Holos

When years of hustling in tech startups wreaked havoc on Sam's health, the Quebec City entrepreneur went looking for answers. His curiosity led him to a holistic health coach named Christophe Contant who prescribed him a daily regimen of movement, nature, and whole foods.

It worked. One recipe in particular–a turbocharged twist on Bircher muesli that soaks overnight to be eaten in the morning–changed his life, restoring his energy levels and helping to heal his gut. They knew they had something big.

Over the next two years, Sam, Chris, and an angel investor-turned-CEO named Charles Sansregret developed and perfected the product of their dreams: a magic muesli nutritious enough to help you go the distance, whether you're in the last stretch of an marathon or on your third all-nighter with a newborn.

They called it HOLOS, derived from the Ancient Greek word holo ὅλος, meaning "whole,” because of everything it is and aspires to be: the breakfast of champions and casual joggers, a real-food revolution in a reusable jar.

As a kid growing up in Quebec City, a French-speaking city with cobblestone streets and old European charm, Sam always dreamed of starting his own company like his childhood idol Richard Branson. By 23, he’d actually done it.

After dropping out of college and hustling in the music business–working for management companies and a live-streaming startup–he moved to Toronto and co-founded an app that let fans record themselves lip-syncing to songs as a way to create crowd-sourced music videos.

The app, called JamCam, experienced some early success, partnering with PSY (of “Gangnam Style” fame) and launching Maroon 5’s single “Sugar. ” But in the end, they struggled to gain traction and stay independent, ultimately losing out to their primary competitor, a Chinese app now known as TikTok.

The stress of working in startups had taken its toll, and in early 2015, Sam returned to Quebec physically and emotionally depleted. Making matters worse, his on-the-go lifes...