ASU entrepreneurship program, Chandler Innovation Center enable veteran to grow health and wellness company
Justin Moore after winning the innovation night pitch competition at the ACIC. Courtesy photo
By Georgann Yara
For seven years, Justin Moore was a jet engine mechanic in the Air Force.
But when he left the military to focus on family, Moore traded in a career connected to the sky for the opportunity to get on the ground floor of a new and, what he saw could be, lucrative industry.
This entrepreneurial move has not only made Moore the founder and CEO of Agoge, his company centered around sustainable protein derived from hemp, but also one of the success stories to emerge from the Chandler Endeavor Venture Innovation Incubator program.
Chandler Endeavor supports local entrepreneurs and startup companies and is managed by leaders from Arizona State University's J. Orin Edson Entrepreneurship + Innovation Institute. It’s housed at the ASU Chandler Innovation Center (ACIC), where Moore’s office and headquarters is also located.
Agoge’s mission to provide a sustainable protein source that utilizes hemp, which effectively cleans greenhouse gases and is grown organically by farmers, was a key driver in Moore wishing to be part of ASU, the ACIC and Chandler Endeavor.
“I looked at other states and, hands down, Arizona was the place to start a company based in health and wellness and sustainability. And I was blown away by ASU and its School of Sustainability,” Moore says.
Moore’s work and business model has gained enough traction to earn a $4 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to further his research and efforts.
Moore had been eyeing an office spot in the ACIC, and when he was able to secure one in April, he quickly experienced the benefits of the location in downtown Chandler. This includes the resources and support needed as a new business owner while organically providing networking opportunities, literally at his door.
Since then, Moore has received mentorship, no-cost office space and a $5,000 prize in an innovation pitch competition.
Agoge’s protein powder comes in three flavors, plus an unflavored version, and can be used in smoothies or water, much like traditional protein powders, but without the dairy, wheat or soy allergens that most others come with.
Moore uses it with cereal, waffles and pancakes. One of his regular customers is a chef who uses it to make vegan chorizo. The product is sold on the Agoge website and used by businesses like rock climbing gym Bouldering Project in Tempe and gut wellness center Scottsdale Hydrotherapy. It’s also caught on in the yoga community.
“People who have given up on protein powders because it gives them an upset stomach say this is easy to digest,” Moore says of customers’ feedback.
Moore is in the process of creating a vegan Meals Ready to Eat version that can be safely used by military personnel with allergies, Crohn's disease and other digestive issues. He hopes to have this ready and in the field in two years.
“As a vet, that is my ultimate goal,” says Moore, who does not have any dairy or wheat allergies himself.
A native of Springfield, Virginia, near the Washington, D.C., area, Moore hails from a family of servicemen. His grandfather, uncle and cousin were all in the military. Moore wanted to follow suit, and when he was a senior in high school signed up, looking forward to adventures and travel while gaining the funds to pay for college.
Moore pursued and achieved his dream of being a jet mechanic in the Air Force. At 21, he made the rank of staff sergeant. He was stationed in Germany and visited more than 30 countries during his service.
But it was a different kind of call of duty that inspired Moore to leave the Air Force in 2004.
“I had a young daughter and I was gone too long between deployments. … She didn’t recognize me,” Moore recalls.
Moore went on to earn a marketing degree from West Virginia University and his MBA in entrepreneurship from the University of Southern California. He co-founded a tech startup and then worked as a startup consultant when hemp became federally legal in 2018.
“I saw an opportunity to be on the ground floor of a trillion-dollar business that’s brand new,” Moore says. “It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
Moore immersed himself in research and all things hemp to fully understand the crop, from farm to finished consumer product. He found someone who could isolate the protein, which left it pure, without graininess or a scent. It also lacked THC, the component that’s responsible for the high obtained by taking marijuana.
Moore started Agoge in 2022 and moved to Arizona in 2023. Not long after, he connected with Chandler Endeavor and Cultivate PHX, another ASU incubator program that focuses on growing innovation in sustainable food systems and agriculture.
Being at the ACIC, several ASU staff members have inquired about Agoge, tried it and signed up for a subscription. Moore feels this kind of exposure and testimony is valuable to growing his young company.
“Our goal is to, through education, get people to try it and get it out into the world,” Moore says. “Being connected to ASU brings credibility to it.”
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Justin Moore with his product, Agoge Body Fuel.
Photo courtesy of Justin Moore
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Justin Moore and his baby sister when he returned home from basic training and tech school (Air Force) before he left for Germany in 1998.
Photo courtesy of Justin Moore
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Justin Moore and Sparky.
Photo courtesy of Justin Moore
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Justin Moore and his intern at a lululemon event in Scottsdale where he handed out samples and answered questions on his USDA organic hemp protein.
Photo courtesy of Justin Moore
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