Why WAKE Exists: From a Shared Idea in 2024 to WPG’s First Commercial Brand
TORONTO
How this event was produced and what it means for the partners involved.
- Training. Travel. A long day outside. The minutes before the next run, ride or shift. Energy can be useful in those moments, but carrying, opening and finishing another bottle or can is not always convenient. WAKE began with the belief that active people deserved another option: portable energy in a nicotine-free pouch.
- In July 2024, Patrick Sills and Abeer Subhani began developing WAKE through Cannitec Solutions. Patrick brought commercial strategy, regulated-market experience, partnerships and a longstanding connection to sport, watersports and action-sports culture. Abeer brought brand strategy, positioning, identity, marketing and communications. Together, the WAKE co-founders worked from the life the product needed to fit—not simply from a format they wanted to sell.
- Kicker Mint and Tropical Fruit gave WAKE two distinct starting points. The flavours, portable cans and nicotine-free position turned the original idea into products a customer could inspect rather than an abstract brand promise. Current formulations, availability and purchase information remain governed by the official product records and the official WAKE store.
WAKE’s origin shows how WPG evaluates partner fit against a real audience, product, culture and commercial objective; later work with Thrill Sports is an executed example, not permission to infer unverified sales outcomes or ownership rights.
This activation was built as a named, credited partnership rather than a sponsorship placement -- each side's contribution is disclosed below, not folded into a single "brand-sponsored" claim. WPG runs this same governed-partnership model across its brand portfolio.
WAKE is one of three brands WPG Brands Inc. runs on a shared commercial engine -- a governed relationship model, verified sourcing, and cross-brand distribution reach, not a one-off campaign budget.
Cody Matechuk: Cody Matechuk is a Canadian professional freestyle motocross athlete. He has competed in FMX disciplines across North America and is known for technical execution and progressive riding. He was the performance athlete featured in the WAKE x Thrill Sports activation; his wider athletic career is his own and is not WPG-owned.
Thrill Sports: Thrill Sports is an action sports production company. Thrill Sports selected and produced the athlete activation that connected WAKE to the action-sports performance ecosystem; WAKE benefited from and participated in the activation as the named brand partner and does not own Thrill Sports' broader operations.
Nitro Circus: Nitro Circus is the world's largest action sports entertainment company. Co-founded by Travis Pastrana, Nitro Circus produces global live tours, original content, and athlete development programs across freestyle motocross, BMX, skateboarding, and other disciplines.