Brand Architects: Kent Yoshimura of Neuro

It all began with a passion for athletics and a knack for neuroscience. Kent was training hard in judo and Muay Thai while studying at UC San Diego. He wanted better supplements but wasn't happy with what was out there.

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Join Bora Celik as he chats with Kent Yoshimura, the Co-founder & CEO of Neuro.

"Supplements during that time, almost 15 years ago... It was in a realm of bad compliance. You didn't know who the players were. You didn't know where they were sourcing from," Kent recalls.

So, he took matters into his own hands. Kent started mixing powders in his dorm room, using trusted sources with proper certifications.

The Turning Point

The game-changer came when Kent's co-founder, Ryan, had a terrible snowboarding accident. Kent explains, "Ryan got in a really bad snowboarding accident that left him paralyzed from the waist down." It was a devastating injury, but something unexpected happened.

The supplements Kent had been developing for his own training and schoolwork seemed to help Ryan too. While Kent doesn't specify exactly how they helped, it's likely the supplements aided in Ryan's cognitive function and overall well-being during his recovery.

Kent shares, "We both had this idea where it was like, you know, pills are great... but making it accessible, similar to how scuba diving was accessible for Ryan, is something that's majorly missing in this ecosystem."

They realized gum and mints, which people take all the time, could be so much more. Why not make them functional?

From Idea to Reality

Turning this idea into a product wasn't easy. Kent and his team had to find formulators and manufacturers willing to take on their unique project. They used resources like Thomasnet to find partners.

The first order was a big leap of faith. "It was $20,000 that first time, is money like me and my co-founders saved up over just years and years," Kent remembers. "I mean, it's a lot, $20,000 is a lot of money when you're 27, you know?"

Launch and Early Success

Neuro launched on Indiegogo, tapping into a community Kent was already part of - a subreddit focused on nootropics. This authenticity paid off.

"We immediately hit our goal in three days. We sold $20,000 worth of product in three days," Kent says proudly.

But the real game-changer? Dr. Oz. Just three months after launch, Neuro was featured on his show.

"Literally three months after we launched, all of a sudden we're on Dr. Oz and we got this massive like US appeal and sold out of inventory completely," Kent recalls. "My phone number, my cell phone number was the customer service phone number. So I was getting phone calls 24 seven products sold out. It was so crazy."

The Journey Continues

From those early days, Neuro has grown significantly. Kent reflects, "Our revenue the first year, I think, was... Like we still did pretty well, but our revenue the first year was, you know, $750K or something like nothing to write home about."

But it was enough to prove they were onto something big. Today, Neuro is a leader in functional gums and mints, with new products and partnerships on the horizon.

Kent's story shows that a dorm room idea can turn into a thriving business with passion, authenticity, and a bit of luck. It reminds us that entrepreneurship is a wild ride, full of challenges and unexpected turns. But for those willing to take the leap, the rewards can be sweet—or, in this case, minty fresh.

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