How Timberlake and Biel's Co-Founder Role at Proda Is Structured
Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel were announced as co-founders of the protein soda brand Proda on 13 October 2026. Here is what the announcement sets out for operators.
Proda, a Los Angeles-based protein soda brand, announced on 13 October 2026 that Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel have joined the company as co-founders. The announcement went out through PR Newswire.
The release says the two will help shape Proda's vision, including creative strategy, flavor innovation, product development and cultural partnerships. The release gives no financial terms.
The rest of the story is about how a young beverage brand is using famous co-founders, and a fitness-industry executive, to widen its reach while two existing co-CEOs remain in place.
What Proda announced on 13 October
According to the company's release, Timberlake and Biel will help shape Proda's vision. The release names these areas: creative strategy, flavor innovation, product development and cultural partnerships.
Food Dive reported the news on 13 October and said the pair will help with those same areas. Beverage Industry covered it on 14 October, and The Shelby Report on 15 October.
The release describes Timberlake as a Grammy and Emmy Award-winning singer, songwriter, actor and entertainer, and Biel as an Emmy Award-nominated actress and producer.
The two gave a joint statement: "We believe you shouldn't have to choose between what tastes good and what's good for you." The statement also says the chance to work with Matthew Postlethwaite and Jeff Church on the brand's products and direction made the opportunity exciting for them.
Who else is on the founding team
Proda's two co-CEOs are Postlethwaite, an actor and wellness entrepreneur, and Church, a beverage industry veteran. The release describes Church as a nine-time founder and CEO and a co-founder of Suja Juice. Food Dive and The Shelby Report both identify him as the Suja Juice founder or co-founder, and The Shelby Report names Postlethwaite's acting credit on Peaky Blinders.
A third addition arrived alongside the celebrity pair. Joey Gonzalez, executive chairman of the fitness chain Barry's, also joined as a co-founder. The release says he brings operational scale and fitness-culture expertise.
The Shelby Report calls the five co-founders the "founding five."
Both Postlethwaite and Church keep the co-CEO title. The new co-founders are described in terms of creative strategy, flavor innovation, product development and cultural partnerships, and Gonzalez in terms of operational scale and fitness-culture expertise.
The product and where it sells
Each 12-ounce can of Proda contains 10 grams of complete protein, according to the release, using a proprietary clear whey isolate matrix. The cans have zero sugar and are made with all-natural ingredients. The company says the formula avoids the heavy, chalky texture of traditional protein drinks.
Beverage Industry, citing the company, describes the taste as crisp and carbonated. Food Dive describes the product as a lighter format compared to traditional protein shakes.
There are seven flavors: Shirley Temple, Strawberry Lemonade, Golden Apple, Cherry Lime, Lemon Lime, Classic Orange and Root Beer.
Proda launched in 2026 and then rolled out nationally at Sprouts Farmers Market. It also sells on Amazon and through its own website, drinkproda.com. Food Dive says the brand was founded earlier in 2026.
The company says it wants to move from a fast-growing functional soda brand to a household staple across grocery, club and direct-to-consumer channels nationwide. Food Dive lists Sprouts, Amazon and the brand's own site as its current outlets, and describes club and grocery stores as the mainstream targets.
The sales claims and the missing numbers
Proda calls itself the "#1 fastest-turning protein soda in America." The release describes a breakout 2026 launch and explosive growth on Amazon.
The release does not attach figures or a data source to those claims. The release gives no sales numbers, funding amounts or retail pricing.
The same is true of the founders' arrangement. The release does not say whether Timberlake and Biel hold equity, how they are compensated, or what the deal is worth. The Shelby Report likewise reports no investment amount or deal terms for the celebrity co-founders.
“The release says the two will help shape Proda's vision, including creative strategy, flavor innovation, product development and cultural partnerships.”
The demand backdrop and the competition
Food Dive cites Circana data showing 48% of adults are actively seeking more protein in their diets, up 7 percentage points from a year earlier. It also refers to companies reformulating how much more protein they can fit in their products.
Among competitors, it names sparkling protein offerings from Premier Protein and C4 Energy.
On celebrity involvement, Food Dive says studies have shown consumers are more willing to try unfamiliar products when a celebrity endorses them.
The article also places Proda within a wider soda market. Mainstream soda makers are buying better-for-you brands or innovating within their own portfolios, according to Food Dive. It names Stiller's Soda as another celebrity-backed brand marketed as filling a gap in the better-for-you soda market.
The Shelby Report tags its coverage under beverage news and health and wellness.
What operators can take from the announcement
The first point is the title. Proda used "co-founder" for the celebrity roles The release then names areas of work for the two.
The second is sequencing. Proda launched in 2026, rolled out nationally at Sprouts and sold on Amazon, and announced the celebrity co-founders afterward. The stated next step is grocery and club retail.
The third is the mix of backgrounds. The release pairs two entertainers with a beverage veteran who has founded companies before and an executive from a fitness chain, and describes the executive's contribution as operational scale and fitness-culture expertise.
The fourth is what the release leaves out. The release gives no equity splits, compensation or vesting for the celebrity partners, or any funding figures. Those terms are not in the release, and it gives no sales or pricing data to set beside them.
