# VentureFuel

> VentureFuel is an independent innovation advisory founded by Fred Schonenberg in 2014. It helps established companies, public-sector organizations and nonprofits research emerging opportunities, select startup partners, run commercial pilots, co-develop products and operate corporate accelerators.

- **Founded:** 2014
- **Headquarters:** New York, United States
- **Founders:** Fred Schonenberg (Founder and CEO)
- **Products:** Research and strategy, Commercial pilots and proofs of concept, Next-generation product co-development, Corporate accelerators, VentureFuel Connect
- **Notable:** Comcast reports all 18 startups in its 2023 AI accelerator cohorts secured pilot or commercial deals with Comcast, NBCUniversal or Sky. This is a program result, not a claim that every pilot scaled., VentureFuel reports 100+ innovation programs, over $12 million in revenue for participating startups, and over $2 billion in their collective valuation. These figures are self-reported and are not VentureFuel revenue or valuation., Midwest Dairy’s 2026 program supported a six-company cohort; Disco Cow won $20,000 and MOOJ Foods was named runner-up.

## Products & services

- **Research and strategy** — Competitive benchmarking, innovation gap analysis and roadmaps for external innovation.
- **Commercial pilots and proofs of concept** — Source and vet startup solutions, facilitate introductions and agreements, and support commercial testing.
- **Next-generation product co-development** — Cohort-based external R&D; the services page describes an eight-week sprint toward a minimum viable product.
- **Corporate accelerators** — Custom white-label programs, public or stealth, aligned with client strategic goals.
- **VentureFuel Connect** — Vetted startup meetings, pilot and investment exploration, insights and private Innovators Dinners for executives and investors.
- **VentureFuel Visionaries** — Podcast featuring corporate innovators, founders, investors and other innovation leaders.

## Achievements

- Comcast reports all 18 startups in its 2023 AI accelerator cohorts secured pilot or commercial deals with Comcast, NBCUniversal or Sky. This is a program result, not a claim that every pilot scaled.
- VentureFuel reports 100+ innovation programs, over $12 million in revenue for participating startups, and over $2 billion in their collective valuation. These figures are self-reported and are not VentureFuel revenue or valuation.
- Midwest Dairy’s 2026 program supported a six-company cohort; Disco Cow won $20,000 and MOOJ Foods was named runner-up.

## Latest updates

- **2026-10** — VentureFuel’s October 1 press listing reports Jam Packd won the Blueberry Boost Accelerator $20,000 grand prize; Blue Rascal Distillery received the $10,000 runner-up prize.
- **2026-09** — Midwest Dairy announced Disco Cow as its accelerator grand prize winner on September 17.
- **2026-06** — Applications were announced for the 2026 Real California Milk Excelerator, emphasizing commercialization, retail growth and AI-enabled scaling.

## Links

- Website: https://www.venturefuel.net/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/venturefuel
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/VFinsights
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCn1VQNzNxcof2DN7IomIT0w
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vfinsights/
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/venturefuel

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/venturefuel
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-08