From Consultant to Entrepreneur: Kai Lim’s Journey to Launch Reprise Health
Kai Lim, a Singaporean who left his promising career in management consulting to pursue entrepreneurship in New York, is making waves with his business Reprise Health, which is introducing Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) in the form of convenient gummies.
After graduating from Harvard Business School and working for Boston Consulting Group, Kai decided to chase his dream of building his own company. Along with co-founder David Yu, they created Reprise Health, which combines modern health trends with ancient Chinese practices by infusing traditional herbs like ginseng and goji berries into gummy supplements. The duo’s aim was to make TCM more accessible to a Western audience, many of whom are unfamiliar with the cultural significance of herbs like ling zhi or the complex rituals behind TCM.
Kai’s childhood in Singapore was shaped by an academic-focused environment and a close relationship with his grandmother, who ran a traditional food business. This early exposure to entrepreneurship planted the seeds for his future ventures. Despite the pressures of academic achievement in Singapore, Kai always felt a pull toward entrepreneurship and travel, further solidified during his university days, where he took risks by interning abroad.
His move to New York was equally spontaneous. Kai and David worked remotely on Reprise Health until they visited the city in 2021, deciding to stay and grow the company. Their hard work has paid off, with the brand now featured in major media outlets like Forbes and W Magazine and stocked in over 60 stores across the U.S. While growing the business, Kai and David have faced the challenge of educating Americans about the value of TCM, often simplifying the concept of these ancient herbs for new customers.
As they work toward taking Reprise Health nationwide and possibly expanding into Asia, Kai also reflects on the challenges of being an entrepreneur in a foreign country. Missing significant family events and the pressure of paying off his MBA sponsorship loan are just some of the personal hurdles that come with the entrepreneurial journey. Despite these struggles, Kai is driven by his ambition to build a globally recognized Singaporean brand.
Kai’s story is one of risk-taking and persistence, showing that with passion, vision, and the courage to step out of one’s comfort zone, even the most traditional practices can be reimagined and embraced worldwide.
