When it comes to launching a brand, one of the key strategies is signing on a well known face. So how did TIDL Sport, a brand new plant-based recovery product that’s part of The Anthos Group win over MMA icon Conor McGregor so much that he became one of the co-founders? Chief Marketing Officer Dr. Cohin Kakar shares their full story.

When Dr. Kakar merged his company to create Los Angeles-based The Anthos Group, little did he know that he along with his team would soon be working with one of the biggest names in MMA (Mixed Martial Arts). They co-founded TIDL Sport’s hero product, the Plant Powered Cryotherapy Spray with MMA icon Conor McGregor. So I had to ask, how did they get one of the biggest names in sport to believe in their young brand? It seems like it was all in the stars.

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Hina P. Ansari: Cohin, how did The Anthos Group come to be?

Dr. Cohin Kakar: The Anthos Group is actually a result of a merger. Our company was called Slyngshot Health. It was co-founded in early 2017 by myself and our CEO Badal Shah. And our focus was really in the medical education space. We were working with health care providers, doctors, and clinicians to provide them new information on new trends in medicine like pharmacogenomics and personalized medicine. Inevitably, we started getting a lot of questions around plant-based products, CBD specifically. And the doctors were asking us, “What is this stuff? All my patients are on it. They’re asking me about it. I don’t know what to tell them.” So, we did some research.

We merged with a company called Apex Biosciences. And Apex Biosciences was co-founded by Shan Umer, who’s now our company president, as well as Prashant Raj, who is our chief operating officer. They actually cultivated plants and hemp in their own farms in Oregon. They were cultivating in such a way as if they were preparing for an FDA audit. They were doing it at a very high standard. So, it was a perfect compatibility. We merged with them and that’s what formed The Anthos Group in June of 2019.

My background is in Big Pharma. I worked for some of the major pharmaceutical companies. And we saw an opportunity where we could take that same high quality pharmaceutical approach and apply it to the supplement industry and introduce a new quality standard. At the time there were no regulations so all kinds of claims were being made. We really wanted to clean that approach up. And in order to do that, we quickly realized we have to really control the entire supply chain. It’s not about just taking a product and putting it in market.

We’re a fully vertically integrated company cultivating our own ingredients in Eugene, Oregon. We formulate our own products with a team of scientists and clinicians. And we also have active data trials going on at different universities, like University of Wisconsin. So, our team of physicians and clinicians, including myself, take that formulation, use data to make those products effective, and then distribute them to the market.

HPA: What’s The Anthos Group’s mission statement?

CK: It’s taking novel plant powered solutions and backing them up with clinical data to create products that are safe and effective for the consumer.

HPA: Tell me about TIDL Sport.

CK: TIDL Sport was really inspired by our flagship product, CytoCx. What CytoCx did was take plant-based ingredients and offered a natural solution in the medical space. Pain patients and addiction clinics benefited from our Cyto products. We started seeing such great data and getting good feedback. We immediately realized that we can actually take the same plant science and combine it with exercise science mechanisms like cryotherapy and make something really tailored for the athlete. Especially when you think of their entire journey all the way from the revival of the body, the recharge of energy, and then the recovery of muscles and joints. That’s what inspired the creation of TIDL Sport.

HPA: So is it a line of products or is it one particular one?

CK: At this stage, it’s one topical product which is our Plant Powered Cryotherapy Spray. But we do expect to have about new products in the next two months.

HPA: Tell me more about your Plant Powered Cryotherapy Spray. Who is it for?

CK: It’s really for the fitness enthusiast. And this is one of those things where we actually took an extra step. What happens a lot in this industry, people create a product and they try to be everything to everybody, all the way from an arthritis patient to someone who’s dealing with nerve pain, to a UFC fighter who is experiencing contact sport constantly. We really decided to make the declaration that we wanted to cater to the fitness enthusiasts that is looking to continue their pursuit and their journey, whether it be in sport or in just achieving fitness. Some people call our product intense. But that’s by design. We don’t want to be like the other products on the market where you’ll get two or three hours of relief and then have to reapply.

HPA: How did Conor McGregor enter the picture?

CK: We were fortunate to connect with Audie Attar the CEO Paradigm Sports Management Agency, which manages many of the big athletes, especially in MMA. He was interested in what we were doing. We hit it off really well. It was a very natural chemistry, especially between him and Shah. So we got some product to Paradigm. This was at the time where we just had CytoCx. So we got some CytoCx into their hands and Conor used it and he could feel it. He felt that there was a difference and he was preparing for a fight at the time. And based on that little nugget of feedback, we were like, “You know what? He likes this. Let’s do something inspired by Conor McGregor.” So TIDL Sport was inspired by Conor. We just didn’t know it at the time that he was going to be a part of it. We were like, “Maybe just maybe, we can pull this off.” So, one thing led to another and we got the spray to Conor. He started using it. And he’s the kind of guy that would never put his name on something he didn’t believe in.

