Local metabolic science startup Calorify has been acquired by Maurten, the Gothenburg, Sweden company known for its Hydrogel Technology sports fuels. The deal was announced November 3, 2026. Calorify founder Hari Mix, PhD, and his team are joining Maurten, where Mix will lead a newly created unit called M. Labs.
For Maurten, the acquisition adds the other half of the energy equation. Its gels and drink mixes help athletes take in more fuel while Calorify measures how much energy athletes actually burn.
“Hydrogel Technology increased the fuel an athlete can take in. Calorify shows what they burn. Together, there’s a lot less guessing,” says Olof Sköld, Maurten CEO. “And what that makes possible is what excites us most.”
Bringing the Gold Standard to Athletes
Calorify is built on doubly labeled water (DLW), the most accurate way to measure how many calories a person burns during normal daily life. The method tracks how stable isotopes of hydrogen and oxygen move through and leave the body. It was developed in 1949, but the isotopes were too costly for human studies until the 1980s. Even now, only about 30,000 to 40,000 DLW tests have ever been run, almost all of them in academic research.
Mix, a Stanford-trained isotope scientist, founded Calorify in 2021 to change that. The company became the first lab to offer a commercial, end-to-end DLW service, giving athletes a measured energy budget instead of an estimate. Its at-home test has supported elite athletes including Olympic gold medalist Viktor Axelsen and U.S. distance runner Elise Cranny ahead of the Paris Games.
“I started Calorify because the gold standard metabolic measurement was only available in a handful of academic labs,” says Mix, PhD, Head of M. Labs. “Maurten has the vision and resources to take our technology much further. Joining them is the natural next step in our mission to make the human energy budget something anyone can measure — and improve.”
A Santa Cruz Works Community Story
Calorify has been part of the Santa Cruz Works community for years. The company presented at Santa Cruz Works New Tech event in April 2025 and Hari Mix was also a 2024 Titan. Santa Cruz Ventures invested in the company in 2024, and Mix has credited Santa Cruz County’s livability, affordability, and startup culture as reasons for rooting Calorify in Scotts Valley.
What’s Next
Calorify’s testing service will continue for current customers and partners. Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.
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