Mercurius backs sugar-substitute startup Jaca with $1M in media-for-equity deal

What's the deal? Mercurius Media Capital (MMC)Dealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → has made a $1 million strategic investment in JacaDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, a consumer food company built around allulose, a natural rare sugar substitute. The deal is structured as media-for-equity: MMC trades premium advertising inventory for a stake rather than cash.

What does Jaca do? The company sells 100% pure allulose, which tastes and bakes like sugar but carries roughly 10% of the calories and does not raise blood glucose. Its target audience is health-conscious and sugar-reducing Americans aged 40 to 65, including diabetic and keto shoppers, alongside business and co-brand partners.

What's the money for? Jaca will tap MMC's media network to educate consumers and build brand recognition at scale. "Partnering with MMC puts Jaca on national television, and that's how we become a household name," said Pete Ferrari, founder of Healthy For Life FoodsDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →.

Why now? With 77% of Americans trying to cut back on sugar, Jaca is positioning allulose as a mainstream replacement. The global allulose market was about $200 million in 2025 and is projected to reach nearly $500 million by 2034, with North America already accounting for roughly half, according to Fortune Global InsightsDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →.

The investor's thesis: MMC bets that media can act as a growth lever, giving consumer companies distribution and awareness while preserving cash. "We're betting on the team, the product and the market's ability to respond," said Piyush Puri, founding partner at MMC.

The signal: MMC, which calls itself the first media-for-equity fund in the US, launched in 2023 and has secured $242 million in media capital commitments through partners including Sinclair Broadcast GroupDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, TelevisaUnivision, and A+E Global MediaDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →. It has deployed about $48 million across its portfolio so far. The Jaca deal is a modest early-stage bet, but it illustrates a model that swaps advertising airtime for equity — a wager that for consumer brands, distribution, not capital, is the scarce asset.

Read more: Business Insider

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