Kurk’s Curcumin breakthrough

KURK, a biotech start-up based in Twickenham, has built the world’s first, all natural Micellar emulsion with curcumin.

This trademarked compound is targeted to reduce Ibuprofen overuse – a growing concern in the medical community. Many sufferers take too much of it for too long.

With impressive online-only sales of £3.3m+, KURK have raised £366,000 in their most-recent round of funding – an oversubscribed bridge round of investment for £350k on Seedrs for 4.9% equity to be used expand into retail, bring pipeline products to production, and unlock export partnerships. The subscription target was passed within 10 days of the allocated 30 days, and investment opportunity remains ongoing.

Backed by top-tier health-conscious celebrities, Tom Hardy and Tinie Tempah, along with renowned investor Lyndon Lea, the Biotech appears destined for success.

For years, curcumin, the main compound of Turmeric, has been clinically proven to have anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, but until now it was hard to get sufficiently high quantities into the body to make an immediate impact.

The benefits of curcumin have been known to scientists for years – going back even to the ancient medicine of Ayurveda in India – but they have struggled to get it absorbed in sufficient quantities.

The founders of KURK, best friends both of whom survived cancer in their mid-30s, managed to crack the code to make curcumin more absorbable. Dr Harrison Weisinger (Dr Harry) – a doctor with three decades of clinical and research experience in general medical practice, nutrition, wellness and longevity, and Trent Scanlen an entrepreneur and high-performance martial arts coach. KURK is the result of exceptional professional and personal journeys.

After four years of research and development in their purpose-built lab in Twickenham, the result is a true world-first that’s ready to launch.

Says Dr Harry:
“We can now offer the world’s only 100% plant-based, highly absorbable, bioavailable and delicious curcumin supplement.”

KURK has created a process that delivers the curcumin content of eight kg of turmeric into 100 ml of active, effective liquid curcumin that forms a delicious daily drink concentrate. Over 1000x more absorbable than turmeric capsules, KURK is the world’s only 100% plant-based, high-potency, micellar curcumin.

KURK reduces inflammation and has cumulative effects, steadily improving a range of real-life issues from sleep quality to stress levels, muscle aches to memory. It’s the ultimate supplement for optimised health, supporting immunity, brain function, and pain relief. Unlike some other supplement brands that use synthetic ingredients—KURK uses 100% plant compounds and is proudly made in the UK.

Trent Scanlen, KURK’s CEO, naturally led a very healthy lifestyle from a young age. It was while working internationally within a senior corporate role with Specsavers that he was diagnosed with cancer (Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma). He then started a deep dive into nutrition and high performance, mentored (and treated) by Dr Harry.

Trent explains
“We wrote this business plan while I was undergoing chemotherapy, so to see it come to life is an achievement I am very proud of. We see enormous potential in our new clean science that enhances difficult to absorb plant compounds for human health. Since our launch in July last year, we have been blown away by the reaction within our community and are excited to help people, naturally.”

Dr Harrison Weisinger, KURK’s scientific director, is a family doctor in Australia that has also worked in the UK, Europe, and the United States. From the age of 18, Dr Harry was unwell with a series of health issues that saw him hospitalised 30 times by the age of 40. Starting with the diagnosis of Crohn’s disease and eventually Lymphoma. Throughout his working career as a doctor, university professor, and scientist, Dr Harry has committed his life to improving human health.

Dr Harry explains
“We discovered curcumin during our search of the literature for natural compounds with anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial or anti-cancer properties. Talk about hitting the jackpot – at the time there were something like 10,000 papers on the effects of curcumin, about half of which were on cancer, the other half on inflammation. Our problem (and opportunity) arose from the fact that curcumin in its natural form basically passes right through the gut and is almost entirely excreted. Four years, an incredible amount of painstaking work, and several product iterations later, I’m pleased to say that we offer the world’s only 100% plant-based, highly absorbable, bioavailable and delicious curcumin supplement.”

The benefits of turmeric are talked about at length in the health and wellness world, and for a good reason – the active compound curcumin. With over 20,000 peer-reviewed articles on PubMed looking at cancer prevention, inflammation management and solubility – it is clear why the scientific community is excited about the results of curcumin in human health. Curcumin is the active ingredient that gives turmeric its health-boosting qualities, but the curcumin content of turmeric is tiny—only 3% on average. Standard curcumin supplements come in powder form—as tablets or capsules. But curcumin powder is not very soluble – making it hard for your body to absorb.