Medical Research Institute

What Medical Research Institute does

Medical Research Institute, operating commercially as MRI Performance, is a privately held sports nutrition company founded in 1997. It formulates, markets, and distributes clinically dosed dietary supplements targeting nitric-oxide-driven performance, muscle protein synthesis, hormonal support, and foundational wellness. The product portfolio spans five categories—Performance (NO2 nitric oxide boosters, pre-workout, TRT Support, DHEA), Protein (Ultra Whey, Hydro Isolate with Velositol), Core Series (Creatine Monohydrate, Glutamine), Elements (Collagen, MSM, Omega-3, Vitamin C, Zinc), and Stacks (bundled multi-product SKUs)—comprising roughly 25+ SKUs with unit pricing in the $14.99–$69.99 range. Its principal technical differentiator is the proprietary ACTINOS NOS-enhancing peptide fraction, claimed to increase nitric oxide output by up to 950%, used in NO2 formulations and protected alongside three registered trademarks (NO2®, TRT Support®, Back in Black®).

The company operates an exclusively direct-to-consumer model through its Shopify storefront at mri-performance.com, with US-only shipping and a Subscribe & Save subscription program offering 10–15% off monthly recurring orders. Customer acquisition runs through content marketing (blog on supplementation topics), email, and an organic social presence on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok, with no retail or third-party marketplace distribution. In 2025 the company re-launched the original NO2 formulation and added an AI Nutrition & Workout Coach (Portions Master) digital subscription, marking its first move into software-based recurring revenue. Customer transactions are self-serve with no enterprise or B2B channel, and there is no disclosed institutional funding, parent company, or acquisition history.

Revenue, headcount trends, and ownership structure are not disclosed in the available data; the company is reported at 11–50 employees operating from a Harrison, Ohio headquarters with a San Francisco firmographic address. Named customers in the data are individual fitness users rather than enterprise accounts, and customer concentration is therefore diffuse across a long tail of consumer subscribers and one-time buyers. Key risks include dependence on a single sales channel (own e-commerce), reliance on third-party AI for the coaching app, regulatory scrutiny around testosterone/HRT-adjacent claims, and limited disclosed evidence of revenue scale.

Name

Medical Research Institute

Legal name

Medical Research Institute

Website

https://mri-performance.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Medical Research Institute (MRI Performance) is a privately held, US-based sports nutrition company that sells clinically dosed dietary supplements—most notably ACTINOS-based nitric oxide boosters, proteins, and hormone support—directly to consumers through its own Shopify e-commerce site with a Subscribe & Save subscription program.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sports Nutrition Supplements

NAICS

Food (Health) Supplement Retailers (456191), Sporting and Athletic Goods Manufacturing (339920)

SIC

Sporting & Athletic Goods, Nec (3949)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYCRADAGAA

Sports Nutrition (Protein, Creatine, Pre-Workout/Intra-Workout)

Consumer Products & Retail/Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) Manufacturing & Brands/Vitamins, Supplements & Sports Nutrition

SECONDARYCRADAGAI

Functional Foods & Supplement Formats (Gummies, Chews, Powders, Shots)

Consumer Products & Retail/Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) Manufacturing & Brands/Vitamins, Supplements & Sports Nutrition

SECONDARYCRADAGAE

Specialty Condition Supplements (Sleep, Stress, Heart, Joint, Gut, Immunity)

Consumer Products & Retail/Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) Manufacturing & Brands/Vitamins, Supplements & Sports Nutrition

SECONDARYCRADAGAM

Healthy Aging & Cognitive Support Supplements

Consumer Products & Retail/Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) Manufacturing & Brands/Vitamins, Supplements & Sports Nutrition

SECONDARYAFAKAJAE

Sports & Performance Nutrition Foods Manufacturing (Protein Foods, Energy Gels/Bars)

Agriculture & Food Production/Food Processing & Manufacturing/Specialty & Functional Foods Manufacturing (Organic, Fortified, Medical Foods)

Keywords

• Sports nutrition supplements
• Nitric oxide boosters
• Pre-workout formulas
• Protein powders
• Dietary supplements

Headquarters

HQ city

Dolgeville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Direct Product Sales: Primary revenue stream from selling sports nutrition and supplement products directly to consumers through their e-commerce website. One-time purchase options available for all products.
2. Subscription (Subscribe & Save): Recurring revenue through Subscribe & Save program offering 10-15% discounts on regular orders delivered on a monthly cadence. Minimum of two shipments required. Customers can modify or cancel subscriptions anytime.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Medical Research Institute, doing business as MRI Performance, manufactures and sells a portfolio of sports nutrition and dietary supplement products directly to individual consumers via its own e-commerce website. Its catalog includes nitric oxide boosters (NO2 Original, NO2 Black), pre-workout formulas (Black Powder), protein powders (Ultra Whey, Hydro Isolate with Velositol), creatine, glutamine, joint and recovery support, vitamins (Vitamin C, Zinc, Omega 3), hormone support (TRT Support, DHEA), and bundled supplement stacks, alongside an AI Nutrition & Workout Coach tool and branded accessories such as shaker cups and apparel.

