IMMUNO GUM®, the first product designed to combine six key herbal ingredients to support the immune system in a delicious chewing gum, has raised $1.25 million in angel funding led by
Tech Coast Angels
, the largest angel investor group in the United States The investment will support Immuno Gum’s rapid domestic and international sales growth.
This “Gum with benefits®” is gluten free, non-GMO, sugar free, and is available with no artificial sweeteners. Each product has a patent-pending herbal blend that includes Vitamin C, Echinacea, and Zinc. The company also offers a Vitamin-C only gum with 220 percent of the daily-recommended C. Because it’s a gum, the ingredients coat the throat for superior efficacy—better than competing drink powders or nasal sprays. Immuno Gum® is sold in five, 10 and 30-piece packs of Fresh Spearmint (no artificial sweeteners), Cool Mint, Juicy Citrus (Vitamin C only) and Bubble Gum (specially formulated for kids).
Representing the Irvine-based Tech Coast Angels as lead investor and board member, Mr. Hans Imhoff said, “Fortified foods are an exploding category as consumers look to get more healthy-ingredients in their foods. We feel Immuno Gum belongs on par with Emergen-C and Airborne as well-managed companies that bring healthy products to consumers.”
The company, founded by Terry O’Neil M.D., a Board Certified practicing emergency room physician, and a graduate of the Ivy League’s Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, has been under management of Chicklabs LLC, an incubator and accelerator with offices at
Chapman University
, since 2013. Chicklabs, LLC and Immuno Gum® are both led by Kirsten Mangers, who holds a duel role as CEO and president of both companies.
The investment is the largest of its kind at a start-up launching from Chapman University. Chicklabs’ unique business model invites entrepreneurs to its campus offices and launches businesses from within the campus environment.
“Chapman University and its Leatherby Center for Entrepreneurship and Business Ethics are proud to support the efforts of Chicklabs as it brings real-world business management onto the campus, adding to our culture of success,” added Dean Reggie Gilyard of the Argyos School of Business and Economics at Chapman University.
Founded in 2011, Immuno Gum® is currently sold online and in retail stores nationwide that include Raley’s, Giant Eagle, Vitamin World, 7-11, Sport Chalet, Drugstore.com, Amazon.com and on the company’s website,
www.immuno-gum.com
.
About Chicklabs, LLC.
Chicklabs, LLC is a business incubator and accelerator with offices on the campus of Chapman University in Orange, California. With a special emphasis on “chicks” or, women-led organizations and products for the female demographic, we specialize in serving a wide variety of businesses, including tech, new media, consumer product goods, and products with new ways of solving old problems. We accelerate companies by applying mentor services and resources, including seed funding, sales and marketing support, legal assistance, public relations, and professional networking. For more information, visit
www.chicklabsllc.com
or call (714) 516-5509.
About Immuno Gum®
IMMUNO GUM® is a patent-pending immunity-support product in the form of chewing gum. It is the only product of its kind that features six key ingredients that have been uniquely formulated to give the immune system daily support. It is chewed daily, or at an increased frequency when extra support is needed, such as the on-set of a cold. The highly portable, “no water required” gum appeals to consumers on-the-go and includes Zinc, Vitamin C, Echinacea, Siberian Ginseng, Elderberry, and Astragalus. For more information visit www.immuno-gum.com or call (844) 258-2952
About the Ralph W. Leatherby Center for Entrepreneurship and Ethics
Established in 1995, Chapman University’s Leatherby Center offers one of the nation’s most respected programs for entrepreneurial young men and women. The center aims to prepare and inspire principled, dynamic entrepreneurs whose ideas improve lives and solve important problems. Through innovative courses and real-world leadership, the center provides students with access to a range of resources, including professional mentoring, entrepreneurial internships, a multi-university network, community resources, events, speakers, research, professional groups, competitions and boot camps. The Leatherby Center is unique in its approach to connecting students with inventors, investors and real-world entrepreneurs. For more information, visit
www.chapman.edu/launch
About Chapman University
Consistently ranked among the top universities in the West, Chapman University provides a uniquely personalized and interdisciplinary educational experience to highly qualified students. Our programs encourage innovation, creativity and collaboration, and focus on developing global citizen-leaders who are distinctively prepared to improve their community and their world. . Visit
www.chapman.edu
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