Founder Spotlight: Sophia Cheng (Oddball)
Meet Sophia Cheng
Company:
Oddball
Oddball is reimagining fruit snacking for the next generation - real ingredients, zero compromise, and a whole lot of fun. Our first product line taps into nostalgia by bringing back a familiar texture and form. Oddball's Jiggly Fruit Cup is a spoonable jelly treat made from real fruit purees and juices, set with agar (a plant-based gelling agent), and entirely free from dairy, gelatin, added sweeteners, and artificial ingredients.
Location:
New York, NY
When did you launch the business?
Summer 2025
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Startup Stage?
Seed
What led you to where you are today?
Growing up in Asia, fruit was both dessert and snack - an indulgence that didn't need a label. But when I moved to the US, I became obsessed with junk food, and as I got older, my body started pushing back. Every "healthy" alternative felt like I was being catfished - fake versions of foods I actually wanted - so I decided to build the real thing. I walked away from a career in strategy and finance at Estée Lauder, bootstrapped Oddball on nights and weekends, and started selling jiggly fruit cups out of a cooler, market to market, making them by hand to get real feedback from real people.
What do you wish you knew before embarking on your entrepreneurial journey?
I wish I'd known just how much grit fundraising requires. We raised $2M during a market downturn, and I was navigating a major health crisis at the same time. It pushed me to find a rhythm, take care of myself, and keep showing up through uncertainty.
What is the most difficult decision you've had to make regarding your business so far?
Deciding to pursue national retail scale before conventional wisdom said it was “time.” Going into 1,200 Target stores without regional proof points meant building infrastructure, operations, and conviction ahead of the metrics that typically justify it. There were plenty of opinions on when we’d be “ready,” but I believed in the product, the opportunity, and the retailer - and moved forward. It was the right call, even if it didn’t always feel easy!
What can you help the VEGPRENEUR community with?
I'm happy to share what I've learned about building a CPG brand from scratch, including retail strategy, navigating national buyers, fundraising in a tough market, and the operational realities of scaling into chains like Target. I'm also particularly passionate about category creation and educating consumers at the shelf, and I love connecting with other founders who are building something genuinely new.
How can the VEGPRENEUR community help you?
We'd love to get Oddball in front of more plant-based and better-for-you consumers who are genuinely excited about cleaner snacking! People who care about ingredients but refuse to sacrifice taste. Trial is everything for a new product in a new category, and word-of-mouth from a passionate community like VEGPRENEUR makes a real difference. If you've tried Oddball and loved it, tell a friend!
Fun fact about you:
My childhood dream was to become an investigative journalist. When my father sent me to work in a factory at 16, I wrote an article about the experience, sold it to a publication, and landed an internship out of it... all that same summer.
Anything else you would like to share?
Oddball is now available at Target nationwide! If you haven't tried it yet, we'd love for you to give it a go. You can also follow along @oddball.world on Instagram and TikTok.
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