How the corn-free popcorn company landed Novak Djokovic as an investor
By Jennifer Conrad | Published: 2025-11-01 12:00:00 | Source: Inc.com
Can you eat popcorn without corn? Serial entrepreneur Jess Davidoff and tennis star Novak Djokovic certainly think so. At the Hellenic Tennis Championships held in Athens, Greece, on Saturday, the duo officially launched Cob, a sorghum-based “popcorn” brand.
In addition to leading the $5 million seed round, Djokovic, a 24-time Grand Slam champion, comes on board as a co-founder. “I prioritize companies that have products that my family and I actually use and consume,” says Djokovic, who has also invested in a handful of health and sports-related startups. “I can not only add value but serve as a platform for future product innovations,” he adds.
Like many businesses, Cobb grew out of a personal need. Shortly after Davidoff’s first son started eating solid foods, he began experiencing severe, unexplained health problems. With doctors unable to pinpoint the cause, she began removing foods from his diet to see if a food allergy was the cause. Eventually, I zeroed in on corn as the likely cause, and an allergist confirmed the diagnosis. Â
Find an alternative to corn
Corn allergies are relatively rare, but they are also very difficult to overcome, as corn is used to make common food additives such as corn syrup, riboflavin, and citric acid. “I couldn’t feed him anything packaged or from a restaurant, so I started making everything myself,” Davidoff says. “One food I particularly missed was popcorn.”
She went to the specialty grocery store Kalustian in New York and bought a bunch of pills to see what might be good. “Most of them tasted like bad rice cake,” she says. “I found sorghum, which popped just like popcorn, and we started making it all the time.”
Davidoff was impressed by the nutritional and environmental properties of sorghum, a drought-resistant grain often found in dishes in parts of Africa and Asia. In the United States, most of it is grown in the so-called sorghum belt that runs from South Dakota to Texas, and is used primarily to produce ethanol and animal feed. But because it’s nutrient-dense and gluten-free (like corn), it’s starting to show up in American health food and baby food aisles: Both Little Spoon and Jennifer Garner’s baby food brand Once Upon a Farm use sorghum in their puffed baby snacks. Â
Davidoff’s friends loved sorghum, too, and by the time her second son was also diagnosed with a corn allergy, she thought there might be a market for corn-free snacks. Â
Early in her career, Davidoff founded and sold several education and technology companies before settling into a career as an executive for iconic and consumer brands. “I absolutely loved what I did,” Davidoff says. “I honestly thought I would be doing this for the rest of my career, but I stumbled upon sorghum and decided to return to the founder’s seat.”
She chose the name Cob because “the corn cob is what’s left over after we remove all the corn,” she says, and she started selling the bags at farmers markets and specialty stores in the Hamptons last summer. Most people had never heard of sorghum, but they liked what they tasted. In fact, Cob sold out of its initial inventory in just six weeks
Courting a tennis legend
Davidoff was hit hard, but she needed a business partner who could help her spread the word. While running, Novak Djokovic’s name popped into her head. “I was drenched in sweat,” she recalls. “I came into my husband’s office, and I said to myself, ‘I’m going to bring Novak Djokovic.’” “He’s the perfect co-founder for this because he talks extensively about his plant-based diet and why ancient grains are so good for you.”
She didn’t know him, but a professional tennis player who had worked for her brand in the past was able to relay a message to Djokovic’s team, and they arranged a call. “He liked the idea,” Davidoff says. But Djokovic wanted to make sure the product stood up to scrutiny. “I met with his nutrition team, who looked at everything,” says Davidoff. “They had such extensive questions that I had to speak with an agronomist to fully understand how sorghum absorbs heavy metals from the soil.”
After that, she traveled to Europe with samples for Djokovic and his family to try. Djokovic was impressed by Davidov’s background and personal connection to the brand. He’s agreed to become a co-founder, providing input on product development and marketing — not to mention his star power and 16 million Instagram followers.
Find the right flavour
While Djokovic is known for it Precise eating habits Adhering to a largely plant-based, gluten-free diet, the co-founders knew they needed to make something healthy and commercially viable. “It’s been fun to do this tango between what’s in Novak’s refrigerator versus what will work when we want to (get) into the target,” Davidoff says.
If the company had adhered to Novak’s strict diet, it likely would have only been able to offer flavors of Mediterranean herbs, olive oil, and pink salt. “No dairy and nothing sweet,” she says. But Cobb also offers serious cheesy flavor topped with organic Parmesan cheese that’s already been a big hit with kid testers. (For his part, Djokovic says olive oil and pink salt are his favorite flavors.)
Cup is available for Pre-orders online Starting November 1, Davidoff hopes to have it in retail stores by late 2026. Over time, Cobb plans to roll out other snacks and pantry staples with sorghum as the main ingredient. Â
So far, Cobb’s founders haven’t talked about the next product, but Djokovic did offer a hint: “It could be a great side dish to your holiday meals!”
(Tags for translation)Corn
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