Jacob Fleming Innovates to Improve Athlete Performance

At Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University's Daytona Beach Campus, the David B. O’Maley College of Business (O’COB) welcomes students into a vibrant entrepreneurial community. This environment offers resources, such as the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship and the local county’s Volusia Innovation Hub to support new business ventures.

One annual highlight is the TREP EXPO, an event organized by the O’COB where students showcase their venture concepts, network and discuss the challenges of building businesses while completing their studies. The 2025 expo included a panel of five student-entrepreneurs, each of whom had successfully started their own businesses while studying full-time at Embry-Riddle.

Meet Jacob Fleming (’25), an entrepreneur and graduate with a B.S. in Business Administration, who focused on accounting and finance at Embry-Riddle's Daytona Beach Campus.

What is your business, and what inspired you to start it?

I co-founded JRK Supplements with my friends, fellow Eagle Ryan Flournoy (’25, ’27) and Kevin Sullivan. We created Fruit Fuse, a caffeinated natural fruit strip, to address NCAA restrictions on energy drinks. As college athletes, we saw a need for NCAA-approved energy options.

Since placing second at TREP Expo last year and reaching the finals of the Volusia County Innovation Challenge, we've received positive feedback and have focused on scaling, updating packaging, securing trademarks and taking necessary legal steps to prepare for post-graduation growth.

What was your “Aha!” moment?

We began experimenting with fruit-flavored products by buying fruits and researching natural energy ingredients to see if they could improve our performance and focus. After taking an entrepreneurship class with Assistant Professor Fernando Antonio Monteiro Christoph D'Andrea, we decided to concentrate on developing our product.

When people tried it and responded positively, saying it tasted great and made them feel energized, we realized its potential. That motivated us to dedicate ourselves fully and launch the company. D’Andrea suggested we attend the TREP Expo.

What has been your biggest challenge?

Time management has been my biggest challenge. Balancing school, health, family and business isn’t easy. My advice is to prioritize academics first, while still keeping your business goals high on the list.

How have you managed the funding of your business?

Most funding requires bootstrapping — investing in yourself. That's what we did, and it has paid off. Valuable guidance can be found through the MicaPlex and the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. The professors and students at Embry-Riddle are also great resources.

In hindsight, what would you do differently?

I would say marketing, because we were so focused on creating the perfect product, packaging and pitch that we weren't really focusing on the marketing aspect. Without marketing advice, you don't know your audience.

If I had to do it all over again, I would create the product, knowing that everything wouldn’t be perfect, then make a solid marketing strategy to attract new customers and build a loyal customer base.

How do you define success?

Most people believe a business needs to make a profit right away to be successful, but examples like Uber show that’s not always the case. For us, success means genuinely helping people and seeing our product improve their focus and productivity, which will always be more important than immediate profit.

What’s next for you after graduation?

Our focus is definitely on scaling up. We’re researching machinery that can increase our production by at least 20 times, and we plan to invest in new equipment to open our own facility soon. We're planning to partner with gyms, schools, universities and other organizations to reach health-conscious consumers.

How do you balance your business and your college life?

For me, it comes down to realization and discipline. Being a college athlete has improved my time management, but ultimately, balancing business and school is about recognizing when you're wasting time and redirecting that effort toward productive goals. When I catch myself spending too much time on my phone, I remind myself to refocus on my business or personal growth instead.

How have you funded your business?

A lot of our funding has come from our personal savings. However, building connections is extremely helpful — events like TREP Expo are great for networking. For example, I met one of the panelists, Connor Vukelich, at last year's business dinner and again at TREP Expo, and his father has since invested in our company.

As a young student with a startup trying to raise funds, it can be challenging for established adults or wealthy individuals to take you seriously, especially if your company may not be profitable for a while. It’s also intimidating to receive large sums of money — I’ve never even seen $20,000 in one place before, but now I'm asking for hundreds of thousands or even half a million dollars.

The responsibility to provide returns to your investors can feel overwhelming. Remember, you have the potential to deliver results and make your investors’ risk worthwhile.

Why did you choose Embry-Riddle?

My decision to attend Embry-Riddle was influenced by connections I made through collegiate athletics. My close friend and co-founder of JRK Supplements, Ryan Flournoy, encouraged me to transfer to Embry-Riddle to join him on the track and field team. The expert faculty and entrepreneurial resources here have made the move more than worthwhile.

If you have a passion for making a difference through an innovative startup, consider joining Embry-Riddle’s Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship — you could have the next big idea.