As the Founder & CEO of NNB Nutrition, Kylin Liao is a successful business leader in the Biotechnology industry who creates some of the most novel, cutting-edge, effective, and experiential ingredients on the planet.
NNB partners with supplement brands, food & beverage companies, manufacturers, and innovators that are passionate about developing groundbreaking products designed to optimize human health, elevate performance and maximize longevity.
NNB uses its intellectual property rights and patents to provide customers with new and novel, high-quality innovations that are branded, legally protected, and commercialized for the first time in the world. They have applied for nearly 90 patents and plan to apply for more.
NNB has decades of experience developing ingredients – from concept to market – and building and growing a business in the supplement and raw material industries. With the vision of creating new and novel ingredients to support human optimization, they have earned a prestigious reputation in the market.
The value of learning from mistakes
Liao majored in chemistry and recalls that he was passionate about scientific research during his time at university, which paved the way for the establishment of NNB Nutrition
He greatly appreciates the support his mentor showed him in his scientific research path, and how he would always help him find a way to continue his research and development, even when equipment and funds for experiments were running low.
Liao notes that while his experience at university gave him a deep understanding of scientific research, his first job in a Fortune 500 company gave him an understanding of business.
“I was a salesman at the time, and I made a mistake that cost the company 10 million RMB, due to a communication error at work,” he recalls. “It happened because I negotiated the purchase with the customer, but the customer changed his mind when it came to signing the contract, and the company eventually suffered losses.”
Liao learned from the example of his leader who was very tolerant of his mistakes, and he now encourages his employees not to be afraid of making mistakes, because as long as they can learn from their mistakes, it’s a success.
Today, his proudest moment is when he sees that his employees no longer need him and can manage on their own. “For example, when our employees can stand up and be in charge when we set up a subsidiary, I really feel very proud,” he says.
Liao’s idea of success is to work with the best experts, to create products that no one has ever made before, and improve the health of his fellow human beings. “I think, for me, it also means that I will be able to achieve what others could not, and that I dared to go on a path that no one ever tried,” he muses.
The difficult road is not crowded.
The foundation and core values of NNB Nutrition
Liao believes that faith, the ability to innovate, and cultivate employees’ talents, are the foundation of NNB Nutrition’s goals of creating the most innovative ingredients and nutrition for human health.
“I believe that our ideas, and the products and services we provide, are completely innovative, and no one in the world has done it, so the field we face is a blue ocean full of opportunity,” says Liao.
NNB Nutrition started with an idea and made it come true. The company used to have just three people, and now has over 150 employees, over 10 subsidiaries, and 30 products with 100+ new products in the research stage, waiting to meet with customers.
“We have our own clinical research team and our own factory. We started with an idea, made a product, then made it into an IP, to branding, and now we even have a system for educational purposes. It all adds up to one thing – create the best innovative ingredients,” states Liao.
Liao notes that that deception and dishonesty don’t work to grow a business. So, at NNB Nutrition the company culture is to do things with integrity, and this is something that all employees, from the very top to the bottom, keep in mind.
“In business, especially in health care products, we aim to create value for human health, and that’s why our company is able to recruit top scientific advisors in the industry to endorse us,” he states.
NNB’s core competition comes from their own research and development capabilities, as they’re often the first to seize the market demand point and use their own R&D to create products. This is one reason why they’re able to always stay ahead of the competition.
“Innovation is lonely, innovation is complex, innovation is risky, but innovation is valuable, innovation is exciting, innovation is respectable,” declares Liao. “For me personally, the important thing is to have tenacity, the spirit of not giving up, and keep up with research, don’t think of anything as ‘impossible’, but create the possibility instead.”
Two roads diverged in the woods, and I choose the one less traveled.
Creating novel, cutting-edge products at NNB Nutrition
Liao lists the novel, cutting-edge, branded, and trademarked ingredients created by the scientists at NNB Nutrition, as categorized into different segments.
Keto Support
Ketones help with alertness, appetite, energy, and performance – NNB’s ketones are the active isomer and 2 to 3x better than other ketone salts on the market. Supplementing with goBHB® can help accelerate ketosis, provide the benefits of elevated blood ketone levels, and enhance keto-adaptation – with or without following a ketogenic diet.
