Editor's Spotlight: Startup Focus
A new kind of remedy: Rapper launches supplements startup
Launched in October 2020, Aguulp is a startup co-founded by the popular rap artist Stephen Manderson which sells a range of easy-to-use liquid supplements fortified with a liposomal nutrient delivery that is said to deliver up to 98% absorption of vitamins and minerals.
The startup is a result of Manderson's struggles with gut health from birth, he explains.
“As a baby I was diagnosed with a condition called pyloric stenosis which meant that I was constantly being sick which meant that I had to have surgery at six weeks old."
He says his issues quickly became both physical and psychological.
"My first memories of what I know now to be mental health issues was me telling my Nan I had a tummy ache constantly. I had every test under the sun to look for a physical symptom but there weren’t any because it wasn’t a
physical problem, it was a mental one, I had anxiety, I was just far too young to be able to communicate that."
Once he had realised his gut health issues were impacting him in so many ways, he began looking into natural way to control the issue.
“Trying to find a way to heal myself holistically was quite difficult, not least of all because of the array of pills and potions that I had to go through to find anything that actually helped.
“Bit by bit I started to read and learn a lot about the gut, the idea that the gut is the second brain…
“I fixed my gut through a healthy diet and high-quality supplements. Doctors were shocked by my nearly perfect blood panels. What shocked me was that I also felt happier, less anxious, had deeper sleep and higher motivation.
“I learned some of my friends had taken similar paths with similar results. Aguulp was born from our experiences."
Manderson met his co-founder, an entrepreneurial businessman and former SAS soldier Kevin Godlington, when they were involved in Book of Man; a publication aimed at creating an open approach to conversations around masculinity, mental health and physical wellbeing.
That project is also where they met Aguulp's Special Projects Director, TV personality and former Special Forces sergeant Jason Fox, who has chronicled his struggles with PTSD in his popular memoir Battle Scars.
“We each slogged through countless hours of research and tried dozens of supplements to hit upon the right blend of nutrients for ourselves," Manderson adds. "We wanted Aguulp to eliminate that guesswork. We worked with scientists to create innovative and easy-to-use liquid formulas fortified with NutriProtect, our groundbreaking liposomal nutrient-delivery that delivers up to 98% absorption of vitamins and minerals.”
The range includes an aguulp for gut (FOS,GOS, Inulin, amino acids), brain (citicoline, amino acids, lemon balm), immunity (elderberry, vitamin D, omega-3), recovery (B vitamins, electrolytes, milk thistle), and sleep (chamomile, pistachio, amino acids).
The products can be purchased one at a time, or on a subscription basis, or they can purchase the gut health supplement through a 12-week plan which offers two gut health tests and 3 months of Aguulp for Gut, allowing the user to see how the supplement impacts their health.
The company is also encouraging people to speak openly about their bowel movements with its ‘let’s talk sh*t’ campaign. Manderson has been filmed out on the streets of London speaking to people about their toilet habits and has been having 1-2-1 consultations with customers to check-in on how they are getting on using Aguulp.
