On behalf of the Boston chapter, we would like to share the following investment opportunity:
 

Waku Tea

Waku Tea is reinventing the $9B Ready-to-Drink tea category for the modern consumer.  It delivers the same refreshing, fruity taste as legacy iced tea brands, but with only 3-4 grams of sugar instead of 50, just 25-30 calories instead of 160, and added prebiotic fiber for gut health benefits.

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Company Summary: Waku Tea

Waku Tea is reinventing the $9B Ready-to-Drink tea category for the modern consumer. It delivers the same refreshing, fruity taste as legacy iced tea brands, but with only 3-4 grams of sugar instead of 50, just 25-30 calories instead of 160, and added prebiotic fiber for gut health benefits.

Waku is operating with strong gross margins of 45% in 2025, with a clear path to 50% in 2026. We’ve become a top-3 RTD tea brand at Whole Foods Market and are accelerating retail growth with new authorizations from Giant, MOM’s, Target, H-E-B, and Sprouts in early 2026. Backed by $1.4M raised toward our $2M seed round, Waku now has proven velocity, strong retail partners, and deep strategic operator support.  

Unmet Need

Consumers drink tea for its perceived health benefits, yet the $9B RTD tea category is dominated by products that focus on flavor alone- packed with sugar, empty carbs, and artificial ingredients. More than 90% of leading RTD teas contain over 100% of the suggested daily intake of sugar per bottle, directly contradicting why consumers choose tea in the first place. At the same time, gut health is now a top wellness priority for 60%+ of Millennials and Gen Z, yet there are virtually no ready-to-drink teas offering meaningful prebiotic benefits in a low-sugar, flavorful format. This leaves a clear gap for a gut-healthy, great-tasting alternative that reinvents iced tea time for the modern consumer.

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Solution                                                                    

Waku is the new generation of iced tea, bringing pop and fun to the traditional RTD tea category. Waku has the same fruity, sweet, refreshing taste but with only 3-4 grams of sugar, 25 calories, and prebiotic fiber to maximize the gut-health benefits.

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Market Opportunity

The $9B RTD tea category is one of the largest beverage segments in the U.S., yet it has seen little true innovation in decades and remains dominated by high-sugar legacy brands, making it ripe for disruption. Meanwhile, gut health is one of the fastest-growing wellness trends, with the global digestive-health market expected to surge from $44B in 2022 to over $120B by 2032. The breakout success of Poppi and Olipop (prebiotic sodas), validated by ~$2B valuations and PepsiCo’s recent acquisition of Poppi, proves that consumer demand for low-sugar, prebiotic beverages that deliver both taste and function. This creates a major, time-sensitive opportunity for Waku to bring that proven value proposition to the underserved RTD tea category and redefine what modern iced tea can be.

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Traction & Momentum

• $1M revenue for 2025, reflecting 108% YoY growth

• 300% growth and $4M in sales forecasted for 202 with all new retail authorizations confirmed; additional authorizations are in the pipeline.

• Whole Foods Market: Top-selling RTD tea at Whole Foods, delivering 2× category velocities; recently expanded into an additional region, doubling store count

• 2026 Retail Growth Momentum:

  • Target: 400-store regional launch (NC-ME) confirmed for April 2026, ~$1M first-year opportunity; $10M+ at scale; major validation in mass grocery

  • Sprouts: Innovation set launch confirmed chainwide for May 2026

  • The Giant Company: 190-store chainwide launch in January 2026

  • MOM’s Organic Market: 27-store chainwide launch in February 2026

  • H-E-B: 55-store test set for March 2026

  • Gross margin: Reached 45% in Q3, a 90% improvement vs. H1 2025, with a clear path to 50% next year.
     

Competitive Edge                                                                

First mover advantage in the prebiotic tea space. Non-carbonated alternative to Olipop & Poppi. Just like Poppi positioned itself as the leader in the prebiotic soda space, we’re establishing ourselves as the go-to brand in prebiotic tea, which gives us category authority. The best part is that we are already winning in our category. Waku is already the top-selling RTD tea at Whole Foods market, and expanding quickly into more retailers and additional geographies.

