Neutronic, the nootropics drink brand founded by Chris Williamson and James Smith, has raised $3.7 million in its first external funding round, valuing the company at $20 million just 18 months after its launch.

The round attracted a high-profile group of investors, including fitness entrepreneur Kayla Itsines and Grenade founder Alan Barratt, as Neutonic looks to capitalise on booming demand for mindful alternatives to traditional energy drinks and coffee.

Launched in November 2023 by podcast host Chris Williamson (Modern Wisdom) and bestselling personal trainer James Smith, Neutonic has swiftly emerged as a leading player in the functional beverage space. Backed by Genflow CEO Shan Hanif and manager Luke Betts, the founding team positioned the product as a brain-boosting, crash-free drink that speaks to the growing sober-curious, health-conscious market.

Formulated with science-backed ingredients such as Cognizin, Rhodiola rosea and Panax ginseng, Neutonic targets mental clarity, sustained energy, and improved focus. The brand’s transparent ingredient sourcing and evidence-based marketing have resonated strongly with consumers seeking cleaner performance solutions.

Since launch, Neutonic has sold over three million cans of its signature Productivity Drink, topped Amazon’s energy drink and grocery charts, and achieved more than $10 million in revenue. The brand now has its sights set on international scale.

“This investment provides the momentum needed to bring our ambitions for Neutonic to life,” said James Smith. “We’ve had a clear vision from the outset and closing this funding round marks a significant milestone in reaching the next phase of our growth. We’re excited to expand into new markets and strengthen our presence in retail.”

Alongside Kayla Itsines and Alan Barratt, the round also attracted investment from creator economy heavyweights Codie Sanchez, Dan Martell, Mike Thurston, Gym King founder Jay Parker, and JDI Investments.

“After 30 years in business, I’d like to think I can spot great founders when I see them,” said Grenade founder Alan Barratt. “I’ve known Chris and James since 2019, and we’ve always shared a passion for health and fitness, entrepreneurship, and developing great products that consumers can trust. I’m so proud to have had the opportunity to invest in Neutonic.”

Neutonic plans to use the $3.7 million to scale operations, expand its workforce, and bolster retail and distribution capabilities in the UK and US. The company also plans to appoint regional leads to support international launches and cement its status as a global leader in nootropic drinks.

New product development is a key part of Neutonic’s 2025 strategy, with additional powder and can flavours due to hit shelves this summer.

With strong early traction, a cult following, and heavyweight backers, Neutonic is positioning itself as the go-to brand for consumers seeking productivity without compromise.

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Leading creators Chris Williamson and James Smith raise $3.7M for Neutonic at $20M valuation

British exports to the United States plunged by £2 billion in April — the largest monthly drop on record — as President Trump’s “liberation day” tariffs took effect, dealing a significant blow to transatlantic trade.

According to official data released this week, UK goods exports to the US suffered their steepest fall since records began in 1997. The slump followed Trump’s announcement on 2 April of a 10% minimum tariff on UK exports, part of a wider package of levies targeting over 120 global economies.

Although the White House paused the tariffs a week later for 90 days amid backlash from allies and domestic industry groups, the initial shock has already reverberated through British exporters, particularly in sectors such as cars, steel, and aluminium. All three are also facing the threat of a further 25% import tax under the latest proposals from Washington.

In the first quarter of the year, UK firms had raced to front-load shipments ahead of the tariff deadline, with exports to the US rising steadily from January to March. The April figures now suggest that this stockpiling surge has sharply reversed.

The disruption comes amid wider uncertainty in UK-US trade relations. Despite recent talks to finalise a bilateral steel deal, questions remain over whether the UK will be exempted from the full brunt of the new American tariff regime.

Trade bodies have warned that the volatility is already denting confidence among exporters. One industry source said: “Businesses made a huge effort to move goods early, but this cliff-edge approach to tariffs is costing us dearly. The stop-start policy makes planning virtually impossible.”

With the 90-day pause set to expire in early July, the pressure is now on the UK government to secure a long-term deal that protects its exporters from escalating trade barriers.

For now, the latest data marks a stark warning: despite a strong start to the year, UK-US trade faces serious headwinds if clarity and cooperation aren’t restored soon.

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Record fall in British exports to US as Trump tariffs bite

As co-founder of Health and Fitness Travel, the leading experts in healthy holidays worldwide, Paul Joseph shares his top 5 tips on how to manage your time effectively to ensure you are productive and efficient throughout the day.

1. Prioritise

Prioritising your tasks can make a huge difference to your work efficiency. Once you have accumulated your week’s work to be done and prioritised anything urgent, fish out the shorter tasks and get them done first. It is much more efficient to get tasks that will take an hour here or there out of the way before tackling some longer, more challenging things. Furthermore, concentration levels vary throughout the day so designate the longer tasks for a time when you know you will be more focused and stimulated. 

2. Plan Productively

Planning productively is an absolute must when it comes to time management in the workplace. Without a plan of your work, organisational skills will go out the window, often resulting in you forgetting about vital pieces of work. Create an Action List on Microsoft Excel to enable you to manage your time in relation to the number of tasks you have. Plan ahead in the week by designating time frames to complete certain tasks and enjoy the freedom to manage your own work. Some tasks need doing every day, so by slotting in an hour every day designated to that particular thing, your progress is continuous rather than attempting to catch up if and when you have time.

3. Organization

Organization is a fundamental step in ensuring you are efficient in a workplace and one way to boost these skills is through using a calendar. Inputting information about meetings, events, deadlines or reminders to contact someone on a specific date into a calendar completely eliminates your chances of forgetting something, and therefore efficiently using your time in the workplace. Using a calendar will also increase your chances of completing deadlines early as you will be aware of future happenings.

4. Multitasking

Discover if you are a person who can multitask or not. If you can, then great, as you will get things done quickly, but for those of you who multitasking doesn’t come naturally do, don’t force it. If you do, chances are you will get confused with the different things you are doing at once and muddle up information, resulting in mistakes. Concentrate on one thing at a time as you will probably get things done overall just as quickly as someone who can multitask.

5. Ignore distractions

Everyone has that one type of distraction – a mobile buzzing, online newspapers, online chats or even a co-worker bothering you. In reality, we can’t change the number of things that interrupt us but we can change how we deal with them. Switching off a mobile phone is the easiest way to eliminate distractions, which nowadays will also banish online chats as well. Ignoring as many distractions as possible will result in much higher concentration levels and productivity. 

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5 Tips for Managing Your Time Efficiently in the Workplace