# Michelle Larivee

> Michelle Larivee is the co-founder and CEO of WTHN, the New York wellness company turning acupuncture from a months-long waitlist into a walk-in ritual. A Georgetown and Wharton graduate who spent 13 years in healthcare finance - Merrill Lynch, the World Bank's IFC, Deloitte, and a secondment to the World Economic Forum - she traded debt financings for needles after Traditional Chinese Medicine resolved pain that Western medicine could not. Since 2018 she has built WTHN into a chain of New York studios, an e-commerce line of acupressure tools and herbs stocked in 200+ retailers including Ulta, and a brand backed by a $5M Series A led by L Catterton.

- **Role:** Co-Founder & CEO at WTHN
- **Organizations:** WTHN, Deloitte Consulting, IFC (World Bank Group), Merrill Lynch, World Economic Forum
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** Undergraduate, Georgetown University, School of Foreign Service, MBA, focus on entrepreneurship, The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania
- **Known for:** Co-founded and scaled WTHN into multiple New York City acupuncture studios, Introduced 50,000+ people to acupuncture for the first time, Built a product line of acupressure tools and herbal medicine carried in 200+ retailers including Ulta Beauty

## Career timeline

- **Early career** — Investment banker at Merrill Lynch, structuring debt financings for major U.S. hospitals and academic medical centers
- **Mid career** — Investor at IFC, the World Bank's private equity arm, covering pharmaceutical and consumer sectors across Africa, the Middle East and South America
- **~5 years** — Led teams at Deloitte Consulting; seconded to the World Economic Forum's Blended Finance Initiative
- **2016** — Joined forces with acupuncturist Dr. Shari Auth to build WTHN
- **2018** — Co-founded and launched WTHN in New York City
- **2024** — Closed $5M Series A led by L Catterton; opened Williamsburg studio; launched in Ulta Beauty

## Achievements

- Co-founded and scaled WTHN into multiple New York City acupuncture studios
- Introduced 50,000+ people to acupuncture for the first time
- Built a product line of acupressure tools and herbal medicine carried in 200+ retailers including Ulta Beauty
- Raised a $5M Series A led by L Catterton with Halogen Ventures and strategic angels
- Featured in The New York Times, Vogue, Forbes, Well+Good and Fast Company
- Backed by angel investors from SoulCycle, Heyday and Sweetgreen

## Latest updates

- **2024-01** — WTHN closed a $5M Series A led by L Catterton and opened a new studio in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.
- **2024-01** — WTHN's acupressure tools and herbs launched in Ulta Beauty as part of an omnichannel expansion.

## Links

- Website: https://wthn.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-larivee-35640012/
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mbeRK-rWPNU
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michellelarivee/
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/p/WTHN-100063769519511/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/michelle-larivee
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-06-03