In a significant development for the world of sports nutrition, IM8, a supplement brand backed by David Beckham, has established a multi-year partnership with Major League Soccer club Inter Miami CF. This collaboration highlights the growing trend of sports nutrition and wellness brands forging deeper operational and financial ties with professional sports teams.
As reported by Prenetics, this agreement marks a pivotal moment, as it is the first time Inter Miami has taken an ownership stake in a brand partner.
The partnership strengthens IM8’s expanding presence within the professional sports sector, following the launch of its Daily Ultimate Essentials product and its broader longevity-focused initiatives, which NutraIngredients has previously highlighted regarding the brand’s introduction and product rollout.
Shifting Trends: Equity Models in Sports Nutrition
This deal represents a shift away from traditional endorsement models toward equity-based partnerships, which more effectively align the long-term commercial interests of brands, athletes, and sports organizations.
Danny Yeung, CEO of Prenetics and co-founder of IM8, explained, “The conventional sports nutrition deal is merely transactional: the brand pays money, the club displays the logo, and there is no real alignment of incentives.”
Yeung noted that IM8 has already embraced an equity model with several athlete partners, including David Beckham, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Aryna Sabalenka, and Ollie Bearman.
“Athletes and clubs that possess substantial leverage desire ownership instead of invoices. Only brands with true product credibility and a long-term vision can offer equity, as no one wants shares in a company that may not exist in five years,” he added.
Under the terms of the agreement, IM8 products, such as Daily Ultimate Essentials, Daily Ultimate Longevity, and The Beckham Stack, will be incorporated into Inter Miami’s Florida Blue Training Center, ensuring that players and staff have access to these products as part of their daily nutrition and recovery protocols.
Additionally, the agreement encompasses group player name, image, and likeness rights involving at least four Inter Miami players, along with stadium signage, digital content, and fan engagement activities.
The Importance of NSF Certification in Professional Sports
Yeung emphasized the necessity of third-party certification for entering elite sports environments, especially as professional organizations continue to prioritize testing for banned substances and compliance with established protocols.
“NSF Certified for Sport is essential at this level… professional athletes cannot use supplements that haven’t been screened for banned substances,” he clarified.
He pointed out that these certification requirements often create barriers for many brands that wish to gain access to professional teams and training facilities. “Many brands in our sector simply can’t be present in a professional locker room because their products lack the necessary testing,” he noted.
This focus on certification underscores a broader trend in the realm of sports nutrition and wellness, where brands increasingly leverage partnerships with professional sports teams to bolster their quality and compliance credentials. For instance, Nutrafol recently partnered with Major League Baseball after receiving its NSF Certified for Sport designation.
Integrating Athletes for Enhanced Product Development
Beyond merely gaining marketing exposure, Yeung believes that the Inter Miami partnership aims to establish a direct feedback mechanism between IM8 and the club’s sports science and medical teams.
“This aspect of the deal excites us the most. We’re in the process of building an IM8 Nutrition Center within the Inter Miami training facility, which will provide us with daily insights from the sports science and medical staff,” he stated.
The company has confirmed that it will explore various areas, including hydration, sleep quality, gut health, recovery markers, and biomarker trends throughout the competitive season.
Yeung noted that elite athletes present an intense testing environment for formulation and compliance evaluations.
“Professional athletes represent the toughest stress test imaginable, and this daily usage reveals critical insights into what works and what doesn’t — including formulation, format, dosing, compliance, and education,” he explained.
Comprehensive Formulations for Foundational Nutrition
IM8 has strategically positioned its all-in-one formulation approach as a complementary solution to the individualized sports nutrition regimens typically employed by professional teams.
“We’re not suggesting that IM8 replaces a sports nutritionist… Pro athletes will continue to customize their diets, and rightly so,” Yeung noted. He elaborated that the company views its Daily Ultimate Essentials as a foundational product that simplifies extensive supplement routines before additional performance-specific products are introduced.
“What IM8 replaces is the cumbersome 8-to-12-product foundational stack that most athletes struggle to manage, often comprised of brands of varying quality,” Yeung remarked, highlighting that for mainstream consumers, adherence is a crucial factor.
“The daily supplements people actually take surpass the ideal stack they don’t utilize,” he added.
Prenetics reported that IM8 generated approximately $120 million in annual recurring revenue during its first year and anticipates revenue between $180 million and $200 million for the full year of 2026. The brand currently ships to over 40 countries.
