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Intake Breathing received a $62 million investment from Camino Partners, its first significant outside capital, according to Athletech News. The family-run company says it plans to use the funding to expand into physical retail and specialty channels and make key hires; financial terms beyond the investment amount were not reported.
Intake Breathing has received a $62 million investment from Camino Partners, the firm founded by Kind Snacks creator Daniel Lubetzky, as the magnetic nasal-device company plans to expand into physical retail and specialty channels. The funding is described by Athletech News as Intake’s first significant outside capital infusion; the company also plans to make key hires.
Intake was founded by inventor and medical-device engineer Jim Castillo and is led by his son-in-law, co-founder and chief executive Alex Hauck. Its product uses a reusable magnetic band and adhesive tabs to open the nasal valve, according to the company description in the report. That differs from conventional adhesive nasal strips, which rely on a strip placed across the outside of the nose.
The company has built its business mainly through direct-to-consumer sales. It says the new capital will support expansion into physical retail and specialty channels, along with hiring. The report does not specify retailers, launch dates, hiring targets or how much of the investment will go to each planned activity.
Camino’s investment thesis, as described in the report, is that Intake could help make nasal breathing products a more familiar part of consumer wellness routines. The company has gained attention among professional athletes, including Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Justin Wrobleski and Belgian soccer player Amadou Onana. Athlete use and company descriptions do not, by themselves, establish that the device improves sleep, recovery or athletic performance.
A Retail Push for Nasal Devices
The investment gives Intake substantial reported funding to pursue a shift from online sales toward in-person retail distribution. Reaching physical and specialty stores could put the device in front of shoppers who do not routinely buy direct from emerging wellness brands, while also bringing the company into competition for attention in established categories such as drugstore nasal strips and sleep-related products.
For Camino, the deal adds a breathing-focused company to a portfolio that includes Barry’s, the boutique fitness brand, and Athletic Brewing, the nonalcoholic beer maker, according to the report. The investment also reflects investor interest in consumer wellness businesses, but whether Intake can turn that interest into sustained sales will depend on distribution, repeat purchases and consumer response—details not established by the announcement.
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From Garage Solution to Funding
Athletech News reports that Intake began with a problem Castillo sought to address in his garage and grew into a family-run business. Hauck described the investment as both a source of capital and a partnership with a firm experienced in building consumer brands. The report characterizes the deal as the company’s first significant external funding, but does not provide a prior financing history or a valuation.
Camino was founded by Daniel Lubetzky, who created Kind Snacks. Lubetzky compared the opportunity he sees in Intake with the early consumer shift around whole foods, saying the firm believes nasal breathing could become more widely adopted. That is an investor’s view of the market, not evidence that nasal devices are already an everyday wellness product or that demand will grow as projected.
““We’re not just gaining capital, we’re gaining a partner who knows exactly what it takes to help get us there.””
— Alex Hauck, Intake Breathing co-founder and CEO
Deal Terms and Rollout Details
The report gives the investment amount but does not disclose the deal structure, valuation, ownership stake or whether the capital was provided all at once. It also does not name planned retail partners, say when products will appear in stores, or provide a schedule for the expansion and hiring.
It remains unclear how consumers will respond to the magnetic system compared with standard nasal strips, and whether Intake can build repeat demand outside its direct-sales base. The source describes the device’s intended mechanical action, but provides no independent clinical evidence or study results establishing health or performance benefits.
Retail Expansion and Hiring Plans
Intake says it intends to use the investment to pursue retail and specialty-channel expansion and recruit for key roles. The next concrete indicators will be announcements of store or distribution partners, product availability dates and the positions the company plans to fill. Neither Intake nor Camino had a public timeline in the report.
As the company enters this growth phase, further information about the rollout and the product’s consumer and business performance will clarify whether the funding can broaden Intake’s reach beyond online sales. For now, the confirmed development is the investment and the company’s stated expansion plans; the scale and timing of those plans remain open.
Key Questions
How much did Intake Breathing receive?
Intake Breathing received a reported $62 million investment from Camino Partners, according to Athletech News.
What does Intake plan to do with the money?
The company says it plans to expand into physical retail and specialty channels and make key hires. The report does not give a spending breakdown or timeline.
How is Intake’s device different from a conventional nasal strip?
According to the report, Intake uses a reusable magnetic band and adhesive tabs intended to open the nasal valve. Traditional adhesive nasal strips use a strip placed across the nose. The report does not provide independent testing comparing the products.
Does the investment prove the device improves sleep or performance?
No. The funding announcement and references to athletes do not establish health or performance benefits. The report does not cite independent clinical evidence demonstrating those outcomes.
Source: athletechnews.com