Featuring the most ketogenic MCT, C8, NNB’s C8Vantage® is significantly better at raising ketones over standard MCTs, and come in a convenient vegan friendly powder form that mixes easily and tastes great.
goBHB® –Revolutionary KetonesTM
goBHB® is the bio-identical ketone salt called Beta-Hydroxybutyrate, which provides active clean-burning fuel for the brain and muscles. Oral BHB salts help promote ketosis more quickly, providing a safe and effective strategy to optimize the benefits of low-carb/keto diets. Elevated plasma ketone levels are associated with improvements in athletic performance, recovery, appetite control, and mental clarity.
GlucoVantage® Dihydroberberine (DHB)-The Super Berberine™ 5x More Bioavailable
Their GlucoVantage® Dihydroberberine (DHB) is 5x more active than berberine. Research shows DHB improves insulin sensitivity, supports healthy blood glucose and insulin levels, reduces AGE’s, and improves nutrient partitioning, as well as inhibits adipocyte (fat cell) growth. DHB is powerful for body composition, keto diets, and anti-aging.
Sports Nutrition
Extra ketones provide more fuel and more energy to the human body, which helps in exercising. Besides goBHB® and C8Vantage®(L-BAIBA ), L-BAIBA is an exercise mimetic that helps the body burn more calories and perform at a higher level with more energy all day long.
It plays a role behind the benefits of exercise, such as increased glucose uptake, increased free fatty acid oxidation, and reduced fat mass. It’s the unfair advantage you’ve been looking for. These three products can be taken as a pre-workout supplement.
NucleoPrime® – The Building Blocks to Better Performance™
NucleoPrime® contains a premium, clinically researched blend of nucleotides, complex molecules that form DNA and RNA, that your body requires more of during growth and stress. It helps the body recover faster, whether it’s in between bouts, sets, or sprints, or between workouts, games, or just stressful days.
RhodioPrime 6X® -Rhodiola That KicksTM
Rhodiola is an adaptogen, known to help the body resist all kinds of stress – from physical to chemical and biological. NNB’s RhodioPrime 6X contains 6% salidroside, which is 6x than the common 1% salidrosides, providing a wide range of potential benefits, including improvement in symptoms of depression, and improved blood glucose levels.
HydroPrime® -More Pumps, Less ClumpsTM
HydroPrime® is the new generation glycerol product containing more than 65% of glycerol. HydroPrime, an optimized variant of glycerol, delivers all of the same benefits, but without the common pitfalls.
Weight Management
CaloriBurn GP® – The Next Gen Calorie Burner™
Grains of Paradise extract has been shown to up-regulate Brown Adipose Tissue (BAT) activity which significantly increases energy expenditure, regulates metabolism and optimizes body composition.
L-BAIBA (Mitoburn) Converts WAT to BAT
The body has two types of fat – white adipose tissue (WAT) and brown adipose tissue (BAT). WAT is where the body stores fat, but BAT is where the body burns fat. NNB Nutrition’s L-BAIBA (MitoBurn) converts WAT to BAT. BAIBA (b-aminoisobutyric acid) is a myokine compound that has been shown to increase energy expenditure, reduce body weight, improve body composition, and improve insulin resistance.
ZinjaBurn® – Upgrade your Metabolism™
A metabolite of zingerone, the thermogenic compound found in ginger, and chemically related to curcumin and the curcuminoids, this is a fascinating ingredient that enhances metabolism, improves blood sugar management, reduces inflammation and is a powerful antioxidant.
Health Care
MitoPrime® – The Next Level Antioxidant™
L-Ergothioneine is one of the most potent antioxidants the world has ever seen. It is 3 to 30x better than the master antioxidant, glutathione. By reducing reactive oxygen species (ROS), protecting mitochondrial health and functioning, it is powerfully anti-aging.
CurcuPrime®-The Future of Curcumin Supplements™
Tetrahydrocurcumin (4-HC) is a major bioactive derivative of curcumin, and it’s also given credibility as the engine behind all that curcumin brings to the table. 4-HC expands upon curcumin’s capabilities and also seems to diminish the limitations of the long-used herb in the areas of blood sugar regulation, anti-oxidation, and inflammation.
NewBiome® -Renew Your MicroBiome with NewBiomeTM
Postbiotics are the byproducts of the fermentation process conducted by probiotics in the intestines. NewBiome is a top-tier, lab-tested, unadulterated, and patented form of the postbiotic, tributyrin that can be taken on its own or added to other comprehensive gut health supplements. Compared to the normal butyrate, tributyrin contains three butyrate molecules, which is more stable and can last longer.
