Kent Yoshimura is co-founder & CEO of LA-based Neuro, a health and wellness company that creates approachable and effective consumable products that you can take anywhere, anytime to refresh your state of mind and do more.
Yoshimura is also a multi-media creative, filmmaker, and athlete. Throughout his professional career, he has directed content for global brands such as McDonald’s, Lego, AT&T, Benjamin Moore, and Ford, among many others. As an artist, he illustrated Master Davey and The Magic Tea House, which was released worldwide at all Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf locations, and his illustrations have traveled across children’s museums throughout the United States. He has been featured on NBC for his large-scale public art pieces, the New York Times for his mural work, and in TIME magazine, Huffington Post, Men’s Health, Vice, and NPR for his YouTube videos.
Alongside these ventures, Yoshimura currently paints large-scale murals as both a freelance artist and a qualified muralist through the Department of Cultural Affairs. He most recently co-designed the immersive toy store CAMP in New York, as well as The Sixth Collection for Jerry Lorenzo’s streetwear brand Fear of God. As a martial artist, Yoshimura competed internationally, fighting alongside Muay Thai champions in Thailand and serving as a training partner in Judo for Olympic medalists at the Kodokan and the Japanese royal guards within the Imperial Palace. He holds a degree in neuroscience from the University of California, San Diego.
Ryan Chen is co-founder & CFO of LA-based Neuro, a health and wellness company that creates functional gum and mints that you can take anywhere, anytime to refresh your state of mind and do more.
Chen was born and raised in LA, where he grew up committed to academics and playing sports, with a particular focus on kendo (Japanese fencing martial arts). He rose up to the black belt level and competed nationally in the United States and in Japan. Chen met Neuro co-founder Kent Yoshimura while they were both attending the University of California San Diego. Within the same year, Chen was involved in a snowboarding accident that left him paraplegic. Following Chen’s accident, his friendship with Yoshimura developed into a business founded upon the idea of helping people to do more, which would eventually become Neuro. Chen went on to graduate with degrees in two very different subjects–Economics and Chemistry–and later trained in racing with the US Paralympic team.
In addition to building the Neuro brand, Chen is an avid investor. He was named to Forbes’ 30 Under 30 in 2019.
What inspired you all to create this company?
At Neuro, we believe that people become the best version of themselves when their minds are in the right state at the right time. Unlike energy drinks or supplements, we wanted something that could be taken anytime, anywhere – always in your pocket for when you need it the most. That’s why we made functional gum and mints, to deliver just the right amount of what you need to energize, calm, and focus your mind in the moment.
What distinguishes your company and product in the market?
Unlike supplements or sugary energy drinks, we wanted to have a product that was shareable, affordable, and effective. Our functional gum and mints conveniently and effectively brings health into people’s pockets for when they need it the most.