| Product type | Chewing gum Mints |
|---|---|
| Owner | Neuro Inc. |
| Country | United States |
| Introduced | 2015 |
| Markets | Confectionary Caffeinated products Nootropics |
| Website | neurogum.com |
Neuro is an American chewing gum and mints brand that produces functional chewing gum and mints infused with caffeine, l-theanine, and vitamins. The infused ingredients make the product enhance focus, energy, and mental performance of the consumer. It is targeted at young adults as an alternative to energy drinks.
The chewing gum appeared on the 11th season of the television show Shark Tank, which aired in 2020. Recently the company has expanded its product offering to include gums and mints that have different benefits than just energy, including relaxation and sleep aids. As of 2025, it is one of the largest brands in the nootropic edibles industry.
Chewing gum that contained stimulants was first introduced to the United States from R&D products produced by the military at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research. Products aimed at keeping soldiers both alert and awake were tested in the 1990s, with each piece of "Stay Alert gum" containing 100mg of caffeine. [1] Shortly after this, Jolt Cola released an energy gum, with Wrigley's Alert another getting released in 2013. [2]
Kent Yoshimura and Ryan Chen co-founded Neuro after meeting while studying at University of California, San Diego. [3] Yoshimura was studying neuroscience with Chen studying chemistry, and both are multi-disciplined athletes. They stated in interviews that as college athletes they were dissatisfied with energy drinks and other products marketed as enhancing concentration or performance, but often saw crashes or sugar spikes from products they were using. [4] As a result, Yoshimura and Chen spent time at college creating their own supplements in pill-form, which eventually led to the creation of Neuro. [5] Chen suffered a spinal-cord injury in 2009 after UC San Diego, [6] and went viral in 2013 when he crowd surfed in his wheelchair to a Young the Giant's song, My Body. [7] [8]
Yoshimura and Chen launched Neuro in 2015 after years of refining the product. [9] During the same year, Chen and Yoshimura came up with the concept of developing a caffeinated gum. [10]
In 2015, the co-founders conducted a seed round on Indiegogo with a goal of $10,000. The campaign reached this target within three days and raised a total of $21,000. They then focused on two sales models for the gum, direct to consumer and traditional retail. [9] Over the next four years, the company grew modestly and by 2018 had a turnover of $1.5 million. [11] The turnover grew further to $3.5 million in 2019, with Chen recognised as part of the Forbes 30 Under 30 that year. [12] [13]
In 2019, Neuro was pitched to the investors on Shark Tank in its 11th season, airing in 2020 on episode 19. [14] In the episode, the co-founders received two offers. The first was from Kevin O’Leary who offered $750,000 for 5% equity, but with a 50 cent royalty on every unit sold until he recouped $1 million. Robert Herjavec offered $1 million for 20% equity initially, then reduced his offer to $1 million for 14% equity after negotiation. The offers were rejected by the co-founders, stating that they couldn't "go that low" for the valuation figure due to existing investors. [15] During the Covid-19 pandemic, the founders setup online training videos to continue its marketing within the wellness industry. [16] [17]
Neuro was headquartered in Los Angeles from its foundation, [18] [19] but relocated its head office to Las Vegas in 2024. [20] In 2025, Neuro made the news after it was frequently mentioned by Joe Rogan on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast across a number of episodes, [21] [22] and also others such as Lex Fridman. It was said to be one of the reasons that made Neuro the fastest-growing brand on TikTok Shop the year prior. [23] The chewing gum brand continued to grow rapidly in 2025, as the second fastest growing company in Las Vegas to feature on the Inc. 5000 for 2025. [24] The co-founders were also recognised with Ernst & Young's Entrepreneur Of The Year 2025 Pacific Southwest Award. [25]
Neuro's first product was caffeinated chewing gum, which is still their main product today with the brand name Energy & Focus. They also offer all their product ranges in mint-form as well as a chewing gum. Each product comes in a variety of flavors, such as peppermint, spearmint and wintergreen. They also offer limited edition flavors and in 2025, they launched Strawberry Cake flavor in partnership with DJ Steve Aoki. [26]
Neuro's first product was caffeinated chewing gum, which is still their main product today with the brand name Energy & Focus. It contains l-theanine, [27] along with b vitamins. [28] It is made of 100% natural ingredients, [29] is vegan and contains no artificial flavorings or sweeteners. [30] Its caffeine levels mean it is often used as a coffee substitute. [31] [32] [33]
Neuro have moved into other markets, all aiming to provide different forms of stimulation, with the launch of Calm & Clarity and Sleep & Recharge products. Neuro's Calm & Clarity was released in 2020. [34]