Allison Ellsworth

Ellsworth grew up in Wichita Falls, Texas. In an interview, she recalled spending a year in Spain during college, an experience that influenced her approach to work and life choices.⁠[1]

Her public profile lists attendance at the University of North Texas from 2005 to 2009. She said she initially studied dance before switching to sociology and graduating.⁠[2][1]

According to Inc.’s introduction to its interview with her, she spent seven years working and traveling in the oil and gas industry before moving into the beverage business.⁠[3]

Poppi’s official history dates her Dallas kitchen experiments to 2015 and the creation of Mother Beverage to 2016. She worked with her husband, Stephen Ellsworth, to sell the drink at a local farmers’ market.⁠[4]

The couple won BevNET’s 12th New Beverage Showdown with Mother Beverage, receiving $10,000 in cash and prizes. They planned to improve their small-batch production facility.⁠[5]

In a 2026 interview, she recalled a Whole Foods buyer discovering the product at a farmers’ market and arranging a meeting. Mother Beverage was selling through the retailer by 2017.⁠[6]

She and Stephen appeared on Shark Tank and secured a $400,000 investment from beverage investor Rohan Oza for a 25% stake. The brand was still called Mother Beverage.⁠[7]

The business adopted the Poppi name in early 2020 and relaunched in March. Trademark difficulties with Mother and consumer feedback prompted a new positioning and a switch from glass bottles to brightly colored cans.⁠[7][8]

A TikTok video in which she described founding the business and appearing on Shark Tank unexpectedly spread widely. She subsequently emphasized direct founder-to-consumer communication as part of building the brand’s community.⁠[8]

Poppi announced a $13.5 million round led by existing investor CAVU Ventures. The company was moving its headquarters from Dallas to Austin, which Ellsworth said would broaden its recruiting pool.⁠[8]

Poppi ran its first Super Bowl commercial in 2024. That year, Ellsworth was included in Inc.’s Female Founders 250 list.⁠[4][9]

Some consumers criticized Poppi’s Super Bowl vending-machine campaign as extravagant and favoring influencers. Ellsworth told Marketing Brew that the reported $25,000 cost per machine was inaccurate and that machines would be recovered for later campaigns. She also said the company would learn from feedback.⁠[10]

PepsiCo completed its $1.95 billion acquisition of Poppi, including $300 million in anticipated cash tax benefits, for a $1.65 billion net purchase price. The corporate transaction value does not establish Ellsworth’s personal proceeds or net worth.⁠[11]

She was named to the 2025 TIME100 Next list, with a profile written by Spanx and Sneex founder Sara Blakely.⁠[12]

She returned to Shark Tank as a guest investor in 2025, moving from pitching entrepreneur to the investor panel. ABC published her official guest biography for season 17.⁠[9][13]

She and Stephen won the Consumer Products and Retail category of EY’s U.S. Entrepreneur Of The Year 2025 awards. The national overall award went to Astera Labs’ three co-founders.⁠[14][15]

School of Hard Knocks published a 56-minute interview with the couple, describing a discussion of product validation, content-driven growth, scaling, working as spouses and selling the business.⁠[16]

Consumers brought a class action against Poppi operator VNGR Beverage, LLC over gut-health marketing; the company denied the allegations. The court approved an $8.9 million settlement on April 14, 2026, and entered judgment dismissing the action on June 15, retaining enforcement jurisdiction. The documents do not find Ellsworth personally liable.⁠[17][18][19]

She describes brand-building through culture, community and creativity, and advocates establishing professional teams early. As the business expanded, she said coaching and team feedback helped her learn to delegate rather than handle every task herself.⁠[6][1]

In a post-acquisition interview, she said she continued advising Poppi on brand vision, including 2026 campaigns and a college tour. EY’s award profile likewise described her focus on creative direction and Stephen’s on product innovation.⁠[13][14]

Poppi’s website is https://www.drinkpoppi.com/ (opens in a new window). Her public professional profile is https://www.linkedin.com/in/allison-ellsworth-50528a27/ (opens in a new window). An interview publisher identifies her Instagram as https://www.instagram.com/allisonellsworth/ (opens in a new window).⁠[4][2][20]