By now, you’ve already met Nevil—but who’s behind the mega‑owl, the myth, the soon‑to‑be‑legend?
Now that we’ve officially landed on major retail chain shelves, here’s the short of it.
A few years ago, friends Matt Schnarr, Dan Tzotzis and Adam Deremo decided to start a company — selling caffeinated chocolate.
Using their collective knowledge about consumer packaged goods (there really is no other palatable way to say that), and fueled by a strong entrepreneurial spirit — they each worked their tail feathers off, perfecting the taste, the packaging, and the plan to launch the brand.
On August 15th, 2012 they officially launched AWAKE in Canada. And so far, the response has been just what they were expecting — overwhelming!
Now that we’ve officially landed on major retail chain shelves, here’s the short of it.
A few years ago, friends Matt Schnarr, Dan Tzotzis and Adam Deremo decided to start a company — selling caffeinated chocolate.
Using their collective knowledge about consumer packaged goods (there really is no other palatable way to say that), and fueled by a strong entrepreneurial spirit — they each worked their tail feathers off, perfecting the taste, the packaging, and the plan to launch the brand.
On August 15th, 2012 they officially launched AWAKE in Canada. And so far, the response has been just what they were expecting — overwhelming!
Location: Canada
Employees: 11-50
Total raised: $5.83M
Founded date: 2012
Investors 2
| Date | Name | Website |
| - | Forage Cap... | foragecapi... |
| - | Btomorrow ... | btomorrowv... |
Funding Rounds 1
| Date | Series | Amount | Investors |
| 18.07.2025 | - | $5.83M | BDC |
Mentions in press and media 6
| Date | Title | Description |
| 24.07.2025 | Caffeinated Chocolate Leader AWAKE Lands $8M Investment for Aggressive Growth | AWAKE Chocolate secures $8M investment from Btomorrow Ventures and BDC Capital, boosting total funding to $15.5M. This fuels aggressive expansion for its popular caffeinated chocolate bites and bars. The company, experiencing rapid growth t... |
| 18.07.2025 | AWAKE Chocolate: C$8 Million Secured For Caffeine Alternative | AWAKE Chocolate, known for its delicious caffeinated chocolate bites and bars, has successfully raised C$8 million in its latest investment round. This includes C$5 million from Btomorrow Ventures, the corporate venturing arm of British Ame... |
| 17.07.2025 | AWAKE Chocolate Receives $8M Investment | AWAKE Chocolate, a Mississauga, Ontario, Canada-based maker of caffeinated chocolate bites and bars, closed its $8M CAD investment round. The round consisted of $5M CAD from Btomorrow Ventures (BTV), the corporate venturing arm of British A... |
| 03.05.2023 | Healthcare Workers Deprived of Restful Sleep, New Survey Data from AWAKE Chocolate Reveals | AWAKE Chocolate When asked if the healthcare industry prioritizes rest, almost 60% of respondents said, “No." TORONTO, Ontario, Canada (PRWEB) May 03, 2023 As a shock to absolutely no one, the sleep-related challenges faced by healthca... |
| 16.01.2014 | BrandProject Aims To Apply The Betaworks Model To Consumer Products And Goods | A new seed-stage investment fund and ‘company creation’ startup called BrandProject launched today, with offices in Toronto and New York, and a team of founders who, between them, have a boatload of experience building, shipping and marketi... |
| - | Awake Chocolate | “Delicious milk chocolate with the same amount of caffeine in a regular cup o' Joe or 250 ml energy drink—a real eye-popping treat. Give it a go, eh?” |