315. Shahab Elmi, Co-Founder & CEO of Cymbiotika

Today, I'm joined by Shahab Elmi, co-founder & CEO of Cymbiotika.

With 100M+ packets sold in its first six years, Cymbiotika is bringing transparency to the supplement industry with liposomal formulations and rigorous third-party testing.

In this episode, we discuss building a supplement brand focused on efficacy over marketing.

We also cover:

• Liposomal delivery as a differentiator

• Why churn reveals true product efficacy

• Avoiding the wellness DTC race to the bottom 

 

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Cymbiotika's Website: www.cymbiotika.com 

Cymbiotika's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cymbiotika/ 

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Chapters: 

(00:00) Introduction 

(01:15) Shahab's background and Cymbiotika's origin story 

(02:00) The problem with the supplement industry 

(02:45) Why transparency and testing matter 

(04:15) Churn rate as the ultimate success metric 

(05:45) Organic celebrity endorsements vs paid sponsorships 

(09:00) Liposomal delivery technology explained 

(12:30) Manufacturing in-house vs outsourcing 

(16:00) The DTC race to the bottom 

(18:30) Building trust through radical transparency 

(20:30) Competing on efficacy, not marketing spend 

(23:00) Taking on industry fraud and fake claims 

(24:30) Announcing multiple third-party clinical trials 

(26:50) Patent enforcement and liposome validation 

(27:35) Product roadmap

(29:25) Conclusion