The Energy Gel Renaissance: Redefining Energy Gels Through an Asian American Lens

A long wait in an Italian restaurant queue sparked a pivotal discussion to transform the running game.

In a category dominated by clinical branding and performance jargon, Pao Labs is taking a different approach to endurance nutrition. Founded by Zack, Celena and Ivy with backgrounds in finance and software, healthcare in search of more meaningful work.

What started as a personal experiment quickly evolved into a mission to create better-tasting performance fuel while expanding representation within running culture. By building in public, listening closely to its community, and embracing transparency through both wins and setbacks, Pao Labs is redefining what it takes to launch a modern CPG brand from the ground up.

Take a Read!

Q: Thanks for taking the time to speak with me today Zack. Give me the story behind Pao Labs and what inspired you to start the brand.

I’ll try to keep this short. At the end of 2023, my wife Celena and I were thinking seriously about family planning. We both worked in software at the time, and before that, we were in finance. My wife had actually transitioned into software prior to that because finance hours were intense, and we didn’t want to reach a point where we had to choose between spending time with our future child and providing for them.

One day, we sat down and told ourselves that if we were ever going to try entrepreneurship, this was the moment.

One Friday in New York City, we went to an Italian restaurant. The wait was an hour; I wanted to leave, but my wife reminded me that everywhere else would be busy too. We spent that hour talking through business ideas, some silly, some thoughtful. One thing became clear: we didn’t want to build another software product.

We wanted something physical, something we could pitch, sell, and actually hold in our hands.

We kept coming back to the idea of energy gels. The running space has evolved a lot since the pandemic. What used to feel dominated by white men in their 40s and 50s has shifted; run clubs are booming, and communities are becoming far more diverse.

But the products haven’t kept pace with that change.

We’re both marathon runners; my wife got me into it. I used to be a trail runner. I’ve run six marathons, and she’s run five. Through training, we realized something obvious: all energy gels taste terrible. Many contain ingredients that don’t actually benefit runners, and most brands focus heavily on scientific messaging rather than experience.

So we decided to try making our own.

For about a month, we ordered products on Amazon and experimented with formulas, struggling with texture and taste. Then I remembered my wife’s best friend from MIT was a scientist, so I asked my wife to reach out.

We called her and asked, half-jokingly, “Do you know how to make hydrogel products?”

She said, “Yes, I spent ten years working in cancer research, developing hydrogels in pharmaceutical settings.”

That moment changed everything.

We ordered ingredients, shared our goals, and began experimenting with her expertise. That collaboration sparked Pao Labs, fulfilling a personal need and addressing a gap in the running community.

Another important piece was cultural representation. Asian Americans make up less than 2% of participants in track and field. Culturally, many Asians don’t grow up seeing themselves as athletes; they’re often encouraged toward careers like medicine, law, or engineering. When you don’t see yourself represented in sports or in the products designed for athletes, it reinforces that disconnect.

Building a brand centered around our Asian American heritage became a way to change that — to help more people feel seen and welcomed in running culture.

Q: You mentioned coming from finance and software backgrounds. That’s common among emerging founders; many say the money is good, but the work lacks soul. Did that resonate with you?

Absolutely. We felt that deeply.

There’s a growing trend of people leaving traditional industries for CPG to build something meaningful and creative. For us, the gap wasn’t just representation — it was also how serious and clinical the energy gel category felt.

Even when branding is colorful, the messaging is still very science-heavy. And the people most underserved are often women and casual runners.

Casual runners know they need nutrition, so they grab a gel, think it tastes awful, and end up under-fueling during races like half marathons. We wanted to shift the focus away from pure technical messaging. The science matters, and we have the performance data to support our product, but emotionally, we wanted the brand to feel fun and welcoming.

Running has become overly serious. People compare $500 running shoes and performance stats, but most runners I know throw on old sneakers and run because it makes them feel good.

We wanted a brand that captured that joy, something that says, “You belong here. This is fun. And it can taste good too.”

People even tell me they eat our gels as snacks, and I have to remind them not to; they’re delicious, but they serve a specific purpose.

Q: How did you plan to reach casual runners with the brand?

From the beginning, we had a strong vision for the brand’s vibe. As Asian Americans, representation mattered not just in the product but in who we worked with.

My wife found an illustrator named Caitlin, who was also an influencer. She wasn’t a traditional brand designer, but her illustrations immediately captured the feeling we wanted to convey. She told us branding wasn’t her full-time job, which actually worked perfectly. There was flexibility in how we collaborated, and she genuinely wanted to be part of building something meaningful.

Working with large agencies can cost $10–15K for a few iterations, which is a lot for first-time founders who don’t know what to expect. We understood agencies have businesses to run, but value alignment mattered more to us.

Q: When you launched, were you focused on DTC or retail? What was your strategy?

Looking back, I sometimes ask myself what our launch strategy even was.

In simple terms, we decided to build in public.

We’re bootstrapping and didn’t want to raise money just to recreate another 9-to-5 with investors. Paid ads were out of budget, so we focused on the community.

Everyone prioritizes digital growth, but physical interaction matters. Before we even had a finished product, we were sampling gels at New York run clubs and collecting feedback — texture, stomach comfort, flavor intensity, performance during runs.

