Poppi Founders Launch Everyday Hydration Brand Jetty With $2.5 Million Self-Funded Investment

Allison and Stephen Ellsworth, the entrepreneurs who built prebiotic soda maker Poppi and sold it to PepsiCo for $1.95 billion, are reentering the beverage market with Jetty, an everyday hydration brand. The self-funded startup launched this week across Whole Foods Market stores nationwide and online through Amazon and Target, offering bottled ready-to-drink beverages and single-serve electrolyte powder packets in five fruit flavors.

The venture places the Ellsworths in direct competition with their former parent company. PepsiCo owns Gatorade, which commands approximately 60% of the U.S. sports drink sector, according to Numerator data reported by [CNBC Business](https://www.cnbc.com/2026/11/08/poppi-founders-jetty-hydration-gatorade.html). But rather than targeting high-endurance athletic performance, Jetty is engineered for routine hydration, addressing consumers who do not require the heavy sugar loads or high sodium concentrations historically associated with marathon runners and team sports.

Each 15.2-ounce bottle or 15-gram powder mix delivers 100 milligrams of sodium, 310 milligrams of potassium, and 100 milligrams of magnesium, alongside B vitamins, 3 grams of dietary fiber, and 6 grams of sugar, with no artificial dyes or synthetic sweeteners. By contrast, a standard 20-ounce bottle of Gatorade Thirst Quencher contains approximately 270 milligrams of sodium, 80 milligrams of potassium, and 34 grams of sugar.

The concept emerged partly from Allison Ellsworth's personal experience managing side effects after starting a GLP-1 receptor agonist medication. While such treatments can suppress appetite and blunt normal thirst cues, adequate hydration is essential to counteract common side effects such as headaches and nausea. Market research supports that consumer shift: an EY-Parthenon survey of more than 3,600 GLP-1 users found that 44% reported increasing their consumption of functional beverages as their broader dietary habits evolved.

Jetty enters an electrolyte category undergoing significant structural disruption. Data from retail tracking firm SPINS shows sales of hydration and electrolyte products increased 20% to $2.6 billion over the 52-week period ended Oct. 4, sustained by a 62% repeat-purchase rate. At the same time, ready-to-drink sports beverages have seen unit volumes decline 9.1% between 2022 and 2026, prompting legacy beverage conglomerates to overhaul legacy formulas or write down acquisitions, such as Coca-Cola's impairment of BodyArmor.

To avoid past regulatory friction, the founders have taken additional legal precautions. Poppi settled a class-action lawsuit for $8.9 million in 2025 regarding false advertising claims surrounding the scope of its gut-health benefits. For Jetty, Allison Ellsworth noted that three independent claims attorneys reviewed product labeling and packaging before retail release.

The competitive backdrop is further complicated by PepsiCo's financial disclosures regarding Poppi. In an October regulatory filing, PepsiCo revealed it had slashed the estimated fair value of contingent earnout payments to Poppi's former owners to $12 million, down from an earnout ceiling of up to $300 million tied to performance benchmarks through the third quarter of 2027.

Jetty is currently operating on $2.5 million in founder capital, with Stephen Ellsworth serving as chief executive and Allison Ellsworth as chief brand officer. The company plans to defer outside fundraising until 2027, intending to bypass conventional multi-million-dollar venture capital rounds in favor of strategic partners and cultural talent capable of accelerating retail distribution.