When Kimberlee Duval arrived at Cymbiotika, the wellness company was preparing a leap few bootstrapped brands attempt—moving from direct-to-consumer to retail shelves. “Our two owners, Charlene and Shahab, have done everything direct,” she tells us. “They wanted to build an organization for the long term.” That resolve led the company to take on debt rather than private-equity money to fund its Sprouts launch in 2024. The risk paid off: Sprouts highlighted Cymbiotika’s success in its quarterly earnings release, proof that intentional growth can outperform speed.
Now, with products heading to 1,988 Target stores, Duval’s finance team is focused on scaling without losing clarity. “We restructured the finance function to align with that growth strategy,” she tells us, pointing to centralized operations in NetSuite, expanded FP&A and cost accounting capabilities, and the creation of clear SOPs. Technology, she believes, is the enabler that keeps teams lean and insights sharp.
Read More“There’s no reason to segregate between the groups,” she explains, describing her cross-channel approach to e-commerce and retail finance. AI tools and automated workflows now handle much of the transactional load, freeing her people to focus on analysis and collaboration.
At the heart of her leadership philosophy is unity. “We’re a team … with a common purpose and a common goal,” Duval tells us. That ethos—pairing disciplined systems with shared intent—continues to shape Cymbiotika’s transformation from a digital wellness brand into a multichannel movement for intentional living.
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CFOTL: Let’s find out about Cymbiotika. Tell us about this latest chapter—what is the company, and what are its offerings?
Duval: Cymbiotika is a wellness brand focused on premium, bioavailable supplements that support holistic health. What sets us apart is our commitment to transparency, scientific integrity, and customer education—particularly in the vitamins, minerals, and supplements space. We’re not just selling products; we’re building a movement around intentional living.
CFOTL: We understand the company raised some debt financing last year. Can you share a bit about Cymbiotika’s capital structure?
Duval: We’ve been bootstrapped from the start. Our two owners, Charlene and Shahab, have funded the business directly to build for the long term—without PE or VC pressures that might compromise product quality (or limit innovation beyond powders and pills).
Moving from DTC to retail is capital-intensive—inventory, setup, and extended payment terms. We took on debt to enter Sprouts in early 2024, saw strong results—Sprouts even mentioned us in their Q2 earnings release—and then put more robust financing in place. We’re still not ready to give up equity. Next up, we’re launching in Target—1,988 stores (in about a week and a half).
CFOTL: As the company scales across e-commerce and retail, what does your finance organization look like?
Duval: We restructured finance to match our growth strategy—centralizing operations in NetSuite, building FP&A and cost-accounting capabilities, and creating clear SOPs for scale. NetSuite streamlines reporting, improves visibility, and supports cross-functional decisions. We’ve moved from broad generalists to clearer swim lanes where it helps.
CFOTL: Will your people be dedicated to retail or e-commerce, or do you plan to rotate them?
Duval: We’re not splitting teams by channel right now. Retail is growing and will require certain dedicated roles by transaction flow—AR for retail, for example—while B2C via Shopify is pay-as-you-go. But for FP&A and cost accounting, I want teams looking across the whole business to avoid tunnel vision and capture synergies. Our bias is to use systems, AI, modules, and workflow automation to scale—rather than building an overly large finance org. Too much separation can hide information. We’re one team with a common purpose, so we design the work (and tools) to keep visibility and leverage high.
Cymbiotika | www.cymbiotika.com | San Diego, CA