AI Innovator NotCo Teases GLP-1 Booster That Acts As ‘Natural Alternative’ to Ozempic

Always at the forefront of food trends, Chilean food tech startup NotCo has unveiled a GLP Booster that uses food as a natural Ozempic alternative.

Today, nearly three-quarters of Americans aged 20 and above are overweight and obese, while one in five children and adolescents are obese.

The rise in diet-related diseases has changed how US consumers view food, with many Americans becoming more conscious of what they’re putting in their bodies and has led to an explosive growth in usage of GLP-1 agonist drugs like Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro, with projections putting the number of users between 10 to 70 million by 2028.

These weight-loss drugs are set to boost America’s GDP by 1% by that year and command a $105B market by the end of the decade. But their efficacy comes with several side effects and caveats.

According to one survey, a net 30% of people who quit a GLP-1 medication actually eat more calories than they did before they began the course, leading to what has been termed the ‘Ozempic rebound’. Essentially, it refers to the body weight people gain after they stop injecting these drugs – one study found that Ozempic users regained two-thirds of their weight one year after quitting.

So while weight-loss drugs may have transformed the food system – companies from Nestlé to Coca-Cola have launched product lines that (explicitly or otherwise) support GLP-1 users – innovative food companies are also offering products that can help deal with the after-effects of GLP-1, or act as a natural alternative.

NotCo’s botanical powder takes on Ozempic’s side effects

This is the promise of the new GLP Booster by NotCo, the AI-driven food tech company best known for its plant-based products and collaboration with Kraft Heinz.

The Chilean startup has been diversifying from its CPG focus to offer AI technologies to businesses all over the world, and as part of this tech-forward strategy, it’s targeting the GLP-1 boom with a food-based precursor to the weight-loss drugs.

The botanical powder, as the New York Post describes it, can be added to any food to help you feel satiated and eat less, replicating – to some extent – the effects of Ozempic and the like.

These drugs work by mimicking the GLP-1 hormone naturally found in the body. This incretin hormone is naturally released in the gut after eating food, and can be boosted by fermented foods and dietary fibre. This helps regulate blood sugar, makes you feel satiated, and manages weight.

“By mimicking the body’s endogenous GLP-1, these drugs suppress appetite, slow gastric emptying, and influence reward mechanisms in the brain. Bottom line, they work,” Matias Muchnick, co-founder and CEO of NotCo, explained in a social media post.

“GLP-1 isn’t just about hunger. It’s a metabolic regulator that affects insulin signalling, digestion, and muscle retention. While these drugs reduce caloric intake, they don’t distinguish between fat loss and muscle loss – a critical factor for long-term metabolic health.”

According to the company, this is why it created its GLP Booster, a powder that uses natural ingredients to stimulate GLP-1 production in the body, just as a high-fibre meal would. It also blocks the enzymes that break the hormone down, keeping it active for a longer time.

NotCo says it will appeal to people apprehensive about these drugs’ side effects – which include gastrointestinal issues such as nausea, and vomiting, and mental health problems like anxiety and irritability, among others – as well as the Ozempic rebound.

GLP Booster set to launch this year

Muchnick is adamant that the company isn’t trying to replace Ozempic, describing the GLP Booster as “not a drug” or “synthetic agonist”, but “a new category of food-driven metabolic enhancement”.

“We’re working to complement this shift by developing a GLP-1 precursor, this booster aims to assist those who may experience weight rebound after discontinuing GLP-1 drugs. Additionally, for individuals who cannot access these medications, our solution offers a natural alternative that – while not comparable in effect – provides meaningful benefits,” he explained.

The NotCo CEO told the New York Post that the GLP Booster will be sold as a powdered blend that people can add to their pasta or smoothies, and as an ingredient to food manufacturers who can incorporate it into packaged snacks, shakes, and ready meals. It plans to launch the product this year, and has developed additional products that contain it, such as chocolate-covered almonds.

“Integrating this into food ensures that nutrition evolves alongside pharmacology, helping people potentially regulate appetite while preserving muscle mass and metabolic function,” Muchnik wrote on LinkedIn. “The conversation about GLP-1 drugs has been focused on hunger. It’s time to shift the conversation to metabolic resilience.”

NotCo isn’t the only entity making GLP-1 supplements and alternatives – even with AI. Scientists at Spain’s Catholic University of Murcia have discovered two plant extracts that can potentially be used to make GLP-1 agonist pills, while California’s One Bio recently raised $27M for its tech that extracts invisible and tasteless fibres from plants for use in GLP-1-friendly foods (among other products).

Other companies are using fibre-packed food and beverages to take on Ozempic, such as the supplements from Supergut, the prebiotic sodas from Olipop and Poppi, or the GLP-1-supportive smoothies from Daily Harvest and Smoothie King.