Healthy energy and protein drink brand Don’t Quit has landed a new multiyear strategic partnership with iHeartMedia, Don’t Quit CEO Mark French revealed today while on stage at SBJ’s Brand Innovation Summit. As part of the deal, Don’t Quit will begin marketing across all iHeart platforms, including radio, digital streaming, podcasts and live events.
“We really needed a megaphone,” French said. “We’re going to be maximizing all their assets, … and we’re going to lean into driving traffic to our retail partners. As a startup, for us this has the potential to be game changing.”
In an interview prior to the event, French and Don’t Quit CMO Dave Cohen went deeper on the opportunity with iHeart, explaining that the media giant’s scale provides a unique opportunity for the startup beverage brand.
“The way [the deal] is structured is pretty unique to iHeart, and they don’t do this type of partnership with a lot of other brands, so for an emerging brand like ours there are a lot of different resources to tap,” Cohen said. “They have coverage in every market in the country, so as we expand, we can expand with them and utilize all these different platforms, whether its radio stations or podcast inventory.”
Don’t Quit will first prioritize markets in California, where it has products on shelves with retailers including Walmart, Albertsons, Vons and CVS, with a long-term plan to expand east into states like Nevada and Texas later this year and into 2025.
Joe Robinson, iHeart’s president of ventures, shared in an email that the Don’t Quit deal “will inspire our listeners as they hear stories from top-tier athletes about perseverance.” iHeart has recently announced similar partnerships where it’s joined the cap tables of kombucha brand Health-Ade and youth-focused social media app Zigazoo.The iHeart partnership follows a recent funding round for Don’t Quit, which raised $10M across two closes, the most recent of which was some six months ago. That round was led by Madison Square Garden Sports and included investments from L Catterton, Sweetwater Private Equity and Grey Matter Capital, whose involvement was not previously reported. They joined existing investors in Keurig Dr Pepper, the company’s majority shareholder, and beverage incubator LA Libations.
French said Don’t Quit will likely pursue another raise down the road, but that it has no immediate need for further capital.