Vicky Tsai

Last updated
Victoria Tsai
Born1978 (age 46–47)
Missouri, U.S.
Education Wellesley College (BA)
Harvard University (MBA)
Known forTatcha Founder
AwardsWWD Beauty Inc Founder's Award (2019) Cosmetic Executive Women Female Founder Award (2019)

Vicky Tsai (born 1978 [1] ) is a Taiwanese-American businesswoman who is the founder of Tatcha, [2] a skincare company rooted in Japanese beauty rituals. [3]

Contents

Early life and education

Tsai's parents moved to the United States from Taiwan, settling in Houston, Texas. Born in Texas, Tsai became aware of seemingly unattainable Western beauty standards at a young age and was one of the only Asian students at her school. [4] She struggled with her identity as a result of feeling underrepresented and isolated as a minority in the early '90s in Texas. [5]

Tsai studied at Wellesley College, where she received a B.A. in economics, [6] and Harvard Business School, where she received a M.B.A. and later led research on the state of AAPI women in business. [7] She found her first corporate job working for Starbucks in Shanghai, which focused on its expansion into the China market. Her team pitched and executed a strategy to launch consumer products in China in time for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, which housed the bottled Starbucks Frappuccino. [8] Tsai worked in corporate America as a financier for a decade and spent her twenties traveling globally for work. [9]

Tatcha

Tsai traveled to Kyoto, Japan, in 2008. [3] [7] There, she met with a modern geisha who introduced her to time-tested ingredients based on a Japanese diet. [9] She not only discovered cultural remedies for her skin, but also felt the experience begin to heal her spirit. [7] When she returned to San Francisco, where she created Tatcha, an entrepreneurial endeavor she described as a "necessity". [7]

In 2009, Tsai approached retail partners for the business, but was told Tatcha was "too niche" and "too exotic" for the Western woman. [4] After struggling to secure funding, Tsai sold her engagement ring, car, and furniture, then worked from her mother's garage. She spent 9 years without a salary. [7] In 2017, she received funding from private equity firm Castanea Partners. [10]

After Tatcha

Despite many years at the company, the business was sold to Unilever in 2019 for a reported $500 million, and Tsai stepped down shortly afterward. [4]

Personal life

Tsai married Eric Bevan at the Gamble Mansion in Boston, Massachusetts May 29, 2004. The couple shares one daughter, Alea. [1]

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References

  1. 1 2 Strauss, Alix (2019-11-13). "'I Dream, He Executes'". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2023-03-17.
  2. ↑ "Japanese Beauty & Skincare Products | Tatcha".
  3. 1 2 Tatcha. "Our Story". Tatcha.
  4. 1 2 3 Vora, Shivani (April 8, 2021). "What Helped Her Build a $500 Million Asian-Beauty Brand Also Held Her Back. Not Anymore". Inc.
  5. ↑ "An interview with Tatcha founder Victoria Tsai | The Memo | MECCA". MECCA AU. Retrieved 2023-03-20.
  6. ↑ "[POSTPONED] AAPI Women in Business: Conversation With Tatcha Founder Vicky Tsai". Asia Society. Retrieved 2023-04-26.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 "Tatcha's Vicky Tsai in Conversation With Selfmade's Stephanie Lee". Glamour. 2022-05-20. Retrieved 2023-03-20.
  8. ↑ Liu, Jennifer (13 January 2020). "This Harvard MBA grad worked at a Starbucks after graduation—then she founded a company worth millions". CNBC. Retrieved 2023-03-20.
  9. 1 2 "Victoria Tsai Biography | Booking Info for Speaking Engagements". www.allamericanspeakers.com. Retrieved 2023-03-20.
  10. ↑ "Tatcha's founder Vicky Tsai reveals why she first stepped down as CEO: 'It felt like a threat'". cosmeticsbusiness.com. Retrieved 2023-08-10.
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