How Poppi's Allison Ellsworth spends her ideal Austin day
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Allison Ellsworth in late October. Photo: Kristina Bumphrey/Variety via Getty Images
Allison Ellsworth, co-founder of Austin-based prebiotic soda maker Poppi, will be the first former Shark Tank contestant to appear as a guest shark on Wednesday.
- We caught up with her recently at the Clover x Shark Tank Summit in Las Vegas.
Context: Pepsico acquired Poppi for $1.95 billion in May.
Editor's note: Responses have been edited lightly for length and clarity.
What is your current role with Poppi?
Ellsworth: "I get to stay on and advise the brand on the things that I'm really good at. We're working on 2026 campaigns and we're doing a college tour and I get to come in and help with visionary stuff. That's really my superpower."
Your thoughts on "Swiped," the biopic about Bumble (also based in Austin) founder Whitney Wolfe Herd.
Ellsworth: "I'm dying to watch it because I'm obsessed with her story."
Would you want to have a biopic made about your life?
Ellsworth: "Where do I sign up? It would be weird, but it would also be kind of cool."
- "My story is very inspirational ... and being a female founder is really cool because there's not a lot of success that's celebrated."
Do you have an actress in mind to portray you?
Ellsworth: "Anne Hathaway. Who's more iconic than her?"
What makes Austin a great place to headquarter a company?
Ellsworth: "There's so much consumer product goods in Austin that the network is insane. The food's insane, the culture's insane. It's like a cultural hub and I love the taxes too."
Was there anything about Austin that surprised you when you arrived?
Ellsworth: "The caliber of networking and thought leadership. I mean, Elon Musk lives there, you have the Dell family, and then on top of it ... there's nothing better than the Longhorns."
- "I was never really into football before and then you move there and it's religion. I'm obsessed and my kids are obsessed and they all want to go to UT now."
What neighborhood do you live in?
Ellsworth: "Tarrytown-ish. Central Austin."
Walk me through your ideal day in Austin.
Breakfast: "Two Hands on South Congress."
- "It's incredible. They have a gluten-free banana bread and mascarpone. The coffee, the matcha, everything's so good."
Morning activity: "A walk around Lady Bird Lake."
Lunch: "My favorite fajita place, La Piscina. Best freaking fajitas in Austin."
Afternoon activity: "Finding some live music because Austin is literally one of the music capitals of the world."
Dinner: "I'm obsessed with cooking — so cook dinner for the fam and then watch a movie. I love a balance of fun and family."
What spot would you pick for date night?
Ellsworth: "Red Ash, if you can get in, is insane."
What's your favorite place to shop?
Ellsworth: "South Congress. You can go to Alo, Rag & Bone, Alice + Olivia, and then get Jeni's ice cream to top it off."