210: How Therapy Brands Hit a $1.25B Exit in Alabama And Grew the Innovation Ecosystem

Innovation Storytellers

In this episode, I sit down with Shegun Otulana, founder and former CEO of Therapy Brands. His journey from arriving in Birmingham, Alabama at 18 to leading one of the largest software exits in the state's history is nothing short of remarkable.

Shegun opens up about his early days, the lessons learned from failure, and the moment his wife encouraged him to finally go all in. He explains how he used consulting work to attract real-world problems and applied a personal framework to choose which one was worth building into a business.

We talk about why pricing can be a powerful form of innovation, how Therapy Brands stood out by aligning with what customers actually valued, and why differentiation often beats being the best.

Shegun reflects on communication as the greatest innovation of all time and shares his passion for helping build Alabama's innovation ecosystem through his work with Innovate Alabama.

This is a conversation about self-awareness, long-term thinking, and what it really takes to build something meaningful.