Gymshark began in 2012 as a garage-born fitness apparel brand created by Ben Francis, a 19-year-old student in Birmingham. What started with a screen-printing press and Shopify storefront evolved into one of the most successful DTC-to-global retail transitions of the last decade.

Huel, founded in 2014 by Julian Hearn and James Collier, set out to redefine food as “complete nutrition.” The brand’s mission — delivering convenient, affordable, nutritionally complete meals — made it a pioneer of the “functional food” category.

AG1 was founded in 2010 by Chris Ashenden to simplify daily nutrition with a single, comprehensive greens formula. The company has since evolved into a discipline‑led wellness brand known for a “one product, one promise” focus (AG1) — recently expanding into complementary SKUs while preserving DTC subscription economics.

BRĒZ launched in 2023 to create a credible, feel‑good alternative to alcohol: micro‑dosed, hemp‑derived THC + CBD beverages stacked with lion’s mane and adaptogens — later expanding into THC‑free functional tonics (e.g., Flow).

OLIPOP launched in 2018, founded by Ben Goodwin and David Lester to reinvent soda with prebiotics, plant fiber, and a fraction of the sugar. The brand stands for “a new kind of soda” — nostalgic flavors delivered with digestive‑health support — and has rapidly evolved from a challenger in natural grocery to a national retail force with a growing DTC subscription base.

WHOOP was founded in 2012 by Will Ahmed (with early co-founders John Capodilupo and Aurelian Nicolae) to decode human performance through continuous physiology — turning recovery, sleep, and strain into daily coaching.