That helped with two things: product refinement and organic marketing.

We tested an early version during a marathon and realized it was too thick, prompting key adjustments that shaped the final product.

By launch, we had built a mailing list of several thousand people. Our first batch of 5,000 units sold out before the official launch, and we actually had to pause marketing.

We intentionally niched down instead of trying to appeal to everyone. Because we’ve been transparent throughout the process, customers have been incredibly supportive, even when things sell out or go wrong.

We focused primarily on DTC. Our philosophy is that if you win in DTC, retailers will eventually come to you.

Q: Since you didn’t come from a CPG background, how did you divide roles within the company?

That evolved over time. At first, we were pretty naive about it.

Our third co-founder oversees formulation and parts of the supply chain, with a focus on sourcing rare Asian fruits for the U.S. market. Based in the Bay Area, she is not involved in daily operations.

My wife handles marketing and community relationships. We partnered with Asian American creators in the running space who genuinely wanted to support a small brand. We A/B tested products over about a month, which helped us build real relationships rather than transactional partnerships.

We’ve been able to scale marketing without paying for influencer campaigns yet, though we plan to invest in them later.

I am responsible for operations, including finances, QuickBooks, customer support, and backend logistics. Additionally, I have taken on the role of spokesperson for the brand.

So far, outside of attending The Running Event trade show in San Antonio, we haven’t spent money on marketing.

Q: What communities have supported your growth?

We’re active in Startup CPG and Founded Outdoors. Recently, we were accepted into an REI accelerator called Path Ahead Ventures.

REI has been incredible because their approach isn’t just profit-driven; they focus on community, DEI, and empowering BIPOC founders. The marketing intensive alone helped us develop a clearer strategy for both organic and paid growth moving forward.

Q: Do you plan to bootstrap long-term, or raise funding eventually?

Never say never. But right now, we’re not actively seeking funding.

Operationally, we’re still building the foundation, and we want to grow sustainably before considering outside capital.

Q: What would you say is the most overwhelming part of being a CPG founder?

I think everyone says this, but you’re constantly directionally challenged.

There are always things to do, and sometimes you freeze because the big picture makes it hard to prioritize. You have to step back and break things down.

Right now, for example, we’re paused because of manufacturing machine issues, which means we’ve had to freeze marketing on our socials. We stay transparent with our community because that’s important to us, but figuring out the roadmap is hard — especially when you don’t know what you don’t know.

That’s why accelerators and mentors are so valuable. I have a running coach, and honestly, I realized I need one for business too.

Recently, during the LA Marathon on March 8, customers were reaching out asking where their orders were. We posted openly on Instagram about the issue and shared our plan to hand-make gels and send them out for free so runners would still have product for race day.

One of our partners saw the post and reached out, saying they had leftover inventory they were happy to sell back to us. We were able to contact runners with upcoming races and get the product to them in time.

It was a huge learning moment. People train with these gels for months — not having them on race day can genuinely disrupt their performance. That’s something we hadn’t fully realized before.

Q: Since your visual identity draws from your Asian heritage, how did you translate that into messaging that also resonates with an American audience?

The three of us wanted our voices to be very present in the brand.

We wrote most of the copy ourselves. When needed, we used AI — not to replace our voice, but to help refine language or navigate areas we couldn’t legally say. With products like energy gels, there are strict regulations around claims, so we have to be careful about messaging.

At the core, though, our communication centers on our story. That authenticity resonates more than corporate jargon ever could.

Q: Last question, what are you most excited about right now?

For me, it’s continuity.

The brand has resonated strongly with people, and the market clearly understands there’s a gap. Through the REI program and mentorship, we’re building systems that will prevent the manufacturing issues we’ve faced.

For example, we wanted to sponsor a half marathon event and launch two new flavors, but couldn’t because of production delays.

What excites me now is reaching a point where we have consistent operations and reliable metrics , where we can confidently plan launches, measure growth, and execute without interruption.

That stability is what I’m most looking forward to.

As a casual runner who has had horrible experiences with energy gels on the market, I was so excited when I came across the Pao Labs brand on Instagram. Although the founders hadn’t had traditional CPG experience, they recognized the gap for casual runners and created a solution. Also, seeing people of color continue to disrupt spaces that are traditionally unwelcoming to us is always great. I’m looking forward to the brand’s restock so I can finally grab a few gels for my morning runs.

~ Dalji, CPG Copywriter at Mocktale Creative

DORA: Takeaways for emerging CPG founders

1. If you are the customer, you shortcut months of guesswork. Deep personal insight often beats theoretical market opportunity. Pao Labs didn’t start with market research decks or trend reports — it started with frustration. The founders were marathon runners who genuinely disliked the products available to them. Because they were solving their own problem, they understood the nuances others overlooked: taste fatigue, accessibility for casual runners, and lack of cultural representation.

2. Early-stage growth doesn’t require massive budgets. It requires proximity to your audience.

   • Test publicly.

   • Collect feedback early.

   • Let customers feel ownership in the process.

   Community validation can become your most effective marketing channel.

3. Customers don’t expect perfection, they expect honesty. Transparency turns setbacks into relationship-building moments and transforms customers into advocates.

Want to add these energy gels do your running fuel line up? Preorder here