Neuro-nutrition: Australian nootropic start-up Neuratech to pre-launch two brain health supplements for focus and stress

Boost is a focus and energy nootropic, while Calm is a stress and sleep nootropic. In April this year, Neuratech also launched its first product, Enhance, a nootropic supplement for memory function.

The firm has sold about 1,000 of its Enhance supplements since the launch, and is growing 20% month-on-month on average.

Neuro-nutrition​

The start-up was founded in 2017 by Filip Saric and Daniel Stone, who were inspired to make nootropics mainstream in Australia.

“At university, we saw students wanted something to help them get through their exams and we were aware of a category called smart drugs which are pharmaceuticals you get prescribed to help improve your brain if you have ADHD or narcolepsy or something similar​,” Saric told NutraIngredients-Asia​.

The co-founders said they wanted to create a natural product that could boost cognitive performance, but not in the pharmaceutical realm.

“We found out that there was an entire industry called nootropics that already existed in the US and Europe, but we couldn't see anything in Australia.”​

The co-founders then applied for an accelerator program at the University of Queensland and developed a product called Clarity, which was a powdered nootropic supplement sold for about a year. Clarity has since been discontinued.

Saric said the ultimate goal for the firm was to develop different nootropics focusing on individual brain-related needs such as stress or memory.

“Most companies create nootropics as an all-in-one type product to target every aspect of brain function such as focus, energy, mood, and stress. They tend to overload the formula, and have a lot of ingredients but use very low doses of each ingredient​.”

Watch Neuratech explain the future of nootropics and its two new products.

The firm is backing its products with scientifically validated ingredients.

“Another core principle we live by is including fewer ingredients per product but having the right doses of each ingredient. We do so by looking at the clinical studies that are available, and mimic the doses used in research into our products​,” Saric said.

For instance, its Enhance supplement contains 300mg per serving of Bacopa Monniera. Studies have shown that supplementing 150mg of Bacopa extract for six to 12 weeks provided significant improvements in memory scores.

Other ingredients in Enhance include Lion’s Mane Mushroom extract (500mg), phosphatidylserine - from soy lecithin (100mg), vitamin Bs and others. Clinical evidence have shown phosphatidylserine’s efficacy in improving memory scores in elderly over a six week period (at a dose of 100-300mg/day).

For Boost, it will contain ingredients such as zynamite, teacrine, L-theanine, and neuravena (green oat extract) and Calm would contain ashwaghandha, saffron, zinc, GABA and others.

The company is in the midst of testing the delivery format for Boost and Calm, in both powder and capsule. It is doing so by getting feedback from consumers on its private Facebook group as well as testers.

Its Enhance supplement is recommended to consume consistently (2 capsules daily), while the Boost and Calm are to be taen only when necessary.

The plan is to pre-launch Boost in October and roll out both products in the market by the end of this year.

Neuratech sources its ingredients globally, and manufactures the products in Melbourne.

Digital presence​

These days, Neuratech is focused primarily on its online direct-to-consumer channel and is also stocked in a few physical supplement stores in Australia.

Enhance is available on its website, New Zealand online supplement store Vitakea Supplements, and physical retail outlets like MM Fitness Nutrition and Supplement.

Saric said the firm is looking to expand into bigger supplement retailers across Australia, as well as independent stores, health food stores, and maybe even pharmacies.

“We would also like to partner with other relevant online retailers such as iHerb or Optimoz to get our product out to more people​.”

Once it increases its presence in Australia, an overseas expansion might be in the works for China, US and India.

Saric said: “I think the idea of improving your cognitive performance is probably something which is going to resonate well with everyone in China and US. The Indian market could be good too because a lot of our products come from traditional Indian medicine so these ingredients would resonate with consumers there​.”