Retail is hungry for fresh products, but getting from a beloved local item to a national shelf spot is a steep climb. We sit down with the University of Arkansas Office of Entrepreneurship and Innovation and the team at Act Two to unveil the Ozark Retail Accelerator, an Arkansas-backed program built to help consumer packaged goods founders cross the retail chasm without wasting years on preventable mistakes. If you’ve sold at farmers markets or independents and you’re eyeing Walmart, Sam’s Club, or Kroger, this is your roadmap.
We break down who qualifies and why the accelerator focuses on Arkansas-based or Arkansas-committed brands, then dig into the nuts and bolts of scale. Expect straight talk on packaging that really wins the aisle, channel-specific pricing and pack sizes, trade math, and working capital planning for your first big PO. We map out what buyers want to hear, how to craft a compelling pitch, and the realities of mod change calendars that can stretch six to eighteen months. From copacker readiness to reformulation with a food scientist, the conversation centers on making your product manufacturable, compliant, and margin-positive across club, mass, and grocery.
The cohort opens with an in-person kickoff in Bentonville at the end of March, followed by twelve weeks of targeted virtual sessions and a June demo day. Supported by AEDC funding, there’s no equity taken and costs are minimal, so founders can focus on execution, not dilution. With mentors and partners from OEI, Act Two, and the Bentonville Chamber, you’ll learn from operators who’ve placed real products in real aisles and navigated scale the hard way. If you’re ready to turn local traction into sustainable growth, apply at OzarkRetailAccelerator.com before February 15.
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More About this Episode
The Ozark Retail Accelerator Is Changing the Future of Entrepreneurship in Arkansas
There has never been a better time to be an entrepreneur in Arkansas, especially if you are building a consumer product with ambitions of landing in major retail. Innovation is happening everywhere, from small towns to fast-growing metro areas, and more people than ever are creating products that customers genuinely love. The challenge has never been about creativity. The challenge has always been about scale.
Moving from a farmers market success story or a handful of independent retail locations into a national or multi-unit retailer is one of the most difficult leaps an entrepreneur will ever face. It is expensive. It is complicated. It is intimidating. And for many founders, it is the moment where promising businesses stall or disappear altogether.
That is exactly the problem the Ozark Retail Accelerator was designed to solve.
Built through a partnership between the University of Arkansas Sam M. Walton College of Business Office of Entrepreneurship and Innovation and Bentonville-based firm Act Two, and supported by the Arkansas Economic Development Commission, the Ozark Retail Accelerator represents one of the most important investments in entrepreneurship the state has seen in years. It is practical, accessible, and laser-focused on helping Arkansas-based consumer packaged goods companies make the jump into large-scale retail the right way.
This program is not about theory. It is about execution, preparation, and reducing the risk that keeps great ideas from ever reaching store shelves.
Why Retail Is the Opportunity of the Moment
Retail today looks nothing like it did a decade ago. Large retailers are actively searching for innovation. They want new brands, differentiated products, and compelling stories that resonate with modern consumers. In many ways, retailers are more open to emerging brands than they have ever been.
At the same time, the bar has never been higher.
Winning a meeting with a buyer is only the beginning. Entrepreneurs must understand packaging requirements, pricing strategies, supply chain realities, compliance standards, marketing plans, and channel-specific differences between grocery, mass, and club. A product that works perfectly at a local level can quickly fall apart when exposed to national scale.
This gap between early success and retail readiness is where most founders struggle. It is also where the Ozark Retail Accelerator steps in.
The Mission Behind the Ozark Retail Accelerator
The Office of Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the University of Arkansas has spent years identifying the problems entrepreneurs face that are not being adequately addressed elsewhere. One issue kept rising to the top. Consumer packaged goods founders were building great products, but they lacked access to structured guidance on how to prepare for major retail.
Rather than offering generic startup advice, the goal became clear. Create an accelerator that focuses specifically on the transition into large retail environments.
To do that, OEI partnered with Act Two, a Bentonville-based firm known for helping early-stage entrepreneurs bring product ideas to life and successfully navigate retail. The alignment was immediate. Act Two’s hands-on experience with real brands, real buyers, and real store shelves complemented the university’s mission to drive economic development across the entire state.
The result is the Ozark Retail Accelerator, a program designed to meet entrepreneurs exactly where they are and prepare them for what comes next.
Who the Program Is Built For
The Ozark Retail Accelerator is focused on consumer packaged goods and consumable products. These are companies that already have something tangible. A product that exists. A product that has been tested. A product that may already be selling locally or regionally.
