A pain point in my Wall Street schedule inspired me to leave Citadel to found a laundry startup

Maria Cabral Menezes got the idea for WashWise while working on Wall Street. WashWise Maria Cabral Menezes came up with WashWise, a 'dry shampoo for clothes,' while working on Wall Street. Menezes watched fellow traders at Citadel carry smelly gym bags and rewear clothes at conferences. She said Wall Street skills helped her raise $1.2 million in pre-seed funding and secure investors. This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Maria Cabral Menezes, 27, who founded the brand WashWise, a "dry shampoo for clothes" that refreshes items between washes. WashWise raised $1.2 million in pre-seed funding, as it announced on August 10. Backers range from people in the laundry industry, like the CEO of Cents, to executives associated with Pickle , JPMorgan, Soho House, and SoulCycle, according to a press release.