At just 18 years old, Barry University sophomore and Finance major Madden Arboleda took an idea inspired by his experience as an athlete and turned it into a business. Arboleda is the founder of PEAK Hydration, a six-ingredient electrolyte mix focused on clean ingredients, great taste and affordability.

Arboleda has been an athlete for most of his life and always understood the importance of proper hydration. However, he noticed a disconnect between what many hydration brands advertised and what their products actually contained. Despite being marketed as healthy, many options included artificial ingredients, added chemicals and excessive amounts of sugar.

“I hated being lied to,” Arboleda said. “I knew the importance of hydration, but most importantly, I knew that hydration shouldn’t be this complicated.”

That realization inspired him to create PEAK Hydration. With a clear idea in mind, he decided to take a chance on entrepreneurship without prior experience running a business.

“I knew nothing about being a young entrepreneur and business owner, but I knew one thing, that I had to fail many times,” he said.

As he developed his business, Arboleda found support within the Barry University community. His teammates on the Barry men’s soccer team and his coach, Coach Petsa Ivanovic, have been an important part of his experience. He also credits Barry Management Consulting, particularly Dr. Dale Hartz with providing valuable guidance during the early stages of his business.

He also recognized the newly established Student-Dean Advisory Board and Dean Bogdan Daraban for their encouragement and support.

Arboleda’s experience as a student entrepreneur has given him the opportunity to apply his interests in finance and business to something of his own. With the support of the Barry community behind him, he will continue to learn, take risks and work toward growing PEAK Hydration.

To learn more about PEAK Hydration, visit here.