The program is not limited to Northwest Arkansas. In fact, one of its core goals is to serve founders from every corner of the state. Whether a business is based in Bentonville, Little Rock, Monticello, or anywhere in between, the opportunity is the same.
Eligibility centers on two key factors. First, the company must be Arkansas-based or clearly committed to building long-term roots in Arkansas. Second, the business must be at a stage where retail expansion is a realistic next step, even if the path forward is still unclear.
Entrepreneurs do not need to have everything figured out. That is the point of the accelerator.
What Makes This Accelerator Different
Many accelerator programs focus on pitch decks, venture capital, or high-level strategy. The Ozark Retail Accelerator is different because it focuses on the operational realities of retail.
Participants go through a structured twelve-week program designed to answer the hard questions founders often do not know to ask.
How should packaging change for different retail channels?
What does a viable pricing strategy really look like when margins, freight, and promotions are factored in?
How do you prepare for the working capital demands of your first major purchase order?
What does a buyer actually expect to see in a pitch meeting?
These are not hypothetical discussions. The advisory team behind the accelerator brings more than 150 years of combined experience across retail, merchandising, operations, and supplier leadership. This includes deep knowledge of companies like Walmart, Sam’s Club, Costco, Kroger, and other national retailers.
Participants are guided through packaging plans, marketing strategies, channel differentiation, formulation challenges, and the often-overlooked operational hurdles that derail promising brands.
By the end of the program, founders are not just more confident. They are more prepared.
Structure and Key Dates
Applications for the Ozark Retail Accelerator are open now and run through mid-February. Companies apply through the official website and submit product samples as part of the evaluation process. From there, selected applicants move through interviews before a final cohort is chosen.
The goal is to select approximately ten companies for each cohort. The program officially kicks off at the end of March with an in-person session in Northwest Arkansas. This face-to-face component allows founders to immerse themselves in the curriculum, connect with advisors, and build relationships that extend far beyond the program.
Following the kickoff, participants engage in twelve weeks of virtual programming that dives deep into every aspect of retail readiness. The program concludes in mid-June with a demo day and community event where founders showcase their progress and connect with industry leaders.
Even for companies that are not selected in the first cohort, organizers strongly encourage continued engagement. This is not a one-time initiative. The intention is for the Ozark Retail Accelerator to run year after year, continually strengthening Arkansas’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.
The True Cost of Participation
One of the most remarkable aspects of the Ozark Retail Accelerator is its accessibility.
Thanks to funding from the Arkansas Economic Development Commission, the program itself is offered at little to no cost to participants. There is no equity taken. There is no ownership requirement. Entrepreneurs may incur minimal expenses related to travel or lodging for in-person sessions, but the educational value far exceeds those costs.
This structure reflects the program’s true mission. It exists to support entrepreneurs, not extract value from them.
Mentorship and Community Involvement
The accelerator is not only about the founders who participate. It is also about the broader community that supports them.
In addition to its core advisory team, the program actively seeks mentors with specialized expertise. Packaging professionals, food scientists, marketers, operators, and retail veterans all have a role to play. The Bentonville Chamber and other regional partners are involved to help recruit mentors and strengthen connections across the ecosystem.
This collaborative approach ensures that founders receive practical, targeted guidance while also building relationships that can last long after the program ends.
Why This Matters for Arkansas
Entrepreneurship is more than individual success stories. It is job creation. It is economic growth. It is the foundation of resilient communities.
When a local product makes it onto national retail shelves, the impact ripples outward. Manufacturing grows. Supply chains expand. Employment increases. And most importantly, founders see years of hard work finally pay off.
The Ozark Retail Accelerator is designed to create more of those moments.
It acknowledges that great products already exist in Arkansas. What has been missing is a clear, supportive pathway to scale. By addressing that gap directly, this program has the potential to change lives, strengthen communities, and position Arkansas as a serious pipeline for retail innovation.
A Call to Action for Entrepreneurs
If you are building a consumer product in Arkansas and wondering whether you are ready for retail, now is the time to explore the Ozark Retail Accelerator. Even if you are unsure whether this is the right moment, reaching out can provide clarity and direction.
And if you are an experienced professional with expertise in retail, operations, or product development, there is an opportunity to give back as a mentor and help shape the next generation of Arkansas entrepreneurs.
This is how ecosystems grow. This is how ideas become companies. And this is how Arkansas continues to prove that it is one of the most exciting places in the country to build something meaningful.
For full program details and application information, visit OzarkRetailAccelerator.com.
