The investment supports the expansion of KGK’s clinical research, regulatory, and commercial capabilities as demand for innovative ingredients and scientifically-validated consumer healthcare products continues to accelerate.
LONDON, Ontario and CHICAGO, Illinois — July 27th, 2026 — KGK Science Inc. (“KGK”), a leading North American contract research organization (CRO) providing premium clinical trials and regulatory services to the dietary supplement, nutraceutical, functional food and natural health products industries, announced today that it has secured a growth investment led by Maxim Partners, a Chicago-based firm that partners with education and wellness founders and managers. The transaction closed on June 30, 2026. Financial terms were not disclosed.
Founded in 1997 and headquartered in London, Ontario, KGK has spent nearly three decades helping consumer nutrition brands substantiate product claims and bring safe, effective products to global markets. KGK’s comprehensive service offerings include state-of-the-art centralized trials, innovative and flexible virtual trials, customized hybrid design, and a market-leading suite of regulatory services that enable clients to enter North American markets and navigate complex regulatory landscapes. The company has executed more than 400 clinical trials across more than 40 health indications and produced over 150 peer-reviewed publications.
The investment comes at a moment of structural change for the consumer nutrition industry. Heightened regulatory scrutiny of supplement products over unsubstantiated marketing claims, anticipated changes to US food ingredient safety review, release of finalized New Dietary Ingredient guidance, recent FDA guidance on future NDI enforcement, evolving front-of-package labeling requirements, retailer-led initiatives to elevate consumer confidence and rising demand for clinically-validated, consumer self-care products are driving dietary supplement, nutraceutical, functional food, medical food, and wellness brands to invest in rigorous claim substantiation and develop novel, innovative food ingredients for market entry. KGK sits at the center of this shift as a trusted, independent research partner to hundreds of brands, ingredient suppliers contract manufacturers and own-label distributors.
“I founded KGK to address a growing and underserved need to bring scientific rigor to the marketing of nutritional supplements. This partnership with Maxim is a powerful endorsement of what our team has built and of the growing role that credible science plays in this market. Maxim’s deep expertise across nutrition and within the nutraceutical testing market makes them ideally suited to help the KGK team scale our clinical and regulatory capabilities to meet growing demand from brands worldwide,” said Najla Guthrie, Founder and CEO of KGK Science.
Ms. Guthrie and the existing KGK leadership team will continue to lead the company. The growth investment will support expanded clinical trial capacity, continued development of virtual trial technology, and expansion of KGK’s regulatory services.
“KGK has created an outstanding reputation for scientific rigor, technical expertise, and regulatory knowledge. Their commitment to driving brand distinction, lawful market entry and federal compliance is a unique proposition sought by leading brands. We are impressed by the quality of the team, strength of the platform, and trusted relationships they have built with customers around the world. We are excited to partner with Najla and the KGK team to build on the exceptional platform they have created and support the company’s next phase of growth,” said Gregg Wilson, Founder & Managing Partner of Maxim Partners.
Organizations interested in learning more about designing clinical trials, substantiating health claims, or navigating the evolving regulatory landscape for natural health products are encouraged to contact Bibiane Zakaria, Director of Sales & Client Services at KGK Science to discuss their research and product development objectives.
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About KGK Science
Founded in 1997 and headquartered in London, Ontario, KGK Science Inc. is a full-service contract research organization specializing in the nutraceutical and natural health products industry. KGK designs and conducts human clinical trials, provides regulatory and claim substantiation expertise, and supports preclinical development, giving consumer health brands the evidence they need to differentiate their products and reach global markets with confidence. For more information, visit kgkscience.com.
About Maxim Partners
Maxim Partners is a Chicago-based investment firm dedicated to backing founders and managers seeking to impact lives through nutrition, nutraceuticals, functional foods, fitness, recreation, pets, personal care, and education. Maxim helps entrepreneurial leaders accelerate growth through capital, operational support, and deep sector expertise. For more information, visit www.maximpartnersllc.com.
Media Contact
Anusri Nair
Sales & Marketing Manager, KGK Science Inc.
anair@kgkscience.com | 226-272-0801
