From UF startup to one of Sweden’s leading matcha brands and an all-female ownership.

WAO Matcha began as a UF company and was relaunched in November 2022.

Two months after the relaunch, a reminder popped up in my calendar:
''Apply to Dragons Den''

A year earlier, I had sat with my UF team completely convinced we had the world’s best matcha powder. We wanted to apply to Draknästet immediately, because that’s where young entrepreneurs go to accelerate, to meet investors who believe in them, to make things happen fast.

But we realized our journey was still too short.

So I made a decision:
“In one year, when we’ve come further, I’ll apply.”

The ironic part?
When that reminder went off a year later, I was almost in the same stage with WAO as we had been during UF. The company had just relaunched. We were early. It wasn’t “perfect timing.”

But I thought -  why not try?

I moved quickly through the selection process, recorded the episode, and met my dragon now co-owner - Hannah Widell, who later brought in her sister Amanda Schulman.

Today, WAO Matcha is owned and led entirely by women.

Hannah and Amanda have been with us since the early days. Together, we’ve taken WAO from my parents’ basement to becoming one of Sweden’s largest matcha brands.

Sometimes the difference between “too early” and “ready” is simply having the courage to apply anyway.

Note by Astrid