Aussie startups receive LOI from PepsiCo

PepsiCo has signed letters of intent (LOIs) with startups from the Greenhouse Accelerator’s 2026 IMPACT Edition, including two Australian startups.

The startups brought solutions across logistics efficiency, sustainable agriculture, emissions reduction and circularity.

The seven-month PepsiCo Greenhouse Program APAC 2026: The IMPACT Edition alumni include:

• Adiona
• Bali Waste Cycle
• Beijing AIForce Tech (BAIFT)
• Takachar
• X-Centric Sciences.
   

Through the IMPACT Framework — designed to help move startups from pilots to commercial deployment — each founder was paired with a cross-functional PepsiCo team that included experts across sustainability, supply chain, procurement, R&D, operations, finance and legal. This brought technical, operational, commercial and compliance considerations into the process earlier, helping identify potential barriers to deployment.

The program concluded with signed letters of intent with all five sustainability startups, including the two Australian startups Adiona and X-Centric, with any future deployment or commercial activity subject to further evaluation, and agreement.

“Building resilient, growing businesses in Asia–Pacific will increasingly require collaboration across sectors and capabilities,” said Anne Tse, Chief Executive Officer, Asia Pacific, PepsiCo. “Through the Greenhouse Accelerator, we are bringing entrepreneurs together with PepsiCo teams to test emerging solutions against real business and operational challenges across the food system.

“The opportunity goes beyond any single technology or partnership. By working with startups, investors and other partners, we can help create stronger connections across the innovation ecosystem, explore solutions with the potential to support business resilience and growth.”

Adiona (2023 alumnus) built on its earlier work with PepsiCo involving AI-powered route optimisation and opportunities to improve fleet efficiency. After progressing through the program framework during the IMPACT Edition, Adiona and PepsiCo have signed an LOI to explore network and logistics optimisation opportunities in China.

X-Centric Sciences (2024 alumnus) continued working with PepsiCo to assess how its soil intelligence technology could be integrated into agricultural workflows to inform decisions about soil health and crop inputs. Following field trials with PepsiCo’s agriculture team in Australia, X-Centric and PepsiCo have signed an LOI to explore potential applications of precision soil intelligence in Australia.

Following the Showcase, PepsiCo and participating startups will continue discussions under the LOIs, exploring potential opportunities for further collaboration. Any future implementation will be subject to further evaluation, including consideration of solution performance, business value, operational fit and market needs.

Image caption: (L–R) Lisa Deng, Chief Financial Officer, Asia Pacific & Greater China, PepsiCo; Roozbeh Ravansari, Chief Executive Officer, X-Centric Sciences; Vidyut Mohan, Chief Executive Officer, Takachar; Weihua Li, Division VP, Beijing AIForce Tech; Olivia Anastasia Padang, Co-Founder, Bali Waste Cycle; Richard Savoie, Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Adiona Tech; Ashley Brown, Chief Sustainability Officer - APAC & India, PepsiCo. Image: Supplied