Applications are now open for the Food Finance Institute (FFI) Fellows Program. From January to July 2025, this free program will provide 15 food-focused entrepreneurs support, training, and services worth more than $10,000 each. Food industry experts at the Food Finance Institute and their network will help these businesses build an investible business model and finance strategy to grow and scale. Â
Funded in partnership with the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation, this cohort of the Fellows Program will serve 10 entrepreneurs from Wisconsin and five more nationally. Â
The program also receives support from industry experts such as Eurofins (food safety), Supply One (packaging), Ogden Glazer + Schaefer (law), Real Food Brands (marketing), Product to Retail, Catapult Commercialization Services, Summit Credit Union, Farm Credit and Compeer Financial.Â
The Fellows Program serves food, beverage, technologies, value-added agriculture, and processing businesses. Kicking off with FFI’s Financial Management Boot Camp and ending with an investor pitch, virtual meetings and 1-on-1 coaching Â
cover all areas of food and farm business, including sales, operations, accounting, finance, food safety, marketing and branding. Fellows receive:Â
- 1-on-1 coaching
- Unlimited on-demand coursesÂ
- Bimonthly fellows-only cohort trainings Â
- Connections to investors, fellows program alumni, Universities of Wisconsin experts, and FFI’s extensive food and farm business resource networkÂ
FFI’s Fellows Program runs three times each year, serving a total of 45 businesses annually, 30 of them from Wisconsin. Entrepreneurs are placed in a cohort of either food brands or companies working in technology, agriculture and processing. Past fellows have gone on to raise a total of over $800K in grant funding. As well as $9M equity funding, $7M debt funding, and $36M in annual sales.Â
