--- title: The Frontlines of Beverage Innovation description: "VentureFuel Visionaries: Proximo's Seth Yassky, Anheuser-Busch's Alice Ponti, and Set The Bar's Ryan Malkin talk about the role of innovation in drinks." image: https://blog.venturefuel.net/hubfs/0001-32591878357.webp --- ![](https://blog.venturefuel.net/hubfs/0001-32591878357.webp) # The Frontlines of Beverage Innovation Published by [Vanessa Rosado](https://blog.venturefuel.net/pov/author/vanessa-rosado) on Aug 10, 2022 11:59:22 AM ## “You have to be okay to take a risk or you have to take a calculated risk. This is a very highly regulated industry. You want to go about it in the right way. You want to take the right risks, but you can't be afraid. You have to be willing to pivot and take those risks.” –Seth Yassky, Director of Strategic Alliances & Education at Proximo Spirits   Recorded at our most recent event, What's Next Now: Beer, Wine & Spirits, we sit down with VentureFuel Visionaries Seth Yassky of Proximo Spirits; Alice Ponti, Senior Director Front End Innovation at Anheuser-Busch; and Malkin Law and Set The Bars's Ryan Malkin, to talk about the areas ripe for innovation and how to overcome industry challenges to driving change. Seth Yassky has nearly 20 years of experience influencing decision-makers and devising successful strategies. He's a collaborative and strategic team leader with a robust background in customer relationship management. Before joining Proximo, he worked across industry-leading organizations, including Diageo, Voli, and E. & J. Gallo Winery, in various brand, marketing, and other commercial functions. Alice Ponti is a senior innovation and marketing leader with 17 years experience in the world's top FMCG companies, including AB InBev, SABMiller, Diageo, Danone, L'Oréal, and Unilever at local, regional, and global levels across drinks, food, and beauty. She has developed game-changing innovations at AB InBev to reinvent Lager, including embedding sustainability into innovation with the mentorship of The Aspen Institute First Movers Fellowship. Prior to forming Malkin Law, Ryan Malkin was an attorney at Pernod Ricard USA and a former Assistant District Attorney in Manhattan. His passion for the beer, wine, and spirits industry began as a journalist specializing in writing about the alcohol and hospitality industries, with articles appearing in such publications as SmartMoney International, Beverage Media Group, Inc., Liquor.com, and Esquire Magazine.   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), [Beer](https://blog.venturefuel.net/pov/tag/beer), [NFTs](https://blog.venturefuel.net/pov/tag/nfts), [Beverage](https://blog.venturefuel.net/pov/tag/beverage), [Consumers](https://blog.venturefuel.net/pov/tag/consumers), [Alcohol](https://blog.venturefuel.net/pov/tag/alcohol), [Spirits](https://blog.venturefuel.net/pov/tag/spirits), [Regulations](https://blog.venturefuel.net/pov/tag/regulations), [VentureFuel Visionaries](https://blog.venturefuel.net/pov/tag/venturefuel-visionaries) [Back to Blog](https://blog.venturefuel.net/pov) ## Related Articles ## [Disrupting Drinks](https://blog.venturefuel.net/pov/disrupting-drinks) “I think that retailers are actually cognizant or well-aware of the trends, and they... [Read More ](https://blog.venturefuel.net/pov/disrupting-drinks) ## [Ventures to Watch in Beer, Wine & Spirits](https://blog.venturefuel.net/pov/ventures-to-watch-in-beer-wine-spirits) “The fit-to-brief part is the thing that differentiates VentureFuel. We're not looking... [Read More ](https://blog.venturefuel.net/pov/ventures-to-watch-in-beer-wine-spirits) ## [Your Next Drink - IWSR Chief Strategy Officer Brandy Rand](https://blog.venturefuel.net/pov/your-next-drink-iwsr-chief-strategy-officer-brandy-rand) “Innovate like your life depends on it. Don't be resistant to change; pay attention to... [Read More ](https://blog.venturefuel.net/pov/your-next-drink-iwsr-chief-strategy-officer-brandy-rand)