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HPA: I can only imagine Conor being very selective when it comes to putting his name on anything.

CK: Absolutely. Conor is very selective about brands he works with. And he will only put his name on something that’s very high quality. And you can see that in his whisky, clothing lines, all are very high quality brands. So, it was an honour for us that he was at the table with us.

The reason we were so excited about Conor is that he’s one of the few presences that really transcends sports. You think about LeBron James, you think about Cristiano Ronaldo. Conor McGregor is right there. And beyond just the fights and the attention he gets during fight week, he’s a personality, and that’s why his other brands have been so successful. So, when you take that and combine it with the world class athlete that he is, you really have an amazing presence to help us launch this product. We’re very excited to call him a true partner, a true co-founder. And we know that this is only the beginning.

HPA: Was Conor involved in the development phase for the Plant Powered Cryotherapy Spray?

CK: 100 per cent. And the great thing about him is we get real time feedback. So, if there is a tweak we need to make, and you know what we’re an innovative company. We want to continue to improve that formulation as well. So, the product that we presented to him on day one, we took his feedback and now we’re constantly improving it to make the product more effective.

HPA: Now that you are working with Conor, was there anything about him that surprised you?

CK: Great question. And honestly, all I can say in the times that we have interacted with him he is just such a kind Irish gentlemen. He really is. You get a certain image from seeing the fight promos on TV. But when it comes down to who he is as a person — a family man with children — he is just a kind person and very entrepreneurial. I mean, he’s an entrepreneurial genius. And I really mean that. Because he’s identified opportunities. You know, sometimes he will send us a voice mail or some feedback and it’s so inspiring. Because I think what excites him the most are the testimonials that we see. When he realizes that the stuff he’s doing is impacting people in a positive light, helping them fight through pain, and different challenges, it excites him. And it’s just that natural entrepreneurial passion. He’s been very inspiring to work with.

HPA: Tell me about the science behind your Plant Powered Cryotherapy Spray.

CK: We created it with the intention to really revive the body and inspire the athlete to get back in the gym the next day. We do that with cryotherapy. When people hear ‘cryotherapy’, they think about the cryo-chambers. You think about the ice bath. You think about the actual cold application to the body. Now, what is different about our product is that it’s still cryotherapy, but we are doing it without that cold temperature. Our topical product actually activates the same receptors that those cold applications do. And they’re called TRPV ( Transient receptor potential vanilloid) receptors. The topical menthol activates those receptors, and it tells our body, “hey, I feel colder out here,” and our body responds by rushing blood to the side to warm it back up. The advantage of that increased blood flow to the site is that you get increased absorption that way.

The absorption is when those plant-based ingredients — which is completely different to this industry— are addressing the inflammation. And that inflammation is almost always the cause of any type of pain and soreness. So, you’re not only taking the pain away immediately with that cooling effect, but you’re addressing the inflammation for that long term recovery. And when you have that long term recovery, the muscles are revived, the joints feel better, and you recover a little faster. And that’s why it’s so interesting to athletes, because you can ask any physical therapist, the goal of an athlete is to get right back out there as soon as possible. So, that’s kind of how we’ve differentiated ourselves and really injected the science into our product.

HPA: You mentioned that your product being plant-based is very different from what is already out there in that space. Tell me more about that.

CK: We’re the only product that takes the same plant-based therapy and combines with exercise science. And what I mean by ‘exercise science’ is the study of kinesiology, the study of physiology, things that we know work like cryotherapy, water solubility and enhanced absorption. We haven’t seen anything else out there like that. To be quite honest, that’s where the opportunity has arisen. We are getting so much interest from the global network, all the way from South Africa to Latin America because their athletes are looking for something else. Now, that’s not to say other products haven’t worked in the past. There are other products that work well. You’ll find them in medical clinics, you’ll find them in some sports locker rooms and you’ll find them in a massage studio, which is fine. That’s worked very well for them. But when you talk about sports recovery made for the dedicated athlete or fitness enthusiasts, we want to be that face of the industry.

HPA: How should one use the spray? Before or after the workout?

CK: A lot of people use it before their workout too because they like that increased blood flow. But in this context, after the workout is ideal. For instance, this morning I went for a run, after I got out of the shower, I put it all over my legs. We do recommend taking a shower before you apply the product just so it won’t wash off later on. Within 30 to 45 seconds the product will fully absorb, and you’ll start feeling the cooling effect immediately. When the blood starts flowing and then the ingredients start getting absorbed, some people only need it once a day. Some people will put it on once every six hours. It really depends on the person. You only need a little bit. It sprays pretty fast out of the nozzle. All you need to do is spray it on one time to the area that is affected and the benefits immediately begin.

The cool thing about the bottle is we actually have a 360-degree spray technology. And what that enables the athlete or the fitness enthusiasts to do is you can easily apply to any part of the body, the Achilles, the hamstrings, even the lower back. That’s one great advantage of the spray.

