Chipotle Aluminaries

The last year exposed how fragile the U.S. food system is. In the west, farmers spent their summers fending off wildfires that threatened to destroy their land. The COVID-19 pandemic struck workers and disrupted national supply chains. And all across the country, the farming community reckoned with hard truths about its racist and exclusionary history.

Now is the time to take a fresh look at our food system and reimagine what it can be — technologically efficient, able to meet the demands of our growing population, and equitable for all farmers. In pursuit of this mission, we’re launching the Chipotle Aluminaries Project, a seven-month accelerator program that supports innovative ventures in the U.S. Participants will receive hands-on support, peer-to-peer collaboration, and connections to trajectory-altering relationships in our network.

ventures

Meet the selected participants

Benefits

What participants receive

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Virtual Workshops

Attend hands-on workshops focused on key areas of scale like strategy, leadership, finances, and systems.

Curated Mentorship

Engage with mentors committed to funneling their expertise and experience into the next generation of leaders.

Financial Architects

Work with a consultant to build out financial systems and models.

Investment Readiness

Prepare for investment through customized support and introductions to funders.

Peer-to-Peer Collaboration

Access to a community of support and cohort-wide learnings between the ventures, mentors and other key partners in the program.

Chipotle Celebrity Status

One free entrée at Chipotle every day for one year!

Mentors

Meet a sampling of world-class mentors supporting this initiative

They are dedicated to personalized mentorship, guidance, and pro bono work to help tackle your organization’s trickiest challenges.

Jason Mraz

Grammy Award Winning Singer/Songwriter & Founder of Mraz Family Farms

Nicole West

Vice President Digital Strategy and Product at Chipotle

Abi Ramanan

Rapid Evaluation at Google X

Jordan Hudson

SVP, Strategy at Apeel

Meriwether Hardie

COO, Bio-Logical Capital

Carlos Londono

Vice President and Head of Supply Chain for Chipotle

David Kyle

Former Chief Operating Officer, Acumen

Ma'raj Sheikh

Grassroots Director at the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition

Haris Khan

Senior Director of Restaurant Excellence for Chipotle

Nevielle Panthaky

Vice President of Culinary for Chipotle

Vic Method

Director of Business Development at Fall Line Capital

Laurie Schalow

Chief Corporate Reputation Officer of Chipotle

Tabassum Zalotrawala

Chief Development Officer at Chipotle

Tressie Lieberman

VP of Digital Marketing and Off-Premise for Chipotle

Timeline

Timeline of events

Ventures Announced (7/21)‍

Uncharted selects and announces eight ventures that are the best fit for the Chipotle Aluminaries Project.

Diagnosis (7/13 - 7/29)

Uncharted dives deep into identifying the challenges specific to each venture and identifies the people they need to help scale their business and create deeper impact.

Virtual Programming (8/2 - 10/28)

We'll host hands-on virtual workshops with focuses in key areas of scale, strategy, leadership, finances, and systems.

Ongoing Support (11/1 - 1/31/22)

Ventures connect with Uncharted staff through regular check-ins that focus on working towards hitting key goals and metrics.

FAQs

You have questions. We have answers.

What is the Chipotle Aluminaries Project?

The Chipotle Aluminaries Project is a seven-month accelerator program that supports ventures reimagining the food system to be sustainable, equitable, and efficient. The program connects ventures to the people and organizations they need to scale their solutions, including mentors, funders, and partners.The first cohort of Aluminaries graduated in 2019. The second cohort graduated in February 2021.

What types of support will ventures receive?

We believe we can most effectively support ventures in building their capacity through a combination of skills and network development. To that end, each selected organization is eligible to receive:

3-month of virtual programming: Participation in a three-month virtual program with focuses on key areas of scale, strategy, leadership, finances, and systems.
3-months of ongoing support: An additional three months of support with continued mentor matching and network connections.
Curated mentorship: Meetings with mentors and Chipotle experts committed to sharing their expertise and experience with the next generation of leaders.
Financial architects: Financial consultant and contractor to build out successful financial systems.
Investment readiness: Training to prepare for investment through customized support.
Peer to peer collaboration: Access to a community of support and cohort-wide learnings between the ventures, mentors, and other key partners in the program.
Chipotle celebrity status: One free entrée at Chipotle every day for one year!

How many ventures will be selected?

We will select eight ventures to participate in the program.

Who is hosting the program?

The Chipotle Aluminaries Project is supported by the Chipotle Cultivate Foundation and facilitated by Uncharted, a Denver-based social impact accelerator.

Will ventures have access to Chipotle as potential customers?

Ventures will receive introductions to employees at Chipotle and the Chipotle Cultivate Foundation throughout the program. The primary purpose of these relationships is mentorship. Participation in the program does not include a partnership or selling opportunity with Chipotle. That said, there is no exclusivity through the program preventing ventures from working with other sector corporates.

Where will the program take place?

This year, the program will be entirely virtual.

What are the program requirements and time expectations for selected ventures?

Our goal is to design the program to meet the specific needs and challenges of ventures. Expectations and time commitments include:

Full and engaged participation in virtual workshops;
Approximately five to ten hours each month for additional activities, including developing and pursuing a plan for scale as well as participating in phone calls and webinars with other ventures and staff at Uncharted;
Active communication with staff at Uncharted and the Chipotle Cultivate Foundation as needed between monthly check-ins;
Annual surveys and data collection through 2024.

Does it cost anything to participate?

There is no cost to selected ventures. We do not take any equity or a share of future profits.

What are the qualifications to apply?

The ideal candidate for the Chipotle Aluminaries Project is a for-profit, non-profit, or hybrid venture that is reimagining the food system to be equitable, sustainable, and efficient. Solutions in AgTech, education, and advocacy are preferred.

Reimagining the food system to be sustainable, equitable, and efficient.