After Selling Poppi For $1.95B, The Ellsworths Are Back With Another Startup. But What Comes After A Billion-Dollar Exit? Adrian Volenik Thu, November 12, 2026 at 1:30 PM EST 6 min read PEP -0.82% TGT -0.98% AMZN +0.73% Explore stocks on Coinbase Trading disclosure Trading disclosure The above button links to Coinbase. Yahoo Finance is not a broker-dealer or investment adviser and does not offer securities or cryptocurrencies for sale or facilitate trading. Coinbase pays us for certain activity generated through this link. Prices displayed are informational.
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Just 18 months after selling their soda company for nearly $2 billion, the founders are back with another beverage brand, this time hoping to shake up the $13 billion hydration market.
Allison and Stephen Ellsworth, the husband-and-wife team behind Poppi, sold their prebiotic soda brand to PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) for $1.95 billion in 2025. On Nov. 9, they announced the launch of Jetty, a new line of electrolyte drinks aimed at everyday consumers instead of athletes. The drinks are already available at Whole Foods stores nationwide and online through Target (NYSE:TGT) and Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN).
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The couple started Poppi with a homemade apple cider vinegar drink, originally sold under the name Mother Beverage. After appearing on "Shark Tank" in 2018, they rebranded the company and turned it into one of the most recognizable names in the prebiotic soda market.
Now they're hoping to do something similar with hydration drinks.
"Like many Americans, I was suffering from chronic dehydration," Allison said in a statement. "I went to the grocery store and noticed every electrolyte drink I found was made for high-performance athletes, high in sodium, and full of artificial ingredients, and there was no brand I related to."
Jetty comes in five flavors, including Watermelon, Orange Mango and Black Raspberry. Each ready-to-drink bottle contains 100 milligrams of sodium, 310 milligrams of potassium, 100 milligrams of magnesium, B vitamins, prebiotics, 6 grams of sugar and 45 calories.
Stephen, Jetty's CEO, said the company wants to reach people who need hydration throughout their daily lives, whether they're working, traveling or raising children.
"Hydration is a $13 billion category, but consumers are leaving traditional sports drinks and looking for better-for-you ways to hydrate," he said.
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Selling a company for nearly $2 billion sounds like the ultimate payday, but the actual amount founders walk away with can be very different from the headline figure.
The Ellsworths weren't Poppi's only shareholders, and the $1.95 billion acquisition price doesn't represent their personal payout. Investors, deal expenses and taxes can all affect how much money founders ultimately receive.
For business owners, a major sale can also bring financial decisions they've never had to make before. Capital gains taxes, estate planning, investments and deciding how much money to put into another venture can all become important considerations.
And having a large amount of money tied to one business creates another issue: diversification. Selling that business can provide an opportunity to spread wealth across different investments instead of depending on the success of a single company.
That's where Finance Advisors can help. Its free matching service connects people with qualified financial professionals, including registered investment advisers and other fiduciaries. The service considers things like your assets, location, whether you prefer to work with someone remotely and what kind of financial help you need. There's no obligation to hire anyone you're matched with.
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For founders starting another company, there's also the question of how much of their existing wealth to put at risk. Funding a new business can mean giving up some financial security, even after a successful exit.
The Ellsworths have invested $2.5 million of their own money to launch Jetty, according to media reports. Allison also said the company plans to raise outside funding in the future.
What is clear is that they're returning to the beverage industry with a familiar approach. Allison is handling branding and marketing, while Stephen oversees operations, finances and product development.
This time, they're taking on an established hydration market with a new brand and the experience of having already built and sold a billion-dollar business.
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