The Kraft Heinz Co., Pittsburgh, Pa., launched Springboard, a platform dedicated to nurturing, scaling and accelerating growth of disruptive U.S. brands within the food and beverage space.

The Springboard platform is seeking opportunities to develop brands with authentic propositions and inspired founders within one of these four pillars—natural and organic; specialty and craft; health and performance; and experiential.

“We are committed to support and partner with teams that will impact the future of our industry,” says Sergio Eleuterio, general manager, Springboard brands. “We are actively searching for emergent, authentic brands that can expand into new categories, and are looking to build a network of founders to help shape the future of foods and beverages.”

Springboard is also launching an incubator program, focused on nurturing food and beverage startups at a pre-valuation stage in a dynamic 16-week sprint. The incubator’s infrastructure will provide participants with a collaborative work environment and business resources such as dedicated workspace, state-of-the-art pilot plants and commercial kitchens at the Kraft Heinz Innovation Center in Glenview, Ill.