Startup CPG Newswire:
Sett launches novel nicotine-alternative, announces $3.8M in funding
PRESS RELEASE — NEWS PROVIDED BY Matt Wan for Sett
SAN FRANCISCO, CA (2025) – Former leadership from Onnit and Momentous team up to launch Sett, a consumer products company with the mission to advance public health by providing healthier alternatives to nicotine and tobacco products.
The company also announced $3.8M in pre-seed funding led by JAZZ Venture Partners.
Sett’s new product is an oral pouch containing L-Theanine, an amino acid, and Ceretine™, a proprietary nicotine alternative.
Ceretine™ is a novel compound derived from nicotinic acids (b-vitamins). It is structurally similar, yet chemically distinct from nicotine, and is neither carcinogenic nor mutagenic. Relative to other types of stimulants such as caffeine, Ceretine™ works by binding directly to nicotinic acetylcholine receptors – the same mechanism of action as nicotine.
Each pouch also contains 80mg of L-Theanine, a naturally occurring amino acid which balances the stimulatory effects of Ceretine™ and also has clinical evidence to suggest that it reduces withdrawal symptoms from a number of addictive substances.
“When we looked at how adult consumers were using products like Zyn, it was rarely just a buzz-seeking behavior. Many people use these products the way you would a cup of coffee or an energy drink – and they were generally quite health-conscious,” said Joshua Desabris, Co-founder and CMO. “We wanted to create a product that was purpose-built for productivity. In particular we wanted something that didn’t make you feel intoxicated for the first ten minutes then lead to a crash shortly after. For a number of reasons, the way to do that most effectively was to look beyond nicotine.”
Sett is headquartered in San Francisco and was founded in 2024. The company’s founding team includes:
Matt Wan – CEO. Matt is a Principal at JAZZ Venture Partners and was previously the Founder and CEO of Momentous, a supplement company he launched during his freshman year of college.
Justin Allen – COO. Justin is the former the COO of Onnit, a supplement company acquired by Unilever, and previously held numerous leadership positions at YETI.
Joshua Desabris – CMO. Joshua was formerly the second-marketing hire and Director of E-commerce at Momentous, and prior to this was the Director of Marketing at Teton Gravity Research and a Strategist at FCB Chicago.
The company has successfully raised $3.8M in pre-seed financing, led by JAZZ Venture Partners, with participation from OpenSky Ventures, Break Trail Ventures, Service Provider Capital, Chaos Ventures, and numerous angels.
About Sett
Sett is a venture-backed, consumer products company with the mission is to advance public health by providing healthier alternatives to nicotine and tobacco products. The company’s first product is an oral pouch containing L-Theanine, an amino acid, and Ceretine™, a proprietary nicotine alternative. Sett is based in San Francisco and was founded in 2024 by Matt Wan, Joshua Desabris and Justin Allen. Learn more at getsett.co.
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