures working in the following verticals: Alternative Farming and Growing Systems, AgTech, Food Waste and Recovery, and Plant and Alternative products.
The first-ever Chipotle Aluminaries Project sought to bring space technology to global supply chains, uncover maple farms as a renewable water source, bring field data into the 21st century, and so much more. The first cohort of Aluminaries included the following ventures:
In March of 2019, eight entrepreneurs, 22 mentors, and leaders throughout Chipotle came together for a five-day boot camp in Newport Beach. Uncharted curated programming focused on fundraising approach and messaging, operational capacity, marketing, and leadership development.
The boot camp provided insight on actionable methods for growth, helped build relationships with valuable mentors, and provided a community to support the ventures and their work.
In addition to the boot camp, each venture received the following as part of the accelerator program:
Fueled by celebrity cards and illumination from the boot camp, these entrepreneurs quickly got back to work. In the last few months of the program, our Aluminaries had gone on to win million-dollar prizes, partner with celebrity chefs at festivals, expand their products overseas, and so much more. Some of the mentors have turned into board members, others have become investors, and many are great friends.
We are excited to continue the journey with the announcement of Aluminaries 2.0.