Prior to founding Ritual, Katerina Schneider was a Venture Partner with Troy Carter at AF Square, managing a portfolio of over 70 tech investments including Spotify, Uber, Dropbox and Warby Parker. She previously served as Head of Global Innovation at Atom Factory and as Global Lead of Digital Innovation at Universal Music Group. As Founder & CEO of Ritual, Katerina has combined her rich background in business, technology and innovation with her lifelong passion for health and wellness. She was named to the 2014 Forbes 30 Under 30 list for Venture Capital, and serves as a Global Shaper for the World Economic Forum. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and daughter.
How has your life experience made you the leader you are today?
When I was young, my family and I moved to America from the Ukraine. We were refugees with no money, and we didn’t speak English. In the beginning, we lived in a welfare hotel and used food stamps to buy groceries. Seeing my father start a company and become a successful entrepreneur really inspired me. I knew that if I too took risks, worked hard enough and put myself out there, I could achieve anything I wanted. The grit and relentlessness I learned from my parents have become foundational values here at Ritual.
How has your previous employment experience aided you in launching and running Ritual?
I started Ritual when I was four months pregnant. I was an investor here in LA working with Troy Carter managing his fund of over 70 tech investments (Uber, Dropbox, Spotify etc). I had seen a lot of companies disrupting big, traditionally slow-moving industries, from Warby Parker with eyeglasses to Casper with mattresses. These companies cut out the middlemen, focused on vertical integration and ended up creating better experiences and products for customers. I saw an opportunity to do the same with the vitamin industry.
I’ve been really fortunate to work with incredible CEOs throughout my whole career. In particular, Lucian Grainge, who is the CEO of Universal Music, taught me a lot about obsession with details and negotiation. Troy Carter, the CEO of Atom Factory, taught me about vision and creativity in business. Female CEOs I invested in like Melody McCloskey of Styleseat--who is both super feminine and powerful--taught me that I didn’t have to comprise who I was to be a strong leader.
What have the highlights and challenges been launching and leading Ritual?
It was challenging to start Ritual while I was pregnant. When I was raising money, some VCs were asking me questions like, “Do you think you will still work after you give birth?” But there were also others who thought it was incredible that I was so determined to take this massive industry on. They felt that my passion and determination to start a company while pregnant meant that I was the right person to do it and that made them want to invest.
The most exciting highlights have been consumers writing in how much taking Ritual has impacted their lives. It’s what motivates me every day to keep going.
What advice can you offer to women who want a career in your industry?
The nutraceutical industry is complex. It’s a lot more complex and inundating than I ever imagined when I was starting out. Our team is constantly told, “No, no no.” But that’s what drives us. It’s what has resulted in a better product. Our manufacturer once said to us, “There is the way we do things, and the way we do things for Ritual.” I love that so much.
I guess my advice to other women going into this industry is to never take no for an answer.
What is the most important lesson you’ve learned in your career to date?
Trust yourself. Everyone has an opinion about everything. It’s your job as a CEO to listen to opinions, but to ultimately go with your gut and trust your intuition. The more you hone your ability to weed out opinions and to make quick but important decisions, the more you will succeed.
How do you maintain a work/life balance?
I have two babies. One is the company, and the other is my daughter. Aiming for balance is key because being happy in your personal life translates to the work you do, how you treat your coworkers and how you are as a leader. That being said, sometimes things aren’t always perfect. There are days I have to work late, and I don’t get to tuck my daughter in at night. Or there are days I have to take my daughter to the pediatrician, and I miss an important meeting. I think striving for perfection daily is a losing battle. Sometimes you have to zoom out and look at things as a whole.
What do you think is the biggest issue for women in the workplace?
I think that struggle with femininity and power is real. The idea that women can’t be feminine and be taken seriously as powerplayers is just simply not true. There are just so many strengths--intuition, empathy, communication--that are rooted in the feminine that help us lead the way.
Which other female leaders do you admire and why?
I’m lucky to be surrounded by a lot of female founders & innovators everyday like Melody McCloskey (styleseat), Shiza Shahid (NOW Ventures & Malala Fund), Leura Fine (Laurel & Wolf) and Milana Rabkin (Stem). It’s awesome that they are friends of mine and I can learn from them everyday. I’m also inspired by Kirsten Green (Founder of Forerunner Ventures), who sits on our board. She’s been a visionary and a force in the e-commerce world.
What do you want Ritual to accomplish in the next year?
With Ritual, we are looking to really build a cult-like following for the brand in the next year. For the first time, people are excited about taking their vitamins and sharing their Ritual stories. It’s a movement we are creating because we’ve made a better product that people understand. We want to keep that momentum going in the next year and to focus on strengthening our community.