Sebastian Vettel leads £1.2M funding round for performance energy drink start-up BACX

Having retired from F1 last year, Sebastian Vettel claimed that BACX products "energised" him "right until the end of a Grand Prix without any stomach problems or side effects". His experience and "mutual values of sustainability, health and performance" motivated him to get involved in supporting the performance energy drink start-up.

Vettel is not the only high-profile figure to endorse BACX. GB track cyclist and commonwealth medalist Joe Truman is also a BACX ambassador. BACX has also enjoyed the support of Fever-Tree chairman Bill Ronald. With Ronald's expertise in the food and beverage industry, BACX has seen an increase in revenue from $34m to $400m.

A growing market for energy drinks

This growth in revenue for BACX is part of an expanding market for energy drinks. The recent demand for Prime Hydration, the energy drink popularized by Logan Paul and KSI, demonstrates the appeal of well-marketed sports drinks in the current consumer environment.

The BSDA (British Soft Drinks Association) 2022 Annual Report shows that Sports and energy drinks have increased as a share of the soft drinks market from 5.9 per cent in 2018 to 6.5 per cent in 2022. Data from Statista shows that in 2022, Red Bull dominated the consumption of energy drinks in the UK, with sales revenues of £432 million in convenience stores.

Information provided by the NCCIH (National Centre for Complimentary and Integrative Health), shows that in the US, adolescents and young adults dominate the consumption of energy drinks, with men aged 18-35 consuming the most. The NCCIH is "one of the 27 Institutes, Centers, and Offices that make up the National Institutes of Health (NIH) within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services."

BACX's appeal

With questions over the health impacts of the 500-plus energy drinks available on the market, BACX generates its appeal through a focus on higher-performing hydration alternatives. BACX produces its first product Performance fuel in two flavours. Certified by Informed sport, it is "entirely plant-based", with "no artificial preservatives, colours or flavours, no caffeine or maltodextrin, and is free of the 14 major allergens." Performance Fuel, therefore, appeals to those concerned with health and environmental sustainability, like Sebastian Vettel.

The consumption of energy drinks raises health concerns, with the chemical content being linked to the risk of cancer amongst the age groups who consume them.

Analysis by the BDA (British Dietetic Association) explains how the physical effects of the overconsumption of energy drinks are related to high caffeine content. Harmful effects such as "increased blood pressure, sleep disturbances, headaches and stomach aches" are experienced by children and adolescents.

The founder and CEO of BACX, Jason Baits-Tomlin, says he "no longer wanted to endure poor performing, synthetic sports nutrition". He was convinced "there had to be a way to create a high performing and healthier alternative." Pursuing his passion for endurance adventure, Baits-Tomlin created BACX after a 20-year career that started in Big 4 Accounting, completing an Executive MBA program at Oxford with distinction before going on to start the company.