Four startups will compete in P&G Ventures' latest innovation challenge.
On Thursday, the startup studio housed within the Cincinnati-based consumer goods giant announced the companies competing for $10,000 and the chance to work with P&G Ventures to further develop their products. Those companies are:
- Cybele Microbiome, headquartered in San Diego, provides high efficacy natural solutions for human health through patented technologies. Co-founder and CEO Nicole Scott will pitch.
- Kushae Naturals, based in Lake Work, Fla., is an all-natural, pH balanced, doctor-formulated feminine hygiene product line made by women for women. Co-founder and CEO Kimba Williams will pitch.
- Lady Patch, operating out of El Segundo, Calif., is the only drug-free feminine patch that prevents bladder leaks and the frequent urge to urinate. CEO and Founder Cindy Santa Cruz will pitch.
- Ryp Labs, located in Kirkland, Wash., is an award-winning food and crop protection company developing and commercializing biomimicry solutions to combat global food waste, naturally and safely. Co-founder and CEO Moody Soliman will pitch.
The companies will make their pitch Jan. 6 in Las Vegas during CES, which is considered the world’s largest and most influential tech event.
P&G Ventures, to date, has launched four new brands: Zevo, a line of insect control products; Opte, a smart beauty device to treat facial hyperpigmentation; Bodewell, a line of plant-based products to treat chronic skin conditions; and Kindra, a product line to help women combat the symptoms of menopause.
P&G Ventures was founded in 2015 as P&G searches for its next billion-dollar brand. The first innovation challenge was held in January 2019 at CES, an annual trade show organized by the Consumer Technology Association.
Morari Medical, a Minnesota-based company developing an external medical device for the treatment of premature ejaculation, was the inaugural winner. The company said it's “aggressively” moving to deliver a wearable patch by the end of 2021.
Sana Health, a Colorado-based company developing a wearable device to treat chronic pain, took home top prize in 2020. And SAVRpack, a San Juan Capistrano, Calif., startup that has developed a patented food packaging technology that keeps food fresh, won the 2021 CES innovation challenge earlier this year. SAVRpak is now available in thousands of restaurants through a partnership with Sysco.
