Cymbiotika founder links $150 million wellness brand to Afghan women’s cause

Durana Elmi has built Cymbiotika into a wellness brand with $150 million in annual revenue, according to Fortune, and she says the company’s growth is tied to a broader mission focused on women and children in Afghanistan. Elmi, who was born in Afghanistan and raised in Southern California, told Fortune that seeing restrictions on women in her birth country shapes how she thinks about business and life.

Elmi co-founded the San Diego company with her husband, Shahab Elmi, in 2019. The business sells rip-and-sip supplement packets and has become a fixture in major retail chains as well as online, Fortune reported.

According to Elmi, Cymbiotika has sold more than 200 million packets and increased sales 400% over the past three years. She told Fortune the company has been profitable each year since 2019 and reached $150 million in annual revenue before taking outside funding.

The company raised a $25 million seed round late last year, its first outside capital, according to Fortune. The investor group included more than 50 backers, among them The Weeknd, Post Malone, the Jonas Brothers and Daymond John of Shark Tank.

From family losses to a wellness company

Elmi told Fortune she and her husband did not create Cymbiotika only as a financial venture. She said deaths in their families, including her father and Shahab Elmi’s grandfather, pushed them to think about a more preventive approach to health.

The couple had previously built and exited four companies together, Fortune reported. With Cymbiotika, Elmi said they wanted to create something their two daughters could see as part of the family’s legacy.

The company’s first product was a liposomal omega supplement. Elmi told Fortune the delivery method is meant to help nutrients absorb better than traditional pills, and the format lets consumers open a packet and drink the gel directly.

Cymbiotika grew during the pandemic, a period when many companies were cutting back, according to Fortune. Elmi said the founders put their own money back into the business, sought essential-business status, and benefited from lease terms and available workers while other companies retreated.

Retail expansion and subscriptions

The brand has moved beyond direct online sales into Target, Ulta, Sprouts and Whole Foods, Fortune reported. Elmi said more national retailers are expected to carry the products before the end of the year.

Elmi also told Fortune the company’s average order value is above $100 and that customers on its subscription model remain for more than six months on average. She said the company has been EBITDA-positive every year since it began operating.

Fortune reported that Cymbiotika has appeared multiple times on Inc.’s list of fastest-growing companies. Elmi said the brand’s pitch has centered on making supplements part of a daily routine rather than treating them as a chore.

A personal mission

Elmi, who serves as chief creative officer and chief experiential officer, told Fortune she continues to support philanthropic work involving women and children in Afghanistan. She said videos and that work keep her connected to conditions there despite leaving the country as an infant.

She also described the difficulty of building the company, saying Cymbiotika has experienced more failures than successes since 2019. Fortune reported that she leads a staff of about 140 people and works from the office daily by choice.

Elmi said working with her husband brings strain as well as partnership, including disagreements they try not to bring home to their daughters, who are 13 and 11. She told Fortune that her measure of success includes how many women she can inspire through the company’s growth.

This story draws on original reporting from Fortune.