A quick burst of aerosolized energy: It’s how serial entrepreneur Hank Durschlag describes the "rapid hydration" product his startup is providing to a slew of athletes, from Duke University basketball players to the NFL’s Chicago Bears.
And investors - including big-name entrepreneurs such as former BioAgilytix CEO Jim Datin and Carolina Panthers NFL football team co-owner Mark Richardson - are buying in.
Durschlag, founder of Triangle startup BOA Nutrition, said the concept started with drug delivery.
Durschlag’s background is in healthcare – specifically the diabetes industry where he helped to develop treatment protocols for diabetes patients – including those who were pregnant and in need of fast care.
When his company was sold “and I was the first guy fired,” he decided to jump off the entrepreneurial cliff, and looked at ways to apply some of the same methodologies in a completely different field – sports medicine.
Durschlag had spent much of his career learning about how substances are absorbed into the body quickly – so the question he was asking was, how to apply it in sports.
“In sports, what’s acute care?” he said.
The answer? Cramping and fatigue.
“Sodium is key to fluid dehydration and getting the fluids distributed,” he said.
So he started exploring how to replace sodium in an athlete’s body – and quickly. It led to a years-long rabbit hole that is finally starting to pay off.
The rabbit hole
First, he looked at “thin film.” Think those Listerine breath tabs. He developed patents around the methodologies – but there was a problem.
“When [an athlete[ is sweating, it’s trying to get that piece of film out of the cassette,” he said.
The company he developed based on the technology, Enlyten, would develop “sleep strips,” and was sold to a group in Oklahoma.
Next on the drawing board were concentrated drops, intended to be placed on the tongue. That technology led to FUSE Science, which he also sold. “Then I started working on aerosolization,” he said. “It was the most rapid way to get them back into the system other than an IV… It’s an atomized molecule sprayed into the mouth.”
The idea became BOA Sports in 2020. It started as a team of one. Durschlag teamed up with a group of investors who started BOA Nutrition, basically acquiring and absorbing BOA Sports two years ago. He later added a CEO, Jon Pritchett.
Charter investors include Martin Rennie, former head coach of the Carolina Railhawks, Rod Walters, president of sports medicine consultant Walters Inc, Eric Gibson, CMO of Golf Pride in Pinehurst, Alston Gardner of DGI Capital and Jay Harrison, a former Carolina Hurricanes player now at Game Change.
To date, the firm has raised nearly $3.8 million from individuals, though Durschlag says he is still the largest shareholder. Durschlag said the firm is raising a $2.5 million seed round right now, with a third raise likely in 2023.
And, when it obtained a certification ensuring that it did not contain any controlled substances, colleges started calling. BOA’s products are in multiple schools, from Clemson University to Florida State.
Durschlag credits a cold call he made to the Duke University Athletic Department before his idea was even baked, 15 years ago. They got him in touch with the sports medicine program at Duke University, which gave him the credibility to eventually start discussions with schools across the country.
What's next
The next step? Expanding the relationships and rolling out new products.
BOA started by targeting the endurance world with BOA Endure. It’s signed deals with Ironman, USA Triathlon Group and Europe’s Super League. With its new certification, the firm is expanding into “stick and ball sports.” The plan is to eventually target both professional and youth sports.
Along the way, new product launches are planned, such as BOA Ignite, described as a “smart sports fuel” with caffeine and sodium. It’s also developing a pair of lifestyle products, BOA Go, “a Five Hour Energy-type product” and BOA Lights Out, which comes with melatonin and chamomile intended to help a user sleep.