URGE
CANDIES
Urge
Functional candy. Starting with lollipops — a new format every year. We're building the candy brand for people who actually give a damn about what they put in their bodies.
Chicago, IL
Growth Round · $850K – $1M
Consumer Food · Functional
US + Mexico
SAFE
Two founders. Same gap. Different room.
A John Summit show.
Everyone was holding a lollipop.
Everyone was holding a lollipop.
Not eating them. Holding them. Working them. It was a prop, a flirt, something to do with your hands at midnight when you're deep in a set and the last thing you want is a drink. I kept watching it happen — not once, not a few people. Everyone. And the product they were all holding was a hundred-year-old piece of sugar on a stick that did absolutely nothing.
I didn't see a gap in the market. I saw something obvious that no one had bothered to fix.
Same week. Different part of Chicago.
Ivan was at Whole Foods with his two kids, reading the back of every candy package on the shelf. Looking for something functional. Something cleaner. Something that didn't taste like it was trying to be healthy. The shelves were full of compromises — either it tastes like candy and does nothing, or it has something in it and tastes like a supplement in a wrapper.
Two founders. Two completely different rooms. The exact same hole in the market.
I didn't see a gap in the market. I saw something obvious that no one had bothered to fix.
Same week. Different part of Chicago.
Ivan was at Whole Foods with his two kids, reading the back of every candy package on the shelf. Looking for something functional. Something cleaner. Something that didn't taste like it was trying to be healthy. The shelves were full of compromises — either it tastes like candy and does nothing, or it has something in it and tastes like a supplement in a wrapper.
Two founders. Two completely different rooms. The exact same hole in the market.
The Brand Thesis
We started with lollipops because that's what I saw at the show. But this isn't a lollipop company. The plan is one new candy format per year — build the brand so strong that every launch is an event. Be like Redbull: own every culturally relevant space and build a community around the brand. Be like Liquid Death: give the non-drinker something they actually want to hold. Be like Poppi and Olipop: prove that a dismissed category can be completely reinvented from the inside. The candy aisle is more broken than any of those categories were. We have more room to run.
The Market — Why This Is the Right Moment
$7.8B
Global lollipop market 2026 — growing to $11.6B by 2035
9.4%
Sugar-free lollipop CAGR 2025–30 — fastest-growing segment, outpacing conventional 2x
$68B
Global functional confectionery 2024 — projected $136B by 2033 at 8% CAGR
60%
US consumers actively seeking low-sugar snacks — per FDA data
The US lollipop market did $568M in the last 52 weeks. At ~$0.60 per unit, that's roughly 940 million lollipops sold annually — about 2.6 million consumed every single day in the US alone. At 10–15 minutes per pop, somewhere between 500,000 and 1.2 million Americans are actively sucking a lollipop at any given moment. None of them are getting anything from it. That's the entire pitch.
Who This Is For
The Night Out
EDM festivals, concerts, gay bars. The oral fixation is already happening. Urge makes it functional. Something to share, something to talk about, something that works for you while the music does.
The Sober-Curious
People choosing to not drink who still want something in their hands. A social prop that actually does something — hydrates, energizes, recovers. No mocktail required.
The Everyday
DTC subscription, health food, Hispanic grocery, fitness expos. Zero sugar, real function. The person who wants better and won't settle for candy that's just candy.
The Product — 5 SKUs. 5 Occasions. Built to Expand.
Sugar-free hard candy lollipops. Isomalt + erythritol base. Zero sugar, zero calories. Classified as conventional food under 21 CFR Part 101 — not a supplement. No compliance burden. No Supplement Facts panel. Just candy that works. Every ingredient GRAS or FDA-approved.
Launching Summer 2026
SKU 1 — Hydration
Berry · Cherry · Tropical
235mg Potassium · 115mg Sodium · 60mg Vitamin C · 5.5mg B3 · 2.0mg B5 · 0.47mg B6 · 5µg B12 · 12.4mg Magnesium · 0.5mg Zinc — per pop.
Two pops: 133% DV Vitamin C, 417% DV B12. "Electrolytes support proper hydration."
SKU 2 — Anti-Stress
Mango · Tamarindo · Tropical
576mg Glycine · 115mg L-Theanine · 68.5mg Magnesium · 6.9mg Zinc · 23mg Chamomile (Manzanilla) — per pop.
Two pops = 33% DV Magnesium. "L-Theanine + Glycine + Chamomile. Calm without sedation."
Full 2026 SKU Roadmap — 5 Occasions, 5 Revenue Lines
H
Hydration Launching
Festival-native. The electrolyte lollipop. Wedge product that gets Urge into every major event this summer.
