Dive Brief:
- MOSH, a brain health brand led by duo Maria Shriver and her son Patrick Schwarzenegger, took in its first institutional capital of $3 million in Series A financing to accelerate a retail distribution strategy.
- The brand officially launched in September of 2021, on World Alzheimer’s Day, after the mother/son pair noticed a void in the market for a high protein bar that specifically promotes brain health.
- Co-founders Shriver and Schwarzenegger partnered with brain health experts and nutritionists for over a year and a half to develop the protein bars and perfect the recipe, Schwarzenegger said. Shriver came up with the idea when she was having trouble finding a protein bar that wasn’t loaded with sugar and that had ingredients that could support the brain and body.
Dive Insight:
Throughout his entrepreneurial career, Schwarzenegger has said that he has a talent for identifying consumer trends, early on. He was an early investor in companies like Liquid I.V., an electrolyte drink mix, Poppi, a modern soda that promotes gut health, and Super Coffee, a better-for-you alternative for sugary coffee drinks with a higher protein content.
“My investment thesis is simple: is it the better-for-you version of what’s out there?” said Schwarzenegger in an emailed response to questions.
All of these brands, including MOSH, have one thing in common, a response to a consumer trend in the food and beverage space involving a focus on positive health, according to a consumer trends report of 2023 by Innova Market Insights. For years, Shriver has been known as an Alzheimer’s advocate after watching her father suffer from the brain disorder.
An interest in gut health has been on the rise since the start of the pandemic, with a greater popularity of products that promise to benefit consumers’ immunity and overall metabolism.
MOSH offers a line of protein bars formulated with adaptogens and nutrients that have been linked to brain health, according to the company. The protein bars come in peanut butter, dark chocolate, peanut butter chocolate, cookie dough, blueberry almond, lemon white chocolate and cookies and cream varieties.
Ashwagandha, lion’s mane mushroom, collagen, vitamins B12 and D3 and omega-3 fatty acids are among some of the functional ingredients that the company claims improve brain health.
The brand has seen high demand, and the space is just warming up, according to the company, and by 2030, brain supplements are expected to bring in $15.9 billion globally. The goal for the next phase of growth for the company is into retail through a mix of direct store delivery and warehousing. The brand is reportedly going to start with retail operations in Southern California.
“More and more consumers understand that they have the power to make decision today that will impact the future of brain health tomorrow,” said Schwarzenegger, on why the company sees this space as a massive opportunity. “Customers are no longer satisfied with just what tastes good or has nutritional value. They’re demanding they get something more from their food and beverages now. That’s what we’re doing at MOSH.”
MOSH currently has $10 million in sales to date, through its strictly direct-to-consumer strategy.