OMAHA, Neb. (WOT) – From swinging a baseball bat to punching a nutrient-rich baobab fruit, Jeff Tzak finds that his competitive nature drives everything he does.
He’s a former Husker baseball player and Nebraska Volunteers assistant coach turned businessman.
Jeff and his wife Katie, who met at UNL, received a $100,000 investment in their company: a gut-friendly water supplement called Teega.
Their company grew out of Jeff’s transition from a top-level competitive athlete to your everyday athlete.
“When you’re in it. You eat a whole pizza. You can do anything. When you’re 18 to 21 and over, you can eat and drink whatever you want. As you get older, you realize, ‘Hey, I’m going to do that 30-minute great workout, but I need to provide some really good nutrients on the back end or before,”’ Jeff said. Tezak, Tiiga CEO.
The investment comes from Nebraska-based Shark Tank’s version of NMotion’s Growth Accelerator program.
“NMotion has raised funds from Nebraska-based investors and funds to invest in Nebraska’s best and brightest,” said Mason Cook, executive director of NMotion.
And while the duo says health products often start offshore, they intend to use this money to help keep the production in the Midwest.
“We want to stay in the Midwest. We want to grow here. We want to put the Midwest on the map for health products,” said Cathy Tezak, founder of Tiga.
Competitive by nature, Jeff relishes the challenge.
“When I’m in a situation where someone says it’s a very competitive industry, I understand why…why would you want to go without it. It’s simple, but it doesn’t make it as fun,” Jeff said.
This quality is what attracted the investors, the founders of Tiga.
“They are rubbish. They are rich. And they’re willing to grow,” Cook said.
Being smart and coachable is a lesson Jeff learned from baseball.
“You have to be willing to put in the effort, it’s the same with sports, and then you have to be willing to adapt to any situation to make sure you’re in the next potential sale or the next capacity. The best place to be successful,” Jeff said.
With this investment, Jeff and Katie will be able to increase their growth through inventory expansion and marketing. They are currently at their manufacturing plant.
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