A
Anti-Stress Launching
WINMIX formulation. The sober-curious occasion. For the person at the show who wants to feel something without drinking.
S
Sleep Q3 2026
Biggest growth category in supplements right now. Melatonin gummies alone are a billion-dollar market. No premium adult sleep lollipop exists. First-mover window. Highest revenue potential of the five.
F
Focus / Nootropic Q4 2026
$5B nootropic market by 2034. Young, urban, premium-willing — the exact demographic Urge is built for. Highest average selling price in the supplement space.
I
Immune Q4 2026
Year-round demand. North America leads 35% of global functional lollipop launches in immunity formats. Consumer is already educated and buying. Fastest velocity to retail placement.
Flavor strategy: No more Cherry Red Blow Pop energy. Think Berry Red Hot. Tropical profiles built for Mexico, Puerto Rico, Ibiza — and the communities Urge is made for. As the brand expands, the flavors travel with it. The name "Urge" is doing work here: it implies desire, impulse, something you reach for.
Go-to-Market — Where Urge Lives
Distribution Strategy
We go where the behavior already is. Festivals, gay bars, LGBTQ+ events, nightlife venues, fitness events — places where people are already holding something in their hands and could be holding something better. DTC online for the daily subscriber. And cannabis dispensaries — a channel we're quietly excited about, because dispensary customers are already spending on functional, feel-good products and skipping alcohol. Urge fits that shelf naturally.
The difference between us and every other brand trying to reach these communities: we don't have to try. Omar has spent years inside Chicago's music and LGBTQ scene — not as a marketer, as a person. These are his people. The relationships that seed a brand like this aren't bought. They're lived. Year one distribution doesn't start with cold outreach. It starts with a text.
The difference between us and every other brand trying to reach these communities: we don't have to try. Omar has spent years inside Chicago's music and LGBTQ scene — not as a marketer, as a person. These are his people. The relationships that seed a brand like this aren't bought. They're lived. Year one distribution doesn't start with cold outreach. It starts with a text.
Target Festival + Event Segments (Midwest-First Strategy)
| Event | Type | Attendance | Region | Focus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago Pride Parade | LGBTQ+ Anchor | 1,000,000 | Chicago | Mass LGBTQ+ — the Urge heartland |
| Summerfest (WI) | Anchor | 555,925 | Midwest | Mass-market music festival |
| North Coast Music Festival | Anchor | 90,000 | Chicago | EDM / Chicago flagship |
| Northalsted Market Days | LGBTQ+ Regional | 100,000 | Chicago | LGBTQ+ street festival |
| Arc Music Festival | Regional | 60,000 | Chicago | Deep house / electronic |
| Lost Lands (OH) | Regional | 40,000 | Midwest | Bass, EDM |
| Movement Detroit | Regional | 30,000 | Midwest | Techno |
| Beyond Wonderland (IL) | Regional | 25,000 | Chicago | EDM |
| Indy 500 Snake Pit | Regional | 25,000 | Indianapolis | EDM |
| PrideFest Milwaukee | LGBTQ+ Regional | 46,168 | Midwest | LGBTQ+ festival |
Cannabis Retail — The Emerging Channel
Dispensary customers are already seeking functional, feel-good products without alcohol. The Urge positioning is a natural fit — sober-curious, wellness-forward, social-occasion-driven.
RISE Cannabis · Sunnyside / Cresco
Curaleaf · Zen Leaf / Verano
Trulieve · Multi-state operators
Curaleaf · Zen Leaf / Verano
Trulieve · Multi-state operators
Projected Festival Revenue (Midwest Only)
Total addressable Midwest festival attendance: 885,925
@ 1% conversion
$177K
@ 2% conversion
$354K
Venue targets include: Salt Shed (7,000 cap), Radius Chicago (4,000), Concord Music Hall (1,490), Sidetrack Chicago (LGBTQ+ nightlife), PRYSM Chicago. Fitness crossover: HYROX Chicago, Illinois Marathon Weekend — recovery use case for the hydration SKU.
