Victoria Foster - Accelerating R&D with AI and Selling Rivalz Snacks Into School Districts

On this episode, we’re joined by Victoria Foster, the Senior Director of Marketing at Rivalz™, a plant-based snack brand pioneering a new era of better-for-you salty snacks.

Before joining Rivalz as the second employee, Victoria led growth and innovation at Hometown Foods and ConAgra for iconic brands like PF Chang’s, Bertolli, and Frontera. Now at Rivalz, she’s helping build a brand around a one-of-a-kind “stuffed snack” format that combines a crunchy shell with a savory filling, offering the joy of traditional snacking with 8g of protein, 4g of fiber, and a low glycemic index.

In this episode, Victoria unpacks how Rivalz is using AI to transform the manufacturing process, why the team chose to launch DTC first before expanding into retail, and how they’ve carved out space in competitive channels like grocery and K-12 schools.

We dive into smart go-to-market strategy, lessons from launching into Sprouts and Wegmans, and the brand’s mission to deliver truly satisfying nutrition in a fun, craveable format.

Episode Highlights:
🥨 Why Rivalz launched with a “stuffed snack” form factor
🤖 Using AI to simulate 100,000+ R&D experiments + save $4M
📦 Rivalz’ omni-channel packaging strategy
🏫 Cracking the K-12 school channel (LAUSD and beyond)
🚀 Retail launch strategy: from 14 Sprouts stores to 100+
💡 Velocity > Distribution: how to grow without overextending
🌱 Why Rivalz resonates with GLP-1 users—even without trying

⏱️ Table of Contents
00:00 – Intro & Victoria’s Background
01:00 – Rivalz Origin & Mission
04:00 – AI-Powered Manufacturing 
07:00 – DTC vs Retail Launch Strategy
10:00 – Building Velocity Before Expanding Distribution
14:00 – Breaking into K-12 School Systems
18:00 – Packaging Strategy for Omni-Channel Success
21:00 – Lessons from Frozen & Emerging CPG Trends
23:00 – GLP-1, Satiating Snacks & Purposeful Nutrition
24:45 – Where to Follow Victoria & Rivalz

Links:
Victoria on LinkedIn – Victoria Foster
Rivalz – https://rivalzsnacks.com
Follow Rivalz on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/eat.rivalz/

Follow Adam on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-martin-steinberg

Check out https://www.kitprint.co/ for CPG production design support.