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Intake Breathing received a $62 million investment from Camino Partners, the firm founded by Kind Snacks creator Daniel Lubetzky. The company plans to use the funding to expand beyond direct-to-consumer sales into physical retail and specialty channels and to hire for growth; terms and a rollout schedule were not disclosed.
Intake Breathing has received a $62 million investment from Camino Partners, the investment firm founded by Kind Snacks creator Daniel Lubetzky, as the family-run nasal-device company plans to expand into physical retail and specialty sales. The funding gives Intake capital to build on its direct-to-consumer business, though the companies have not disclosed the investment terms or a timetable for expansion.
Intake makes a magnetic nasal dilator designed to open the nasal valve, the narrowest part of the nasal airway. Its system uses a reusable magnetic band and adhesive tabs to apply mechanical pressure. That differs from conventional adhesive nasal strips, which sit across the outside of the nose. The company presents the device as a way to open nasal passages and improve airflow; the source report does not provide clinical evidence or independently measured outcomes for those claims.
The company says it plans to put the new capital toward physical retail and specialty channels, alongside key hires to support growth. Intake has mainly sold directly to consumers so far. The report does not name retailers, specify how much of the $62 million will go to each plan, or say when products will appear in stores.
Founded by inventor and medical-device engineer Jim Castillo, Intake is led by his son-in-law, co-founder and CEO Alex Hauck. Its supporters include professional athletes such as Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Justin Wrobleski and Belgian soccer player Amadou Onana, according to the report. Their association with the brand does not establish that the device improves athletic performance.
A Retail Test for Nasal Devices
The investment gives Intake resources to try to move a product category often associated with drugstore remedies into broader health and wellness retail. Reaching stores could make the device easier to discover outside the company’s existing online sales channels, while also putting it alongside established nasal strips and other consumer products. Whether shoppers adopt a reusable magnetic system at scale remains unproven.
For Camino, the deal is a bet on consumer interest in sleep, recovery and performance as an opportunity to build a larger breathing-products business. The investment is also meaningful for Intake because it is described as the company’s first significant outside capital infusion. New funding may support expansion, but the report offers no revenue, sales-growth, valuation or profitability figures with which to gauge the company’s current scale.
Consumers should distinguish the company’s product design and marketing claims from evidence of health benefits. The source material describes how the device is intended to work, but does not establish that it treats a medical condition, improves sleep, or boosts athletic performance.
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From Online Sales to Stores
Intake began as a solution developed by Castillo, an inventor and medical-device engineer, and grew into a family-run business led by Hauck. The company built its sales primarily through direct-to-consumer channels before seeking capital for a wider commercial push. The $62 million investment marks a change in the company’s financing and growth plans; the source does not say whether Camino will take a controlling stake or disclose other deal terms.
Camino’s portfolio includes boutique fitness company Barry’s and nonalcoholic beer maker Athletic Brewing, according to the report. Lubetzky and Camino president Elle Lanning framed the Intake investment as an effort to make nasal breathing products more familiar to mainstream consumers. Their comparisons to past consumer shifts are the investors’ view of the opportunity, not evidence that demand for Intake’s device has already reached that level.
““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 Evidence Still Missing
The source report does not disclose the investment structure, Camino’s ownership share, Intake’s valuation, or any conditions attached to the funding. It also gives no dates for planned store launches or hiring, and names no retail partners. The scale and timing of the expansion therefore remain uncertain.
Sales figures, customer numbers and financial performance were not provided, leaving the company’s current market position difficult to assess. The report also contains no independent testing or clinical data on whether Intake’s device improves airflow or produces benefits for sleep, recovery or performance. Those outcomes should not be inferred from the device’s design, athlete associations or investor statements.
Retail Rollout and Hiring Plans
The next developments to watch are Intake’s retail partnerships, product availability in physical and specialty stores, and the hires it makes with the new funding. The company has announced these as intended uses of the capital, but has not supplied a schedule or named specific milestones.
Further information about the transaction’s terms, the company’s financial performance and any evidence supporting product claims could clarify both the investment’s scale and the case for broader consumer use. Until those details emerge, the confirmed development is the funding itself and Intake’s stated plan to expand its sales channels.
Key Questions
Who invested in Intake Breathing?
Camino Partners, the investment firm founded by Kind Snacks creator Daniel Lubetzky, invested $62 million, according to the source report.
What does Intake plan to do with the funding?
The company says it plans to expand into physical retail and specialty channels and make key hires. It has not announced specific stores, hiring numbers or a rollout schedule.
How is Intake’s device different from adhesive nasal strips?
Intake’s product uses a reusable magnetic band and adhesive tabs intended to mechanically open the nasal valve. Conventional strips use adhesive across the outside of the nose. The source report does not provide comparative clinical results.
Does the investment prove the device improves sleep or athletic performance?
No. The report describes the company’s intended use and investor interest, but provides no independent clinical evidence establishing improvements in sleep, recovery or athletic performance.
Were the investment terms disclosed?
No. The report gives the $62 million amount but does not disclose valuation, ownership share, deal structure or other transaction terms.
Source: athletechnews.com
