# Shegun Otulana

> Shegun Otulana is a Birmingham-based entrepreneur, investor and software operator who founded TheraNest and Therapy Brands before a 2021 exit he describes at $1.25 billion. He leads Harmony Venture Labs and Copysmith AI, supports other founders, and with his wife Mary funded a $1 million UAB scholarship inspired by his own experience struggling to pay college tuition.

- **Role:** Founder & CEO at Harmony Venture Labs
- **Organizations:** Harmony Venture Labs, Copysmith AI, TheraNest, Therapy Brands, Zertis Technologies, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Aspen Institute
- **Education:** Bachelor’s degree in Management Information Systems, University of Alabama at Birmingham
- **Known for:** Founded TheraNest and Therapy Brands; describes his 2021 exit at $1.25 billion., Selected as a 2019 Henry Crown Fellow at the Aspen Institute., Recognized as an EY Entrepreneur of the Year Southeast in 2019.

## Career timeline

- **1998** — Moves from Lagos to Birmingham to attend UAB.
- **2003** — Graduates from UAB and works as a network administrator at U.S. Infrastructure.
- **2004** — Starts software and IT consultancy Zertis with a classmate.
- **2007** — Joins BioHorizons as a senior systems administrator.
- **2011** — Returns to Zertis full time as CEO.
- **2013** — Launches TheraNest.
- **2017** — Creates Therapy Brands as a holding company.
- **2019** — Receives EY Entrepreneur of the Year recognition and joins the Henry Crown Fellowship class.
- **2020** — Steps down as Therapy Brands CEO while remaining on its board; a contemporary Birmingham Times timeline dates HVL’s founding to this year.
- **2021** — Exits Therapy Brands in the KKR transaction and becomes Copysmith AI CEO.
- **2022** — With Mary, gives $1 million to establish the Shegun and Mary Otulana Endowed Scholarship at UAB.
- **2026** — Publishes essays on AI-agent guardrails and coordination in AI-enabled teams.

## Achievements

- Founded TheraNest and Therapy Brands; describes his 2021 exit at $1.25 billion.
- Selected as a 2019 Henry Crown Fellow at the Aspen Institute.
- Recognized as an EY Entrepreneur of the Year Southeast in 2019.
- Co-funded a $1 million endowed scholarship at UAB with his wife Mary in 2022.
- Founded and leads Birmingham venture studio Harmony Venture Labs.

## Latest updates

- **2026-04** — Published an essay arguing that AI makes explicit ownership, scope and coordination more important for teams.
- **2026-03** — Published I Let AI Agents Run a SaaS with 50,000 Users, describing engineered boundaries for autonomous agents.
- **2025-09** — Published a LinkedIn article connecting his experience with SEO to emerging AI search opportunities.

## Links

- Website: https://www.shegunotulana.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sheguno
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/sotulana
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shegun_otulana/

---

Profile page: https://yespress.io/shegun-otulana
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-16