MOORESVILLE, NC. —Rowdy Energy, a better-for-you energy drink brand, has completed a $13 million funding round.
More than 40 investors participated in the round, including private equity fund CircleUp, entrepreneurs Marcus Lemonis and Scott Borchetta, sports company the Kraft Group and Michael Rubin, executive chairman of Fanatics, a sports apparel company.
Rowdy Energy was co-founded by Jeff Church, the entrepreneur behind bottled water brand NIKA Water Co. and cold pressed juice brand Suja Juice, and professional race car driver Kyle Busch. Made without sugar or artificial ingredients, the beverage features 160 mg of caffeine from green tea plus the nootropic L-Theanine to boost energy without the unwanted and irritable crash, according to the company. It is available in cherry limeade, peach mango, sour green apple, orange citrus, cotton candy, chiseled ice and strawberry lemonade flavors, five of which are keto certified.
“Rowdy is unique in its ability to deliver on the top three things energy drink consumers are looking for — flavor, value, and functional benefits — without the use of sugar or artificial ingredients,” said Ben Lee, managing director of CircleUp. “For too long, energy drink consumers have been forced to choose between unhealthy options that were chock full of these ingredients. Rowdy is one of the only brands using clean ingredients that is well positioned for the mainstream distribution channels, and Jeff and Kyle bring the experience and relationships to fully execute on the opportunity.”
Rowdy launched last year and currently is available across the country in retailers including Publix, Albertsons, H-E-B, Food Lion, Circle-K, CVS, Casey’s General Store, Murphy USA and WaWa. Funds from the $13 million round will go toward marketing initiatives and partnerships with retailers.
“The growth of Rowdy Energy in the past year has been beyond exciting and shows a true testimony as to how much I believe in this product,” Mr. Busch said. “Within just one year, Rowdy Energy has earned shelf space in over 25,000 retail stores, something that could not be accomplished without the unwavering support of investors as well as our retailers and consumers.”
