This Tuesday, April 2 in Orlando, FL, SNAC International's SNAXPO, the world's premier supply chain trade show for the snack industry, will feature the inaugural "SNAC Tank," a pitch competition for innovative start-up snack brands.  

Five finalists will pitch their products and business models to a panel of expert industry judges for the chance to take home a $20,000 grand prize, as well as valuable connection opportunities to industry mentors to help the winning business scale-up.

Barbara Corcoran, investor, entrepreneur, and judge on the hit show Shark Tank will emcee the competition. Corcoran has invested in over 15 food related companies throughout her time as a 'Shark', including a few new snack brands.

The five finalists include:

-Chirps Chips, a producer of tortilla chips made using sustainable cricket protein, with flavors including BBQ, Cheddar, and Sriracha. 

-Legally Addictive Foods, a producer of sweet and savory "part cracker, all cookie" hybrid snacks, with flavors including Everything, O.G, and the recently launched Surprise Party.

-Nora Seaweed Snacks, whose founders are on a mission to bring the popular Asian snack food to the U.S. with varieties like Spicy Tempura, Tempura and Crispy. 

-Shrewd Food, a producer of low carb, high protein cookies and crisps with flavors including Baked Cheddar, Brickoven Pizza, Sriracha Cheddar, and Cookies & Cream. 

-Squeaky Pops, a producer of popped chickpea chips geared toward helping children snack healthier. Flavors include Cheddar Cheese, Cinnamon and White Cheddar. 

"SNAC is pleased to provide a platform for some of the most innovative start-up brands in our category to showcase their products at the industry's leading international trade show" said Elizabeth Avery, president & CEO, SNAC International. "Entrepreneurs like these are what makes this category so exciting, and they continue to drive an expanding, evolving snack industry."

Additionally, three semifinalists will participate by showcasing their products along with the five finalists in the SNAC Tank Showcase inside the SNAXPO exhibit hall, scheduled for 8:00-11:30AM on April 2. The semifinalists include: Smart Alex Foods; Mozaics; and The Snack Brigade. Learn more about the SNAC Tank criteria and industry expert judges here. 

Additional SNAXPO19 highlights include a keynote session with award-winning chef and New York Times Best Selling author Jeff Henderson, as well as industry-leading education with four comprehensive tracks, including: Packaging and Sustainability, Regulatory Affairs, Market Trends and Insights, and Latin American Snacks. Full program information is available at www.snaxpo.com.