#224 - The Rise of Neuro Gum with Kent Yoshimura
The Startup CPG Podcast
Startup CPG
4.9 • 642 Ratings
🗓️ 25 November 2025
⏱️ 57 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In this episode of the Startup CPG Podcast, host Daniel Scharff sits down with Kent Yoshimura, co-founder and CEO of Neuro Gum, to explore how a rejected Shark Tank pitch turned into a nine-figure functional supplement brand pioneering the chewable energy category. Kent shares the journey of scaling Neuro from $3 million to over $100 million in revenue while competing against legacy giants like Mars Wrigley in one of CPG's most competitive spaces: the checkout lane.
The conversation reveals how Neuro built direct-to-consumer dominance through TikTok virality, organic influencer partnerships (including Joe Rogan's 40+ mentions), and strategic collaborations with F1 drivers, DJs, and professional athletes. Kent explains the science behind cold-compressed gum, why microdosing caffeine works better than traditional energy products, and how thoughtful brand building and operational excellence drove exponential growth.
Throughout the episode, listeners gain actionable insights on e-commerce fundamentals, new customer acquisition strategies, and how to build brand equity beyond paid advertising. Kent shares candid lessons on breaking into retail, navigating checkout space negotiations, and why staying humble while hiring experienced operators accelerates sustainable growth.
Listen in as they discuss:
- How Neuro Gum scaled from $3M to 9 figures after Shark Tank rejection
- The science of chewable energy and why format innovation matters
- Neuro's surprising consumer demographics and why older buyers convert
- E-commerce fundamentals: LTV/CAC optimization and customer acquisition strategy
- Building brand equity through organic partnerships over paid ads
- Joe Rogan's repeated endorsements and the power of strategic product seeding
- Partnership strategy: leveraging athletes and creators for credibility
- Breaking into retail: competing for checkout space against Mars Wrigley
- Supplement trends: established ingredients over novel compounds
- Scaling to $100M: staying humble and hiring people smarter than yourself
Episode Links
Website: https://neurogum.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kentaro/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kentyoshimura/
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- Episode music by Super Fantastics
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | A few years back when I ran a beverage company, we had to launch using those plastic sleeves to put our designs on the cans. |
| 0:08.0 | But they looked bad, the sleeves get stretched out, they don't cover the full can, and overall they just look and feel low quality. |
| 0:14.0 | Lucky for you, digital can printing technology has come so far over the last few years that now you can launch your beverage brand or new skews with a fully |
| 0:21.7 | printed look and it's at similar pricing to those plastic sleeves. |
| 0:25.3 | Our friends at CanWorks, which is the largest U.S.-based digital can printer, are happy to work with |
| 0:30.1 | our community at very low minimums, even one palette. |
| 0:32.9 | They've got locations in the East Coast, the West Coast, Texas. |
| 0:36.0 | Get in touch with them through our contact form. |
| 0:38.2 | It's at canworksprinting.com slash startup CPG. |
| 0:42.7 | Thank you. I visit our farms up in Washington for the mint yield every single year. |
| 1:03.2 | And we see what the best yield is. |
| 1:04.5 | We see what the best flavor is. |
| 1:05.7 | And it's not consistent year to year, which becomes one of the hardest things to get flavor right when it's not artificial. But I know for a fact that it's like, all right, this is the best yield of mince from |
| 1:15.7 | this year. Let's use this flavor and see how it fits into our pieces. Welcome to the startup |
| 1:23.6 | CPG podcast. Today we have a very special guest. It's Kent Yoshimura. He is the co-founder of Nuro, |
| 1:29.3 | which is the brand that brings energy and functional ingredients to gum and mince. Yep, that's right, chewable energy. |
| 1:36.3 | So Nero went from just an idea to a viral sensation. They were on Shark Tank. They built a huge direct-to-consumer presence and Amazon following. |
| 1:44.9 | They're now scaling in retail in one of the most competitive categories out there, |
| 1:49.1 | Check Lane, gum, mince, all of that stuff. |
| 1:51.1 | And they're also competing with the energy category. |
| 1:53.6 | They're doing it with science, loyal super fans, |
| 1:56.3 | and some huge cultural moments along the way that you're going to hear about. |
... |
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