The latest local venture from the co-founder of Newport Beach energy drink company A Shoc Energy, Lance Collins, is getting attention from pro-athletes and celebrity investors.
ZenWtr, an Irvine-based alkaline water startup with an environmental focus, has attracted a roster of notable investors, including Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, celeb Khloe Kardashian and actress Anne Hathaway.
The startup, with offices in the Spectrum area of the city, says it offers the world’s first and only beverage in a bottle made from 100% recycled, certified ocean-bound plastic, which is plastic found near ocean coastlines or major waterways that feeds into the ocean in areas that lack infrastructure or waste management.
ZenWtr to date has prevented over 336 million plastic bottles from polluting the ocean, officials said. The company last month earned a 2022 Greater Good Award from digital marketing publication Digiday for its support of beach cleanups and leadership in programs that recover used plastics from coastal areas that lack recycling infrastructure.
“As an athlete, staying hydrated is crucial to my performance,” Kelce said in a statement, when he joined the company as an investor late last year. “I love that each bottle helps prevent ocean pollution.”
A Shoc Success
Collins founded ZenWtr in 2020. The company says it has raised over $24 million from its roster of celebrity and athlete investors.
The company describes Collins as a “serial beverage entrepreneur,” one who counts several other successful ventures in the industry.
A Shoc Energy has raised $39 million in funding to date; backers include Pro Football Hall of Famer Michael Strahan, New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge, and Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman.
In April 2022, A Shoc said it raised $29 million in a Series B funding round led by existing investors and prominent athletes, a figure well above what it initially planned to raise.
The company, also known as Adrenaline Shoc, was co-founded in 2019 by Scot De Lorme, who was vice president of innovation at Corona-based Monster Beverage Corp.
Monster (Nasdaq: MNST) is run by Rodney Sacks and Hilton Schlosberg, who are two of Orange County wealthiest residents.
Collins also founded sports drink company Bodyarmor, which Coca-Cola Co. (NYSE: KO) acquired two years ago for $5.6 billion. Kobe Bryant was reported to be a significant investor in that venture.
In addition, Collins founded Core Nutrition, which was sold for $525 million in 2018 to Keurig Dr Pepper (Nasdaq: KDP), which also invested in A Shoc and has the option to buy it.
Planet Saving
ZenWtr aims to save 50 million pounds of ocean-bound plastic by 2025. Each bottle is made from up to five recycled plastic bottles that would’ve been headed for the ocean, officials say.
The company last year earned Plastic Negative Brand Certification from the Plastic Credit Exchange, a global organization that’s working to clean up 80 years worth of plastic waste.
ZenWtr said it’s the first beverage brand to receive the certification, meaning it removes twice as much plastic from the environment as it produces.
Beverage Exec Experience
ZenWtr’s CEO, Bryan Crowley, counts around 10 years of experience in the beverage industry. He is also the chief executive for immunity-boosting beverage brand MyMuse Organic and serves as the interim CEO for tequila soda maker Casa Azul Spirits, which was also started by Collins and backed by Kelce. Crowley previously worked as the CEO for Soylent and as the president and chief operating officer for ready-to-drink cocktail company VeeV Spirits.
The company says it counts partnerships with a number of direct store delivery distributors including Honickman Companies, Polar Beverages, Gold Coast Beverage, Glazer’s Beer and Beverage and Columbia Distributing.