Protein
TruSeed P® – Naturally Better Protein™
This vegan-friendly Pumpkin Seed Protein is 75% protein with high bioavailability and digestibility. Dump the green grit, low quality, poor solubility, low protein level and bitter stuff, and try a great tasting concentrate that is clean, creamy, and easy to mix.
Business success based on quality research & relationships
Liao points out that NNB has over 100 clients, including many top brands in the industry such as Myprotein, Nutrabio, Prinova, Ghost, BioTRUST and GCV Life. NNB has a great relationship with all of their customers.
“They also trust us very much, and if there is a research task for a new product, they reach out to us first hand,” says Liao.
As an example, when NNB Nutrition manufactured a BHB product (a supplement for ketogenic health) for a customer, their R&D made continuous updates and iterations to the chemically synthesized BHB salts, launching the DL-BHB salt at the end of 2015, and the D-BHB salt at the end of 2016, which allowed their customer to maintain a leading position in the industry.
In 2017, NNB launched bio-synthetic D-BHB salt and D-BHB free-acid. In 2022, when they launched the BHB Gummy, their continuous effort to stay ahead of the rest by making continuous updates and iterations, help them leapfrog to the forefront of the industry, not just as leaders, but also innovators.
Liao points out that the company’s powerful scientific research ability, and unwavering commitment to the customers’ best interests has made this possible.
NNB Nutrition’s Chief Science Officer, Shawn Wells, MPH, RD, LDN, CISSN, FISSN, is a nutritional biochemist known as the “World’s Greatest Formulator,” having formulated over 500 products in the industry, and patented more than 10 ingredients.
Dr. Ralf Jaeger, Dr. Martin Purpura, and Dr. Chad Kerksick are part of NNB Nutrition’s team helping them bring the latest scientific breakthroughs, with credibility built around vetted clinical research.
Dr. Joseph L Evans leads NNB Nutrition’s clinical department for further clinical plans and experiments, and is also a member of one of their most important projects in the US. Dr. Karlheinz Drauz works as a consultant with NNB Nutrition, helping them deal with any problems or questions from customers.
The vision of creating a billion-dollar company
NNB Nutrition is on a mission to create dietary supplements for optimal human health, and for the past 10 years, it has focused on two key areas – creating ingredients, and building a platform for service.
Liao’s vision for the future is to build a supplement empire that will become a billion-dollar company, make 10 billion dollars worth of products, a billion dollars of secondary products, as well as a number of trendy products.
He also aims to develop his employee’s talent in all aspects. “I’d like to describe myself as ‘Dream Achiever’, as I work hard to achieve my dream, but more importantly I’d like to help my employees to achieve their dreams,” he says.
This mission is what constantly drives Liao and NNB’s employees to move forward, and their company’s culture is all about innovation – the excitement and joy of innovation, the collision of new ideas, and the sense of achievement when the final outcome is achieved – are all important factors in motivating them to keep going.
Freedom and Encouragement are the two keywords that encompass Liao’s vision in terms of employee incentives. “For employees who help the company make innovative contributions, we will do our best to provide the best platform for them, so they can play to their own strengths,” he affirms.
Liao likes to let his employees do the research, create, and make decisions on their own, as they get to learn a lot while taking responsibility. He believes that this sense of accomplishment promotes personal development, and that personal growth will help them serve customers better.
On his part, Liao believes that his work is divided into the following parts:
- Think critically, creatively, and strategically about NNB’s innovation strategy and come up with an innovation strategy plan.
- Designate the talent innovation system and create the perfect system to maximize their employees’ abilities.
- Create a culture of innovation. Once a company develops to a certain extent, the employees come from different cultural backgrounds, and have different ways of thinking. Creating a good company culture will impact the employees’ work approach and philosophy.
- Help employees improve and build on a platform that allows them to play, such as giving them the factory resources and R&D resources they need.
Liao considers his most important tasks as thinking, learning, communicating with people who can help them evolve and grow, and passing on those experiences and lessons to the employees.
“We hope to build NNB to the next level of innovation, to become the source of innovation, and a platform to help our customers develop new products,” he affirms.
Liao also hopes to gather top talents in the field of dietary supplements, and create more products that can optimize human health with the help of NNB’s talent.
“We plan to introduce our products into the global market, especially in countries and regions that don’t have the capability for innovation, so that everyone can enjoy our innovative products and enjoy optimal health,” he states.