Michelle Razavi

Michelle Razavi is the co-founder and CEO of ELAVI, a wellness brand focused on reinventing the packaged food industry with clean, functional snacks. ELAVI delivers nutrition designed to support physical and mental health, inspired by Razavi's personal experiences seeking gut-friendly, high-protein snacks during her demanding schedule balancing corporate work at Sephora and teaching fitness classes at Equinox. Influenced by a culture that prioritizes health through nutrition and her upbringing with an Iranian immigrant mother who emphasized food as medicine, Razavi developed a new approach to modern nutrition.

Razavi co-created ELAVI’s snack formulations, combining protein sources such as marine and bovine collagen and plant protein with superfoods like dates, honey, and cacao. She collaborates with food scientists, chefs, and dietitians to create shelf-stable food products that are both nourishing and uncompromised. The brand’s name merges the last names of Razavi and her co-founder, Nikki Elliott, who met at Equinox. Elliott’s background in accounting and mergers and acquisitions complements Razavi’s expertise in sales and marketing.

Building ELAVI involved overcoming challenges such as trademark disputes, supply chain delays, and limited marketing resources. During fundraising, Razavi and Elliott encountered skepticism from investors but continued to grow the brand with capital efficiency. Their appearance on the "Elevator Pitch" show by Entrepreneur Media led to investment from Kim Perell and increased media exposure, including engagement from Netflix co-founder Marc Randolph.

ELAVI expanded from its original collagen protein bars to a broader range of high-protein snacks, achieving significant growth on platforms like Costco and Amazon. The brand’s expansion into new markets resulted in a substantial increase in annual revenue, and ELAVI products are now available in more than 300 locations, including Equinox Studios, Life Time Fitness, Google, Lululemon, Central Market, and Amazon.

Razavi has been recognized for her contributions to entrepreneurship and the consumer packaged goods industry, including being named to Inc.'s Female Founders 250 List and as a winner of the Stacy’s Rise Project. As a certified fitness instructor, yoga teacher, and meditation guide at Equinox in Los Angeles, Razavi integrates holistic wellness into her classes and daily life. She is a frequent speaker on entrepreneurship, CPG strategy, and women in business, sharing insights on bootstrapping, retail strategy, and building purpose-driven brands.