Hardware Podcasts

Tatcha: Vicky Tsai

How I Built This · 13 Jul 2020 · 1h 18m

What this episode covers

Vicky Tsai, founder of Tatcha, explains how a trip to Kyoto and a meeting with a geisha inspired her to launch a skincare brand based on traditional Japanese ingredients. After facing rejection from US beauty experts and retailers who claimed Asian beauty wasn't aspirational, she self-funded the company, working out of her parents' garage and pitching on QVC. Tsai details the financial struggles, including maxing out credit cards and selling her engagement ring, before Tatcha achieved profitability and was eventually acquired by Unilever for $500 million.

Most relevant to

founders before launch and companies scaling up

Topics

Mentioned

Companies
Unilever, Sephora
Products
Tatcha, SK-II, La Prairie
Also
QVC, Vogue, Oprah

Related episodes from other shows

Other shows on the same ground, closest first.

  • The Startup CPG Podcast · 40m

    Founder Feature: Jilleo Recio of RĒJINS

    Jilleo Recio, founder of RĒJINS, a luxury skincare brand for maturing, melanin-rich skin, explains how his time in Singapore inspired a serum that challenges skin-lightening norms. He details the arduous process of sourcing a contract manufacturer and chemist, overcoming high MOQs and pandemic-related delays to launch the All Encompassing Serum. Recio emphasizes the critical role of networking, attending pop-up events, and finding a mentor to secure boutique retail placements and grow the brand from a side hustle to a full-time venture.

    Validation & product-market fitManufacturing partners & offshoring
    6 chapters

  • The Startup CPG Podcast · 32m

    Oddball's Path From Idea to Funding a Nationwide Target Launch

    Sophia Cheng, Founder and CEO of Oddball, details her unconventional path from management consulting and Bridgewater Associates to launching a fruit snack brand inspired by her childhood in Singapore. She explains how she validated the product through benchtop formulations at farmers markets and pitch competitions before securing funding, ultimately achieving a nationwide launch at Target. Cheng discusses the specific challenges of fundraising as a first-time, minority woman founder in 2023, emphasizing the mental shift from convincing investors to finding aligned partners, and her strategy for managing a cap table with approximately 20 investors in her first round.

    Fundraising & investorsValidation & product-market fit
    6 chapters

  • The Startup CPG Podcast · 30m

    Founder Feature: Tabi and Meena Hoshmand of Tursh

    Tabi and Meena Hoshmand, co-founders of Tursh, discuss bootstrapping their Afghan-inspired green chutney brand from their respective homes in New York and Los Angeles. They detail the product's development based on their mother's recipe, the strategic decision to hire an external designer to translate their cultural vision into commercial packaging, and their cautious, slow-and-steady approach to scaling into boutique retail. The sisters also reflect on the emotional journey of reconnecting with their heritage and the operational realities of running a two-person, side-hustle CPG business.

    Starting a product companyPricing, margins & unit economics
    7 chapters

  • The Startup CPG Podcast · 36m

    Founder Feature: JoLynn Henke and Peter Clarkson

    JoLynn Henke and Peter Clarkson, co-founders of Protéger, discuss their eco-luxury skincare brand and its flagship product, Dermal Serum, a full-body, unisex formula born from JoLynn’s experience caring for her mother with ALS. They explain their strategy of targeting diverse use cases—from tattoo preservation to post-manicure hydration—to bypass saturated traditional beauty channels and secure retail partnerships through personal connections, such as with Figgy Co. The founders also detail how they turned a logistics failure involving damaged inventory into a successful 'rescue bottle' charity initiative with the Beagle Freedom Project, while emphasizing their commitment to gender-neutral marketing and clean ingredients.

    Direct-to-consumer & e-commerceRetail, wholesale & distribution
    5 chapters

  • The Startup CPG Podcast · 43m

    Founder Feature: Jesrina Arshad of PurelyB

    Jesrina Arshad, founder and CEO of PurelyB, explains how her personal health struggles led to the creation of functional herbal blends in a 'Pixie Stick' format, specifically featuring Tiger Milk Mushroom and Pegaga. She details the company's journey from a digital education platform to a product-based business, highlighting a successful pre-order launch that validated demand without upfront capital. Arshad discusses the challenges of scaling production with marginalized farmers, achieving profitability through a 5x ROAS on digital marketing, and plans for expanding into the US market.

    Validation & product-market fitCrowdfunding & preorders
    6 chapters

The summary, chapters and topics are generated from the episode’s audio by this directory, not written by How I Built This. The episode itself belongs to its publisher.