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Meet Our 2026 Keynote Speaker
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What began as a farmers market booth quickly became a cultural phenomenon.
In 2016, Allison and Stephen Ellsworth launched poppi with a bold vision: to reinvent soda for the next generation using real ingredients, purpose-driven branding, and consumer-first innovation. Their breakthrough moment came with a successful pitch on Shark Tank, igniting national attention and accelerating rapid growth.
Under Stephen Ellsworth’s leadership as CEO, poppi scaled to over $50 million in revenue, building best-in-class operations, supply chain systems, and in-house product innovation. In March 2025, the brand was acquired by PepsiCo for $1.95 billion, cementing poppi’s place as one of the most successful modern beverage brands in the U.S.
While Stephen led operational scale and infrastructure, Allison pioneered poppi’s digital-first brand strategy—cultivating a loyal community of 1M+ followers, generating 3B+ TikTok views, and helping shape the brand’s cultural relevance nationwide. Together, their complementary strengths in operations and brand-building fueled poppi’s meteoric rise. Stephen has been recognized as Entrepreneur of the Year by E&Y, and TIME named poppi one of the 100 Most Influential Companies of 2025. Together, Stephen and Allison bring an unmatched perspective on faith, resilience, innovation, and scaling with purpose. We are thrilled that Stephen got to join us at the Lion’s Den DFW 2026. |
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The Lion's Den DFW is a registered IRC 501(c)(3) Organization pursuant to U.S. tax laws as Impact America, INC. EIN 84-3552260.