Neuro make functional gum and mints that energize, calm and refresh your state of mind
Please introduce yourself and your startup Neuro to our readers!
Hi – We’re Kent Yoshimura and Ryan Chen, the co-founders of health and wellness company Neuro. We make functional gum and mints that energize, calm, and refresh your state of mind.
How did you get the idea of Neuro?
We both have backgrounds in science and athletics. As captain of his cross country and track teams, Ryan took his high school to state and national competitions, then went on to study chemistry in college. Kent trained intensively in martial arts, training with the Olympic Judo team in Japan and fighting Muay Thai in Thailand while studying neuroscience. All the while, we strived to find the energy and focus to help our bodies and minds, but none of the sugary energy drinks or unmarked supplements on the market piqued our interest.
Kent got heavily invested in the world of nootropics to find a better solution. On a scuba diving trip, we were taking supplements that Kent was mixing on his own when we realized that taking pills in public is not necessarily the best look. We wanted to create something more shareable, effective, and portable. At that moment, we knew that gum and mints were the answer.
What is the vision behind Neuro?
We believe that people become the best versions of themselves when their minds are in the right state at the right time. Our refreshing gum and mints are shortcuts to the ideal state of mind, delivering just the right amount of what you need to energize, calm, and focus your mind in the moment.
How difficult was the start and which challenges did you have to overcome?
Neither of us has ever started a business before and we had invested nearly all of our savings into starting Neuro. Without the fortune of Reddit’s nootropics community helping us to fund our Indiegogo campaign in less than three days, the idea probably would have dissipated quickly. Even with the amount of money that we raised, we had no means of hiring people. With help from Kent’s roommate, Tyler (now Head of Operations), we handled every aspect of the business: shipping product from the pallets that were stored in Kent’s apartment, answering customer service calls on our personal lines, learning to build everything without prior knowledge. There were many sleepless nights.
Who is your target audience?
Most of our marketing efforts focus on the fitness community and college students–categories of which we were a part when we started the business. However, we are fortunate to have a product that works for many groups–healthcare workers, parents of young children, people working from home, truck drivers, gamers–and we are always looking for new and more meaningful ways to connect with those audiences.
What is the USP of your startup?
Neuro utilizes a patented cold compressed format to provide cleaner, more balanced energy, focus, or clarity five times faster than drinks or supplements. Each piece costs less than 1/10th of the price of a typical energy drink or coffee. Neuro is also 100% gluten-free, sugar-free, aspartame-free, dairy-free, and vegan.
Can you describe your typical workday?
Oh boy. Twice a week, we all work out as a team in the morning, since that is typically how most of us start the day. We’re on phone calls fairly often with each department (even more so during the pandemic), constantly making sure that new initiatives are getting pushed forward across all aspects of the business. We usually try to wind down around 6:00 PM, refresh our minds, and start again the next day.
Where do you see yourself and your startup Neuro in five years?
We want to continue pushing what Neuro is capable of achieving, becoming an industry leader to provide people with innovative ways of getting their supplements in more convenient formats. If we get an acquisition offer from a company we respect to push our mission forward, then we are all for it; however, we hope we can hit enough profitability to continue building the business ourselves.
What 3 tips would you give to other founders?
1. Learn mental resilience. Persevere, listen, and execute.
2. Never lose yourself in your work. You’ll do this for about 1/3 of your life, and you still have to live with yourself for the other 2/3.
3. Always be growing. Don’t become insulated. The more influence and inspiration you absorb from the world around you, the more you can put back into the business and make it stronger.
More information you will find here
Thank you Kent Yoshimura and Ryan Chen for the Interview
Statements of the author and the interviewee do not necessarily represent the editors and the publisher opinion again.
