Rogue raises $2.5 million, lands Walmart deal for protein snacks

Rogue landed $2.5 million in pre-seed funding and a Walmart rollout that puts the young brand on a fast track few snack startups ever get. The company said it launched online in early May and will expand into about 2,800 Walmart stores in July, with placement in the retailer’s protein and sports nutrition aisle.

Science Inc. led the round, with participation from Uncommon VC and Simple Food Ventures, extending the venture studio’s run of consumer-brand bets into a category that is suddenly drawing serious money. Science Inc., the studio behind Dollar Shave Club and Liquid Death, said Rogue is its first entry into high-protein snacks, a signal that it sees room to build another breakout brand around sharp positioning and aggressive distribution. Michael Jones, a general partner at Science Inc., said the brand combines product innovation with creator-led distribution to accelerate adoption.

Rogue’s first lineup includes four SKUs, among them a Walmart-exclusive Churro flavor, and the products are not trying to behave like a typical sports supplement. They are chips and puffs made with active probiotics, with no seed oils and no artificial ingredients. That mix matters because it pushes protein out of the shaker bottle and into a more indulgent, snackable form that still wears clean-label credentials. Tommy Riggs, Rogue’s co-founder, said, “We created Rogue so you don’t have to compromise - you can have wild and delicious flavors, real performance benefits, and clean ingredients in one snack.”

That proposition is aimed squarely at a market that has been moving fast. Protein has become a major packaged-food growth theme, and in January eMarketer said food manufacturers, private equity firms, quick-service restaurant chains and retailers were all increasing their focus on protein products. Rogue is trying to catch that wave early, before the aisle gets crowded with lookalikes.

The bigger question is whether protein chips can become an everyday pantry item or stay a niche better-for-you novelty. Rogue is clearly betting on the first outcome, using flavor-first snacking, creator marketing and Walmart scale to make the format feel normal. The category is already showing signs of broader acceptance, with Pure Protein announcing Walmart launches in August 2025 for Fruity PEBBLES Protein Bars, Cocoa PEBBLES Protein Bars and Frank’s RedHot Popped Crisps. Rogue’s arrival suggests retailers are still hungry for differentiated high-protein formats, especially ones that promise taste, function and a cleaner ingredient story in the same bag.