Allison Ellsworth is an American entrepreneur known as the Co-Founder and Chief Brand Officer of Poppi, a prebiotic soda brand that has exploded in popularity.
In early 2025, she made headlines when PepsiCo announced it was acquiring Poppi for $1.95 billion. That milestone—coupled with her savvy use of social media—has made her a trending figure. TIME magazine even highlighted her in its TIME100 Next list, noting that Poppi was “the first product of its kind to go viral on TikTok”. (Her animated TikTok posts and playful marketing style rack up billions of views.)
Ellsworth also gained visibility by pitching Poppi on Shark Tank (the 2018 episode when she was nine months pregnant) and securing a $400,000 deal with investor Rohan Oza.
More recently, fans buzz about her because she’s returning as a guest Shark Tank investor and shared a TikTok responding to a Super Bowl marketing backlash. In short, Allison Ellsworth’s name is everywhere in 2025 because she built a viral soda brand from scratch and sold it for nearly $2B.
Allison Ellsworth Biography Summary (2025)
Allison Ellsworth (born in the late 1980s in Texas, USA) is an American entrepreneur, brand strategist, and the Co-Founder and Chief Brand Officer of Poppi, a prebiotic soda company acquired by PepsiCo in 2025 for nearly $2 billion. A graduate of the University of North Texas with a degree in sociology, Ellsworth began her career as an oil-and-gas contractor before venturing into beverage innovation. She co-founded Poppi with her husband, Stephen Ellsworth, in 2015 after developing a gut-friendly soda recipe using apple cider vinegar. Known for her viral TikTok marketing, Shark Tank appearance, and bold creative leadership, Allison has become one of America’s most influential female founders. As of 2025, she lives in Austin, Texas, with her husband and their three children.
Allison Ellsworth Early Life, Family Roots & How Texas Shaped the Poppi Founder
Allison Ellsworth was born and raised in Texas (she later lived in Dallas and now in Austin) and comes from a close-knit family of entrepreneurs. She briefly studied dance as a freshman at the University of North Texas before taking a year off to live in Spain. Eventually, she returned to college and earned a sociology degree.
Early on, Ellsworth spent about seven years on the road as an oil-and-gas contractor, traveling across the U.S. for work. That demanding lifestyle gave her first-hand experience with poor diet and gut health issues, inspiring her to experiment in the kitchen with apple cider vinegar for better digestion.
Her family background was entrepreneurial: in fact, her father and sisters were also business owners and encouraged her bold move into beverages. When Allison started bottling her ACV-based soda recipe and selling it at local farmers’ markets in Dallas, her Whole Foods buyer reportedly exclaimed that a “soda star was born”. These early successes and family support set the stage for Ellsworth’s creative career in health-conscious marketing and beverage innovation.
Inside Allison Ellsworth’s Private Life: Husband, Kids & Family Life in 2025
Allison Ellsworth keeps much of her private life out of the spotlight, but some personal details are public. She is married to Stephen Ellsworth, who is also Poppi’s co-founder and Chief Product Officer. The couple met many years ago (reports say it was in Utah) and have been true partners ever since.
In 2018, when they pitched Poppi on Shark Tank, Allison was nine months pregnant with their second child, demonstrating how they balance entrepreneurship with starting a family. In fact, Allison and Stephen now have three young children – all sons – in their home. (As Ellsworth quips, weekday mornings at their house are “full-on chaos” getting kids up, fed, and on their bikes to school.)
They live in Austin, Texas (after moving from Dallas in 2022), and try to carve out family time. Allison often emphasizes that after hectic workdays, she shuts her computer to be fully present for dinner and bedtime routines with the kids.
Then, like many busy founders, she might catch up on emails late at night once the children are asleep. Though Ellsworth shares glimpses of life on social media, she generally keeps their personal moments low-key.
By day, Stephen and Allison divide the workload – she leads brand and marketing while he handles operations and product – and by night they’re focused on family. As Allison told Austin Woman magazine, “He will always choose to be on my team… it’s a true partnership”.
How Allison Ellsworth Built Poppi from Kitchen Experiment to Billion-Dollar Brand?
Allison Ellsworth’s career story reads like a startup fairy tale. It began in 2015 when she was frustrated with traditional soda. Already a mother-to-be, she mixed apple cider vinegar, fruit juice, and sparkling water in her Dallas kitchen to make a healthier fizzy drink.
She and Stephen began selling these homemade bottles at farmers' markets, and demand quickly grew. By 2018 (when the brand was called Mother Beverage), they pitched on Shark Tank, impressing guest shark Rohan Oza, who invested $400K in the company.
Following Shark Tank, the Ellsworths undertook a big rebrand. In early 2020, the drink relaunched under the new name “Poppi”, shifting its image from health remedy to a fun lifestyle product. The timing was fortuitous: the rebranded Poppi hit Amazon just as the COVID-19 lockdown began. Sales exploded, and Poppi soon topped Amazon’s “Hot New Products” list. Crucially, Allison took to TikTok early on to tell Poppi’s story in candid, humorous videos. Her authentic style – like filming in her kitchen or playing with her kids – resonated with Gen Z. One impromptu TikTok post about their story went absolutely viral, driving $100,000 in sales overnight. Over time, Poppi’s TikTok amassed over 2 billion views, making the founders’ faces instantly recognizable to many social media users.
Under Ellsworth’s creative lead, Poppi expanded beyond drinks into branded merch and even apparel. Its iconic pink sweatsuit went viral on TikTok and became sought-after swag. The company also launched eye-catching campaigns – for example, sending custom Poppi vending machines to influencers during Super Bowl week – which drew both buzz and some internet backlash. Allison personally addressed that criticism on TikTok, emphasizing Poppi’s “community” focus.
