--- title: NY MilkLaunch – Fueling Demand for Dairy with Gen Z Consumers description: "VentureFuel Visionaries: NY MilkLaunch 2020 Finalist, Superfrau's Co-Founder and CEO, Melissa Martinelli; and Winner, Slate Milk's Co-Founder, Manny Lubin." image: https://blog.venturefuel.net/hubfs/082622_VFI_Blog_NY%20MilkLaunch%20Accelreator%20Final%20Pitch%20Event%202.webp --- ![](https://blog.venturefuel.net/hubfs/082622_VFI_Blog_NY%20MilkLaunch%20Accelreator%20Final%20Pitch%20Event%202.webp) # NY MilkLaunch – Fueling Demand for Dairy with Gen Z Consumers Published by [Vanessa Rosado](https://blog.venturefuel.net/pov/author/vanessa-rosado) on Aug 24, 2022 12:13:11 PM ## “We want this to be drinking from the fire hose, and we want to get them back to growing their businesses quickly. But it's really just tangible unlocks to scale. That is what we're trying to help them with. There [are] a lot of good ideas, there [are] a lot of products out there. But how do you go from the idea to actually getting on the shelf to raising money to building your commercialization strategy? That's what we're here to help them focus on and get them to the next level.” – Fred Schonenberg, Founder & CEO of VentureFuel Joining us are our Founder & CEO, Fred Schonenberg, and Head of Brand Strategy Vanessa Ivette Rosado, together with the 2020 NY MilkLaunch winner: Slate Milk's Co-Founder, Manny Lubin; and Finalist: Superfrau's Co-Founder and CEO, Melissa Martinelli. In this episode, we talk about TOMORROW'S 2022 NY MilkLaunch Final Pitch Event, our second product innovation accelerator with the New York Dairy Promotion Order—identifying milktrepreneurs: founders creating new and exciting dairy-based products. This year's theme is connecting with Gen-Z consumers by better meeting their needs with innovations that are: good for you, good for the planet and relevant to their lifestyle. This year's cohort is composed of great entrepreneurs with fantastic dairy products. They have been through an elite mentorship program, and are heading to the final pitch event tomorrow: Thursday, August 25, from 5 to 7 p.m. RSVP to watch the free and virtual event here: [www.nymilklaunch.com](http://www.nymilklaunch.com/) VentureFuel builds and accelerates innovation programs for industry leaders by helping them unlock the power of External Innovation via startup collaborations.  [![Meet VentureFuel](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/9106794/a45798f5-cdf8-41c7-a319-32b9f9c8276a.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/9106794/a45798f5-cdf8-41c7-a319-32b9f9c8276a) Tags: [Innovation](https://blog.venturefuel.net/pov/tag/innovation), [podcasts](https://blog.venturefuel.net/pov/tag/podcasts), [Startup](https://blog.venturefuel.net/pov/tag/startup), [sustainability](https://blog.venturefuel.net/pov/tag/sustainability), [Dairy](https://blog.venturefuel.net/pov/tag/dairy), [retail](https://blog.venturefuel.net/pov/tag/retail), [Accelerator](https://blog.venturefuel.net/pov/tag/accelerator), [Farmers](https://blog.venturefuel.net/pov/tag/farmers), [Competition](https://blog.venturefuel.net/pov/tag/competition), [Cohort](https://blog.venturefuel.net/pov/tag/cohort), [New York](https://blog.venturefuel.net/pov/tag/new-york), [Milk](https://blog.venturefuel.net/pov/tag/milk), [NY MilkLaunch](https://blog.venturefuel.net/pov/tag/ny-milklaunch), [VentureFuel Visionaries](https://blog.venturefuel.net/pov/tag/venturefuel-visionaries) [Back to Blog](https://blog.venturefuel.net/pov) ## Related Articles ## [Chocolate Milk Champion: Josh Mendenhall, SPYLT Founder & Chief Brand Officer](https://blog.venturefuel.net/pov/chocolate-milk-champion-josh-mendenhall-spyly-founder-and-chief-brand-officer) “Kids grow up drinking dairy, and as soon as they graduate from high school, enter into... [Read More ](https://blog.venturefuel.net/pov/chocolate-milk-champion-josh-mendenhall-spyly-founder-and-chief-brand-officer) ## [How Alexa Ryan Built Bakr Into the Midwest’s #1 Dough Brand](https://blog.venturefuel.net/pov/how-alexa-ryan-built-bakr-into-the-midwests-1-dough-brand) Every successful brand starts with a simple idea and a lot of hard work. How do you grow from... [Read More ](https://blog.venturefuel.net/pov/how-alexa-ryan-built-bakr-into-the-midwests-1-dough-brand) ## [How Smearcase Is Building the Future With Functional Frozen Indulgence](https://blog.venturefuel.net/pov/how-smearcase-is-building-the-future-with-functional-frozen-indulgence) Functional dairy is changing how food brands compete in crowded markets. What does it really take... [Read More ](https://blog.venturefuel.net/pov/how-smearcase-is-building-the-future-with-functional-frozen-indulgence)