SKU Spring '25 Showcase Pitch Event

Join us in celebrating the journey of our Spring ’25 cohort at the SKU Showcase Pitch Event—an evening of powerful storytelling, authentic connections, and the energy of a room packed with CPG superstars. Showcase is the culmination of the rigorous 12-week program, which includes weekly classes on key topics and mentoring by industry leaders.

📍 Robert B. Rowling Hall, University of Texas McCombs School of Business

📅 Tuesday, May 20th

🕓 Doors open at 4:30 PM | Pitches begin at 5:00 PM | Reception to follow

Expect an unforgettable evening featuring:

• 🎤 Live pitches – Meet eight standout brands as they share their stories and big visions.
• 🎙️ A special keynote – Hear from SKU alum, Sean Riley, Founder of DUDE Wipes, as he shares how he built a bold, breakout brand in the CPG space.
• 🍽️ Product sampling and brand showcases – Get a taste (literally!) of the innovation—sample products from the participating brands during the reception.
• 🤝 Networking – Connect with founders, investors, mentors, and CPG insiders from across the country.

The eight SKU Spring '25 Track brands are:

• Fairly Nuts: Founded by Julie Wolf, Fairly Nuts is a woman owned trail mix company that offers a carnival of delicious in house roasted mixes all packaged sustainably.
• good dirt®: Founded by Lynn Callaway, good dirt® is the first prebiotic soda crafted with fungi and fiber to support gut health, mental clarity, and everyday balance- free of stevia or sugar alcohols.
• Kobi: Founded by Siôn Owen, Kobi makes better body care products for kids, designed specifically for the more sensitive skin that young people have. Kobi is currently focused on offering kid-friendly deodorant, with plans to bring its safer-for-kids ethos to other personal care categories in the future.
• Niramaya: Founded by Mehek Khera, Niramaya is an Indian-American Snack food brand that brings healthy, grain free snacks with bold flavors that everyone can enjoy at any time of the day. They have a line of 3 versatile dips and 4 flavors of Naan Pretzels.
• PetPax Co.: Founded by Anthony Gatti and Nathan Ruff-Williams, PetPax Co. is reinventing pet wellness with SupplaMelts™—super fast-absorbing supplements that melt in your dog’s cheek. No pills. No powders. No pressure! Just science-backed care for everyday issues like anxiety and bad breath. Simple to give, fast to act, easy to love! Minimal Effort. Maximum tail wags.
• pi00a: Founded by Melody Stein, Russ Stein, Rylan Stein, and Taysia Stein, pi00a is a Deaf and CODA family owned business that specializes in handcrafted frozen Globally-Inspired Neapolitan pizzas. At the core of their brand is their mission to create job opportunities for the Deaf community.
• Rookies: Founded by Jordan Nickerson's and Holly Nickerson, Rookies seeks to create "memorable dessert experiences" through its handcrafted ice cream and cookie sandwiches.
• Saint Rocco's Treats: Founded by brothers Kaleb Rush and Kolby Rush, Saint Rocco's Treats makes human-grade dog treats, meal toppers and food.

Schedule at a glance:

4:30-5:00 pm: Drinks, bites & sampling

5:00-7:15 pm: Founder pitches (including brief intermission)

7:15-8:30 pm: More drinks, bites & sampling

8:30-10:00 pm: After party :)

A special thanks to our host The Jon Brumley Texas Venture Labs at The University of Texas at Austin (TVL). TVL is a university-wide award-winning initiative to support technology commercialization, entrepreneurship and innovation, while providing a unique and directly applicable educational experience for participating students. TVL's purpose is to provide the intellectual horsepower to promote new venture creation at The University of Texas at Austin through education and mentoring; market and business plan validation; team-building and networking; and providing direct links to resources and funding.