Welcome!
QI: The circulating vital life force that
makes up and binds all things together in
the universe.
The Funqi Life Vision
To provide convenient access to the health
and wellness benefits of medicinal
mushrooms to consumer groups of all ages
on a daily basis.
The Story
With an active and healthy lifestyle, James Backman began infusing the benefits of mushroom into his daily routine. He would start his day including mushroom powders into hot tea or coffee. On work days driving to various solar job sites, that morning coffee or tea wasn’t cutting it. He wanted something refreshing he could drink throughout the day. He started experimenting infusing these beneficial shrooms into juices and teas in his kitchen, sharing his best results with friends and family. People loved it! Through longtime mutual friends, James was introduced to beverage marketing veteran Bryon Schreckengost and Funqi was born.
Co Founder - James Backman
Why Now? The Opportunity
Mushroom Products are moving to the Mainstream.
The functional beverage match is a natural.
There is no easy daily access to mushroom derived botanicals.
Funqi seeks to enable easy daily access with beverages and other products.
$34.3 Billion Dollar Functional Mushroom Market by 2024
$208 Billion Dollar Functional Beverage Market by 2024
Pre-legalization brand establishment.
Product Development
The first Funqi product will be a mushroom infused Ready To Drink beverage.
Funqi’s proprietary formulation by Flavorman, the top
beverage formulation lab in the country.
6 SKUs/Flavors will be created.
Focus groups and market research will determine 1-2 launch SKUs.
Easy Daily Access to
Mushroom-Based Products
Everyday product used by everybody
High quality ingredients
Low Calorie, Subtle Flavor
Blockchain ledger of all mushroom ingredients
Synergies with other wellness promoting ingredients.
Locally and Regionally sourced ingredients.
No artificial flavors and preservatives.
Natural and integrous.
Mushroom Food and Beverage
Products are Gaining Popularity
There are a number of mushroom products available.
Most are supplements and are associated with health benefits.
Mushroom Coffee and Elixir dry powdered products
A specialized coffee creamer by Laird Hamilton touts the health benefits of Functional Mushrooms.
Whole Mushroom powders are available.
Currently, there is no ready to drink beverages above 6 ounces broadly available.
Functional Beverage Landscape
About These Mushrooms
Funqi is initially focused on four well described medicinal mushrooms.
These mushrooms have been used in Ancient Chinese Medicine for thousands of years.
Recently, a proliferation of scientific research has demonstrated their positive impact on human health.
The Funqi Master Blend
& Potential Benefits
Business Model
Future Product Potential
The Team
James Backman
Co-Founder
Bryon Schreckengost
Co-Founder & Marketing
James Backman is Co-Founder of Funqi and creator of the Funqi concept. Prior to Funqi, James founded Adroit Energy, a renewable energy company that in 2016 was ranked by the San Diego Business Journal as the 10th fastest growing company in San Diego. Adroit grew to become one of the largest solar thermal companies in the U.S. James is currently a Co-Founder and CEO of Core Energy Group, a renewable energy company designing and constructing thermal, photovoltaic, and integrated energy systems in California. James is a seasoned entrepreneur who knows how to build cohesive teams, problem-solve in rapidly changing environments, and persevere in the face of difficulty. After spending two decades in the renewable energy sector delivering diverse and complex projects for a wide variety of organizations, Jame's passion for people and nature led him to develop Funqi, a unique health and wellness consumer product.
Bryon began his career in beverage marketing as Marketing Director for the Her Energy Drink. He oversaw the launch program with Target and Costco. Notable is the 2009 Indy 500, where he ran the sponsorship of the #99 entry of Alex “Pink” Lloyd with Chip Ganassi Motorsports and Sam Schmidt Racing. Bryon moved from energy drinks to wine as Senior Brand Manager with Guarachi Wine Partners. There he supported programs with Whole Foods, HEB and Landry’s as well as activations at Sundance Film Festival, Aspen Food & Wine and WSWA. He also served as Director of Marketing for Reilly’s Whiskey and is currently Brand Manager at Scheid Family Wines.
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