Pro Athlete-Backed Skoka Raises $21.5 Million, Invests $15 Million in FDA Regulatory Program Covering 55 Nicotine Pouch Products

Founder Dan Aziz skipped the white-label shortcut and built it from scratch. Then the athletes started asking to buy in.

AUSTIN, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Skoka Inc. (Skoka) today announced it has raised $21.5 million and submitted a bundled Premarket Tobacco Product Application (PMTA) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) covering 55 products across 11 varieties and five strengths. Skoka anticipates beginning U.S. retail distribution in 2027, subject to applicable FDA regulatory requirements.

The capital has funded PMTA preparation, manufacturing scale-up, and team growth. Future funding is planned for commercialization.

One of the fastest ways into the nicotine pouch market is to license an existing formulation, put a new logo on the can, and begin selling. Skoka took a different path. Rather than rely on a white-label formulation or another company's regulatory program, founder and CEO Dan Aziz spent two and a half years developing Skoka's own formulation, flavor system, and scientific package before submitting its bundled PMTA to the FDA. As of October 2026, only 43 nicotine pouch products have received FDA marketing authorization, all from manufacturers affiliated with two major tobacco companies, yet unauthorized products continue to fill store shelves and websites.

The idea started with his friends in pro sports. Aziz grew up playing hockey outside Toronto and has used nicotine pouches himself for years. When he saw friends across hockey, baseball, and football switching to pouches, he went looking for what was in them. The labels didn’t tell him much. He set out to build a pouch he could account for ingredient by ingredient, and Aziz named it after Lake Muskoka in Ontario. Skoka products are designed for ingredient-conscious nicotine users, and the company will list all of its ingredients on its website at launch. These include plant-based sweeteners that Aziz believes will distinguish Skoka as one of the most premium nicotine pouches on the market.

“I wanted a nicotine pouch that used plant-based sweeteners and couldn’t find one,” said Aziz. “Adults who use pouches every day want to know what’s in them and who’s standing behind them. We started from zero so we could answer both.”

Submitted first

Skoka submitted its bundled PMTA to the FDA on Oct. 1 and has committed $15 million to its regulatory program, including three completed pharmacokinetic studies and a full scientific package covering stability, toxicology, actual use, and label comprehension. Skoka’s experienced regulatory team has previously taken more than 200 products through the PMTA process. Skoka’s products remain subject to FDA review and marketing authorization.

“We had the opportunity to go to retail last year. We turned it down,” Aziz said. “We built this company science first. We developed a differentiated base formula using ingredients not traditionally found in nicotine pouches, and then we invested in a comprehensive bundled PMTA before going to market. We're not building this to make a quick buck. We've filed multiple patent applications and intend to build a lasting brand in this market.”

Owners, not faces

Skoka’s investors include more than a dozen professional athletes across hockey, football, and golf, along with hockey team owners, multibillion-dollar corporations, and executives and operators from nine- and ten-figure beverage and dietary supplement businesses. Every athlete on the cap table invested their own capital. Their investments were made in their individual capacities and do not represent sponsorships or endorsements by their respective leagues, teams, or governing organizations.

Named investors include media mogul Darren Throop; Mark Hastings, founder of PSG Equity; professional golfer and three-time championship winner Anthony Kim; Sam Gagner, retired hockey veteran of more than 1,000 games; pro football champion Beau Allen; and international hockey champions Jack Eichel and Dylan Larkin, along with former professional hockey forward and media personality Scottie Upshall, among others.

“I have been a long-time nicotine and tobacco user and tried most pouches in the market, after my first time being introduced to Skoka, I knew I wanted to be a part of it,” said Anthony Kim.

Made from scratch, made here

Skoka’s formulas use nine exclusive ingredients, with two patent applications filed covering the ingredients and how they’re blended. Every Skoka product is made in the United States in FDA-registered facilities using globally sourced ingredients.

Skoka introduced the brand to retailers, distributors, and buyers at the NACS Show in Las Vegas earlier this month. The company is also the exclusive nicotine pouch partner of Authentic Live.

About Dan Aziz

Aziz started his first company, dietary supplement brand Premama, at 22 and ran it for 12 years, building national distribution at Walmart, Target, CVS, and Walgreens before its acquisition by Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories in 2023. At Dr. Reddy’s, he led Innovation for the U.S. self-care division, and Aziz worked directly with the Business Development team to evaluate more than 70 consumer brands as a potential acquirer. Raised outside Toronto and a Brown University graduate, he founded Skoka in 2024.

About Skoka Inc.

Skoka Inc. is a U.S. nicotine pouch company built from the ground up for adult nicotine consumers 21 and older. Founded in 2024 by Dan Aziz, the company has submitted to the FDA a bundled PMTA covering 55 products and plans to launch at retail in 2027, once the appropriate FDA regulatory milestones have been met. Learn more at skokapouches.com.

WARNING: This product contains nicotine. Nicotine is an addictive chemical.