Energy drinks, powders, and shots became extremely popular throughout the 2000s, and numerous companies came out with nearly identical formulas to capture the consumer market. One exception we’ve noted before is EBOOST, a company that has combined energy formulas with nootropic ingredients for an added mental kick. It’s something that gave us an interesting user experience when we tried their effervescent energy powders.
Read our full review of EBOOST’s Energy Powder here.
We sat down with EBOOST founder Josh Taekman to talk a little about the logic behind their formulations, why nootropic ingredients and brain enhancers are important to their line, and what’s next in store for the NYC-based company.
1. When did you start EBOOST, and what was your motivation in starting the company?
EBOOST was founded by accident to be honest. I had a marketing and branding agency and was going to create a line of G Unit Vitamins / Supplements with 50 Cent back in 2008 with a top manufacturer, and 50 Cent didn’t show up to the final meeting which killed the deal. I was commiserating with one of my best friends John McDonald and he said there is such a void in the market for a healthy & natural Energy & Vitamin Booster. Our mission was to create something we would take everyday to enhance our performance and vitality at work at play and in the gym. That was the spark that made us go down the path of creating and developing EBOOST.
Josh Taekman EBOOST Founder
2. EBOOST powders contain some ingredients we see a lot in nootropics we try (5-HTP, Vinpocetine, others). Tell us about why you chose to include those in your powders.
We wanted to create a product that was of the highest quality and highest efficacy and also natural & non GMO. We also knew we needed to create a product that made you feel great and do more and had to be much more than just an Energy + Vitamins product. Adding [a focus and alert blend from] 5-HTP and Vinpocetine and Huperzine was the perfect compliment to energy.
3. What was your first experience with brain-boosting supplements (aka nootropics), and how did that influence EBOOST products?
I used to take 5 HTP and huperzine for focus & alertness when I was in school and always loved the benefits I got from it. When we were developing EBOOST we felt that had to be an integral part of the experience you felt when you got boosted.
4. How long does it take to develop a new product for your company?
It really depends. We can develop a product and have it packaged and ready to ship within four months if we are focused and making quick decisions during the formulation and sample process. It took us close to a year to develop POW Pre Workout because we really wanted to deliver a product that was unique and different than what was out there and it had to taste great, be natural, non GMO and really enhance performance. We are perfectionists and won’t release a product until we have something that we would take every single day and could be proud of.
5. Are there new EBOOST products in development that haven’t been released yet?
We are doing a deep dive on protein and working with an amazing product development team to come out with something very special from the ingredients, functionalities, and packaging [around it].
Get more from Josh Taekman and the EBOOST team on Instagram.