IT'S A BEAR MARKET

Grüns founder and CEO Chad Janis reveals the company's impressive revenue, a new retail partner, and what's next for the $500 million business.

- By DAVID LIDSKY

CHEW ON THIS Grüns CEO Chad Janis chalks up his success to his team of more than 100 employees, "who are extremely customer obsessed."

David, you've never heard of creatine? I can't believe you're still alive. You need to be taking creatine." Grüns CEO Chad Janis, who started exploring the idea of a gummies supplement brand in 2022, launched in 2023, and achieved a $500 million valuation earlier this year, isn't literally chiding me. (I have heard of creatine.)

Rather, he's referring to how most brands in the supplements market speak to their customers, attaching their products to a particular ingredient. "We take our efficacy and clinical studies very seriously," Janis says, "but we talk to consumers in a fun, friendly way that's a little bit sassy."

That sass is paying off: On its two-year anniversary last August, Grüns, which replaced messy greens powders with treat-size packs of eight gummies infused with 32 nutrients, "crossed $300 million ARR," according to Janis. (ARR is annualized revenue rate—taking one month's revenue and multiplying by 12.) That means Grüns did $25 million in one month, and it is likely on a path to deliver well over $200 million in 2025 revenue.

For context, consider the hottest startup market in history: 2025's AI boom. Cursor, the popular AI vibecoding app, hit $100 million ARR in 12 months in February, a record at the time. Working backward, Grüns was probably not far behind, which is remarkable for a consumer good.