Jack Owoc is back – not exactly with a “bang,” but touting a new energy brand with a modern tech twist.
Just over a year after Monster Energy bought Bang Energy and its parent company Vital Pharmaceuticals (VPX) amidst bankruptcy proceedings, VPX founder Jack Owoc is launching Ai Energy, a four-SKU line of functional drinks themed around the rise of artificial intelligence.
Under the parent company Energy IP Holdings, Ai Energy is set to launch by the end of the year in 12 oz. cans with initial flavors Blue Raspberry, Grape, Peach and Watermelon. Each can contains a 700mg “NeuroSync” supplements blend, including 200mg of caffeine, L-theanine, N-Acetyl L-Tyrosine, CDP Citicoline (for focus and memory), Mucuna Pruriens Powder and Huperzine-A.
The drinks, currently available online for pre-order and set to begin shipping in November, are priced at $36 per 12-pack (single flavor and variety) and will have an SRP of $3.29 per can at retail.
News that Owoc was returning with a fresh energy play first broke last week when the Florida-based entrepreneur spoke with Beverage Digest about the project. In that interview, Owoc clarified that he is not under a non-compete agreement or any other restrictions from Monster following the sale of VPX last year and is therefore free to mount a new competitor brand in the energy category.
Owoc told Beverage Digest that he intends to launch Ai Energy with distributors Europa Sports Partners and Muscle Foods USA to initially focus on the gym channel. Whether he will be able to forge new retail distribution deals with VPX’s old DSD partners is currently up in the air, but Owoc said he is optimistic that the past success of Bang will help Ai Energy to build a network and that early responses from distributors have been “positive.”
Unlike VPX, Owoc told the publication that he intends to do the “opposite” of Bang’s centralized operations model and will avoid self distributing, comparing independent DSD to a “decentralized distribution system, just like crypto” and added that he is “using a lot of AI to condense the operation.”
“We don’t want to have any real estate or do any distribution, or anything like that,” he said.
So far, Ai Energy appears to hew closely to Bang’s tie-dye aesthetics, with a colorful brand identity that’s looking to build off of the rising interest in AI technology like ChatGPT and DALL-E. Much of the imagery found on its website and social media account was created with the Leonardo AI image generator, and is replete with mechanical design themes and modified pictures of Owoc himself as a cyborg.
On the brand’s website, Owoc claims that he and his wife Meg Liz Owoc “have become experts in artificial intelligence” and believes that “the gap is becoming infinitely greater between artificial machine intelligence and human intelligence” to the point that “human intelligence will likely never keep up.”
Ai Energy, however, looks to give humans an edge by helping with “mental sharpness, faster thinking, and just making you feel super good.” Owoc also says it has improved his drumming skills.
In addition to its functional ingredients, Ai Energy is looking to define itself by what it omits: namely no Alpha GPC, cyanoccobalamin, or natural caffeine – the latter of which Owoc says is “environmentally destructive,” preferring to use synthetic caffeine instead.
While Ai Energy’s launch represents Owoc’s return to the beverage industry, the embattled CEO is still mired in litigation stemming from the VPX’s bankruptcy proceedings.
In September, a Florida federal bankruptcy judge ruled that a lawsuit against Owoc — alleging that he had mismanaged VPX’s business, exposed it to “chronic litigation” and transferred corporate funds to holding companies for his own use — could proceed.
The complaint against Owoc claims that at the time of its Chapter 11 filing VPX was facing “over $500 million in litigation judgments and settlement obligations,” with an additional $600 million “in potential liabilities from other pending lawsuits,” according to Law360.
Owoc’s legal woe have also extended into personal matters. In June, Owoc and his wife were subject to a foreclosure complaint alleging they defaulted on a $30 million mortgage for their Fort Lauderdale, Fla. mansion.
It’s not immediately clear whether Ai Energy is being bootstrapped by Owoc or if he’s raised outside investment to start the business.