Investors show thirst for South Australian startup’s PREPD sports drinks

A South Australian sports drink startup has raised more than $500,000 in seed capital from eight angel investors.

Flinders University startup Preserve Health will use the seed round to fund the market launch of PREPD, its range of hydration-boosting drinks backed by more than 20 years of medical research originally focussed on treating severe dehydration in children living in developing countries.

The Adelaide research team identified a special resistant starch to promote fluid absorption in the gut, tapping into an unused hydration potential in the body to absorb up to six litres of fluid per day.

Preserve Health chief executive, David Vincent said the medical formulation had then been adapted to meet the specific hydration needs of elite sportspeople.

“The latest research shows that dehydration can negatively affect sports performance by over 5 per cent, even when athletes are drinking to thirst. This means that even if you don’t feel dehydrated, your performance can suffer,” Vincent said.

“PREPD has been developed for a broad market, for anyone who trains for an hour or more and loses hydration.” Read more

Smart Company - 28 June 2018