By 2024, Poppi was an omnipresent brand: it aired its first Super Bowl commercial that year, and even opened pop-up installations called “Poppi World.” With celebrity investors and fans like Post Malone, Hailey Bieber, and Jennifer Lopez touting the brand, Poppi became a billion-dollar sensation. The culmination came in March 2025, when PepsiCo announced it would acquire Poppi for nearly $2 billion.
Allison Ellsworth will continue guiding the brand even as it joins PepsiCo’s portfolio. In between, she has shared her story in numerous interviews and podcasts – always stressing authenticity. As she told Axios, growing Poppi was about “moving at the speed of culture” and being “unapologetically authentic”.
Allison Ellsworth’s Recognition & Media Features
Allison Ellsworth’s bold creativity and authenticity have earned her major recognition in the business world. In 2025, she was named to TIME’s “TIME100 Next” list, celebrating innovators shaping the future of business and culture.
She has also been featured in Forbes, Business Insider, Inc., and Fast Company, where she shared insights on building Poppi into a $2 billion brand. In 2024, Inc. Magazine included her in its prestigious Female Founders 250 list, and she’s spoken at events such as the Forbes Under 30 Summit and SXSW. These appearances cement her reputation as one of America’s most influential entrepreneurs, leading the next wave of consumer innovation.
Allison Ellsworth Net Worth 2025: How Much the Poppi Co-Founder Earns After PepsiCo Deal?
Allison Ellsworth’s personal fortune has skyrocketed with Poppi’s success, though exact numbers are private. What we know is that PepsiCo paid $1.95 billion for Poppi in 2025. As co-founders, Allison and Stephen Ellsworth would receive a large payout from that deal (after taxes and any earn-outs) plus likely ongoing salaries or roles at PepsiCo. Public reporting estimates her net worth is now in the hundreds of millions of dollars. (For reference, a profile notes: “While private deal structures aren’t fully disclosed, it’s estimated that her net worth is now in the hundreds of millions”.)
Besides the sale, Ellsworth and Poppi earn income from their booming business. By 2024, Poppi had already surpassed half a billion dollars in annual sales. Allison’s role as brand officer means she leads all of Poppi’s marketing, and she reportedly creates tens of thousands of pieces of social media content each year. Poppi also has a lucrative contract as the Los Angeles Lakers’ official soda, a deal Ellsworth promoted in 2024.
In addition, her public profile brings speaking fees and partnerships – she has appeared on stages like the Forbes Under 30 Summit and won spots on lists like Inc.’s Female Founders 250. She has said that community-building for Poppi has always been key, so some marketing stunts (like stadium branding or merch) also double as revenue.
On lifestyle, Allison enjoys the fruits of success. Business profiles describe her gleefully dropping her kids off at school and using meal-kit services, which hints at a comfortable middle-class life in Austin. She and Stephen reportedly go through 50-100 cans of Poppi a week at home, and their garage has a dedicated Poppi fridge. Importantly, public insights emphasize she’s “in it for the mission” of health and joy more than the money. Still, one cannot ignore that selling her kitchen creation for nearly $2B means her family will be set for life.
Quick Facts About Allison Ellsworth: Education, Career & Fun Insights
Allison Ellsworth (born in the late 1980s) co-founded Poppi after studying sociology at the University of North Texas. Before entrepreneurship, she spent years as an oil-and-gas contractor, which led to her gut-health revelations.
Poppi started in 2015, and by 2018, the Ellsworths secured a Shark Tank investment. Under her leadership, Poppi’s TikTok has over 2 billion views, making her one of the beverage world’s first TikTok sensations. In 2024, she was named an Inc. Female Founder 250 honoree.
Allison lives in Austin with her husband Stephen and their three sons. She’s an avid believer in balancing work and family – once saying, “I love listening to podcasts and books…if I can get that done in like 20 minutes while I’m doing the dishes at night, I feel like I’ve done something for myself”.
Despite Poppi’s fame, she keeps her personal life relatively private, focused on raising the kids and growing the brand. Underneath it all, she emphasizes Poppi’s core values: community, health, and fun, all in a single soda can.
Frequently Asked Questions About Allison Ellsworth (Poppi Founder FAQ 2025)
Who is Allison Ellsworth?
Allison Ellsworth is the Co-Founder and Chief Brand Officer of Poppi, the viral prebiotic soda brand. She turned a homemade apple cider vinegar drink into a billion-dollar company, which PepsiCo acquired in 2025 for nearly $2 billion.
What is Poppi and why is Allison Ellsworth famous?
Poppi is a “better-for-you” prebiotic soda made with fruit juice and apple cider vinegar. Under Ellsworth’s creative direction, it went viral on TikTok and became a top-selling beverage in stores nationwide before its $1.95B PepsiCo deal.
Is Allison Ellsworth married? Does she have kids?
Yes. Allison is married to Stephen Ellsworth, her Poppi co-founder. They live in Austin, Texas, with their three young sons and prefer keeping family life mostly private.
How much is Allison Ellsworth worth in 2025?
After Poppi’s $1.95B acquisition, Ellsworth’s net worth is estimated in the hundreds of millions. She also earns from her brand leadership, public speaking, and Poppi’s continued growth.
Where did Allison Ellsworth grow up and study?
She grew up in Texas, studied sociology at the University of North Texas, and once worked in the oil and gas industry before launching Poppi.
Why is Allison Ellsworth trending in 2025?
Ellsworth is trending for Poppi’s PepsiCo acquisition, her TIME100 Next recognition, and her viral social media presence — including her return to Shark Tank and fan-favorite TikTok marketing.