Role:
Founder, CD
Team:
Rohith Kolluri
Chris Miele
Tools:
Figma, Adobe CS
Duration:
6 months
ACTA Matcha
2019 - Present Day
I co-founded ACTA, a premium matcha tea startup launched through a Shark Tank–style competition at Indiana University. I led design across packaging, e-commerce, and brand identity, helping bring the product from concept to market.
Our team secured mentorship and investment from the founder of Dude Wipes, launched on Amazon, and expanded into cafés. The experience taught me how to combine entrepreneurship and design to build a cohesive consumer brand.
*This overview summarizes a complex workflow—please reach out to aaronyasko@gmail.com for more details.
300+
Amazon Reviews
4.5 / 5
Star Rating on Amazon
$ 100K
ARR (Anual Recurring Revenue)
20% +
CRR (Customer Retention Rate)
FROM CASE COMPETITION TO STARTUP
It all started at Indiana University!
While studying Informatics, two classmates and I entered the Kelley School’s Clapp Idea Competition - a Shark Tank-style challenge where student teams pitched business ideas to alumni judges for the chance at $20,000 in seed funding.
MOTIVATION
Winning Best Pitch!
Although our team didn’t walk away with the grand prize, we did win the Kaczmarek Best Pitch Award, recognized for the clarity, creativity, and persuasiveness of our presentation.
That moment validated my ability to tell a compelling story through design and communication — even when the outcome didn’t go as planned. In many ways, the award was more important than the prize money, because it gave us the confidence to keep building, refining, and ultimately turning ACTA Matcha into a real company.
TURNING A LOSS INTO MOMENTUM
The DUDE WIPES Connection
Instead of stopping after the competition, we tapped into IU’s alumni network, connecting with entrepreneurs who had built successful consumer brands and were eager to guide new founders. That hustle and resourcefulness set the stage for what came next.
Through those conversations, we connected with the founder of Dude Wipes, who, like us, went to Indiana University and grew up in the Chicagoland area. After reviewing our designs and brand vision, he believed in us enough to invest—becoming the catalyst for ACTA’s growth.
ROCKET SHIP
