Who Owns GHOST Energy?

GHOST is a lifestyle sports nutrition brand based in Henderson, Nevada. The company was founded in 2020 by Dan Lourenco and Ryan Hughes through a partnership with Anheuser-Busch InBev. The founders prioritized authenticity and transparency to ensure GHOST stands out. In 2022, GHOST launched nationally at leading retail chains, including Kroger, 7-Eleven, and Publix. [1]

GHOST sells products through GNC, ghostlifestyle.com, and retailers in over 40 countries. The company has partnered with leading brands like OREO, Chips Ahoy!, Sour Patch Kids, Sonic Drive-In, Warheads, Swedish Fish, and Welch’s to create new and authentic flavors.

In Jan 2023, GHOST started selling its energy drinks in Walmart stores. The deal expands GHOST’s distribution network, ensuring its products are accessible to potential customers. [2]

GHOST relies on strategic collaborations and partnerships to drive innovations. The brand partners with mega-influencers, celebrities, and companies beyond traditional sponsorships. In Nov 2023, GHOST was named the Official Energy Drink Partner of the Phoenix Suns. The brand will provide its GHOST Energy Orange Cream to fans at Phoenix Suns home games.

This collaboration will promote GHOST products while enhancing the game-day experience for Phoenix Suns supporters. [3]

GHOST targets consumers drawn to authenticity. The brand delivers functional energy drinks that meet consumers’ lifestyle needs. In May 2023, GHOST and Insomniac announced a multi-year partnership deal.

The collaboration started at the Electric Daisy Carnival in Las Vegas with a limited-edition GHOST x EDC “Wide Awake Watermelon” energy drink. GHOST will be the exclusive energy partner at all Insomniac festivals and events nationwide. But who owns GHOST Energy? [4]

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Who is GHOST Energy’s Owner?

GHOST Energy is part of GHOST Lifestyle, founded by Dan Lourenco and Ryan Hughes. Its parent company offers energy drinks, sports nutrition products, dietary supplements, merch, and apparel.

In 2020, GHOST Lifestyle partnered with AB InBev to launch GHOST Energy. AB InBev’s ZX Ventures investment arm created a joint-venture (JV) entity, a subsidiary of the parent company GHOST Lifestyle.

This JV oversees GHOST Lifestyle’s ready-to-drink (RTD) beverage division, including GHOST Energy. In Jul 2023, the brand introduced the new Sour Pink Lemonade Ghost Energy drink. [5]

GHOST Energy’s parent company, GHOST Lifestyle, was founded in 2016. The co-founders initially focused on supplements, including pre-workout and amino acid powders, which help with hydration.

They started exploring energy drinks a few years later and launched GHOST Energy in 2020. By 2022, GHOST Energy had over 50,000 distribution points thanks to its partnership with AB InBev. [6]

Dan Lourenco is the CEO of GHOST Lifestyle, while co-founder Ryan Hughes is the CMO (chief marketing officer). Before launching GHOST, Hughes was a professional bodybuilder, and Lourenco was a flight instructor and flew private charter planes and turboprops.

They got into fitness and workout supplements because their career paths required mental focus. CEO Lourenco briefly worked for a supplement company, which inspired him to start GHOST. In Dec 2023, Lourenco announced that GHOST was preparing to launch products in Australia and New Zealand. [7]

GHOST Energy markets itself as the first full-disclosure energy drink. The brand lists all active ingredients in each GHOST can in the nutrition facts panel.

In Jan 2024, the brand launched GHOST Hydration to expand into the bottled hydration niche. This new product increases GHOST’s competitive advantage over rivals like BodyArmor and Prime. [8]

Image Credit: Qasim Malick

GHOST Energy’s Ownership History

Dan Lourenco and Ryan Hughes founded GHOST Lifestyle and established GHOST Energy. They are the original owners of the parent company and its energy drink brand. However, the co-founders launched GHOST Energy with AB InBev.

AB InBev sales executive Brendan Whitworth came across the GHOST supplement brand while shopping in GNC and emailed the company. The co-founders met Whitworth and the AB InBev executive team in New York. This meeting led to the 2020 launch of GHOST energy drink through a joint venture with AB InBev. [9]

GHOST Energy’s meteoritic rise is attributed to its partnership with AB InBev. The brand uses AB InBev’s distribution and organizational resources to carve out a niche in the energy drink segment dominated by Red Bull and Monster. This strategy paid off.

As of Oct 2022, GHOST’s energy-boosting beverages were available in 50% of US grocery and convenience stores. They are sold at national chains, such as 7-Eleven, Kroger, GNC, and Circle K.

GHOST Lifestyle is known for its energy drink brand. However, the company’s first licensed product was a sports nutrition supplement. In Dec 2016, the co-founders launched Warheads Sour Watermelon GHOST Pre-Workout.

They expanded their offerings to build a brand for everybody regardless of the consumer’s fitness or physique goals. By 2022, GHOST was one of the fastest-growing brands in the industry across energy drink and sports nutrition categories. [10]

The co-founders leveraged collaborations to grow the GHOST Energy brand. They partnered with XSET in 2020 to venture into the esports space. In 2022, GHOST signed a multi-year deal with FaZe Clan.

The collaboration delivered the FAZE Pop flavor, which became 7-Eleven’s 2023 top-selling energy product nationwide. In Feb 2024, FaZe Clan and GHOST launched the new FAZE UP energy drink flavor. Consumers can find this product in all North American 7-Eleven stores. [11]

Image Credit: Anastase Maragos

GHOST Energy Shareholder Structure

GHOST Energy is a leading American energy drink brand. Its parent organization, GHOST Lifestyle, is a private company owned by co-founders Dan Lourenco and Ryan Hughes. According to Pitchbook, GHOST Energy has two investors – GHOST Lifestyle and AB InBev.

CEO Lourenco and CMO Hughes are GHOST Energy’s majority shareholders. [12]

AB InBev holds a minority stake in GHOST Energy. The brewing giant invested in the brand via its ZX Ventures incubator and helped the co-founders launch GHOST Energy in 2020. Before its tie-up with GHOST, AB InBev had secured and lost long-term deals with Monster Energy and Bang Energy.

So, AB InBev created a joint-venture entity through ZX Ventures to solidify its partnership with GHOST Lifestyle. The JV secures AB InBev’s stake in GHOST Energy. [13]

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