Despite coming from fields like consulting and finance, the three friends wanted to do something that would have a real social impact, even if it was out of their comfort zones. “A lot of people, when they graduate from Penn, they're like, ‘Oh, I'll do investment banking or consulting or jobs I'm not happy with for two years,’ but two years is a really long time in your life,” Teddie says. “And it was longer than I wanted to spend doing something that I wasn't passionate about.” Mr Levenfiche, also 25, added: “It’s a massive risk to appear on national television. You don’t know how you’ll come across. You might forget figures, and taste is subjective.”

MP: We’re trying to decide whether or not a US launch makes sense for us at the moment. I think we see such a massive opportunity to continue gaining market share in the UK, and as well throughout Europe, the Middle East and south-east Asia. The US is such a massive market and it’s what I’m very familiar with as an American and have a lot of friends within the drinks industry there but I think right now there’s so much to go after here that we’re not really focused on the US. Since launching, PerfectTed has generated listings in more than 500 stores across the UK and Ireland, as well as launching internationally in nine other countries, including Hong Kong, Singapore, the UAE, France, and more. Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life. The first UK-based energy drink to win a Great Taste Award, PerfectTed Matcha Green Tea Energy Drinks are available in three unique flavour combinations of matcha green tea, lightly sparkling water and real fruit juice, the range includes: Marisa Poster, and brothers Teddie and Levi Levenfiche met at Ivy League at the University of Pennsylvania.

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One thing we've learnt, specifically producing a physical product, is that every day is a disaster," Teddie added. How’s that going? “We have been working with Steven very closely,” says Teddie. “He’s an amazing supporter of the brand. We’re such huge fans of him and it’s through listening to his podcast that we have been able to get through the challenges of the first 16 months in business, so to have him on board as an investor, mentor and adviser is immensely helpful.” He adds: “There’s definitely an extra element to our brand now as everything we do is a reflection of Steven and his own brand – we’re incredibly motivated to prove him right for investing in us.” Marisa Poster sees PerfectTed as disrupting the high-growth energy drink market with an “approachable brand and products that outperform on health, functionality, and flavour”.

It causes conversation to come about because people are like: ‘Is it PerfectTed or is it perfected?’ We really like the discourse that comes with it. She and the Levenfiches live together in London and are regular Hampstead Garden Suburb Synagogue congregants. Full of beans and youthful energy, founders Marisa Poster and Teddie Levenfiche served up their matcha energy drink brand PerfectTed in the den. It was a clean sweep for the founders, who received offers from all five dragons, with Steven Bartlett and Peter Jones winning the negotiations.So, we knew we wanted it to be a human name. We wanted it to be relevant to one of the founders. Teddy is my co-founder, Ted, Teddy is a gender-neutral name and everyone kind of knows a Teddy and we felt it was really a play on words for perfected and perfect ten. A few years later, she spent six months living in Tel Aviv, studying at the Tel Aviv University as part of her university degree. As well as feeling “extremely connected to the Jewish community there” she was also inspired by the healthy way of living. “There was so much access to healthy food, and restaurants served a lot of healthy options. There was a focus on food as medicine and that definitely inspired me to want to set something up.” connection to other people than to inanimate objects or concepts. We landed on "PerfectTed" because it was Part of their commitment to supply chain transparency also includes being Rainforest Alliance certified, which means that independent third parties audited their supply chain and determined that the product was produced according to “the three pillars of sustainability: social, economic, and environmental.”

Launched in 2021, PerfectTed (the name is a play on ‘perfected’ and ‘perfect ten’) was born from a desire to bring the green-tea-powered energy drinks – made with matcha and flavoured with real fruit – to the masses. They have managed to get the range into more than 1,000 Tesco stores nationwide, plus Holland & Barrett, Planet Organic, Selfridges and Joe & The Juice, among other well-known retailers. There are three flavours – apple raspberry, pineapple yuzu, and pear ginger. The company also sells ceremonial-grade matcha powder. JD: You recently received GBP50,000 from the UK investor TV show Dragons’ Den. What’s that cash being used for and any plans for further funding rounds?

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MP: We were actually meant to be making the drinks for the first time ever with our commercial recipe in a small sample tank and the tank set on fire and was out of commission for about two-and-a-half months. The caffeine from green tea lasts 4 to 6 hours, versus 1 to 2 hours from coffee or other energy drinks; the l-theanine in matcha regulates the absorption of caffeine into the body, helping to avoid the jitters and post-caffeine crash. The drink is 100% natural with NO additives, preservatives, or added sugar, and each can contains 80mg of caffeine – as well as being 7 kcals per 100ml. Also, PerfectTed donates 1% of its sales to nonprofits.

Tesco buyer, Libby Lee, said the retailer is excited about a partnership with PerfectTed to grow the natural energy category with a range of “delicious drinks that put functionality and health first.”She added the Tesco listing also made the natural energy drink “readily accessible nationwide and marking yet more rapid growth for our business”. I have suffered with ADHD and anxiety for years and I used to consume loads of caffeine from coffee and energy drinks during college," she said.