Founded on scientific rigor and deliberate growth, Cymbiotika is scaling into national retail and attracting high-profile investors without abandoning its core philosophy.
Courtesy of Cymbiotika
For years, the wellness industry has operated in extremes. Supplements were either clinical and intimidating–designed for practitioners, not people–or aesthetically pleasing but scientifically thin, built more for Instagram than for long-term health. Cymbiotika emerged in the space between those poles, quietly building a brand that treated efficacy, design, and cultural relevance as non-negotiables rather than tradeoffs. It was a strategy that, until recently, unfolded largely outside the spotlight.
Now, that middle ground has gone unmistakably mainstream. In the span of just a few months, the Los Angeles-based wellness brand has entered all Target stores nationwide, secured $25 million in outside capital, and welcomed a new wave of high-profile investors including Kendall Jenner, Hailey Bieber, and Zac Efron. Together, those milestones mark a clear inflection point, not just for Cymbiotika but for how the entire wellness category is being defined, funded, and distributed at scale.
“It wasn’t a single moment–it was a convergence of internal readiness and external validation,” explains cofounder Shahab Elmi. “For five consecutive years, we were profitable while growing at a triple-digit rate, which told us the foundation was real, not fragile.” Remaining fully bootstrapped during that period allowed the company to build deliberately, prioritizing formulation rigor, supply-chain integrity, and long-term trust over rapid expansion. Internally, Elmi says, the leadership team, quality controls, and operational infrastructure had matured to the point where scale wouldn’t dilute what made the brand distinct. Externally, consumer culture was shifting toward transparency, efficacy, and intentional living, the very values Cymbiotika had been built around since day one. “When those two forces aligned,” he says, “the next chapter felt earned.”
Cymbiotika’s founders believe the brand is uniquely positioned for the recent shift among consumers towards supplements that are both clinically backed and easy to fit easily into existing wellness routines.
Courtesy of Cymbiotika
Founded in 2019 by Shahab Elmi, his wife and cofounder Durana Elmi, and cofounder and chief scientific officer Chervin Jafarieh, Cymbiotika set out to challenge a long-standing binary in wellness. Historically, brands were forced to choose between clinical credibility and lifestyle appeal. “But people don’t live compartmentalized lives,” says Jafarieh. “They want products that work and resonate emotionally.” The challenge, he explains, is depth: true science requires patience, rigor, and long-term investment, while culture moves quickly and rewards immediacy. “Many brands optimized for one at the expense of the other,” he says. Cymbiotika instead invested early in infrastructure that could support both–scientific validation behind the scenes, paired with thoughtful design and storytelling at the surface–so credibility and relevance could coexist naturally.
That balance is now being tested, and validated, on a national scale. Cymbiotika’s launch into all Target stores represents a significant moment in the evolution of mass-market wellness. For Durana Elmi, the move was deeply intentional. “From formulation to packaging to education, every decision was made with scale in mind, but never dilution,” she says. “Accessibility doesn’t mean simplifying standards; it means communicating clearly.” Target, she adds, allows the brand to meet consumers in their everyday routines while holding the same bar it would in any premium environment. “The challenge–and the opportunity–was designing a brand that could feel aspirational and approachable at the same time.”
Target’s embrace of Cymbiotika also reflects a broader shift in how mainstream retail is rethinking health. “Wellness has moved from niche to foundational,” Durana says. “Consumers are no longer satisfied with buzzwords–they want clinically validated products that fit seamlessly into their lives and align with their values.” The wellness aisle, once dominated by impulse buys and vague claims, is evolving into a space for education, trust, and long-term decision-making, mirroring how people increasingly think about their health overall.
That same evolution is shaping who invests in wellness brands, and why. Cymbiotika’s cap table reads more like a cultural index than a traditional list of backers, now including Kendall Jenner, Hailey Bieber, Zac Efron, The Weeknd, Steve Aoki, Peggy Gou, the Jonas Brothers, and Michael D. Ratner’s OBB Ventures.
Cymbiotika has secured $25 million in outside funding from a number of big-name investors, including Kendall Jenner, Hailey Bieber, and Zac Efron.
Courtesy of Cymbiotika
A key catalyst in bridging those worlds, Elmi notes, was his brother, hospitality entrepreneur David Grutman. Through Grutman’s relationships, the founders realized many of these cultural figures weren’t being introduced to Cymbiotika; they were already using it. “That organic alignment showed us this convergence was authentic,” Shahab says. “David helped transform belief into partnership in a way that felt natural and lasting.”
For Zac Efron, that alignment was rooted in philosophy rather than visibility. “For me, real wellness is about balance–mind, body, and soul,” the actor says. “As I head into a new year, my focus is on staying grounded, training with purpose, and supporting my body in a way that’s sustainable long term.” Cymbiotika, he adds, stood out because it shared that same approach: “clean ingredients, transparency, and a deeper respect for how everything is connected.”
Maintaining that trust as the brand scales has required discipline. “Alignment starts with education,” Shahab explains. “Every investor takes the time to understand our formulations, sourcing, and standards before anything moves forward.” The company has declined partnerships that didn’t meet its criteria, even when the visibility was tempting. “Longevity matters more than reach,” he says. “Trust is built through consistency behind the scenes, and we protect that above all else.”
That long-term thinking also shapes Cymbiotika’s product strategy. Despite rapid growth, the brand has resisted trend-chasing and overextension. “From the beginning, we committed to never launching a product without a clear scientific rationale,” Durana notes. “We also focused on fewer SKUs, executed exceptionally well.” Remaining founder-led allowed the team to prioritize coherence over speed as new opportunities emerged.
That philosophy is on full display in Cymbiotika’s latest launch: Advanced Creatine, which debuted in early January. Despite decades of research supporting creatine’s benefits, the category has remained largely stagnant, defined by powders, poor absorption, and a narrow focus on bodybuilding. “There was a clear disconnect between the science and the consumer experience,” Durana says. Advanced Creatine uses a liposomal liquid format designed to improve absorption and eliminate common barriers like bloating and mixing, while reframing creatine as a daily wellness tool rather than a niche gym supplement. “Research shows creatine plays a meaningful role in cellular energy, cognitive performance, recovery, and healthy aging,” she explains. “By anchoring the conversation in science rather than stereotypes, we’re opening the category to women, longevity-focused consumers, and anyone interested in daily vitality.”
Cymbiotika’s latest launch, Advanced Creatine, seeks to bring the supplement out of the gym bag and into everyday wellness.
Courtesy of Cymbiotika
For Cymbiotika, the launch reflects a broader belief that efficacy only matters if it translates into real-world use. “If a nutrient isn’t absorbed, it doesn’t matter how well-studied it is,” Durana says. Bioavailability, convenience, and consistency remain non-negotiable across every product the brand brings to market.
With national retail distribution, new capital, and an expanded group of culturally aligned investors now in place, Cymbiotika is entering a phase that will test its ability to scale the same principles that fueled its early growth. For the founders, success over the next several years is less about rapid expansion than about consistency: maintaining formulation standards, clarity of purpose, and trust as the audience grows. “We want Cymbiotika to become a true daily ritual brand–globally trusted, scientifically respected, and culturally relevant,” Durana says.
As the wellness market continues to evolve, Cymbiotika’s trajectory reflects a company stepping into a larger role while holding onto the operational discipline and scientific rigor that shaped its early years. The next chapter, the founders say, will be built the same way the company always has: methodically, and with an eye toward longevity.