The Business Case
72.5%
Gross margin per pack — exceptional for CPG
$14.50
Gross profit per 10-pack @ $20 DTC price
$400K
Revenue from Run 1 (20K packs)
$446K
Projected cash position end of Year 1
Run 1 Unit Economics
Per Pop / Per Pack
Production cost / pop: $0.55
Landed cost / pop: $0.56
COGS / 10-pack: $5.62
DTC price / 10-pack: $20.00
Gross profit / pack: $14.50
Gross margin: 72.5%
Landed cost / pop: $0.56
COGS / 10-pack: $5.62
DTC price / 10-pack: $20.00
Gross profit / pack: $14.50
Gross margin: 72.5%
Run 1 Total (250K Pops)
Total pops produced: 250,000
Sampling allocation: 50,000 pops
Sellable packs: 20,000
Total landed COGS: $140,500
Revenue: $400,000
Gross profit: $259,500
Sampling allocation: 50,000 pops
Sellable packs: 20,000
Total landed COGS: $140,500
Revenue: $400,000
Gross profit: $259,500
3-Run Scaling — Cost Goes Down, Margins Go Up
Our current model projects Year 1 ending cash of $1.4M — and $8.2M by end of Year 2. Revenue model includes festival, TikTok organic, TikTok Shop, subscription, and DTC channels. All projections are subject to change as we learn from market and production. Full model available on request.
Capital Allocation — Two-Phase Deployment
| Line Item | Budget | % of Round | What It Covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phase 1 — Run 1 Launch | |||
| R&D (5 SKU formulations) | $10,000 | 1.2% | Formulation, sampling, stability testing, flavor iterations |
| Manufacturing (250K pops, landed) | $140,500 | 16.5% | Core mfg, ingredients, actives, labor, primary packaging, freight via Mexico partner |
| Festival Activation + Sampling | $60,000 | 7.1% | 50K sampling pops, Chicago + Miami activations, PR seeding, influencers |
| Fulfillment / DTC Setup | $15,000 | 1.8% | Shopify + subscription, 3PL setup, inserts, shipping materials |
| Legal / IP / G&A | $10,000 | 1.2% | Incorporation, insurance, trademarks, bookkeeping |
| Working Capital Reserve | $19,500 | 2.3% | Freight variances, packaging overages, buffer |
| Phase 1 Subtotal | $255,000 | 30% | Full Run 1 operational launch — Chicago + Miami summer 2026 |
| Phase 2 — Run 2 Initiation + National GTM | |||
| Run 2 Manufacturing Deposit | $225,000 | 26.5% | 50% deposit on 500K pop second run — funded from capital + Run 1 revenue |
| National Festival Activation | $150,000 | 17.6% | Chicago + Miami primary; Lollapalooza + HYROX seeding for Year 2 ramp |
| DTC + Subscription + TikTok Shop | $40,000 | 4.7% | Subscription commerce, TikTok Shop integration, loyalty + retention |
| Operations + Sales Hire | $120,000 | 14.1% | Head of Sales/Ops, 12 months — festival execution + retail relationship building |
| Strategic Reserve | $60,000 | 7.1% | Market opportunity, unexpected friction, bridge to profitability |
| Total Round | $850,000 | 100% | Two-phase deployment — launch + scale |
Phase 1 ($255K) covers the full Run 1 launch. Phase 2 ($595K) funds Run 2 initiation and national GTM — deployed from combined capital + Run 1 revenue. Monthly burn (Phase 1 ops): $10–13K. Breakeven: 1,500 packs/month. Cash-flow positive above 2,000 packs/month.
12-Month Cash Flow
| Phase | Period | Activity | Packs Sold | Revenue | Cash (Cumulative) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Raise | Month 0 | Growth round deposited | — | — | $850,000 |
| Build | M1–M2 | R&D + deposits + production + freight | 0 | $0 | $699,500 |
| Launch | M3 | Pre-launch, site live, first sales | 600 | $12,000 | $705,500 |
| Early Traction | M4–M5 | DTC launch + first festival events | 3,850 | $77,000 | $754,500 |
| Ramp | M6–M7 | Festivals + DTC ramp | 5,000 | $100,000 | $814,500 |
| Peak | M8 | Festival activation peak | 2,650 | $53,000 | $857,500 |
| Sustain | M9–M10 | Steady ops + PR push | 4,450 | $89,000 | $932,500 |
| Optimize | M11–M12 | Reorder planning + Year 2 prep | 3,450 | $69,000 | $996,500 |
The Ask — Growth Round
$850K
SAFE · Valuation cap set with lead investor · The window to be in early is now.
Round Structure
Lead investor — first in, best terms
The first major check sets the cap. If you're leading this round, you're in the best position.
The first major check sets the cap. If you're leading this round, you're in the best position.
Co-investors — standard SAFE
Aligned terms for everyone who follows the lead. Early believers still get pro-rata rights.
Aligned terms for everyone who follows the lead. Early believers still get pro-rata rights.
Pro-rata rights in Series A
Investors in this round get the right to maintain ownership when we scale. Your early conviction grows with us.
Investors in this round get the right to maintain ownership when we scale. Your early conviction grows with us.
