Nutrition Brand Aila Acquired by Ex-Olympian Entrepreneur Team

Aila, a maker of pre-workout wellness powders, has been acquired by retired Olympic athletes Andrew Steele and Greg Rutherford for an undisclosed fee.

Founded in 2018 by advertising executive Katie Moloney (nee Webb), aila has marketed its caffeine-free, two-SKU line of plant-based drink mixes – Get Going (Energy + Focus) and Keep Glowing (Strength + Immune) – primarily online, with a limited retail presence at stores like Urban Outfitters, Free People and Anthropologie.

In a LinkedIn post, Moloney said she had sold the company to “a group of Olympic athletes and successful entrepreneurs hailing from the UK, with diverse backgrounds in digital health, talent and performance nutrition.”

“I couldn’t have dreamed up a better fit for aila’s next chapter and am looking forward to seeing it thrive internationally,” she wrote. “I’m so excited for what the future holds for aila and can’t wait to see what the new leadership team will accomplish. Thank you for being a part of this journey with us.”

The new owners, Steele and Rutherford, previously both competed in the Olympic games as track and field athletes representing the United Kingdom; Steele earned a bronze medal for the 4 x 400 meter relay at the 2008 games in Beijing, while long jumper Rutherford took home the gold at the 2012 London games and bronze in 2016.

After his retirement from professional sports, Steele founded fitness startup DNAfit, which was acquired by Prenetics in 2018. He left his position as Chief Product Officer, Europe, Middle East and Africa at Prenetics in January.

Reached by phone today, co-CEOs Steele and Rutherford said they had been exploring opportunities in the natural nutrition market for “some time” before discovering aila, which Steele said impressed them with its flavor and market positioning as a better-for-you D2C brand.

“When I tested the product, I thought it was really great because it was such an opportunity to offer an all-natural alternative to the horrible world of pre-workouts,” Steele said. “You can imagine as sports people we have pre-workouts and they’re pretty unpleasant. But [poor flavor is] not what sports people are about nowadays, it’s almost in my mind like an old fashioned approach to nutrition.”

Steele said he sees an opportunity to grow aila into an everyday lifestyle brand that goes beyond pre-workout as well. While the duo will work to grow aila within their “own circles” of athletes to start, Steele said he doesn’t view it as a strictly “sports nutrition” brand and will explore options for reformulation and innovation.

Moloney, meanwhile, will turn her focus to KM Grow, the boutique marketing agency she founded in 2020. . However, Steele said he remains in communication with Moloney, who has regularly offered advice to the new owners as they get situated in the business.

Steele noted that the acquisition was for the assets of New York-based aila, and not a full acquisition of the corporation and the brand will now operate under a new business entity. While he and Rutherford will operate out of London, he said they still intend to keep the American business operating remotely.