Former Citadel trader launches WashWise, a spray that freshens clothes between washes
Maria Cabral Menezes left her job at Citadel to create WashWise, a spray that refreshes garments without a full wash, and secured $1.2 million in pre-seed funding.
While working as a trader at Citadel, Maria Cabral Menezes repeatedly saw colleagues struggle with sweaty, wrinkled clothing after early workouts, prompting her to envision a convenient garment-refresh solution. Collaborating with a chemist, she created a spray that cleanses, neutralises odours and smooths fabrics, positioning it as a new category between wear and wash. In August, WashWise announced a $1.2 million pre-seed round backed by figures from Cents, Pickle, JPMorgan, Soho House and SoulCycle.
Menezes leveraged her finance background, including time at JPMorgan and a Wharton education, to build the company’s operations and tap her network for expertise on shipping, product placement and chemical formulation. She now runs the business from a home office with her husband, maintaining disciplined work habits inherited from trading. The venture targets urban, active professionals who lack time or volume for traditional laundry cycles.
Why it matters
It illustrates how a Wall Street insider is turning a personal inconvenience into a niche consumer-care startup.
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