HPA: I’m not an athlete, but I do Pilates. Can I use the spray?

CK: Absolutely. And that goes back to the question about who’s our target demographic right? Well, we’ve identified athletes and fitness enthusiasts. The science is still the same. So for someone like yourself who is still active, but maybe not every day, and even for those who have age-related joint pain and muscles pain. We get testimonials all the time that say, “wow, this stuff works.” And we look at it this way, if it will work for the high intensity athlete that’s training every day, it will probably work for most of the general population.

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HPA: The plant-based movement has gained a lot of traction in the last few years, where you see a lot of people turning to plant-based ingredients, whether you’re eating it or putting it on your body. Studies have shown that not only it’s good for you in terms of health, but it’s also good for the planet in terms of the climate. Since you are so heavily involved with the plant-based movement with respect to TIDL Sport, what are your thoughts on the fact that not only is this product good for your body, it’s also good for the environment?

CK: I say this is a pharmacologist, I came from Big Pharma. I was on some of the drug launch teams for some of the biggest drugs in the world. My opening statement is that, I can’t say anything bad about Pharma. I know despite the reputation that it gets sometimes, but within those walls there are people who care and they want to create products that help people. And look with this pandemic, where was the first place we started going to? We were asking Pharma.

HPA: You are absolutely right!

CK: It was good to see that. Despite how people feel, we all respect the science that Pharma brings. To your point, plant-based has really created such a great movement. It’s been out there, but I think it really has been brought to light by the food and beverage industry. When you think about the movement of organic products, people really starting to peel back the layers and ask “where’s my food coming from? Is it treated with pesticides or other heavy metals?” Those are great questions that are being asked. And I think it’s a result of what we’ve seen unfortunately in the growing disease numbers, especially here in the U.S.. People are looking at the root cause analysis and now they’re starting to carry over into the supplement industry for various reasons.

HPA: Is there a difference production-wise, in creating a plant-based product compared to the traditional pharmaceutical drug?

CK: When you compare it to a pharmaceutical drug, the cost difference is immense. With [pharmaceuticals] you’re spending thousands of dollars on biologics. We’re starting to get data by some plant-based ingredients that have a similar mechanism of action similar to these huge drugs. It might not be as potent and it may not be as strong, but it’s still there. That is inspiring. And when you think about, most pharmaceuticals are chemically-based. There are always side effects, blackbox warnings and things like that. Thus far, with most plant-based ingredients, it’s a pretty clean ingredient profile. We see minimal side effects. They are tolerated very well. It underlines the hypothesis that natural products, like organic products and plant-based ingredients are very compatible with our bodies. If we have innovative companies and teams that can really create dosage forms that the plant-based ingredients can be delivered effectively to the user, why wouldn’t we take advantage of that? I think it’s an amazing opportunity.

HPA: That’s fascinating that creating a plant-based product is more cost-effective.

CK: Absolutely. You know, it’s a grey space when you think about it, right? Because Pharma has to go to clinical trials. And you’re talking about years and years and billions of dollars. The result of that is you get very strong data from thousands of patients. Whereas in the supplement industry, we get to bypass all of that. We don’t really have to have clinical trial data. And some responsible companies will gather that. Which we’re in the process of doing, which is great way to support our ad and marketing. The ingredients are very cost-effective for the manufacturer as well as for the consumer. Now, I say that with the warning that you always want to verify your manufacturer. You always want to verify that they have quality standards in place. For instance, our product is registered with the FDA. We have what’s called an NDC code for the product. It comes from FDA registered and GMP certified facility. So, little things like that really help us guarantee our quality but at the same time keep the costs low.

HPA: It’s interesting what you said about clinical trials. I just assumed everyone had to do them. So you’re saying that plant-based products don’t need to go through that process?

CK: It’s true. And it really depends on what your claims are. Our product, while it has plant-based ingredients of course, the active ingredient is menthol. Menthol is generally regarded as safe by the FDA as long as it’s in a certain limit. That’s kind of how we have leveraged it. The menthol does the cooling. It’s the active ingredient. And then, those plant-based ingredients kind of work in the background.

HPA: Where can people buy this spray?

CK: It’s available on our website TIDLSport.com. That is the number one access point right now. We are in the process of setting up worldwide distribution in different countries. In terms of national retailers, we’re in the testing phase. Being a young company, they put us in some test markets and we expect to have a nationwide presence probably in the next two to three months.

HPA: What’s next for The Anthos Group?

CK: We have two lines right now, CytoCx and TIDL Sports. We are continuing development with those products. We’re looking to get that growth and movement.

HPA: What’s next for TIDL Sport?

CK: We have some great stuff. Our flagship product is the Plant Powered Cryotherapy Spray . We are looking at launching more products to support the athlete throughout their entire journey from start to finish, to make sure they’re getting the most out of all of their workouts.

Main Image Photo Credit: The Anthos Group

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