As Poppi’s CMO leaves the prebiotic soda company following PepsiCo’s recent $1.95 billion acquisition of the brand (page 10), it reminded me just how far Poppi has come from its origin.

When founders Stephen and Allison Ellsworth appeared in late 2018 on ABC’s Shark Tank — a show that is like red meat for start-up dreamers — the glass bottled product they hawked was Mother. Infused with