Celebrating the entrepreneurs redefining what’s possible in plant-based business
Nobody was waiting for these women to show up. The industries they walked into weren’t exactly rolling out the welcome mat. The investors weren’t lining up. The timing was never quite right. And yet here they are – ten founders who built some of the most exciting vegan and wellness brands around, out of frustration, necessity, and a refusal to wait for conditions that were never going to be perfect anyway.
Some had health scares that changed everything. Some just couldn’t find a product they actually wanted to use. Some were told flat-out that their idea wasn’t viable. None of that stopped them.
This Women’s Day, we’re celebrating them. And if you’ve been sitting on something, waiting for the right moment, consider this your nudge. The right moment was probably a while ago. These women will tell you the same thing.
1. Slutty Vegan – Pinky Cole
What they do: Vegan fast-casual restaurants known for indulgent, over-the-top burgers
Slutty Vegan doesn’t market itself as “healthy” or “clean.” It’s unapologetically indulgent, bold, and fun – making plant-based food accessible to people who’d never step foot in a health food store.
The story:
Pinky Cole started making moves from her two-bedroom apartment in July of 2018, selling Slutty Vegan’s signature burgers to order via Instagram. In a few weeks’ time, she was filling orders around Atlanta and serving burgers from a mobile food truck. She built the brand on personality, community, and damn good food. Lines wrapped around the block from day one. In 2022, she sold a stake to Danny Meyer’s Enlightened Hospitality Investments, but in March 2025, she bought it back, regaining full control of her vision. She is restructuring her business through a Chapter 11 filing in March 2026.
What you can learn:
You don’t have to follow the rules of your industry. Pinky didn’t try to fit into the “wellness” mold of plant-based eating. She created a brand that felt authentic to her, and people responded. Also, sometimes you have to take outside investment to scale, but you don’t have to give up your vision forever. Changes and restructuring are all a part of running a business.
2. Crafty Counter (WunderEggs) – Hema Reddy
What they do: Plant-based hard-boiled eggs
WunderEggs are the first ready-to-eat vegan hard-boiled eggs in the U.S.– not liquid scrambles or baking substitutes, but actual boiled eggs you can slice, snack on, or add to salads.
The story:
Hema Reddy grew up in India watching her parents obsess over wholesome ingredients – cooking was their love language. After migrating to the U.S. as a young working mother of two, she was constantly on the road and frustrated by the lack of convenient, healthy snacks. In 2020, her whole family switched to plant-based eating. But they really missed eggs. So Hema spent two-and-a-half years developing WunderEggs from her kitchen counter, refusing to add questionable ingredients despite countless experts telling her it couldn’t be done with simple, whole-food ingredients.
What you can learn:
Don’t compromise on what matters to you. Hema was told repeatedly to add processed ingredients to make development easier. She refused. When you stay true to your values, even when it’s harder, you build a product people can trust.
3. Nuts for Cheese – Margaret Coons
What they do: Artisanal cashew-based vegan cheese
Nuts for Cheese uses fermentation to create complex, aged flavors that mimic traditional dairy cheese – no nutritional yeast or artificial flavors.
The story:
Margaret Coons launched Nuts for Cheese at a farmer’s market in London, Ontario, in 2015. As a vegan chef, she’d been experimenting with fermented cashew cheese while working at a local vegan restaurant, and decided to see if anyone else wanted what she was making. The response was immediate – local retailers and restaurants started asking to carry her products. What began as late-night kitchen rentals and early morning farmers market setups has grown into one of Canada’s top plant-based cheese brands.
What you can learn:
Margaret didn’t rush to market with a “good enough” product – she took the time to perfect her process. When you prioritize quality over speed, you build a brand people trust and recommend.
4. Sweet Loren’s – Loren Brill
What they do: Ready-to-bake vegan and gluten-free cookie dough
Sweet Loren’s makes clean-ingredient cookie dough that’s as convenient as the conventional stuff. No weird additives, no complicated prep.
The story:
At 22, Loren Brill was diagnosed with cancer right after graduating from USC. Beating it changed everything for her. She overhauled her diet but refused to give up desserts. When she couldn’t find clean-ingredient cookie dough, she made her own in her tiny NYC apartment. Today, Sweet Loren’s is the #1 natural cookie dough in America, sold in over 35,000 stores.
What you can learn:
Crisis forces clarity. Loren’s cancer diagnosis made trivial fears disappear – suddenly, “what if my cookie dough business fails?” seemed ridiculous compared to what she’d already survived. Build something that matters enough that you’d regret not trying.
5. Tower 28 – Amy Liu
What they do: 100% clean, vegan makeup and skincare for sensitive skin
Tower 28 is the first beauty brand to be simultaneously 100% clean, vegan, and completely free of known skin irritants, with every formula following the National Eczema Association’s ingredient guidelines.
The story:
Amy Liu spent over 15 years as a beauty executive at some of the biggest names in the industry, but as a longtime eczema sufferer, she couldn’t use the very products she had a hand in promoting. The clean alternatives that existed were either unaffordable or looked like they came straight from a dermatologist’s office. She launched Tower 28 in 2019, naming it after a lifeguard tower in Santa Monica – a place where, as she put it, you see every kind of person, not just the blonde, blue-eyed models used in most beauty advertising. As a Chinese American who grew up feeling like an outsider, she wanted to break the mold of what a beachy LA beauty brand looks like.
