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Daily Performance Drink · No. 01

Hold the line.

Clean energy, focus, hydration and gut health in one can. Built for the standard you refuse to drop below, every day, not just the hard ones.

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Made in Michigan Since 2026

Zero isn't empty.
It's where you begin.

What it is

Four things that earn their place.

Not an energy drink. No B-vitamin pile-on, no proprietary blends. The shortest functional ingredient list we could write and still mean what we say.

100mg
Caffeine · Energy
From green coffee bean. Less than most energy drinks. Enough to do the work.
200mg
L-Theanine · Focus
Paired with caffeine for sustained focus without the jitter.
3g
Fibersol-2 · Gut
A well-researched prebiotic fiber that's easy on the stomach.
3×
Electrolytes · Hydration
Sodium, potassium and magnesium. All three, added on purpose.

How it stacks up

Most drinks on the shelf do one or two of these. Zero State is built to do all five in one 12oz can.

Per 12oz canZero StatePoppiOlipopCelsiusRed Bull
CaffeineEnergy100mg40mg0mg200mg114mg
L-TheanineFocus200mgNoneNoneNoneNone
Prebiotic fiberGut3g3g9g0g0g
ElectrolytesNa + K + MgAll 3NoneTrace NaNoneNa Mg
Added sugarNone added0g3g1g0g37g
Covers5 of 52 of 51 of 52 of 51 of 5

Per 12oz can, from each brand's published nutrition facts, Sept 2026. Half dot: some is there, but not the full sodium, potassium and magnesium set. None: not listed on the brand's label. Poppi reflects Classic Cola; Olipop reflects Classic Root Beer. Values vary by flavor. Zero State figures reflect the No. 01 formulation in development, made with no added sugar; final values may change before production.

Why it holds

Hold the line.

Most high-caffeine drinks spike hard and drop you below where you started. Zero State is formulated to get you up and keep you there.

0h1h2h3h4h5h6h
Zero State: 100mg caffeine + 200mg L-theanine
Typical high-caffeine drink: no L-theanine

Illustrative model of caffeine/L-theanine dosing profiles, built from public label data, not a clinical measurement of Zero State or any named competitor.

When it's for

Built for the daytime.

Not a nightcap, not a pre-workout scoop. One can for the part of the day that asks the most of you.

8:00am
First thing

First class, first shift, first set. In place of the second coffee.

11:30am
Between blocks

Lecture to lab, meeting to meeting, when lunch is still an hour out.

2:00pm
The long stretch

Library, studio, or the desk you can't leave until it's done.

5:30pm
Before the next thing

Before the lift, the run, or the closing shift.

The story

Built in East Lansing.

I got tired of choosing: energy or hydration, focus or gut health, a spike now and a crash by 2pm. So I built the can I wanted to drink every day.

It's not just me. In a survey of MSU students, 89% said they drink energy drinks, and the tradeoffs they named were the same ones I was tired of: too much sugar, crashes, artificial ingredients. 93.7% said they'd try a healthier option. That's the gap Zero State is built to close.

Zero State is coming out of the Burgess Institute for Entrepreneurship & Innovation at Michigan State: developed in MSU's Venture Kitchen with Michigan tart cherries and a formula we wrote ourselves. The name isn't about subtraction: zero is the floor you build up from, and this is the can that sets it.

Sourcing follows the same rule as the formula: nothing hidden. Suppliers we can name, ingredients chosen for ethical, sustainable sourcing over whatever's cheapest to ship, and a fully recyclable aluminum can.

Julius Ash · Founder
Julius Ash accepting Zero State's certificate of completion for the Burgess Institute LEAP One & All program
LEAP One & All · Cohort 13
Burgess Institute for Entrepreneurship & Innovation
Where to find it
Coming soon

Drop 01 merch: hoodies, crewnecks and tees, launching through Student-Made MSU.

Coming soon

No. 01 cans: launching at MSU. The waitlist gets first access and early-supporter pricing.

Partners

Bars, gyms, shops: building the first Lansing accounts now. Get in touch.

Questions

Before you ask.

When does Zero State launch?

We're pre-launch, moving through Michigan state licensing and process authority review now. The waitlist gets first access and early-supporter pricing the moment cans are available.

Is 100mg of caffeine a lot?

Less than most energy drinks, which commonly run 160 to 300mg a can: enough to feel it, paired with L-theanine so it's steady rather than jittery.

What does it taste like?

No. 01 is Pomegranate Tart Cherry, made with Michigan tart cherries and Michigan-processed pomegranate. Sparkling and lightly sweet, not syrupy, with 0g added sugar: the only sugar in the can comes from the fruit juice.

Where can I get it first?

Campus first, through Student-Made MSU, before wider Lansing-area availability. Bars, gyms, and shops can reach out directly about carrying it.

Is it available to buy right now?

Not yet. Join the waitlist below and you'll be the first to know the moment cans are available.

Early access

Be first to hold the line.

Launch date, early-supporter pricing, and the build updates we don't post anywhere else.

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In the Lansing area and want to try it in person first, at a campus event, a bar, or a pitch stop?

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