In 2012, Tatiana Birgisson founded the company MATI in her dorm room at Duke. Now, she's stepping down as its CEO.
Birgisson, Trinity '12, is leaving the energy drink company after overseeing its rise to becoming the best-selling energy drink in Whole Foods' southeast market. Lauren Whitehurst, an early investor, said that Birgisson did “an amazing job” placing the company on solid footing but that it needed someone with experience to expand further.
“We are ready to scale really big and we want to bring in someone who has experience getting a food beverage company to grow," Whitehurst told the Durham Herald-Sun.
MATI has found a unique space in the beverage market. It has gained popularity in the southeast for its efficiency and its health values—it's made up fruit juice and guayusa, a naturally caffeinated herbal mixture.
It did not take long for MATI to gain recognition for its qualities. The drink has become especially popularity among college students and Durham's young demographic. Birgisson said in an interview for her website in 2014 that “young people want to be able to work hard but not compromise their health by consuming unhealthy chemicals.”
Birgisson has been the CEO of the company since its inception, seeing it through the development and manufacturing stages. Since her graduation from Duke with a degree in economics, she has been working for the company in Durham area and has dedicated her time to its expansion.
Now, the company employs 20 people in three different cities and has its main headquarters in Durham.
Birgisson grew her company from a small, one-woman operation to a business that has raised around $8 million from investors. She is leaving the company to make way for a more experienced professional.
The MATI team is currently looking for a CEO who is in consumer goods field, but has affirmed that they do not want to limit themselves and are open to having anyone who understands the industry and is capable of growing a brand, no matter what their background is.
Birgisson has not disclosed what she will be doing after she leaves her post, but has confirmed that she will remain on MATI's board of directors.
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