Born outside Chicago to a free-spirited mother, who seeking adventure and a non-traditional life experience, raised Mark and his four siblings in the promised land of Southern California. Mark grew up in a new-age community in the 70's, consuming veggie burgers, green drinks and wholesome foods long before Whole Foods existed. His Montessori school education provided a diverse and unusual curriculum and sound foundation. Nutrition was practically part of his DNA.

Mark started business early, and has become a serial entrepreneur by creating several successful nutrition businesses. With his firm PharmaNutrients, he developed novel, science-backed nutrition ingredients including Tonalin® and CLA One®. Mark pioneered the “Intel inside” model for the nutrition industry, supplying his products to hundreds of the leading nutrition firms in the US, Europe and Japan. After reaching significant levels of sales, he sold these brands to multi-national firms.