Alex Michaelsen

Alex Michaelsen is the co-founder and chief executive officer of Leisure Hydration, a functional beverage company he started in 2022 with his older brother Steve Michaelsen.^[2] A former Division 1 long snapper at UCLA, Michaelsen quit his job at 22, went nearly two years without income, and built Leisure from 75 Los Angeles retail doors into a nationally distributed brand carried by Whole Foods Market, Target, and H-E-B.^[3][18] In 2026, he was named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 list in the Food & Drink category.^[1]

Leisure Hydration produces canned, non-carbonated electrolyte drinks formulated for everyday consumers rather than athletes — each 16-ounce can contains 700 milligrams of natural electrolytes, 73 ocean-sourced trace minerals, and adaptogens including ashwagandha and L-theanine, with no artificial colors, flavors, or sweeteners.^[3][14] The company's go-to-market strategy bypassed traditional retail initially, instead placing the product in corporate office fridges at Google, Meta, Uber, LinkedIn, and Stripe before pursuing grocery distribution.^[2] By 2026, Leisure had reported nearly 1,300 percent revenue growth over two years, held the number-one dollar velocity in the enhanced water category in the natural channel according to SPINS data, and closed an oversubscribed Series A that brought total funding to $10.3 million.^[3][4][20]

Michaelsen grew up in Newport Beach, California, in what he has described as a sports family — one in which Gatorade was a constant presence.^[2][17] He attended Newport Harbor High School before enrolling at UCLA in 2017, where he walked on to the Bruins football program as a long snapper.^[17] Listed at five-foot-eleven and 200 pounds, he appeared on the roster as a redshirt freshman wearing number 41 during the 2018 season.^[17]

Michaelsen graduated from UCLA in 2021 with a Bachelor of Arts in political science and government.^[6][17] His brother Steve, who would become his co-founder, was also a Division 1 college athlete.^[2] The brothers lost their father, Aaron, when they were young; Aaron's personal motto — "Do Your Best and Keep Your Promises" — later became the company's stated north star and was encoded in its legal name, DYB & KYP, Inc.^[14][16]

Early career and Team GO Ventures (2021–2022)

After graduating from UCLA, Michaelsen held roles at BloomNation, an online floral marketplace, and RevDine, a restaurant technology company, before joining Team GO Ventures as a marketing consultant.^[18] The consulting work exposed him to food and beverage startups and brand-building strategy.^[18] During the pandemic, he moved back home, adopted a vegan diet, and began focusing on functional nutrition — a period he has cited as formative to the product philosophy behind Leisure.^[16]

The transition from competitive athletics to desk work had left both Michaelsen brothers experiencing chronic dehydration symptoms. "We were feeling stressed, getting headaches, brain fog, fatigue, and feeling sluggish in the afternoon because of dehydration," Michaelsen told Forbes in 2025.^[2] They recognized that the hydration products available to them — Gatorade, Powerade, and their successors — were formulated for athletic performance, not for the everyday office worker who was also chronically underhydrated.^[2][3]

Leisure Hydration (2022–present)

Michaelsen co-founded Leisure Hydration in May 2022 with his brother Steve, who took the role of co-founder and chief marketing officer.^[6][14] He was 22 years old. He quit his consulting job to go all-in on the venture, a decision that left him without income for approximately two years and accumulating credit card debt before the brand gained traction.^[18][19]

The product launched with three flavors — Lemonade, Wild Blueberry, and Tropical Mango — in 16-ounce recyclable aluminum cans.^[14][3] Each can contained 700 milligrams of natural electrolytes, more than 73 ocean-sourced trace minerals, and a blend of ten vitamins, minerals, and adaptogens including magnesium, KSM-66 ashwagandha, and L-theanine.^[3] The formulation contained no artificial colors, flavors, or sweeteners, and was non-carbonated and caffeine-free.^[3][14]

The brothers' initial go-to-market strategy was deliberately unconventional. Rather than pursuing major retail accounts immediately, they started with 75 doors in Los Angeles and conducted more than 200 in-person product demos.^[2][11] In March 2023, Leisure was accepted into the SKU consumer goods accelerator, receiving $20,000 in early funding.^[20] That same year, as tech companies began requiring employees to return to offices, Michaelsen pivoted to what he later called the "Silicon Strategy" — placing Leisure in corporate fridges at Google, Meta, Uber, LinkedIn, Stripe, and Chase Sapphire airport lounges.^[2] "It's amazing marketing to be in front of all these people who get to try it for free in their offices every day," he told Forbes.^[2] The corporate channel built truckload-level volume and brand credibility before the company had a single national retail account.^[2]

In August 2024, Leisure partnered with Ggiata, the Los Angeles deli, to produce a co-branded Half n Half flavor sold at Ggiata's four storefronts.^[12] The collaboration reflected the brand's strategy of embedding itself in specific cultural scenes rather than competing on ingredient claims alone.^[12][11]

In January 2025, the company secured an East Coast distribution partner, expanding its geographic footprint beyond the West Coast.^[5] Two months later, in March 2025, Leisure achieved national distribution at Whole Foods Market, reaching approximately 98 percent of the chain's roughly 515 stores within 21 days of launch.^[2] The brand also entered Erewhon and Kroger locations.^[6]

In April 2026, Leisure closed an oversubscribed Series A led by Midnight Venture Partners, which had doubled down from its earlier seed investment.^[3][4] The round brought total funding to $10.3 million at a reported valuation of approximately $30 million.^[20][3] Investors in the round included Doss Cunningham, CEO of Nutrabolt and C4 Energy; Greg LaVecchia, CEO of Bloom Nutrition; Jordan Brown, co-founder of Hu Chocolate; Brian Goldberg, an early backer of SkinnyPop and Waterloo; Asahi Group Beverages & Innovation; and Döhler Ventures.^[3][15] Alongside the funding announcement, the company disclosed expansion into Target and H-E-B.^[3]

By mid-2026, Leisure reported nearly 1,300 percent revenue growth over the prior two years and was on pace for a fourth consecutive year of 100-percent-plus growth.^[3][4] The brand held the number-one dollar velocity in the enhanced water category in the natural channel, according to SPINS data.^[3] Forbes reported that Leisure was among a cohort of hydration startups gaining share while the category's incumbent leader stalled.^[7] On the Cohere Commerce platform, 100 percent of verified retailers who reviewed the brand recommended it.^[13]

In December 2025, Michaelsen was named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 list in the Food & Drink category for 2026.^[1] The University of California highlighted him as one of nearly 60 UC alumni on the list that year.^[6] His brother and co-founder Steve, who is over 30, was not eligible for the list.^[1]

In 2026, Leisure Hydration achieved the number-one dollar velocity in the enhanced water category in the natural channel per SPINS data, outselling competitors on a per-store, per-week basis.^[3][4] BevBiz described the company's Series A as "the cleanest beverage Series A of 2026."^[20]

Michaelsen lives in Los Angeles.^[1] The company is headquartered in Venice, California.^[14] He and his brother Steve named the company's legal entity DYB & KYP, Inc. — an abbreviation of their late father Aaron's motto, "Do Your Best and Keep Your Promises."^[14][16]