\u2014 Yuni Sameshima<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n\u201cWe looked around the room, and we looked at each other, and we were like, \u2018This is a big opportunity,\u2019\u201d Sameshima says. Just before Colgate\u2019s then-President Jeffrey Herbst could take the stage, Sameshima claimed the mic. He introduced himself and Petracca, gave an overview of their concept, and invited potential investors to meet with them.
\u201cI\u2019m sure my voice was four octaves too high \u2014 but we ended up raising $30,000 that weekend,\u201d Sameshima says. \u201cThat funding allowed us to kick-start Chicory.\u201d
Their boldness paid off. In the eight years since, the New York City\u2013based company has facilitated more than $50 million in grocery orders each year and earned the partners a spot on the 2020 Forbes\u2019 30 Under 30 list.
Sameshima, originally from New York City, and Petracca, from Irvine, Calif., met by singing a cappella together in the Colgate Thirteen. They were drawn to each other by their shared sense of humor, which has been vital to their success as they\u2019ve weathered the ups and downs of entrepreneurship. Although neither has a business background \u2014 Petracca was a history major and Sameshima majored in molecular biology \u2014 they credit Colgate\u2019s liberal arts education for endowing them with \u201ccritical thinking, problem solving, and thinking holistically,\u201d skills integral to their career, Sameshima says.
But why start a company in the first place?
\u201cIt was a cultural moment,\u201d Petracca says. With the rise of Facebook, publications covering start-up culture, and young entrepreneurs launching companies, the duo \u201cfelt empowered that we could pursue this path. We started brainstorming.\u201d
As foodies, Petracca and Sameshima noticed a growing trend of online grocery shopping with new companies like Instacart and Blue Apron. At the same time, food blogs, recipe sites, and digital versions of publications like Bon App\u00e9tit were taking over the internet. The partners saw an opportunity to capture those consumers by \u201cmaking those recipes shoppable.\u201d
Petracca and Sameshima connected with existing food content creators like Delish, Taste of Home, and The Kitchn to embed Chicory technology in their sites. To facilitate the sales side of the platform, they built a retail network that includes nearly every major grocery retailer in the United States.
Chicory\u2019s \u201cGet Ingredients\u201d button is on recipes in their network of 1,500 food sites. From this button, customers can add the recipe\u2019s ingredients into the online cart of their preferred retailer. Chicory also monetizes this technology through digital ads that run within recipe content across its partner sites, and by licensing software directly to brands, agencies, and retailers to power shoppable content.
To build relationships with vice presidents and CEOs of major corporations like Kroger and Stop & Shop, the duo again took a bold approach. They turned their perceived disadvantage \u2014 youthful inexperience \u2014 into an advantage. E-commerce is disrupting legacy businesses, Sameshima points out. They are the ones at a disadvantage, and Chicory offers a solution. \u201cThe VPs and CEOs want a fresh perspective,\u201d Sameshima says. \u201cIt\u2019s about building trust, showing you\u2019re smart, competent, thinking critically about their business, and that you\u2019re serious. That\u2019s how you ultimately earn respect.\u201d
Mic drop.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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