Quarterly transparency
Festival velocity data, DTC repeat rates, SKU performance. You're a partner with full visibility.
Festival velocity data, DTC repeat rates, SKU performance. You're a partner with full visibility.
What This Capital Does
Phase 1 — Launch Run 1 · 250K pops manufactured, Chicago + Miami festival debut July–August 2026, 20K sellable packs, 50K sampled
Phase 2 — Initiate Run 2 · 500K pop second run deposited before Year 1 ends — no second raise required
DTC mid-August + TikTok Shop · Subscription platform live, organic TikTok, Instagram — year-round revenue channel
Close Year 1 approaching $1M in bank · Fully self-funded into Year 2 national expansion
After This Round — Two Paths
Path A — Stay independent: Run 1 revenue + Phase 2 capital self-funds Run 2 and national activation. The business builds to profitability without a second institutional raise. ·
Path B — Series A acceleration: After 90–120 days of DTC velocity data, proven CAC, and festival repeat behavior — raise a Series A to accelerate national distribution, launch new candy formats, and expand into Lollapalooza, HYROX, and the US Hispanic retail channel through our Mexico factory partner.
Why This Won't Be Copied — 5 Reasons
1
We're touching the entire category — not just one use case
Zollipops does Vitamin C. Electropops does electrolytes. SUKR and Le Lick have entered the electrolyte space with one product each. Urge is building a full occasion architecture: 5 SKUs, each with its own customer, channel, and revenue line — sleep, focus, immune, hydration, anti-stress. One format. The whole better-for-you category. Nobody else is thinking this big.
2
Our Mexico candy factory is an investor — not a vendor
They believed in this early enough to put capital into Urge and co-lead R&D, sampling, and initial production. Decades of confectionery history, government export certifications, 35+ country distribution, and deep knowledge of how candy moves from event to event across markets. Ivan sourced this relationship. It cannot be recreated from the outside.
3
The US Hispanic market is the unlock
65M+ US Hispanic consumers — and almost no functional better-for-you brands built from inside that community. There's a critical difference between brands that market to this community and brands born from it. We're born from it. Omar is Puerto Rican and Guatemalan. Our factory is in Mexico. Our flavors are built around these palates. You can't replicate that authenticity at scale, and no competitor is even trying.
4
Regulatory clarity gives us a head start
Conventional food classification (21 CFR 101) — no supplement registration, no NDI notifications. Competitors building functional candy as dietary supplements carry compliance burden that slows them down. We built around it from day one.
5
The brand is the moat
Anyone can copy a formula. Nobody can copy a brand born at a John Summit show, built by founders who actually live in these communities, packaged by a designer who came from Hims & Hers (name available on request), and seeded through relationships that took years to earn. The formula gets you on the shelf. The brand is why people come back.
Competitive Landscape
| Brand | Sugar-Free | Electrolytes | B-Vitamins | Clinical Doses | MX Mfg | Festival Native |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Urge ✦ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| SUKR | ✓ | ✓ | — | Partial | — | Partial |
| Le Lick | ✓ | ✓ | — | Partial | — | — |
| Zollipops | ✓ | — | — | — | — | — |
| Electropops | ✓ | ✓ | — | Partial | — | — |
| Dr. John's Vitamin Pops | ✓ | — | — | Partial | — | — |
| YumEarth | — | — | — | — | ✓ | — |
Manufacturing — Selected, Funded, Moving.
Mexico Candy Factory — Invested Partner
Our manufacturing partner in Mexico is not a vendor — they're an investor in Urge. Ivan sourced this relationship directly through his logistics and supply chain network. They believed in this concept early enough to put capital in, co-lead our R&D, supply the first sampling runs, and commit to long-term production.
This is a decades-old confectionery institution with government export certifications and distribution across 35+ countries. They know exactly how candy moves — from factory floor to festival floor, from one city to the next. We are using the same proven transfer mechanism to build Urge's market presence. Turnkey capability across formulation, manufacturing, and US transport at a 35–45% cost advantage vs. alternatives. Full details available on request.
This is a decades-old confectionery institution with government export certifications and distribution across 35+ countries. They know exactly how candy moves — from factory floor to festival floor, from one city to the next. We are using the same proven transfer mechanism to build Urge's market presence. Turnkey capability across formulation, manufacturing, and US transport at a 35–45% cost advantage vs. alternatives. Full details available on request.
Partner selected. Investment confirmed. R&D and sampling underway. The 72.5% gross margin is a direct result of this relationship — and it improves as volume scales.
Product Roadmap
Aug '25
Origin — John Summit show. The idea is born.
Omar observes lollipop behavior in the crowd. Identifies the gap. Brings the concept to Ivan.