What you can learn:
The biggest opportunities aren’t always in crowded markets – they’re in the gaps you personally experience. Amy worked in beauty for 15 years but couldn’t use most of the products she sold. That frustration became her competitive advantage.
6. BettaF!sh – Deniz Ficicioglu
What they do: Plant-based seafood made from seaweed
While most plant-based seafood relies primarily on soy or pea protein, BettaF!sh puts seaweed at the center – combining it with fava beans and pea protein to replicate both the ocean taste and nutritional profile (including omega-3s) of real fish.
The story:
Deniz Ficicioglu had food intolerances that forced her to read ingredient labels obsessively, and she realized most foods rely on just five main ingredients. As an innovation manager researching future food systems, she became fascinated by seaweed’s potential. When she met Jacob von Manteuffel, who’d just filmed a documentary about seaweed pioneers, they co-founded BettaF!sh in 2020. Their mission: make seaweed mainstream by creating plant-based seafood that actually tastes like fish. Today, their TU-NAH product is in supermarkets across eight European countries.
What you can learn:
Sometimes the “aha moment” comes from constraint. Deniz’s food intolerances made her hyper-aware of ingredient systems – a frustration that led to expertise. Your limitations might be showing you a problem worth solving.
7. MaryRuth Organics – MaryRuth Ghiyam
What they do: Vegan vitamins, supplements, and wellness products
MaryRuth Organics makes supplements that are actually pleasant to take – liquid vitamins, gummies, and sprays that don’t taste like punishment.
The story:
MaryRuth Ghiyam and her mother Colleen founded MaryRuth Organics in 2014 after personal tragedy shaped their understanding of health and healing. After losing her father and her brother, MaryRuth became a nutritional consultant obsessed with finding supplements her clients would actually take. When she couldn’t find liquid vitamins that didn’t make people nauseous, she made her own. She convinced a manufacturer to produce just 90 bottles, sold them from her New York apartment and on Amazon, and built what’s now a $100+ million company.
What you can learn:
Make your product enjoyable to use. MaryRuth understood that the best supplement is the one people will actually take. When you remove friction from the user experience, you increase adoption.
8.OSEA Malibu – Jenefer and Melissa Palmer
What they do: Vegan, seaweed-based skincare
OSEA has been making clean, ocean-derived skincare since 1996 – long before “clean beauty” was a category. They were early adopters of sustainability and transparency.
The story:
Jenefer Palmer founded OSEA in her Malibu kitchen over 25 years ago, inspired by her family’s history of using seaweed for health and wellness. Today, her daughter Melissa runs the company, continuing the legacy of creating luxurious, effective skincare powered by the ocean. OSEA is now sold at Sephora and has a cult following for products like the Ocean Cleansing Mudd and Hyaluronic Sea Serum.
What you can learn:
OSEA didn’t chase trends, they built a brand with staying power by staying true to their core values. When you’re consistent, you build trust over time.
9. Femly – Arion Long
What they do: 100% organic cotton menstrual products and touchless dispensers
Femly created the world’s first touchless pad and tampon vending machine that increases free access to period care in public restrooms. The dispensers use sensors that work for all skin tones.
The story:
At 26, Arion Long was diagnosed with a tumor linked directly to chemicals in mainstream feminine products. Shocked to learn that 90% of pads and tampons contain dioxins and BPA (known carcinogens), she launched Femly in 2016, and within a month, she won $125,000 at a pitch competition. Today, Femly products are in CVS, Target, and Walmart, and her touchless dispensers are in schools, stadiums, and offices nationwide. She’s one of the first 150 Black women in U.S. history to raise over $1 million in venture capital.
What you can learn:
Turn your diagnosis into your mission. Arion didn’t just create a safer product for herself – she built infrastructure to make period care accessible to homeless women, students, and anyone who needs it. When you solve a problem that affects millions, you’re not just building a business – you’re building a movement.
10. EADEM – Marie Kouadio Amouzame & Alice Lin Glover
What they do: Skincare formulated specifically for melanin-rich skin
EADEM pioneered “Smart Melanin Beauty” – skincare that addresses hyperpigmentation and dark spots without lightening overall skin tone, a common issue with products tested only on white skin.
The story:
Marie (French-Ivorian) and Alice (Taiwanese-American) bonded over spreadsheets of skincare products, and they kept running into the same frustration: Why did they have to choose between skincare that actually worked and skincare that acknowledged their melanin-rich skin? Most hyperpigmentation products were tested only on older white skin with age spots, not the post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation that affects skin of color. So they quit their jobs, bootstrapped EADEM (Latin for “the same”), and launched their Milk Marvel Dark Spot Serum in 2021. They’re completely self-funded, and building what they call “Smart Melanin Beauty.”
What you can learn:
If you and your friends are all experiencing the same problem, there’s a market. Marie and Alice didn’t need a massive market research study – they lived the gap in the market every day. And you don’t need VC funding to build a successful brand.
The Common Thread
The brands that endure aren’t built on trends. They’re built on something the founder couldn’t let go of, even when it was hard, even when no one believed in it yet.
If you’re building something right now – or sitting on an idea you’ve been too scared to start – that’s probably the most useful thing in this list. Not the funding strategies or the product innovation. Just that. The stubbornness to keep going when the industry tells you it’s not a priority.
It always was. They just proved it.
Inspired but not sure where to start? We’ve got you covered. From Email Marketing from Scratch to AI for Vegan Entrepreneurs, our courses give you the practical skills to turn your idea into reality. Check out what we offer here!
