Today we’d like to introduce you to Brendan Wang.
Hi Brendan, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I am passionate about helping people live happier, healthier lives toward a cleaner, greener planet.
At 14 years old, I survived multiple attempts to take my own life. Over the next few years, I became heavily addicted to vaping, battled with substance abuse, and struggled with my identity as a member of the LGBTQ+ community and an ethnic minority. Upon a near-death experience, I connected with my curiosity in understanding how mental health intersects with human behavior and became obsessed with process improvement to solve the world’s biggest problems.
At 18 years old, I invented and launched Boka Bands, an elastic bracelet with pockets for a person’s long and short-term goals. By wearing your goals, you can see your why and how to achieve that goal. I then pursued my education in Supply Chain Management to further my understanding of process improvement.
A year later, I noticed significant demands to quit vaping in the wake of a lung and mental health crisis. There was no adequate solution to solve a behavioral craving to an oral fixation, and cessation messaging needed a significant revamp. Therefore, I invented the CAPNOS Zero to simulate the sensation but with zero smoke, nicotine, nor charge. We’re providing affordable, accessible cessation products focused on behavioral addiction and mental health. We’re also shifting the conversation to help our customers better understand why their vaping/smoking habits exist, then providing guidance with tangible solutions to achieve a nicotine-free life through a life-long journey of quitting.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
For two years, I focused relentlessly on research, testing, and development to invent a new solution for the leading cause of preventable deaths: smoking-related illnesses. The struggles were plenty: we had created over eight major structural redesigns for the CAPNOS Zero, COVID-19 began its full swing, and I have had the task of educating an entire population of a seismic attitude shift in treating psychoactive addictions with a behavioral lens.
Today, we ship thousands of CAPNOS Zeros to customers across the globe every month, with endorsements from clinicians, quit-advocacy groups, and our customers’ own success stories of going months without relapsing.
Though I had the struggles of overcoming personal traumas, balancing multiple professional duties as a student, and the challenges that come with starting a business, I have so much gratitude to extend for my parents, the Burgess Institute of Entrepreneurship at Michigan State University, and my founder networks for funding, accelerating, and contributing to the development of my ability to grow CAPNOS into the brand it is today.
We’ve been impressed with CAPNOS, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
CAPNOS is on a mission to prevent lung disease and save lives. We help address behavioral cravings to vaping or smoking with the CAPNOS Zero, a flavored pressurized air inhaler with zero smoke, zero nicotine, and zero charge. With each hit, a valve pops open to create a tangible throat hit, paired with the auditory and aromatic sensations using our replaceable cap packs containing various flavors using natural extract oils.
Anybody can use the Zero anytime, anywhere. It’s not a vape nor a tobacco product, so it can be used in public settings with no age or purchase restrictions. We sell Starter Packs for $24.99 and Cap Packs for $13.99 with our commitment to provide affordable, accessible solutions for a cleaner experience than vaping or smoking while offsetting disposable waste with long-lasting, reusable products.
We’re also committed to helping our customers create better relationships with their habits through understanding root issues, such as why we use vapes or smokes as a coping mechanism to stress, mental health relief, or for other reasons. Our focus is to end the stigma around addiction and have more conversations about identifying why our habits exist to better understand how we can create meaningful change in our lives.
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
When I make decisions, I often must weigh in many factors to determine whether a risk is worth pursuing. There are calculated factors, along with those that are intangible, like a gut feeling.
The biggest risk I have taken has been the decision to venture into the vast unknown with creating CAPNOS – unlike many of my peers who also graduated with a business degree in supply chain management; I sought not to pursue a steady, low-risk path of joining a corporate career. The moment I discovered the potential to impact 28 million people aiming to quit a behavioral addiction to vaping, I felt a calling that I had to answer. Who am I to do any of this? If nobody else is going to, who will?
That’s when all my life experiences, my passion for psychology, and my desire to improve the world compelled me and my team to take the risk of advancing a new product category. We would figure out each problem as they arose and commit to moving forward. I think about risk as how it relates to my core values, the potential to gain from the action, and the potential to lose. Ideally, creating win/win synergies is the goal when taking risks with other involved parties, but at its core, I see risks as opportunities to innovate, learn, and grow much faster than the traditional route.
Pricing:
- CAPNOS Zero Starter Pack – $24.99
- CAPNOS Zero Mint Cap Pack – $12.99
- CAPNOS Zero Orange Citrus Cap Pack – $13.99
- CAPNOS Zero Lavender Cap Pack – $13.99
Contact Info:
- Website: https://mycapnos.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mycapnos/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mycapnos/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO9Ny85HhRpctycoT65cP3Q