Product overview

Medical Research Institute (MRI Performance) offers a comprehensive sports nutrition supplement portfolio organized across five core categories: Performance (nitric oxide boosters, pre-workout, and testosterone/hormone support), Protein (whey protein blends and isolates), Core Series (foundational supplements like creatine and glutamine), Elements (vitamins, minerals, and specialty nutrients), and Stacks (bundled product combinations). The company also offers a digital product through its AI Nutrition & Workout Coach (Portions Master) mobile application. Individual products like NO2 Nitric Oxide Original Formula, Ultra Whey Protein, and Micronized Creatine serve as cornerstone offerings, while curated stacks including Strength & Recovery, Joint & Heart Health, and Immune Booster combine complementary products for targeted outcomes. The product line targets athletes and fitness enthusiasts seeking clinically dosed ingredients for muscle building, performance enhancement, recovery, and general wellness.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• NO2 Nitric Oxide Original Formula Nitric oxide booster supplement containing the proprietary ACTINOS NOS-enhancing peptide fraction, designed to support muscle pumps, blood flow, and workout performance for athletes and serious trainers.
• NO2 Black Muscle + Pump Advanced nitric oxide formula designed to deliver enhanced muscle pumps and vascularity during training, positioned as a premium offering within the NO2 product family.
• Black Powder Pre-Workout Pre-workout supplement intended to support energy, focus, and training intensity ahead of workouts for athletes and recreational lifters.
• TRT Support Dietary supplement formulated to support natural testosterone levels, vitality, and men's hormonal health.
• DHEA 50MG 50mg DHEA dietary supplement marketed for healthy aging, hormonal balance, and vitality support in adults.
• Ultra Whey Protein Whey protein powder formulated to support muscle recovery, lean mass gains, and post-workout protein intake.
• Hydro Isolate Protein with Velositol Hydrolyzed whey isolate protein supplement combined with Velositol, designed to support muscle protein synthesis and recovery.
• Micronized Creatine Monohydrate Micronized creatine monohydrate supplement supporting strength, power output, and training performance.
• Glutamine 1000G Glutamine amino acid supplement marketed to support muscle recovery and gut health.
• Collagen Joint + Muscle + Bone Support Collagen dietary supplement intended to support joint comfort, muscle integrity, and bone health.
• MSM Joint & Muscle Recovery

Quantifiable outcome

• Nitric oxide production increased by up to 950% (in vitro research)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability6 records

Feature5 records

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Cellucor (C4): Cellucor markets the C4 pre-workout franchise and nitric-oxide boosters, overlapping directly with MRI's NO2 Black, Black Powder pre-workout, and creatine core. Targets the same gym/fitness-enthusiast consumer with branded supplement SKUs distributed through mass retail and DTC.
• Transparent Labs: Transparent Labs is a DTC sports nutrition brand selling clinically dosed protein, pre-workout, testosterone support, and wellness supplements. Closest comparable to MRI on premium-DTC positioning, clinically effective doses, and a multi-category sports stack catalog.
• Nutricost: Nutricost sells DTC sports and wellness supplements (protein, creatine, amino acids) across its own e-commerce site and Amazon. Directly comparable on vertically integrated DTC supplement brand model with a broad protein/Core Series equivalent range.
• Bucked Up: Bucked Up is a DTC pre-workout and performance supplement brand with a strong social-media and influencer presence. Comparable to MRI on pre-workout/NO focus, DTC-led marketing, and reliance on hero SKUs to drive repeat purchase.
• 1UP Nutrition: 1UP Nutrition markets a comparable sports-supplement portfolio — pre-workout, protein powders, hormonal support, and wellness — sold via its own storefront. Closely mirrors MRI's five-category structure and target demographic of serious fitness enthusiasts.
• MusclePharm: MusclePharm is a branded sports nutrition company with protein, pre-workout, BCAA, and recovery lines. Overlaps with MRI on the Performance and Protein categories and on serving gym-goers and athletes, but distributes more broadly through retail.
• Klean Athlete: Klean Athlete sells sports nutrition and wellness supplements targeted at athletes and active adults with a focus on certified clean formulations. Comparable to MRI's clinically dosed positioning and overlap with the Elements/Core Series assortment.
• BPI Sports: BPI Sports markets a wide sports supplement lineup (pre-workout, protein, nitric oxide, hormone support) through its own store and Amazon. Directly comparable to MRI's portfolio mix and target customer of dedicated fitness/performance buyers.

Broad incumbents

• Optimum Nutrition: Optimum Nutrition (Gold Standard) is the largest mainstream sports nutrition brand owned by Glanbia, with broad retail and DTC distribution. Overlaps with MRI across protein, pre-workout, and creatine but operates at vastly larger scale and through mass-market channels.
• GNC: GNC operates a nationwide retail and online network for vitamins, supplements, and sports nutrition. Its branded sports nutrition range (including various pre-workout and nitric oxide products) competes with MRI's categories and benefits from far larger physical and digital retail reach.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCg19AGCRVz-HnnCZOXi9YnA
• Facebookfacebook.com/MRIperformance
• Instagraminstagram.com/mriperformance/?hl=en
• TikToktiktok.com/@mri_performance?lang=en
• Xx.com/mriperformance
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mri-medical-research

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Medical Research Institute