LOS ANGELES, CA (June 1, 2017) — Rosa Foods, the makers of Soylent, today announced that Bryan Crowley will join the Company as President. In this role, Crowley will be responsible for day-to-day operations, financial performance and the development and deployment of Soylent’s business and people strategy. The announcement was made by Soylent’s Founder and CEO Rob Rhinehart, who founded Soylent as a more efficient approach to nutrition and hopes to use it to improve the health of humanity while preserving our natural resources.
“Technology has always been integral to the development of our food system, and it continues to play an important role in solving the demands and challenges of the future. Soylent has an enormous opportunity to grow our brand in a way that allows us to capitalize on our success in this space and continue the innovation at the heart of what makes us so unique,” said Rhinehart. “Bryan’s diverse background at companies big and small, his passion for our mission and his focus on building people, brands and a winning culture make him the perfect partner to help me take this business to new heights.”
Soylent’s $3 million campaign in 2013 was the largest crowdfunded food project in history and was followed by seed funding in 2014 as well as a $20 million Series A round in 2015 led by Andreessen Horowitz. In May 2017, Soylent closed a $50 million Series B financing round led by GV (formerly Google Ventures), bringing its total funding to $74.5 million. The new capital supports the Company’s plans to rapidly expand into traditional “brick and mortar” retail, new international territories, and major investments in product development.
“Rob and his team have done a fantastic job building a tremendous e-commerce platform and a lifestyle brand with an incredibly loyal following, and I look forward to building on that success together,” said Crowley. “I have a personal passion for health, nutrition, sustainability and disruptive innovation, and this opportunity checks all the boxes for me. With retail and international expansion on the horizon, and the amazing support from our investors, I’m thrilled to join Soylent at such a crucial time in its development.”
Crowley comes to Soylent from functional beverage company KeVita, where he has served as Chief Strategy Officer. In this role, Bryan lead the company’s rebranding effort, launched new products and helped shape the business and innovation strategies that helped lead to a successful sale to PepsiCo in December of 2016. Crowley’s more than 20 years of leadership experience at food and beverage companies, both big and small, made him an essential leader in managing the business transition into PepsiCo. Prior to KeVita, Crowley spent four years at VEEV Spirits as President and Chief Operating Officer, where he was responsible for several successful initiatives, including the sale to premier beverage supplier Luxco. He was also Chief Marketing Officer of Pabst Brewing Company and their 34 brands around the country, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at at Mars, Inc. and previously held positions at ConAgra Foods and Anheuser-Busch.
About Soylent
Soylent is a pioneer in food technology, producing healthy, functional foods that are good for the body and the planet. In 2013, Founder and CEO Rob Rhinehart developed the first iteration in his kitchen after recognizing the need for a simpler, more efficient food source. Soylent uses science and technology to solve the challenges plaguing the current food system and work toward its mission of providing access to quality nutrition to people across the globe. Available at Soylent.com and on Amazon, Soylent’s innovative products include Original Powder and 14oz Ready-to-Drink bottles available in Original, Cacao, Coffiest and Nectar. The Company is headquartered in Los Angeles, CA. For more information, visit www.soylent.com.