Launched as students on campus and guided by TCU Neeley faculty mentorship, HNY+ turned a wellness expirement into a fast-growing energy brand, earning national recognition for innovation and impact
February 25, 2026
By Winter Harris
When Ross Cooley, Liam Brogan, and Luke Smialowicz opened the Forbes 30 Under 30 list, they saw the student startup the roommates began at Texas Christian University recognized among the nation’s standout young entrepreneurs.
The three co-founded HNY+, a honey-based, pre-workout energy gel that began as a student solution to their wellness frustrations in undergrad. While training regularly, they grew tired of the artificial ingredients commonly found in traditional pre-workout products and began testing natural alternatives in their kitchen.
Through research and experimentation, the entrepreneurs identified organic, glyphosate-free honey as an effective carbohydrate source for athletic performance. Early versions of the product were shared with fellow students and athletes at TCU’s recreation center, allowing the team to refine HNY+ through direct feedback. Through countless trials and errors, the co-founders sourced premium honey from the Yucatán Peninsula and began production in Dallas.
As graduation approached in 2024, the Neeley School of Business students faced a decision: accept corporate roles in the finance industry or continue pouring into HNY+’s potential. They chose to pursue the company fulltime, officially launching the brand with three original flavors: Buzz, Sting, and Classic.
Just over a year later, Cooley, Brogan, and Smialowicz were named to the 2025 Forbes 30 Under 30 list in the Food and Drink category. HNY+ was nominated by fellow TCU alumni and prior year Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree Austin Patry, co-founder of Realsy with Neeley classmate Sophia Karbowski. Forbes evaluates candidates based on revenue, innovation, and industry impact, selecting only a small percentage of applicants each year.
Both Cooley and Brogan studied Entrepreneurship and Innovation in the business school, while Smialowicz majored in Finance. Collecitvely, their academic backgrounds provided complementary skill sets from brand building and idea development to financial modeling and execution, which were applied directly to the launch and scaling of HNY+.
The TCU community played a significant role in the co-founders’ shared journey. Patry served as the company’s first formal advisor, while Neeley faculty members offered guidance throughout the launch process. Entrepreneurship professors Michael Sherrod, Michael Browning, Rodney D’Souza, and Antonio Baños helped shape the team’s approach to building and scaling a business. Marketing guidance came from Professor Brandon Chicotsky, while Professor Kelley Trager provided legal and company formation support.
Faculty mentorship and collaboration with fellow Neeley students helped the HNY+ leadership team pressure-test ideas and think creatively. The alumni network has also remained valuable, particularly for professional outreach and relationship-building in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
In offering advice to current TCU student interested in launching their own business, the team emphasized starting early and using campus resources and the university community.
“Start now. Don’t wait until you have everything figured out,” Cooley said. “Test your ideas with people around you, get feedback, and iterate.”
Looking ahead, the HNY+ team is focused on expanding their startup’s direct-to-consumer presence, entering new retail channels, and launching additional product lines and flavors.
Smialowicz said, “Our goal is to continue providing a cleaner alternative to the energy products people rely on, without compromising performance, simplicity, or taste.”
