Singapore start-up among ten finalists in PepsiCo Greenhouse Accelerator Programme

For the third year running, PepsiCo is holding its Greenhouse Accelerator Programme (GHAC) in Asia Pacific (APAC), a programme aimed at nurturing early-stage start-ups that drive sustainability in the food and beverage industry. This year, the programme welcomes ten finalists each of which are leveraging emerging technologies to tackle environmental challenges in their local contexts.

The selected startups hail from Australia, China, Indonesia, South Korea, and Singapore, and were selected for their potential to build scalable solutions to contribute to a circular economy, drive climate action, or bolster sustainable agriculture.

Programme details

Each finalist in the GHAC receives US$20,000 (approximately SG$26,000) in funding, along with access to mentorship, real-world trials, and strategic guidance from PepsiCo leaders and industry experts. At the end of the programme, one startup will be selected as a winner, and will be awarded an additional US$100,000 (roughly SG$130,000) to further scale their operations.

Previous winners of the 2024 and 2023 GHAC, are Vietnam’s Alterno — a sustainable energy company that utilises a sand-based battery — and China’s Powdered Carbon — a company that uses fungi to create sustainable fertiliser — respectively.

Globally, the GHAC has supported 112 companies and engaged more than 200 mentors, with nearly 80% of participating startups going on to secure additional funding. Beyond financial support, the programme also opens the door to long-term collaboration: previous participants such as Alterno, Powdered Carbon, X-Centric and Enwise have gone on to partner with PepsiCo after the programme.

“From climate resilience to circular packaging and smarter agriculture, we’re seeing bold thinking that is both locally grounded and globally relevant,” said Anne Tse, Chief Executive Officer, PepsiCo APAC, of the 2025 cohort. 

“We’re excited to back these early-stage innovators and learn from them as we explore ways to scale practical solutions across our value chain. Each edition strengthens our ecosystem of changemakers, and we look forward to what this year’s finalists will unlock — not just during the program but well beyond it.”

Home grown representative

Representing Singapore in this year’s cohort is Circular Unite, a startup using artificial intelligence to help businesses reduce carbon emissions through smarter waste management. In addition to its data-driven technology, the start-up also offers a waste-to-resource marketplace, where businesses can exchange surplus materials or waste streams that might otherwise be discarded. The result is a system that transforms waste into value, promoting industrial symbiosis and circularity, fitting well with PepsiCos aims.

“Being a finalist in the Greenhouse Accelerator Program is an exciting opportunity to collaborate with PepsiCo, industry experts, and sustainability leaders to scale our AI-powered waste management solutions,” shared Emmanuel Tay, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Circular Unite. 

“We are thrilled to showcase how data-driven insights, automation, and marketplace connectivity can transform packaging waste recovery, enabling a waste and recycling digital passport.”

Whether it’s through sustainable energy, like Australia’s Endua; tech-driven farm support, by China’s Beijing AIForce Technology; or waste management like Singapore’s Circular Unite, each finalist contributes a piece to the puzzle of building a better food and beverage industry. 

With previous alumni more already proving the impact and scalability of their innovations, this year’s finalists are worthy of attention — not only for who will receive the final grant but also for the innovations that they’ve come up with.