Innovation & Insights from Newtopia Now

Sarah Robson — August 25, 2025

Last week, the Ground­Force Cap­i­tal team was on the ground at New­topia Now, where the future of food and well­ness was on full dis­play. From pro­tein-packed sauces to seed-oil-free snacks, this year’s con­fer­ence show­cased the next gen­er­a­tion of bet­ter-for-you inno­va­tion. Here are some stand­out themes we observed:

Pro­tein Every­where
From cof­fee to cot­tage cheese ice cream, pro­tein inno­va­tion was at an all-time high. Stand­outs includ­ed Stur­dy Sauce (20g per serv­ing) and Smearcase, a high-pro­tein cot­tage cheese ice cream that won the pitch com­pe­ti­tion.

Gut Health Goes Main­stream
Brands leaned into “diges­tive well­ness” with prod­ucts labeled low-FODMAP, high-fiber, and heart­burn-friend­ly. Fer­ment­ed offer­ings, from cul­tured cashews to pick­led jica­ma sticks (such as Brine Time), high­light­ed a renewed focus on micro­bio­me sup­port.

Hydra­tion & Elec­trolytes, Reimag­ined
Hydra­tion took on new forms, from Hydra Hydra­tion freeze pops to adap­to­gen-packed blends by LEVL and new entrants like Leisure Hydra­tion and Strive.

Anti-Seed Oil Sen­ti­ment
Momen­tum is con­tin­u­ing to build for seed-oil-free prod­ucts. We saw cold-pressed almond oil, pecan-based milks (Pecana), and chips fried in beef tal­low tak­ing cen­ter stage.

Bone Broth & Func­tion­al Snacks
Bone broth appeared across cat­e­gories, from pow­ders and bars to women-tar­get­ed meat sticks like Singing Pas­tures’ col­la­gen-infused options.

Fer­men­ta­tion Front & Cen­ter
From tepache (Tepache Sazon) to fer­ment­ed water kefir (Fer­mente­ria), it’s clear that fer­men­ta­tion is no longer niche, it’s a core strat­e­gy for health-for­ward brands.

Glob­al Fla­vors & Bold For­mats
South Asian fla­vors popped up in unex­pect­ed for­mats like pota­to chips and ice cream, while new con­ve­nience-dri­ven foods like freeze-dried soups (Long Week­end) and gourmet tater tots (Tots on the Street) turned heads.

At Ground­Force Cap­i­tal, we are proud to invest in vision­ary founders who are redefin­ing what bet­ter-for-you means. Events like New­topia Now con­tin­ue to val­i­date the grow­ing demand for clean and func­tion­al solu­tions.

We are always seek­ing vision­ary founders dri­ving mean­ing­ful change. If you are build­ing in this space, we invite you to reach out.