Disco Cow Named Grand Prize Winner of Second Annual Midwest Dairy Accelerator

Disco Cow earns $20,000 in funding to scale dairy innovation.

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn., Sept. 17, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Illinois startup Disco Cow has been crowned grand prize winner of the second annual Midwest Dairy Accelerator, following a live pitch competition yesterday at the Green Acres Event Center, a historic barn event venue near Minneapolis in Eden Prairie, Minn. Founder Kate Colehour earned $20,000 in prize funding to help scale dairy-based innovation for her growing brand.

The competition marked the finale of the Midwest Dairy Accelerator, an intensive 10-week virtual program designed by Midwest Dairy in partnership with innovation advisory firm VentureFuel, to help emerging food and beverage brands scale innovative products that use Midwest dairy as a key ingredient.

Throughout the program, founders gained access to workshops, one on one mentorship and direct collaboration with leaders across the dairy ecosystem, including ingredient experts, processors, manufacturers, retailers, academics and food industry executives. Programming covered consumer insights, ingredients and innovation, manufacturing, distribution, retail strategy, marketing and business pitching.

"The Midwest Dairy Accelerator has connected Disco Cow with an incredible network of experts, resources, and people who are genuinely excited about the future of dairy, said Disco Cow founder Kate Colehour. The $20,000 grand prize is going to help us move from founder-led production to scaled manufacturing, which supports our growing retail presence and gets whipped cottage cheese into the hands of more consumers!"

"Dairy farmers have a long-standing legacy of innovation, and that commitment continues to shape the future of our industry," said Corey Scott, CEO of Midwest Dairy. "It has been a pleasure to equip emerging dairy brands with the expertise, connections and resources to strengthen the dairy category and create new opportunities for consumers."

"The vision and execution demonstrated by Disco Cow represents the kind of innovation that drives meaningful commercial impact," said Fred Schonenberg, CEO of VentureFuel. "We're proud to have partnered with Midwest Dairy for a second year to accelerate breakthrough ideas and support entrepreneurs innovating with real dairy."

For more information on the program and this year's winner, visit MidwestDairyAccelerator.com.

About Midwest Dairy

Midwest Dairy represents 3,600 dairy farm families and works on their behalf to build dairy demand by inspiring consumer confidence in dairy products and production practices. Midwest Dairy is committed to Bringing Dairy to Life! by giving consumers an excellent dairy experience and is funded by farmers across a 10-state region, including Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Arkansas and eastern Oklahoma. For more information, visit MidwestDairy.com and follow Midwest Dairy on Facebook and YouTube.

About VentureFuel

VentureFuel helps established organizations accelerate growth through strategic startup partnerships. Powered by its repeatable Innovation Engine™, VentureFuel identifies, validates and commercializes emerging technologies, transforming innovation into measurable business outcomes in months instead of years. The company has facilitated more than 100 corporate-startup partnerships, unlocking more than $1 billion in enterprise value creation for clients. Learn more at venturefuel.net and listen to The VentureFuel Visionaries podcast wherever podcasts are available.

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SOURCE Midwest Dairy