AG1 (company)

AG1
FormerlyAthletic Greens
TypePrivate
IndustryFood processing
FoundedDecember 2010 (2010-12)
FounderChris Ashenden
Headquarters
Carson City, Nevada
,
United States
Area served
Key people
Kat Cole, CEO
ProductsSupplements
Number of employees
  • Steady450 (2026)
  • 515 (2026)
DivisionsAG1 Racing Division
Websitedrinkag1.com

AG1, formerly known as Athletic Greens, is an American company whose best known product is a brand of a daily health supplement in powder form of the same name. The company was founded in 2010 by Chris Ashenden, a former New Zealand police officer.[1] The product is advertised as a green powder that combines multiple supplements to meet a consumer's nutritional needs.[2] It heavily relies on influencer marketing, particularly on podcasts.[3] Its usefulness as a dietary supplement has been subject of criticism, with critics questioning the company’s claims regarding the product's effectiveness, and high price.[4][3]

History

Athletic Greens was founded in 2010 by Chris Ashenden, a former New Zealand police officer.[1] The company is registered in Nevada.[5]

Athletic Greens focused on a single product, a powdered supplement containing 75 ingredients called AG1 and followed a direct-to-consumer subscriber model.[6] Between 2010 and 2024, the product's formula changed more than 50 times seeking to increase its wellness benefits.[7] The product is NSF International Certified for Sport.[8]

In December 2021, Athletic Greens hired Kat Cole, former president and COO of Focus Brands as its President and COO and rebranded as AG1.[6] The company reported a revenue growth from US$160 million in 2021 to roughly US$600 million in 2024.[7]

Ashenden resigned from the company in 2024 after his 2011 criminal convictions for a housing scam in New Zealand became public.[3][9] Cole became CEO.[5]

Paulie Dery, formerly of Yeti, was hired as CMO in 2024,[10] and Ralph Esposito as Chief Science and Nutrition Officer in 2025.[11]

Investments and partnerships

AG1 uses influencer marketing to promote its supplements.[3] In particular, the company has focused heavily on podcast advertising.[12] It uses affiliate marketing to give content creators a cut of sales referred by them.[13] Tim Ferriss was one of the first podcasters to promote the product and later became an investor in the company.[12] The product has been popular on TikTok and has had celebrity investors including Hugh Jackman, Cindy Crawford and Lewis Hamilton.[11]

AG1 has partnered with Ripper GC of the LIV Golf League, Andrew Huberman, Joe Rogan, and Lex Fridman.[14][4][15] As of January 2025, the company is valued at US$1.2 billion.[3]

Controversy

The health benefits of consuming AG1 have been criticised.[16][3] The scientific methods that are used by AG1 to claim nutritional efforts were criticized by JoAnn Manson, professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, as lacking scientific "rigor":

These are very small randomized trials. Just as a comparison, we do large-scale randomized clinical trials of many dietary supplements... For a multivitamin, we did a randomized control with 15,000 participants for 11 years to document that there was, in fact, a significant reduction in cancer incidence when taking the multivitamin compared to placebo ... That's what I'm talking about when I say rigor.[3]

Charlotte Martin, a dietitian and author, makes the statement that the amount of individual nutrients that a user absorbs is insignificant due to the addition of a relatively large quantity of ingredients present in the powdered mixture.[3]

According to Jonathan Jarry of McGill University, the AG1 blend is backed by very little scientific support and has a high cost (around $79 USD per month in 2024) relative to any likely benefit offered.[4]

Other critics have pointed out that a significant number of AG1 ingredients' dosages are not disclosed on the label as they are considered "proprietary".[3]

References

  1. 1 2 Milne, Jonathan; Wesley-Smith, Mike (October 30, 2024). "AG1 founder Chris Ashenden resigns amid scrutiny of NZ criminal history". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved July 6, 2025.
  2. ↑ "Athletic Greens Review". www.medicalnewstoday.com. October 20, 2023. Retrieved July 6, 2025.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Austin, Ellie (January 30, 2025). "The battle over AG1—the influencer-famous, $100-a-month green supplement—is coming to a vending machine or grocery store near you". Yahoo Life. Retrieved July 6, 2025.
  4. 1 2 3 "You Probably Don't Need that Green AG1 Smoothie". Office for Science and Society. Retrieved July 6, 2025.
  5. 1 2 Tan, Gillian (July 24, 2024). "Green Drink Specialist AG1 Names Cole CEO, Succeeding Ashenden". Yahoo! Life.
  6. 1 2 McCormack, Claire (December 14, 2021). "Athletic Greens Names Kat Cole, Who Turned Cinnabon Into A $1B Brand, President And COO". Beauty Independent.
  7. 1 2 Benedict Oklich, Tanya (December 9, 2024). "AG1 Scoops Up $600 Million In Revenue In 2024". Forbes. Retrieved September 25, 2025.
  8. ↑ "Official Certified for Sport Product Certification Listing". NSF Certified for Sport. Retrieved July 6, 2025.
  9. ↑ Wesley-Smith, Jonathan Milne, Mike (October 30, 2024). "Kiwi CEO of billion dollar supplements firm quits amid criminal scrutiny". Newsroom. Retrieved July 12, 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  10. ↑ Nudd, Time (August 22, 2024). "Yeti CMO departs to lead marketing at AG1". AdAge.
  11. 1 2 O'Donnell, Jessica (March 10, 2025). "AG1 review: 'I've been drinking Athletic Greens' viral AG1 supplement for a year'". Women's Health.
  12. 1 2 Meyers, ByAlyssa. "Athletic Greens gives us the scoop on its podcast advertising strategy". Marketing Brew. Retrieved July 6, 2025.
  13. ↑ Huber, Martin Fritz (November 19, 2024). "Influencers Swear By the AG1 Powder Supplement. Does It Actually Work?". Outside. Retrieved July 12, 2026.
  14. ↑ Golf, L. I. V. (March 31, 2025). "AG1 becomes Official Nutrition Partner of 2024 Team Champions Ripper GC". LIV Golf. Retrieved July 6, 2025.
  15. ↑ Ohlheiser, A. W. (May 2, 2024). "The misleading information in one of America's most popular podcasts". Vox. Retrieved July 6, 2025.
  16. ↑ Huber, Martin Fritz (November 19, 2024). "Influencers Swear By the AG1 Powder Supplement. Does It Actually Work?". Outside Online. Retrieved July 6, 2025.
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