“Everything about your health is a serious matter, and everything you put in your body should be from a serious source. We are that serious source.”
Joel Kocher
Founder and CEO of HumanN
Joel Kocher, the founder and CEO of HumanN had a long, fairly notable career in tech before founding HumanN. He had been in the C-suite of some very high-profile companies, some of the fastest growth companies in history! When that part of his life came to a close, he was ready for something completely different. He set the bar high for himself and his future. He wanted every moment to matter. He had a need to put my feet on the floor every day with a sense of purpose, and to make a real difference. To be more accurate, a seriousness of purpose and changing lives by empowering others. Here is the origin story of HumanN, and why the origin may not be the product that you think.
A tech CEO and a clinical therapy researcher walked into an industry event.
Not long into my search, I attended an industry event where I met scientists who worked for the University of Texas Health Science Center. I found myself captivated by an informative and enlightening talk on the life-changing benefits of nitric oxide. I had an excited hunch that I met my mission. A series of discussions with these scientists turned that notion into certainty.
The discovery of nitric oxide was awarded a Nobel Prize in 1998. Among the numerous benefits of nitric oxide is the ability to support healthy blood pressure levels.
As the father of adult children, I want to stay in the game. I want to stick around for my kids. I also want to enjoy life and continue being competitive, especially with my five sons. (I won’t even let my sons win a paddleboard race—they have to take it from me.) I was intrigued by the research, testing and positive results behind nitric oxide. Bringing the powerful cardiovascular health benefits of nitric oxide quickly became my cause. I found my next great expedition. Best of all, it was science-based and held the potential to bring about real positive change in people’s lives.
We set up shop in an apartment, fueling our productivity with our conviction.
Neo40, our first nitric oxide product, was in its infancy when I met with the University of Texas Health Science Center team. Even so, it had potential, possibility and promise along with its share of hurdles. We set up shop in an apartment, fueling our productivity with our conviction. Working with two others that we introduced into the team, countless hours of development resulted in a potent supplement—but we had yet to round the bend. We needed to perfect a delivery system of the gas to the body.
Proof of delivery & effectiveness was required before we launched our first product, Neo40.
We found our answer in the current dissolvable lozenge. In addition to delivery of Neo40, we needed proof of delivery. So, we created accurate yet easy-to-use saliva test strips. We needed hard data to back up Neo40. And we have it — from research study after research study.
I am particularly proud of the study led by Dr. Ernst Schwarz, a world-renowned cardiologist and Medical Director of the Cardiac Support Program at Cedars-Sinai. This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study delivered great results on Neo40. Together with continued lab testing of ingredients and our finished formula, we have a product and process that’s easy to stand behind.
We hung out our virtual shingle, ready to reap the rewards of our hard work. Day one brought us a single, solitary sale. But it was better than no sale at all! I considered it a challenge and accepted it.
Quality is what matters the most to us.
Today, I carry that challenge with me as a reminder of our humble beginnings. I don’t walk in the door in the morning. I sprint, and then hit the ground running. I keep my focus on what matters—the quality of our supplement products and making them available to everyone. We stand out in an industry flooded with supplements that are, in essence, a marketing tactic to make money. Not Neo40. Not anything produced by HumanN.
We look our customers square in the eye and say, Everything about your health is a serious matter, and everything you put in your body should be from a serious source. We are that serious source. At the end of the day, I want to make a difference. I want to empower individuals with the ability to be greater than. To derive confidence from nourishing the body.
The magic words for me are, “You changed my life.” Those four words. That sentence, I hope, will be my legacy. It will mean I made a difference in someone’s life.