David

David was founded in 2023 by Peter Rahal, co-founder of RXBar (sold to Kellogg's in 2017 for $600 million). The brand launched with immediate velocity, driven by a strategic capital structure that placed its investor roster at the center of its marketing plan from day one.

Known equity investors include Peter Attia (physician, longevity podcaster, The Drive, ~2M subscribers) and Andrew Huberman (neuroscientist, Huberman Lab, ~7M YouTube subscribers). Both were confirmed investors from the $10M seed round in August 2024 (per the AlleyWatch CEO interview). Attia additionally served as Chief Science Officer — a formal executive role, not merely an advisory title — until his resignation in February 2026. The equity relationship for both has not been consistently disclosed beyond standard "sponsored by" language in podcast reads, which does not meet the FTC's specific guidance on equity disclosure.

The company has not disclosed a full investor list or capitalization table publicly. The valuation is not public. What is known is that David raised initial funding, placed its highest-trust health influencers on the cap table, and launched into a market where those same influencers' audiences are the primary target customer. This is the AG1 model — investor-endorser alignment as the core go-to-market strategy — executed with a newer, faster-growing brand and better macros.

David's go-to-market strategy is built on investor-endorser integration. The promotional apparatus is the ownership table. When Attia says on The Drive that David is the best protein bar he's found for his own consumption, or when Huberman discusses it on Huberman Lab, the listener's prior is expert independent recommendation. The actual structure is equity holder promoting equity investment.

The FTC's endorsement guidelines require disclosure of material connections including equity. The standard disclaimer "sponsored by David" at the top of a podcast episode does not clearly communicate equity ownership to a typical listener. The FTC has issued guidance specifically noting that equity relationships require explicit disclosure beyond standard sponsorship language. Whether David's influencer disclosures meet this standard is an open regulatory question.

David bars retail at approximately $3.50–4.00 per bar, or $36–42 for a 12-pack. They are available via Amazon, DTC subscription on David's website, and expanding retail distribution. The subscription option offers 10–15% discounts and auto-renewal — a mild lock-in mechanism but not aggressive by DTC health brand standards.

The yellow score reflects the premium pricing relative to comparable protein bars (Quest, RXBar, Barebells all retail at $2.50–3.00) and the DTC subscription model, weighted against the genuinely superior macro profile that partially justifies the premium. This is the most defensible yellow in the database — there is a real product argument for the price, even if the pricing is also influenced by influencer-driven brand premium.

The headline claim — 28g protein, 150 calories, 0g sugar — is accurate. The ingredient question is more subtle than the profile's original framing suggested.

David's "Protein System" is: Milk Protein Isolate, Collagen, Whey Protein Concentrate, Egg White. The company claims, and third-party testing by Light Labs supports, a 1.0 PDCAAS score for the blend — meaning the combination of protein sources together provides a complete essential amino acid profile. This is not a fraudulent claim. The blend as a whole is complete protein.

The real issue is what the blend's composition reveals about cost engineering. Collagen is listed second in the protein system — meaning it is the second most abundant ingredient by weight. Collagen is dramatically cheaper per gram than whey isolate or milk protein isolate. It contributes to the total 28g gram count while doing less of the muscle protein synthesis work: collagen is low in leucine (the primary MPS trigger) and its tryptophan content, while present in the blend context, is the reason collagen alone scores near zero on PDCAAS. The proportion of collagen in the blend is not disclosed. A consumer cannot determine how much of their 28g is cheap structural protein versus complete high-quality protein.

David's bar does contain whey protein concentrate alongside collagen, milk protein isolate, and egg white — the blend achieves 1.0 PDCAAS. But the proportion of collagen in the blend is not disclosed on the label, and collagen is the cheapest ingredient in the system. The consumer paying $3.50/bar for "28g protein" cannot determine what share of that protein comes from high-MPS whey and egg white versus cheap structural collagen.

David has no published clinical trials on its bars as formulated. The endorsements from Attia and Huberman carry implied scientific authority. Attia is a practicing physician; Huberman is a published neuroscientist — but neither has conducted or published independent research on David's specific product. Their endorsements are personal testimony from equity holders, not scientific evaluation.

The collagen protein issue is well-established in peer-reviewed literature. The superiority of complete proteins (whey, casein, egg) over collagen for muscle protein synthesis is not a contested scientific question. The fact that David's primary equity-holder promoters — both of whom are trained in relevant scientific disciplines and have built audiences on scientific credibility — have not prominently communicated this distinction to their audiences while promoting the product is the most significant scientific backing failure in this profile.

The label claims are technically accurate. 28g protein — accurate. 150 calories — accurate. 0g sugar — accurate. No FDA enforcement actions. No FTC complaints filed specifically against David's product labeling as of this writing.

The yellow score reflects the gap between label accuracy and marketing implication. The "28g protein" claim is accurate as a total protein figure but does not communicate protein quality. A consumer who has learned from Attia or Huberman that leucine threshold and amino acid completeness matter for muscle protein synthesis — which both have discussed extensively — is not given the information they need to evaluate David's protein blend against those criteria the bar's own promoters have taught them.

David is not NSF Certified for Sport. The brand does publish third-party batch testing results through Light Labs — certificates of analysis are available on their website and batches are tested for protein content and contaminants. This is meaningfully better than no testing, but Light Labs is not equivalent to NSF Certified for Sport: NSF screens for 270+ substances banned in competitive sport and requires annual facility audits. A competitive athlete who cannot risk a failed drug test needs NSF or Informed Sport certification, not an independent lab COA alone. Momentous holds NSF Certified for Sport status; David does not.

The sweetener system warrants scrutiny: David uses maltitol, sucralose, and acesulfame potassium. Maltitol is a sugar alcohol known for gastrointestinal effects at higher doses and a moderate glycemic index (unlike erythritol). Sucralose and acesulfame potassium are artificial sweeteners with ongoing debates about long-term effects. David's marketing of "0g sugar" is technically accurate but does not address the glycemic or GI effects of maltitol — a distinction worth communicating to the blood-sugar-conscious audience the brand explicitly targets.