Customers

Waku’s core customer base consists primarily of Millennials and Gen Z, who make up 89% of consumers, with 76% identifying as female. These health-conscious shoppers are drawn to Waku for its refreshing flavor, gut-health benefits, low sugar content, and caffeine-free formulation. The brand’s visually appealing packaging also plays a role in attracting consumers. Most customers enjoy Waku with meals, frequently pairing it with lunch or dinner.

Business Model

We sell wholesale to our distributor/ retail partners at $16/ case (12 units). We sell e-commerce at $36/ case and subscriptions for $30/ case. Our Suggested retail price at retail stores is $2.49 - $2.99.

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Distribution Strategy

Our distribution strategy is intentionally disciplined: we focus first on dominating the Northeast, where geographic concentration allows us to drive meaningful efficiencies in freight, logistics, and marketing while building strong velocity benchmarks. From this foundation, we are expanding outward with strategic, regionally relevant partners such as Sprouts and H-E-B to ensure smart, sustainable national growth. To support this retail rollout, we have engaged a world-class broker network covering every key channel: Natural, Conventional, Mass, Club, and Food Service, ensuring we can execute with excellence across the country as we scale.

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Marketing Strategy

Our marketing strategy is a 360-degree approach designed to build brand awareness, drive trial, and support retail velocity. It begins with bright, bold packaging that stands out on the shelf and communicates our functional benefits instantly. This is supported by robust trade marketing, including demos, field marketing activations, in-store merchandising, and targeted consumer coupons to convert trial into repeat purchases. We amplify this with paid digital campaigns and influencer marketing, allowing us to reach health-conscious consumers where they already spend time and build a strong, modern brand with high cultural relevance.

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Leadership & Team

Waku is led by a seasoned founding team with 12+ years of experience working together and a previous successful exit, complemented by deep expertise across brand, operations, finance, and commercialization. Our leadership is supported by a robust network of investors, CPG operators, and retail executives from companies like Vita Coco, KIND, Yasso, Bacardi, Ahold, Carrefour, Tesco, and Liverpool Mexico, providing best-in-class guidance as we scale.

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Leadership Team:

• Juan Giraldo - Co-Founder & CEO

  • Babson College MBA ’18

  • Serial entrepreneur with a previous successful exit

  • 15+ years of experience leading high-performing teams

• Nico Estrella - Co-Founder & COO

  • Serial entrepreneur and former professional athlete

  • 12 years of sales and marketing experience

  • Leads operations, supply chain, and commercial execution

• Allie Mercurio - Head of Brand Marketing

  • 12 years of experience as an advertising consultant at PepsiCo

  • Worked directly on Bubly, Starbucks Coffee, Frito-Lay, and Doritos

  • Contributed to four Super Bowl ads and numerous product launches across major PepsiCo brands

Funding

Currently raising the remaining $600k of our $2M seed round. $1.4M raised and wired.
 

Terms: Convertible Note with an $8M cap, 20% discount, 6% interest rate, and a maturity date of 12/31/2028.

Participants include: Beckett Industries (Liquid Death Investors), Tonic Ventures (Olipop Investors), HBS Alumni Angels Boston, 37 Angels, Angel Investment Forum, Chicago Booth Angels, Maine Angels, Boston Harbor Angels, plus an experienced group of CPG and retail veterans: former CEOs of Ahold USA, Carrefour, Liverpool Mexico; four senior executives from VitaCoco; and former leaders from KIND, Yasso, and Bacardi.

Our key milestones include achieving 300% growth to reach $4M in revenue by EOY 2026, reducing our operating loss to under 30% EBITDA, and position the company for a successful Series A in Q4 2026, targeting $5M at a $25M post-money valuation.​