A brand that earns over 18 million US dollars annually on TikTok has actually just added caffeine to ordinary gum!

A brand that earns over $18 million a year on TikTok by just adding caffeine to ordinary gum!

What comes to your mind when you think of gum? In most people's perception, the function of gum seems firmly locked into 'oral care.' However, in the U.S., a brand has added caffeine and L-theanine to this tiny gum base, turning ordinary gum that costs a few cents a pack into a functional product priced at nearly $1 per piece.

This is Neuro Gum.

Source: Google

By introducing the concept of 'nootropic functional' into consumer packaged goods, Neuro Gum carved out a niche in the highly competitive overseas market.

It not only became the fastest-growing health brand on TikTok Shop, but also its related topic videos on TikTok have surpassed 1 billion views. The single channel of TikTok Shop alone contributed tens of millions of dollars in GMV.

From an unknown startup to a billion-revenue giant, how was Neuro Gum made?

Source: TikTok Shop

Starting from pain points to build a billion-level brand

All great innovations often begin with capturing pain points in life.

Neuro Gum founders Kent Yoshimura and Ryan Chen are college friends and both competitive athletes.

Both faced the same problem: the pace of training, studying, and socializing was too fast; traditional energy drinks either worked too slowly or caused palpitations and shaky hands.

Yoshimura, then a neuroscience major, started mixing supplements in his dorm. Each of them contributed $20,000, and Chen even withdrew his entire retirement savings. In 2015, Neuro Gum was officially launched.

Source: Neuro Gum

The early days were not smooth. For the first few years, both took no salary and lived on credit card points. A turning point came in 2020. The two appeared on the 11th season of the U.S. entrepreneurial reality show 'Shark Tank' seeking $750,000 for 5% equity. At that time, the brand had annual revenue of $3.5 million and was in about 5,500 retail stores.

Kevin O'Leary offered $750,000 for 5% equity plus a $0.50 royalty per unit; Robert Herjavec offered $1 million for 20% equity. Both rejected, believing the valuation was too low and unfair to existing investors.

Source: Instagram

The decision proved right. After the show aired, orders surged over 700%. Retailers who had ignored them before started calling proactively.

In February 2023, the company completed an $8.25 million Series A funding round. In 2024, it moved from Los Angeles to Las Vegas and was ranked the second fastest-growing company locally on the Inc. 5000 list.

In March 2026, Neuro Gum returned to the 17th season of 'Shark Tank' for an update — becoming the first brand in the show's history to return after turning down an investment and eventually secure one. Daniel Lubetzky, the founder of Kind Bar who had previously turned down investment, is now officially a partner of Neuro Gum.

As of 2026, the brand has sold over 500 million pieces of gum and mints, with a valuation exceeding $100 million.

Source: Neuro Gum

The logic behind 'dominating the charts' on TikTok: turning short videos into home shopping TV

Neuro Gum's explosion from a niche independent brand to a billion-level enterprise was driven by TikTok Shop and short video marketing as core engines.

On January 20, 2024, the brand officially launched on TikTok Shop. Growth was not rapid in the first few months; the team did not rush into advertising but spent time testing and optimizing content direction. By July 2024, sales began to accelerate.

Their approach on TikTok can be summarized in three keywords: high-frequency content, authentic storytelling, and a creator matrix.

Source: TikTok

- High-frequency content

In 2024, Neuro Gum officially set a rule: post short videos every day for 365 consecutive days. This high-frequency exposure not only maintained the brand's popularity but also continuously tested content boundaries through the algorithm.

It was this persistence that allowed brand-related topics on TikTok to accumulate considerable views, laying the traffic foundation for a breakout in 2025 and 2026.

Its official account @neurogum also accumulated 349,000 followers, and its 1,435 videos received over 90.73 million views, averaging 68,700 views per video.

Source: TikTok

Not only that, but the brand's overall performance on TikTok is even more impressive.

Over the past year, the total number of videos featuring Neuro Gum products across the platform exceeded 32,000, and content impressions surpassed 1.867 billion, far exceeding the category average.

This massive content accumulation also played a significant role in the brand's conversion. Data shows that the brand's cumulative gross merchandise value on TikTok Shop reached $18,591,300 (over the past year), placing it in the top tier within its category.

For Neuro Gum, TikTok Shop has grown from a new channel into one of the main battlegrounds contributing core revenue.

Source: kalodata

- Authentic storytelling

Ordinary gum is hard to showcase effects in short videos, but functional gum is different. Neuro Gum cleverly seized this opportunity by focusing on product functionality through 'state comparisons.'

Their content does not pursue a glossy, commercial feel; instead, it adopts a Brutalist (rough, authentic) style.

No elaborate lighting or scripts; instead, they feature a large amount of real user experience sharing, street random interviews, and testimonials from ordinary people. For example, asking a passerby to chew one on the spot and report physical changes after 5 minutes, or stopping workers on their way home from work to compare the effects of drinking energy drinks versus chewing Neuro.

Source: TikTok

For example, in the following video from TikTok creator @adams_deals, the opening uses a highly provocative sentence to pique curiosity, then leverages recommendations from public figures like Joe Rogan and Steve Aoki for trust endorsement, adds hard evidence like research report screenshots, and finally creates a sense of scarcity with 'often sold out.'

The entire video has a tight pace and logical progression, covering several key elements of Neuro Gum's content strategy. This video ultimately garnered 3.6 million views and directly generated $16,900 in sales.

Thus, authentic content combined with precise conversion design is indeed more effective than polished but ineffective advertisements.

Source: TikTok

Source: kalodata

- Creator matrix

In collaborating with influencers, Neuro Gum did not allocate its entire budget to top-tier KOLs; instead, it aggressively built connections with mid-to-low-tier influencers and KOCs with tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of followers.

They not only reached out to health bloggers but also penetrated into game streamers (who need focus for esports), office workers (daily commuting), students, fitness enthusiasts, and even ride-hailing drivers (to stay alert on long drives)—covering all circles that require a boost of energy.

Source: kalodata

The advantage of this full-circle penetration strategy is clear: traffic sources do not rely on a single group, risks are diversified, and users from different circles cross-influence each other, creating a perception of 'I see this brand everywhere' and a sense of cognitive surround.

The data also confirms the effectiveness of this strategy. In the past 30 days, more than 11,000 affiliate creators have posted content related to Neuro Gum, producing nearly 3,800 promotional videos.

These creators contributed $744,400 in GMV through the affiliate channel, accounting for over 85% of the brand's total TikTok Shop revenue ($869,200) in the past 30 days.

In other words, for every $10 sold on TikTok Shop, more than $8.50 came from influencer-driven sales.

Source: kalodata

Final Thoughts

In the past, a brand going from zero to $100 million might have taken ten years, tens of millions in advertising budget, and lengthy channel distribution. But now, a sharp product idea combined with deep engagement on emerging traffic platforms can make the same leap in a much shorter time.

The rise of TikTok Shop allows brands to bypass the traditional multi-layered funnel, reaching consumers directly with content, educating them, and completing transactions—all within the same app in a closed loop.

For Chinese companies looking to go global, this is arguably the most important infrastructure shift to pay attention to in recent years.

Of course, opportunities and challenges always coexist. Strategies for different categories and target markets will inevitably vary, but one thing is certain: the rules of the overseas market are being rewritten, and those rewriting them are often not the ones with the most resources, but those who first understand the changes and act the fastest.