• by Larissa Faw , July 17, 2020

Frito-Lay’s second annual Stacy’s Rise Project—designed to give a boost to female-founded startups—includes professional advertising services for the first time. 

This move was driven by internal research that found that 80% of female founders wish for more resources to support their marketing efforts. 

There’s also a need for strategic counsel, explains Ciara Dilley, vice president marketing, transform brands & portfolio, Frito-Lay. And most consumers (82%) want to see more female founders in company ads. 

Stacy’s creative agency of record David & Goliath is creating custom ads for each of the 15 female founders chosen for the program. 

The four-month program provides a $10,000 grant, executive leadership guidance and additional support from D&G as well as media shop OMD, experiential agency All Terrain, and Frito-Lay’s internal creative team. The company’s PR agency Ketchum is also participating.

The Rise Project Class of 2020 will also receive sales resources, including ecommerce support via Stacy’s Amazon platform. 

Frito-Lay and its agency partners have been working on this program for months, collaborating regularly on virtual Zoom meetings, says Dilley. “Our initial brief essentially came down to the fact that we have built a very successful grant and mentorship program, now what other assets can we share with these female founders? Our answer was right in front of us--the extensive resources provided by our external partners perfectly complemented our internal network, especially in regards to raising awareness for these women’s businesses.”

Those interested in the process are encouraged to participate in various learning opportunities by following #StacysRiseProject across social media channels, with topics covering VC funding, operations/supply, marketing, and even self-care. 

This fall, Stacy’s will also partner with online business platform Hello Alice on its Black-Owned Business Resource Center to offer an additional $150,000 in grants to Black female founders, an extension of PepsiCo’s on-going commitment to lift up Black communities.