Vital Lessons From a Lifestyle CEO

Kurt: I was a runner my whole life and as I was getting older, I noticed how I wasn’t able to recover from my runs. And I started doing some research as to why that was. My daughter, who was in med school at the time, was helping me understand what the body’s needs were for collagen. And really discovered that your body really needed about 20 to 40 grams of collagen per day.

My name is Kurt Seidensticker. I'm the Founder and CEO of Vital Proteins.

Vital Proteins is a lifestyle brand centered around collagen and our belief is that collagen should help people live their full, vibrant life whether that's in wellness, fitness, or even in beauty. Vital Proteins really differentiates itself through digital marketing and distribution. What I did originally was to create a brand and get a real loyal consumer following.

So that really set the path, then, for us getting into retailers and distribution. And I think when you start at that key element of having a great brand and a great product, you can open up many doors and many partnerships. JPMorgan Chase has been there since day one. They’ve actually been integrated into our business and understand how they can help us grow. When you look at innovation and growth and globalization of our company, I think JPMorgan Chase will be there, a partner advising us all along the way.

For me, it's all about helping other people and to have a brand that matches with my lifestyle, but also helps others. I think that's what I'm most proud of.