Cigarette smoking is the leading preventable cause of death in the U.S., claiming almost half a million lives a year according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It’s also a tough habit to kick, with relapse rates estimated to be as high as 90 percent in the first year. Products like nicotine patches, gum and lozenges have been on the market for years to help smokers quit, but David Renteln felt they were “too clinical and provided a poor user experience.”
So, he and his co-founders John Coogan and Samy Hamdouche started Lucy Goods, a Los Angeles-based company that aims to manufacture nicotine gum that tastes better. The company announced Monday it closed on a $10 million Series A funding round.
Offering flavors like fruit, mint and cinnamon, Lucy claims its gum took inspiration from chemistry and flavor science to create a tobacco alternative that “tastes and feels amazing.” Right now, users can only purchase the product on the company’s website, where it offers monthly subscriptions.
The startup’s unconventional flavors and sleek branding have already prompted comparisons to Juul, an e-cigarette company that says its product was intended to be used to help cigarette smokers quit. However, it is now considered to be one of the leading causes of the youth vaping epidemic.
Lucy’s website, however, skews older and emphasizes its ability to help cigarette smokers quit with testimonials from ex-smokers who praise the product’s superior taste and performance.
“I don’t want anyone underage using any nicotine product or any drug in general,” Renteln told TechCrunch.
Renteln and his co-founders are all former executives at Soylent, another L.A. startup that provides personalized food supplements. This funding round was led by RRE Ventures with participation from FundRX, Vice Ventures and existing investors including Greycroft and Y Combinator.
“We’re excited to continue our mission of reducing nicotine related harm to zero,” Renteln said in a statement. “We plan to utilize these funds to create new and improved products and to expand our footprint in physical locations.”
