Shizu Okusa, Apothékary

Many of us at Walden have a corporate “past life”. Leslie (PX Manager) worked at a large ad tech company in San Francisco. Charley (CEO) started his career in management consulting. Joe (Partners & Impact) worked at a multinational company his entire career before Walden. At some point, each of us made a choice to shed a prior skin to try something new – leaving one career behind to pursue a road less traveled, where work might be better aligned with our values.

There’s a natural kinship then with Shizu Okusa, the founder and CEO of Apothékary. Shizu’s career began on Wall Street, at Goldman Sachs working in distressed assets. After three years in the corporate world, she struck out on her own as an entrepreneur. Her company is a descendant of that choice to pursue a road less traveled. It’s an interweaving of different threads of her story – her Japanese heritage, her affinity for Eastern wellness practices (like yoga and Ayurvedic medicine) nurtured during a sabbatical in Mozambique and Bali, and the business acumen honed during her early career.

Apothékary is “Mother Nature’s farmacy”. They’re an emerging plant medicine company offering clean, unadulterated herbal alternatives to the over-the-counter supplements and quick fixes, which are often ridden with synthetic ingredients and additives. Offerings like “Wine Down” (a red wine-inspired alcohol alternative tincture featuring relaxation and sleep-inducing herbal ingredients) and “Slay All Day” (bold, lasting energy from a matcha green tea-based formula) are natural remedies that draw from traditions like Traditional Chinese Medicine, Kampo, and Ayurveda. All products are made with 100% certified organic ingredients and whole plants that don’t contain GMOs, fillers, artificial chemicals, sweeteners, gums, or additives.

When it came time to raise their latest round of capital, Shizu prioritized “founder-funder” fit. The working capital line of credit from Walden enables them to further leverage their equity (including capital raised from other mission-aligned investors) to scale operations and expand into new channels. While we’re focused on positive and lasting change in New England and New York, we’re also excited to support like minded businesses from regions beyond – especially innovators in natural products like Apothékary, based in Northern Virginia.