Aug–Dec '25
Research — 50+ manufacturers evaluated, Mexico partner found
R&D firms engaged. Founders meeting directly with manufacturers. Mexico partner identified — decades of lollipop production, willing to lead formulation.
Jan '26–Now
Product development — formulation, taste, sampling
Active development with Mexico factory partner. SKUs scoped. Ingredient stack locked. First sample run completed. 100+ early adopters at Chicago Food Expo — on the list.
NOW
Growth round open. Manufacturing underway.
Round closes → IP locked → Run 1 production confirmed → summer activation planning locked.
Jul–Aug '26
Festivals — Chicago + Miami debut
In-person activation and sell through at Chicago Pride, Arc Music Festival, North Coast, and Miami with Connor Falls. Product in hands, sampling, and direct sales.
Aug '26
DTC launch — Shopify + TikTok Shop + subscription
Online store live mid-August. TikTok organic, TikTok Shop, Instagram. Subscription repeat orders. Year-round revenue channel opens.
Q3–Q4 '26
Sleep, Focus, and Immune SKUs launch
Three additional SKUs roll out through DTC + festival channels. 5 SKU portfolio complete by year end. Chicago retail chain test initiated.
Year 2
Run 2 (500K pops) + new candy format + national
Self-funded from Year 1 capital. Lollapalooza, HYROX, marathons. Expanded SKUs beyond lollipops. Series A option opens from position of strength.
Team
Two founders who found the same gap from opposite directions. One at a show at midnight. One in the Whole Foods candy aisle with his kids. Supported by Naturally Chicago and former executives who have run their own candy companies.
OA
Omar Alvarez — Co-Founder & CEO LinkedIn ↗
Ex-Nike · Levi's · LVMH · Hilton · Hims & Hers · Kendo · Second-time founder — Kinnect (backed by Slauson & Co)
Puerto Rican and Guatemalan. Gay, first-generation. I've spent ten years at Nike, Levi's, LVMH, and Hims & Hers — where I was the second product marketer managing the hair, sex, and skin line. I know how brands actually get built because I've built inside the best ones. I was at the John Summit show. I recruited our Hims & Hers packaging designer and our brand designer. I moved to Chicago to build Urge with Ivan. Kinnect, my first company, is backed by Slauson & Co and angels across Silicon Valley.
IM
Ivan Momchilov — Co-Founder & COO LinkedIn ↗
Logistics · Business Development · Freight · Ex-Sheer Logistics (4PL) · Co-Founder
Ivan leads Digital Transformation and Operations at Sheer Logistics, where he has scaled multi-million-dollar revenue streams and guided the company through M&A. He has spent over a decade turning complex, fragmented supply chains into systems that actually perform — across 3PL, cold-chain, and enterprise freight. Ivan is the reason we found the candy factory in Mexico. That relationship — and the investment that came with it — exists because of his logistics network and operating instincts.
PD
Packaging Designer name available on request
Ex-Hims & Hers · Brand & Packaging Design · Recruited by Omar
The person designing Urge's packaging built their career at one of the most design-forward CPG brands of the last decade. For a brand where the product is held in someone's hand at a festival or a bar, packaging isn't decoration — it's the pitch. Having this caliber of design expertise at the table this early is not normal.
BD
Brand Designer name available on request
Chicago Cannabis Industry · Marketing & Brand Assets · Recruited by Omar
The designer behind Urge's marketing assets built their career in Chicago's cannabis industry — a space that shares Urge's DNA: community-rooted, culture-forward, and deeply visual. Brand identity in the better-for-you space requires authenticity. This person brings it.
Why Now
Our candy factory partner in Mexico didn't just take a meeting — they invested. They lead the formula, supply the first production run, and bring decades of knowing how candy moves from factory to festival to hands to home.
We debuted at the Chicago Food Expo. The product is in the hands of 100+ early believers who are already on our list. Packaging is being built by someone who built brands at Hims & Hers. Our LOI with Connor Falls puts us in the rooms where John Summit and Dom Dolla play.
This is an $850K growth round. Not a bet on an idea — a bet on a team that has already built the infrastructure to win.
The window to be in early is now.
We debuted at the Chicago Food Expo. The product is in the hands of 100+ early believers who are already on our list. Packaging is being built by someone who built brands at Hims & Hers. Our LOI with Connor Falls puts us in the rooms where John Summit and Dom Dolla play.
This is an $850K growth round. Not a bet on an idea — a bet on a team that has already built the infrastructure to win.
The window to be in early is now.
Omar's calendar is open.
30 minutes. Any questions. No pressure.