Snacking Smarter: pladis on the Second Edition of Its FoodTech Accelerator Programme

Tim Ingmire is Vice President of Global Innovation & Technology at pladis, the global snacking company behind beloved brands including McVitie’s, GODIVA and Ülker. Operating across 27 bakeries in 11 countries and reaching consumers in over 110 markets, pladis brings both the scale and the ambition to meaningfully shape the future of food. At the heart of that ambition is a commitment to innovation that goes beyond internal R&D: pladis actively invests in the startup ecosystem, opening its manufacturing facilities, R&D expertise and commercial networks to early-stage companies tackling the food industry’s most pressing challenges in health, sustainability and next-generation ingredients. It’s a philosophy that maps closely onto Forward Fooding’s own mission of connecting corporate innovation needs with breakthrough startup solutions, and it’s what makes pladis a natural, long-standing partner. 

Now entering their second year as an official FoodTech 500 sponsor and launching the second edition of the pladis Accelerator Programme, powered by Yildiz Ventures, the partnership is only deepening. We sat down with Tim to reflect on the lessons of year one, what’s new in 2026, and what pladis is looking for in its next cohort of startup collaborators.

 

Forward Fooding: pladis is entering its second year as FoodTech 500 sponsor and launching the second edition of your Accelerator Programme. What motivated you to renew this commitment?

Tim Ingmire: Last year reaffirmed that there is extraordinary talent emerging across FoodTech, especially in areas shaping the future of healthier and more sustainable snacking. We saw founders working on fermentation, upcycled ingredients, metabolic health and sensory enhancement, and many of those technologies are directly relevant to the challenges and opportunities our industry faces.

The accelerator allows us to support this ecosystem in a meaningful, practical way. By giving startups access to our R&D experts, commercial insight and opportunities to test solutions in a real global manufacturing environment, we can help promising ideas move further, faster. That momentum is exactly why we’ve committed to a second year.

 

Learnings from First Edition

Forward Fooding: Looking back at the inaugural programme, which attracted nearly 300 applications and culminated in an Inno Day with six startups presenting pilot work to executive leadership, what were the most valuable learnings for pladis?

Tim: One clear learning was how rapidly the science and technology around food is advancing. Last year’s applicants spanned everything from precision fermentation to functional fibres and AI-driven nutrition tools. It showed us that innovation isn’t coming from one direction; it’s happening everywhere.

Another learning was just how powerful structured collaboration can be. Even without embedding founders into our teams, creating consistent touchpoints between their scientists and ours generated fresh insights and helped us see new possibilities for future product development.

 

Forward Fooding: Can you share any concrete outcomes or successes from the first cohort?

Tim: We’re progressing exploratory work with several of last year’s companies, particularly in areas like novel ingredients, sustainable processing platforms and metabolic health-oriented formulations. A number of concepts have moved into deeper technical evaluation inside our global R&D network.

While these are early-stage technologies, the level of engagement and commercial relevance we’re seeing gives us confidence that this programme can create long-term value on both sides.

 

Forward Fooding: What feedback did you receive from the first cohort, and how has that shaped the second edition?

Tim: Founders told us that access to our technical and commercial teams was one of the most valuable aspects; being able to pressure-test their science, understand scale-up constraints and see how their solutions might fit into real manufacturing environments.

They also encouraged us to create more structured pilot pathways, and we’ve built that into this year’s design. The 2026 edition includes clearer routes to technical trials, more touchpoints with senior leaders and earlier discussions around feasibility and potential co-development.

 

Evolution & What’s New

Forward Fooding: What’s different about the second edition of the pladis Accelerator Programme compared to the first? Are there any changes to the program structure, focus areas, or support offered?

Tim: We’ve sharpened the programme to make it even more outcomes-driven. Startups in the second edition will have deeper access to our global R&D capabilities, clearer pilot pathways and more structured engagement to help promising ideas move from concept to application more quickly.

We’ve also refined our focus into two clear opportunity areas. The first is Naturally Good For Me, centred on gut, energy and mood solutions rooted in naturally wholesome raw materials and minimal processing. The second is Smart Indulgence, covering innovation that delivers multisensorial indulgent consumer experiences, from ingredients and new products to packaging and technology-enabled solutions that enhance the overall snacking experience.

 

Forward Fooding: How has your selection criteria evolved? What are you specifically looking for in the second cohort?

Tim: We’re placing even more emphasis on technologies that have a credible pathway to scale, whether through ingredient robustness, manufacturability or scientific validation.

In particular, we’re looking for startups whose solutions clearly align to our two priority areas. That includes health-led innovation supporting gut, energy and mood through natural ingredients and credible science, as well as technologies that enable smarter indulgence by enhancing taste, texture and the overall consumer experience. Beyond the technology itself, we value founders who are excited by close collaboration and motivated to explore how their ideas can translate into real-world snacking formats at global scale.

 

Learn more about the pladis Accelerator Programme

 

Strategic Vision

Forward Fooding: How does the partnership between pladis, Forward Fooding and the FoodTech 500 fit into pladis’ broader innovation strategy as you scale these initiatives in year two?

Tim: These partnerships give us access to a global network of innovators, investors and scientific disruptors. Forward Fooding helps us connect with high-potential founders early; the FoodTech 500 shines a spotlight on emerging global talent; and Yildiz Ventures brings deep expertise in nurturing and scaling food tech companies.

Together, they help us stay ahead of major shifts in nutrition, sustainability and technology, while positioning pladis as a partner that can help turn science into commercially viable snacking innovation.

Tim Ingmire presenting at the 20245 FoodTech 500 Unveiling event in London on 1st of April 2026

 

Forward Fooding: What advice would you give to startups considering applying for the second edition?

Tim: Show us the science, show us the scalability and show us the consumer relevance. We’re particularly excited about founders who understand how their technology can translate into everyday snacking formats.

And be prepared for open collaboration. This programme works best when founders are curious, responsive and ready to explore how their solution can evolve in a global manufacturing context.

 

Forward Fooding: Looking ahead, what impact do you hope both cohorts combined will have on the future of snacking and pladis’ innovation pipeline?

Tim: Our ambition is to build a strong pipeline of disruptive concepts that can redefine what “better snacking” means. Healthier, more sustainable and still delicious.

But just as importantly, we want to keep strengthening the bridge between early-stage science and large-scale food manufacturing. If we can help founders accelerate their technologies while bringing new possibilities into our own innovation funnel, that’s a win for consumers, for the industry and for the future of snacking.

 

The future of snacking is being written right now. We are excited to welcome the next cohort of startups for the second edition of pladis Accelerator Programme. Stay tuned for more updates.

 

 

Forward Fooding is the world’s first collaborative platform for the Food & Beverage industry via FoodTech Data Intelligence and Corporate-Startup Collaboration – Learn more about our Consultancy and Scouting Services and our Startup Network.