PRODA Names Justin Timberlake, Jessica Biel and Joey Gonzalez as Co-Founders

PRODA, the Los Angeles protein soda startup operating under Better Soda, Inc., announced on October 13 that Justin Timberlake, Jessica Biel, and Joey Gonzalez have joined the company as co-founders, expanding the founding team to five. The brand directed press to Forbes for the full announcement, where Biel and Timberlake were quoted in a joint statement saying they "believe you shouldn't have to choose between what tastes good and what's good for you."

The three join Matthew Postlethwaite, an actor and wellness entrepreneur who co-founded the company, and Jeff Church, a nine-time founder who previously co-founded Suja Juice. Church's track record scaling beverage brands into mainstream retail adds operational credibility to a team that now also includes a Grammy and Emmy Award-winning artist, an Emmy-nominated actress and producer, and the Executive Chairman of Barry's. Per the company, the brand invested more than 1,000 hours in research and formulation before going to market.

PRODA sells a carbonated soda containing 10g of whey protein isolate and zero sugar per can across seven flavors: Classic Orange, Cherry Lime, Strawberry Lemonade, Lemon Lime, Golden Apple, Root Beer, and Shirley Temple. A 12-pack retails for $39.95, per the company. Distribution currently covers every Sprouts Farmers Market location nationwide, with the product also available on Amazon and through the brand's direct-to-consumer site. The company describes itself as the No. 1 fastest-turning protein soda brand, per the company.

Why it matters

The co-founder structure, rather than a conventional endorsement arrangement, reflects how premium functional beverage startups are rethinking celebrity involvement. Equity-tied participation puts celebrities in the position of operators with reputational stakes, rather than paid ambassadors who can exit cleanly. Gonzalez, as Executive Chairman of Barry's, brings a direct line to fitness-oriented consumers who are already conditioned to spend on performance nutrition, a demographic that maps closely onto the protein soda proposition. Church's history co-founding Suja Juice, which scaled into mainstream grocery, provides a template for the kind of retail expansion PRODA will need to justify the attention its new co-founders generate. The protein soda segment remains early-stage, and a founding team of this profile entering it simultaneously validates the category and raises the stakes for competitors already on shelf.

What to watch

Sprouts is a natural-channel retailer with a self-selecting shopper base. Timberlake and Biel carry mainstream consumer pull that extends well beyond that footprint. Whether PRODA converts the celebrity announcement into expanded placement at conventional grocery chains will be the near-term indicator of how aggressively the brand intends to scale, and how much of its retail strategy depends on the new co-founders' reach rather than the channel relationships Church built at Suja.

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Sources

• Protein Soda With 10g Protein and Zero Sugar | PRODA
• Our Story: Meet the PRODA Founders | PRODA
• Press | PRODA
• Press | PRODA