Kim Kardashian Bets Big on the Post-Caffeine Era With Update Energy Drink
Kim Kardashian didn’t just put her name on a can, she joined the startup behind Update after becoming a devoted customer, helping steer its relaunch as a paraxanthine-powered energy drink designed to deliver smooth, sustained focus without the jitters or crash. Now, with one of the largest Walmart beverage rollouts ever and her hands-on role as co-founder, the energy drink category could be on the brink of a major shift.
Kim Kardashian has formalized her entry into the $87 billion global energy drink market as co-founder of Update, a better-for-you beverage brand built around paraxanthine ,the compound your body naturally produces when it metabolizes caffeine. The partnership comes as Update stages a major relaunch, landing in more than 4,000 Walmart stores on March 1.
What makes this deal unusual is its origin. Kardashian didn’t arrive via an agent or a licensing arrangement. Before any formal deal was struck, Update CEO Daniel Solomons noticed unusually large, consistent orders traced back to Kardashian’s team. He reached out through mutual connections, and what began as unsolicited customer feedback, on flavor, formulation, and packaging ,evolved organically into a co-founder relationship over the past year.
“Kim was the right partner because she had already become a consistent daily consumer… and deeply understood what makes the product different.” — Daniel Solomons, CEO & Co-Founder, Update
What Is Paraxanthine?
Update’s core differentiator is paraxanthine, not a synthetic stimulant, but the primary metabolite the human body already converts caffeine into. Proponents argue it delivers focus and lift without triggering jitters or the familiar afternoon crash. Studies have linked the ingredient to enhanced sports performance, a compelling claim as energy drinks pivot hard from party-fuel toward science-backed wellness.
“For years, the category has been defined by intensity: bigger cans, higher caffeine levels, and products that often create as many downsides as benefits. Today’s consumer still wants performance, but they increasingly expect energy that works with their body rather than against it.” — Daniel Solomons
A Category Ripe for Disruption
The timing is deliberate. The global energy drinks market is projected to nearly double to $175 billion by 2034. But the growth story is increasingly being written by wellness-first insurgents challenging the category’s traditional image, and by the women now driving its expansion. Kardashian helped steer Update’s redesign away from what Solomons acknowledged was an overly masculine, “tech bro” aesthetic toward something gender-neutral and modern.
This isn’t her first foray into beverages. In 2023 she collaborated with Alani Nu on a limited-edition flavor, and her private equity firm SKKY Partners took a minority stake in hot sauce brand Truff the same year. Update represents a deeper commitment, genuine equity-level brand ownership, with Kardashian tasked with brand-building, product design, and consumer insight.
“2026 is really about expansion and evolution for us. This is only the beginning.” — Kim Kardashian
What the Relaunch Looks Like
Update launches online today at drinkupdate.com in five flavors , Berry, Grape, Peach, Mandarin, and Pineapple — with the Walmart rollout beginning March 1, described as one of the retailer’s largest-ever beverage debuts. Expansion to additional national retailers follows later this year. Financial terms of Kardashian’s co-founder arrangement were not disclosed.
The competitive landscape is fierce. Recent years have seen Celsius acquire Alani Nu for $1.8 billion, Keurig Dr Pepper pay $990 million for Ghost Energy, and Logan Paul’s Prime Energy become a cultural phenomenon. Where Update hopes to stand apart is its ingredient story , a genuinely differentiated science claim, not just a famous face.
Whether paraxanthine can anchor a mass-market brand beyond early adopters remains the defining question for Update’s next chapter.
Further Reading From Drinkabl.media. Celebrities in the Beverage Industry:
- 🍵 Barron Trump Enters Beverage Industry with $1M Yerba Mate Startup — Drinkabl.media | The 19-year-old has incorporated SOLLOS Yerba Mate Inc. in Florida, raised $1 million in seed funding, and is targeting the booming clean energy drink market. A story that echoes the Update playbook: find a culturally resonant functional ingredient, and build around it.
- 🍸 Jon Snow Swaps the Iron Throne for the Sober Bar: Kit Harington Backs Essex Non-Alcoholic Spirit Venture — Drinkabl.media | The Game of Thrones star has become the first celebrity investor in Pollen Projects, the non-alcoholic drinks studio behind Sylva, the world’s first aged non-alcoholic spirit. Harington doesn’t drink alcohol himself, making this one of the most authentic celebrity-beverage partnerships in recent memory.
