David raises $75m Series A to disrupt functional nutrition market with high-protein, zero-sugar bar

In a significant milestone for the emerging field of functional nutrition, David has secured $75 million in Series A funding, with leading investment from Greenoaks and participation from Valor Equity Partners. The capital injection, announced in late May 2025, marks a major scaling opportunity for the health-focused startup, which launched its flagship high-protein, zero-sugar bar just eight months ago. In that short span, David has grown explosively—reaching over 3,000 retail outlets across the United States and setting an ambitious target to surpass $100 million in revenue within its first year of operations.

Led by Peter Rahal, co-founder and CEO, David’s Series A comes on the heels of its successful $10 million seed round in August 2024. That earlier round attracted a roster of high-profile health science figures including Dr. Andrew Huberman, Dr. Layne Norton, and Dr. Peter Attia, the latter of whom serves as the brand’s Chief Science Officer. The strong capital backing signals serious investor conviction in David’s mission: to create tools that build muscle, reduce fat, and advance evidence-based nutrition, without sacrificing convenience or taste.

What Sets David Apart in the Crowded Protein Bar Market?

What makes David’s ascent noteworthy isn’t just speed—it’s differentiation. The brand’s flagship protein bar delivers 28 grams of protein, contains zero grams of sugar, and clocks in at just 150 calories. This gives it the highest protein-to-calorie ratio in the category, according to the company’s own formulation metrics. While the protein bar industry is crowded with legacy brands and new challengers alike, few have made such a bold nutritional claim while gaining immediate traction at the retail level.

David’s launch into Wegmans and thousands of other U.S. retail locations underscores both its velocity and product-market fit. Analysts tracking the consumer packaged goods (CPG) space have noted that products with a singular health value proposition—particularly those focused on macros rather than flavors—are gaining momentum among millennial and Gen Z shoppers. These younger consumers are increasingly reading nutrition labels and prioritizing ingredient transparency. David appears to be capitalizing on that shift by building not just a bar, but a brand rooted in functional outcomes.

How Will David Use the Capital to Expand?

With demand outpacing supply in several channels, David plans to use the fresh capital to expand manufacturing, accelerate product innovation, and bolster inventory across both retail and digital platforms. According to Rahal, scaling infrastructure is essential to avoid stockouts and ensure the brand meets its high consumer demand without compromising its quality benchmarks.

The Series A round also facilitates vertical integration. In a move that’s already being interpreted as strategic insulation from ingredient supply shocks, David announced the acquisition of Epogee, the maker of EPG—a plant-based fat alternative used to reduce calories and fat content in food without diminishing flavor or texture. By acquiring the intellectual property and technology behind EPG, David strengthens its formulation capabilities while enhancing its ability to scale new product lines that adhere to its ultra-lean nutritional philosophy.

Rahal indicated that this acquisition wasn’t just about cost or control—it was about staying true to the brand’s nutritional promise. As Rahal stated, “This is about gaining control over our supply chain to move faster, stay true to our mission, and deliver food that improves health.” The integration of Epogee will allow David to fast-track additional product development, with possible future launches expanding into other snack or meal replacement categories.

What Are Investors Saying About David’s Growth Trajectory?

Investor sentiment around David reflects more than just optimism—it reflects conviction in the convergence of performance nutrition and convenience eating. Neil Shah, a partner at Greenoaks, emphasized the rarity of products that deliver both taste and nutritional integrity. In his statement, he credited the brand with breaking the long-standing tradeoff between convenience, taste, and health—a triangle that most food startups struggle to optimize simultaneously.

Shah noted that consumer response to David’s first product has been “some of the most enthusiastic customer feedback we’ve ever seen in CPG,” hinting that David’s direct-to-consumer loyalty and retail traction have exceeded benchmarks. This combination of grassroots buzz and capital firepower positions David to not only lead but potentially redefine the functional bar space, which was already valued at over $6 billion globally in 2024 and growing.

Is David Building a Nutrition Brand or a Health Tech Platform?

At its core, David is not presenting itself as just another food brand. The company’s own language repeatedly refers to “tools” rather than “snacks,” suggesting a mindset more akin to health tech or performance science than traditional CPG. This subtle branding shift is strategic—it allows the company to compete in emerging wellness categories where consumers view food not just as fuel, but as programmable input for body transformation.

With Peter Attia as Chief Science Officer and endorsements from scientific influencers like Andrew Huberman, David has positioned itself as a credibility-first brand, likely aiming to attract health-conscious buyers who are skeptical of flashy marketing but receptive to clinical data. This emphasis on functional benefits could help David build a deeper product portfolio in the future, possibly moving into supplements, meal replacements, or other evidence-backed formulations.

What Comes Next for David in a Competitive Nutrition Landscape?

Analysts expect the U.S. protein bar market to remain intensely competitive, with established players such as Quest Nutrition, RXBAR, and Kind defending their shelf space aggressively. However, David’s early velocity and premium nutritional proposition give it a distinct edge. Its ability to control ingredient IP, leverage scientific branding, and scale omnichannel retail suggests a roadmap that could rival even the most entrenched incumbents.

Industry insiders also speculate that David’s aggressive formulation strategy and vertical supply chain control could make it an acquisition target for larger health food conglomerates or sports nutrition firms. Yet, with a strong Series A and high-profile investor backing, the company appears intent on maintaining its independence for the foreseeable future.

David’s next chapter will likely be defined by how well it can continue to balance taste, convenience, and clinical integrity. If it succeeds, it may no longer be appropriate to call it just a “protein bar startup”—it could be the blueprint for a new category of functional nutrition platforms engineered for measurable health outcomes.