# Ashwin Cheriyan

> Ashwin Cheriyan is the CEO and co-founder of Thistle, a San Francisco-based plant-forward meal delivery company he built from a cold-pressed juice pop-up in 2013 into a nationwide subscription service delivering over 20 million meals. A self-described 'recovering corporate lawyer,' he traded a career at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett doing billion-dollar M&A deals for the chance to fix how Americans eat — driven by his parents' experiences as physicians watching patients suffer from diet-related chronic disease. Thistle, which he runs alongside his wife and co-founder Shiri Avnery, has raised over $20 million and now serves the West and East Coasts with chef-designed, nutritionist-approved meals that are gluten-free and dairy-free by default.

- **Role:** CEO & Co-Founder at Thistle
- **Organizations:** Thistle, Dave's Hot Chicken Franchise Co., WeGoFair, Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP, Ivy Prep
- **From:** India (Kerala heritage)
- **Nationality:** American (Indian-born)
- **Education:** B.A. in Economics, Brown University, J.D. with Honors, The University of Texas School of Law
- **Known for:** Co-founded Thistle, which has delivered over 20 million plant-forward meals since 2013, Named in Top 100 Brown Alumni in Technology of 2021, Grew Thistle to 500+ employees and coast-to-coast operations

## Career timeline

- **~2004** — Founded Ivy Prep, a private SAT tutoring company
- **~2008-2012** — M&A Associate at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP in New York, working on transactions valued over $100 billion
- **2012-2013** — Co-Founded WeGoFair, a social enterprise rating hotels and restaurants on social and environmental performance
- **2013** — Co-Founded Thistle with Shiri Avnery; left New York at approximately age 30 to move to San Francisco
- **2013-2014** — Launched Thistle as a cold-pressed juice pop-up in Bernal Heights, San Francisco
- **2014** — Launched on-demand juice delivery in Mission, Castro, and Noe Valley; began pivot to subscription meal delivery
- **2015** — Raised $1.7M seed round; began active angel investing
- **2020** — Raised $5.65M Series A led by PowerPlant Ventures
- **2021** — Raised $10.3M Series B; 500+ employees; named in Top 100 Brown Alumni in Technology
- **2022** — Launched East Coast operations with hub in Burlington, NJ; Series B-II
- **2023** — Thistle celebrates 10-year anniversary; 100,000 meals delivered weekly
- **2024** — Unveiled major brand refresh designed by Pearlfisher; delivered 20 millionth meal; named in Newsweek 2025 Excellence Index 1000

## Achievements

- Co-founded Thistle, which has delivered over 20 million plant-forward meals since 2013
- Named in Top 100 Brown Alumni in Technology of 2021
- Grew Thistle to 500+ employees and coast-to-coast operations
- Raised $20+ million in venture funding including from PowerPlant Ventures
- Recognized in Newsweek 2025 Excellence Index 1000
- Named in San Francisco Business Times Top 100 Fastest Growing Private Companies
- Built a company with approximately one-third customer acquisition through word of mouth
- Successfully transitioned from BigLaw M&A to founding a mission-driven food company
- Co-investor in Dave's Hot Chicken Franchise Co.

## Latest updates

- **2024-01** — Thistle unveiled a major brand refresh designed by Pearlfisher, celebrating 10 years and announcing delivery of over 20 million meals
- **2024-02** — Featured in FoodNavigator-USA discussing Thistle's decade of prioritizing product quality above all else
- **2025-01** — Thistle named in Newsweek 2025 Excellence Index 1000

## Links

- Website: https://thistle.co
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashwin-cheriyan-3324137
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/acefell
- GitHub: https://github.com/acefell
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thistleco

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/ashwin-cheriyan
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-05-27