Q&A With Revitalize Energy Founder Kyle Guinness
Tell me about the moment that sparked the idea for your product?
As a college student I was a proud procrastinator which led to some rather late nights in the library. One night while studying for an exam, and after finishing off my 6th Red bull of the evening, I felt myself getting jittery and nauseous but my eyes still felt heavy and exhausted. That started me down the rabbit hole of screen exposure and its effects on the eyes and how that makes us tired. That got me thinking if we could deliver stimulants and relief to more directly attack that “tired eye” feeling.
How did you explore creating it?
I wanted to look into if other products existed to try and treat the same problem I had noticed. The first thing I came across was the explosion of blue light glasses and people commenting on their eyes feeling “heavy” all the time. I dug a little deeper which led me to some products that exist in other countries specifically in Asian markets like Japan and Korea. They have a few different types of eye drop products that contain stimulants.
That gave me enough validation to assume this is at least possible at a conceptual level. There was one problem. There weren’t many “eye drop” or chemistry classes required for my marketing major so I was going to need some additional support. I leverage some local networks to connect with ACTUAL experts with backgrounds in chemistry, ophthalmology, and OTC formulations. We needed to see if this was a product we could create under the strict regulations of the FDA here in the United States.
Why are you the best person to champion this product?
Well, I don’t think I like saying I am the best person as much as I like saying we are the best team. There are a lot of reasons this space is not flourishing with dozens of new startups. It is very regulated with many LARGE, powerful, and established players. We found out early on that our only way to realistically make this company work was to develop a product that did what we wanted to through the OTC or over the counter regulatory pathway. This gives us a strict set of guidelines for just about everything from manufacturing, to packaging, to our marketing and this is the LEAST regulated pathway in the space. This is where I believe our team is perfect to champion this type of product.
We have a great balance of pragmatic technical talent that specializes in OTC product development, and business people with backgrounds in marketing, finance, and operations. Two members of our founding team have launched OTC products in the past. This depth of experience and insight has allowed us to create a novel product, marketing message, and position all within OTC compliance and I believe this is essential to the long-term success of this business.
What were some aspects of the processes that surprised you?
There is ALWAYS something more to do. No matter what. If you think you’re done, you’re probably forgetting something. The combination of working on a physical product in a very regulated space has made things extremely challenging and forced us to become much more resourceful. I was surprised at just how scrappy founders have to be to make things happen.
How did you make sure your product reflected your target audience’s needs?
To put it simply, we asked them. Online, or in focus groups, or while tabling, we had to ask them. I fell into the trap early on of using my identity as a member of our target market as an excuse not to test. I figured, well this is what I would want, that’s what everyone else probably wants too. WRONG. Testing was key into giving us insight into how our formulation should feel in the “eyes” of our users and prospective customers. It also gave us insight into how we should be marketing a product like this and on what platforms.
How does AlphaLab Gear help you reach your goals?
Alphalab Gear provides us critical support. The money is extremely helpful, but the people from Alphalab Gear are what has really allowed us to make so much progress over the past 5 months. Their expertise helped us brainstorm through some of the key blockers in our go to market strategy. They’ve helped us in everything from customer discovery and feedback to manufacturer negotiations, making sure our team gets the most out of every dollar they had the faith to invest in us.
What is next?
For us, the most important next step is launching into the market. We’ve done extensive testing and customer discovery. We’ve created a very solid product that performed great in our customer testing. We also set up a robust manufacturing partner based in the United States. At this point the pieces are in place to launch come early Q4 of this year.
How does it feel?
Image a cooling sensation in your eye when you first put them in and then once you blink the drops in, it feels like we are opening up the entirety of the area behind your eye.
How do we know your product is safe?
Fortunately, the regulations are set up so every kid with a marketing degree CANNOT come out with a product you are going to put in your eyes. Even though our product is considered OTC we still have to do A LOT of testing. For starters, our product must be manufactured in a GMP facility. These types of facilities are audited by the FDA for safety and efficacy.
In our case, EVERY part of the manufacturing process has to be done in a sterile environment to prevent impurities. We also have to manufacture our product under the Monograph for Ophthalmic drugs. Essentially, the FDA publishes a list of materials and quantities that they have reviewed as safe and effective. Those are the compounds we can use to create our product. Now aside from all that, we also have to do irritation and stability testing to get an expiration date on our product AND ensure its safety for use in the eye.
What is the most important thing for readers to know about what Revitalize Energy does and how that’s beneficial to users?
I think the most important thing is that people understand is what Revitalize is truly treating. Eye fatigue, according to the Mayo Clinic is the fatigue of the eye from prolonged use. It’s important to know this is not because of Blue light or anything like that. It’s because your eye is staring at one thing, at the same distance, for a long period of time. Revitalize is designed to deliver stimulants directly to the eye to treat this fatigue while simultaneously moisturizing the eye. Using the product doesn’t feel like drinking a coffee through the eye. It makes your eyes feel refreshed like how they feel when you first wake up after a good night’s sleep
How can consumers follow you?
Follow us on LinkedIn. We are going to post more updates on things like packaging redesigns and manufacturing as we move towards launch!
Outside of work, what do you like to do in your free time?
I’m a board game fanatic and complete DnD nerd which I usually play online. Not going to lie, using the product really helps!
