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Ketone-IQ has raised $2.0M across 1 funding round.
Key people at Ketone-IQ.
Ketone-IQ was founded in 2016 by Geoffrey Woo (Co-founder & Chairman).
Ketone-IQ has raised $2.0M in total across 1 funding round.
Ketone-IQ, based in Los Angeles, California, develops and sells drinkable ketone supplements designed to provide clean energy, mental clarity, and performance benefits. The company, which rebranded from H.V.M.N., has secured $5.6 million in total funding across three rounds and holds an estimated valuation of up to $110 million. It generates mid-eight figures in annual revenue, employs between 21 and 50 individuals, and launched its next-generation Ketone-IQ drink in January 2022. Ketone-IQ distributes its products direct-to-consumer and through retailers like Target and Sprouts, in addition to a $6 million contract with the U.S. Department of Defense. The organization was founded in 2014 by Stanford alumni Michael Brandt and Geoffrey Woo. The firm focuses on sports nutrition, metabolic health, longevity, biohacking, military, endurance athletes, and consumers seeking ketones for energy and performance.
# Ketone-IQ: A Performance Nutrition Company, Not a Technology Company
Ketone-IQ is not a technology company—it is a performance nutrition company that manufactures and distributes ketone-based drinks designed to enhance cognitive and physical performance.[1][3] While the company employs scientific research and innovation in product development, its core business is consumer health and nutrition, not software, hardware, or digital platforms.
Ketone-IQ specializes in manufacturing R-1,3-Butanediol (R-1,3-BDO), a chirally pure ketone diol that serves as an alternative fuel source for the brain and body.[2] The company targets athletes, military personnel, and performance-focused consumers seeking cognitive clarity, endurance, and physical output without relying on caffeine or sugar.[1][2]
The product addresses a specific problem: traditional energy sources like glucose are less efficient than ketones for high-performance tasks. Ketones can cross the blood-brain barrier and generate 28% more ATP per gram than glucose, making them ideal for both cognitive and physically demanding activities.[2] Ketone-IQ's growth momentum has accelerated significantly, with nationwide retail expansion at Sprouts Farmers Market (2023) and Target (2025), plus high-profile partnerships with professional athletes and research institutions.[3]
The company was founded in 2014 as Nootrobox by Geoffrey Woo and Michael Brandt, both deeply embedded in Silicon Valley's performance optimization culture.[3] Brandt came from a Google engineering background and had spent over a decade tracking biometric data—blood glucose, heart rate, and wearables—to advance his own athletic performance.[5] This personal obsession with quantified self-improvement became the company's DNA.
The pivotal moment came in 2019 when the U.S. Department of Defense Special Operations Command awarded the company a $6 million contract to conduct the largest research project on ketones to date, exploring their effects in low-oxygen environments and cognitively demanding scenarios.[1][5] This validation from the military transformed the company from a niche supplement maker into a research-backed performance brand. The company rebranded from Nootrobox to H.V.M.N. (Health Via Modern Nutrition) in 2017, then to Ketone-IQ in May 2024, consolidating its entire focus on ketone products.[3]
Ketone-IQ rides the biohacking and performance optimization megatrend that has accelerated since the 2010s. The company benefits from growing consumer interest in alternative fuels, brain health, and longevity—trends amplified by podcasters like Andrew Huberman and the quantified self movement.[1]
The timing is favorable: as traditional energy drinks face health scrutiny, ketone-based alternatives position themselves as science-backed, sugar-free performance enhancers. The company's partnerships with elite athletes (Team Visma | Lease a Bike, Des Linden, Sara Hall) and researchers create a halo effect that legitimizes ketones as a mainstream supplement category.[1][3]
Ketone-IQ influences the broader ecosystem by normalizing ketones as a consumer product category—similar to how energy drinks and electrolytes became ubiquitous.[1] This shifts the conversation from "what are ketones?" to "which ketone product should I use?"
Ketone-IQ is positioned to become the category leader in ketone beverages as consumer awareness grows and retail distribution expands. The 2025 additions of podcaster Steven Bartlett and UFC champion Jon Jones as co-owners signal ambitions to scale beyond performance athletes into mainstream wellness.[3]
The company's future hinges on sustained research partnerships, continued retail expansion, and the ability to educate consumers on ketones' benefits without overstating claims. If ketones transition from niche biohacker tool to commonplace performance supplement—as the company's mission suggests—Ketone-IQ has built the brand equity and scientific credibility to lead that shift.
The real question isn't whether Ketone-IQ is a technology company; it's whether ketones themselves become as ubiquitous as caffeine and electrolytes in the performance nutrition landscape.
Key people at Ketone-IQ.
Ketone-IQ was founded in 2016 by Geoffrey Woo (Co-founder & Chairman).
Ketone-IQ has raised $2.0M in total across 1 funding round.
Ketone-IQ's investors include Andreessen Horowitz, Andrew Wheeler.
Ketone-IQ has raised $2.0M across 1 funding round. Most recently, it raised $2.0M Seed in November 2018.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 1, 2018 | $2M Seed | — | Andreessen Horowitz, Andrew Wheeler | Announced |
