Amid AI and tech startups, Eastseabrother proved the power of demand and trust.
Updated
January 23, 2026 10:41 AM
Cats having a jolly good time with a can of tuna. PHOTO: UNSPLASH
At a Silicon Valley pitch event crowded with AI, SaaS and deep-tech startups, the company that stood out was not selling software or algorithms. It was selling pet treats.
Eastseabrother, a premium pet food brand from South Korea, ranked first at a Plug and Play–hosted investor pitch competition in Sunnyvale. The product itself is simple: single-ingredient pet treats made from wild-caught seafood sourced from Korea’s East Sea. The company follows a principle it calls “Only What the Sea Allows”, working directly with regional fishermen while avoiding overfishing. With no additives and minimal processing, what sets Eastseabrother apart is not novelty, but control—over sourcing, supply chains and consistency.
That clarity helped the company walk away with both Best Product and Best Potential. “Investors asked detailed questions about repeat purchase rates and customer feedback, not just our technology or supply chain”, said Eunyul Kim, CEO of Eastseabrother. “That told us the market is shifting—real consumer trust now carries as much weight as a compelling tech narrative”.
What truly caught investors’ attention was not an ambitious vision of the future, but concrete evidence of traction today. Eastseabrother has already secured shelf space in specialty pet stores across California, New York and North Carolina, including an exclusive partnership with EarthWise Pet, a national specialty retail chain. At a consumer showcase at San Francisco’s Ferry Building, the brand recorded the highest on-site sales among all participating companies.
At its core, the pitch was built on simplicity: one ingredient, clear sourcing and a defined customer need. In a market saturated with complex products and abstract claims, that focus and transparency stood out.
The judges’ decision also reflects a broader shift in venture capital thinking. Not every successful startup is built on complex software or high-tech innovation. In categories like pet care—where trust, quality and transparency shape buying behavior—execution and credibility can matter more than technical sophistication.
Today, Eastseabrother has extended its reach beyond the U.S., expanding into Singapore and Hong Kong, with additional plans to grow further in North America as demand for premium pet food rises. And the broader takeaway from this pitch is not that consumer brands are overtaking tech startups. It is that investors are increasingly focused on fundamentals: who is buying, why they are returning and whether the business can sustain itself beyond the pitch deck.
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A closer look at PMMI’s FastTrack initiative and why it matters for growing manufacturing firms
Updated
February 13, 2026 10:44 AM
Cardboard boxes in a warehouse. PHOTO: UNSPLASH
Large trade shows are built for scale. But for small and medium-sized manufacturers, that scale often creates distance between what’s on display and what they can actually use. Too many options, too little time, and very few tools designed for companies that are still growing. That mismatch is what PMMI is trying to correct with its new SMB FastTrack Program at PACK EXPO East 2026.
That is the problem PMMI is trying to address with its new SMB FastTrack Program, launching at PACK EXPO East 2026 in Philadelphia.
PMMI — the Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies — is the industry body behind the PACK EXPO trade shows and a central organization in the global packaging and processing sector. Through FastTrack, it has created a program (not an app or a product) designed to help small and mid-sized companies navigate the show more efficiently and connect with solutions that fit their scale.
The idea behind SMB FastTrack is simple: reduce friction. Instead of asking smaller firms to sort through hundreds of exhibitors and sessions on their own, the program curates what is most relevant to them. Exhibitors that offer flexible pricing, right-sized machinery, or SMB-focused services are clearly identified with visual icons in both the online directory and on the show floor. That way, a small manufacturer can quickly distinguish between enterprise-only vendors and partners that are realistically accessible.
The same logic carries into education. Rather than treating all attendees the same, PACK EXPO East 2026 will include a learning track specifically built around SMB realities. These sessions focus on issues that smaller teams actually face—how to hire and train workers, use AI without over-investing, improve food safety, cut operating costs, and adopt technology in stages. The goal is not inspiration, but applicability: content that reflects real constraints, not ideal scenarios.
Planning, too, is built into the structure of the program. Through a dedicated FastTrack landing page, participants can access curated supplier lists, recommended sessions, and planning tools that help organize their time before they ever step onto the show floor. Tools like category search and sustainability finders are meant to narrow choices quickly, turning a massive event into something manageable.
Seen together, these elements point to a broader intention. PMMI is not simply adding features—it is reshaping how smaller manufacturers experience a major industry event. Instead of competing for attention in a space built for scale, SMBs are given clearer paths to the people, tools, and knowledge that match where they actually are in their growth cycle.
What makes SMB FastTrack notable is not the technology behind it, but the intention behind it. PMMI is recognizing that progress for small and mid-sized manufacturers depends less on spectacle and more on fit—solutions that are accessible, affordable, and adaptable. The program is designed to help companies move with purpose, not pressure.
In an industry where visibility often follows size, SMB FastTrack represents a structural shift. It treats small and medium-sized manufacturers not as a subset of the audience, but as a distinct group with distinct needs. By doing so, PMMI is quietly redefining what a trade show can be: not just a marketplace of innovation, but a usable platform for companies still building their next stage of growth.