Bulletproof Launches FATwater, Raises $9M

Fat Water
Image via @elissagooman on Instagram

Biohacking is starting to pay off.

Trinity Ventures, a Menlo Park, Calif.-based venture capital firm, has invested $9 million into Bulletproof, the firm best known for butter-infused Bulletproof Coffee, which it says can help consumers lose weight and get smarter.

The investment comes as the company prepares to launch a three-sku FATwater line, which combines water with some of Bulletproof’s fat-based nutritional supplements into a bottled, RTD beverage. The product soft-launched last week at seminal Los Angeles retailer Erewhon Natural Foods in three flavors, Orange, Berry, and Lemon, in 16 oz. PET bottles. Label copy indicated a 20 calorie product infused with Bulletproof EXT Oil. Its launch price is $3.95 per bottle.

Trinity, which has invested heavily in technology and software ventures, is also well-known for investing early on in Starbucks.

Bulletproof — a company that backs the idea of “biohacking,” or improving human functionality through changes in biochemistry — is the product of founder Dave Asprey, himself a former Entrepreneur-in-Residence with Trinity Ventures. Two Trinity executives will join Bulletproof’s board.

Bulletproof as it stands now is a platform with roots in media and home-preparation coffees and supplements, but with the investment it is branching into a brick-and-mortar cafe and store, as well as the RTD product.

Release is below:

Has Trinity Ventures Found Its Next Starbucks? $9 Million Investment In Bulletproof Says Yes

Gus Tai and Dan Scholnick Join The Board of Next Gen Coffee and Lifestyle Company, Bulletproof

MENLO PARK, Calif. and LOS ANGELES, July 23, 2015 /PRNewswire/ — At a time when everyone from entrepreneurs to students to soccer moms is looking for ways to perform better in life, Bulletproof has raised $9 million from Trinity Ventures, an early Starbucks and Jamba Juice investor, in order to bring the benefits of the Bulletproof lifestyle to more people. Prominent Trinity VCs and biohackers Gus Tai and Dan Scholnick will join Bulletproof’s board of directors, reuniting them with Bulletproof founder and CEO, Dave Asprey — a former Trinity EIR.

“Picking the right investors was crucial. This was about finding people with passion who I could trust. With brands like PF Chang’s and Jamba Juice in the firm’s portfolio, Trinity’s experience in this space is unparalleled. Gus and Dan know what it takes to help Bulletproof become a brand for the ages, I’ve known them for years, and they are the guys I sought out as investment partners because they understand the benefits of a fully optimized mind and body. They walk the talk,” said Asprey.

Bulletproof_Exec_003Bulletproof products are designed to help everyday people easily improve their biochemistry so that their bodies and minds work effortlessly. In addition to its wildly popular coffee, supplements, foods, and technologies, Bulletproof unveiled its latest product today. FATwater(TM) is a patented nano-fusion of Bulletproof XCT Oil(TM) and purified water that provides a new kind of powerful hydration using clean-burning energy from quality fat. This announcement is the first of many designed to introduce Bulletproof on a bigger scale.

“Starbucks captured the devotion of a generation and became everyone’s home away from home because its brand was all about changing one’s environment and melting away stress, with its comfortable couches and rich coffee aroma,” said Tai. “Similarly, Bulletproof is about changing the inside world of your mind and body. We want to make that heightened state of mindfulness and performance accessible to millions of consumers.”

“On a personal level, Dave and I are both experimentalists. We share an affinity for trying new things in every aspect of our lives,” said Scholnick. “As an investor, no area is more fascinating, nor shows more promise, than the biohacking movement. Bulletproof is the clear leader, and Dave is a driven entrepreneur who will ensure the company’s enduring success. Plus, the coffee is awesome!”

To get Bulletproof, visit https://www.bulletproof.com or stop in to the Bulletproof Coffee cafe and store, opening soon at 3110 Main St. #116, Santa Monica, CA.

About Bulletproof
Founded by biohacker, bestselling author and Bulletproof Coffee creator Dave Asprey, Bulletproof is dedicated to providing the world with groundbreaking, science-based information, techniques, tools and products to help people perform better, increase focus, enhance energy, and live longer. Resources include #1 ranked radio show and podcast Bulletproof Radio, the New York Times bestselling book THE BULLETPROOF DIET, documentary feature film MOLDY, The Bulletproof Executive blog, and more: https://www.bulletproofexec.com

About Dave Asprey
Biohacker Dave Asprey is the founder of Bulletproof and creator of the widely popular Bulletproof Coffee. A Silicon Valley investor and technology entrepreneur who spent two decades and over $300,000 to hack his own biology, Asprey lost 100 pounds without counting calories or excessive exercise, used techniques to upgrade his brain by more than 20 IQ points, and lowered his biological age while learning to sleep more efficiently in less time. Asprey hosts the radio show and #1 ranked podcast, Bulletproof Radio, and is the author of the New York Times bestselling, THE BULLETPROOF DIET. Asprey’s flagship Bulletproof Coffee café and store will be located in Santa Monica, California. In June 2015, he released the documentary feature MOLDY through his Bulletproof Films.

About Trinity Ventures
Trinity Ventures is a top-tier venture capital firm combining business insight, practical expertise and a personal touch to help start-ups win big. For over eleven funds, Trinity has helped passionate entrepreneurs with breakthrough ideas transform markets and lives. Trinity’s investment team takes a collaborative approach and believes in personal engagement, mutual respect and goal alignment to deliver out-sized returns to entrepreneurs and investors. The firm invests in early stage technology companies with emphases on Cloud, Digital Media, Social Commerce and Entertainment, and Software as a Service. To learn more visit: www.trinityventures.com