Bonded through friendship and now in business, this trio sounds unstoppable.
Longtime best friends Shanna Watkins, Darean Rhodes, and Ashlyn Knox want to become disruptors in a market projected to hit $2.18 trillion by 2030, mentions Grand View Research. The trio, with varied career backgrounds, are behind Sensori, a non-alcoholic beverage launched in 2024 that will bring customers to a state of euphoria powered by functional ingredients such as kanna (a natural mood booster), reishi (for balance), lion’s mane (for mental clarity), green tea (for energy), and more.
The founders tinkered with variations of their inaugural flavor, raspberry cucumber, for several months. After finding a sweet spot, they contacted a formulator and established an official partnership.
Several key moments led to Sensori’s formation. This included a nudge from Watkins’ fiancé at the time, Julion Pearre, who is now her husband. She shared on the “Sistervention” podcast that he encouraged her to create an alcohol alternative after hearing her frequent complaints about the taste and lack of effect from existing products.
Dialing it back, Watkins, Rhodes, and Knox had become more intentional about wellness during the COVID-19 pandemic. Black Girls Bond reports that their drinking habits increased during this time, but they also picked up positive habits such as reading, virtual workouts together, and a shared interest in wellness.
“Even back to our 2020 pandemic era we were always talking about supplements and things that we should be taking in our bodies to help ease our anxiety and help ease our stress the more natural route. So I would say it’s been a long time coming,” Watkins — who walked away from an eight-year career in PR to focus on Sensori full-time — said on the “Sistervention” podcast.
Major Wins
Sensori, which the founders bootstrapped and officially debut in February 2025, has proven to be a fan favorite, particularly among women and in cities such as Dallas, Houston, Atlanta, Chicago, New York City, Los Angeles, and Philadelphia, according to information shared with AFROTECH™. The company has also benefited from virality on TikTok, and within 115 days had sold out of all 5,000 cans of its product.
@drinksensori The Sensori sisters are back ♥️#sensori #drinksensori #nonalchoholic #femalefounder #entrepreneurlife
♬ love song (hesitations) (sped up) – Lofuu & Shiloh Dynasty & dprk
More wins for the company include participating in Impact Ventures’ accelerator program, being named a semi-finalist in Pharrell Williams’ Black Ambition Prize, and product placement in various boutique wellness studios and spas, including Float Wellness Spa, Wesley, Evolve Human Optimization Labs, and, soon, WorldSprings.
Raising $100K
Furthermore, Sensori raised $100,000 in seed funding, including participation from companies such as Block/Square, 19keys, and Johnson & Johnson, as well as medical sales leaders, real estate developers, a former retail executive, and “Sistervention” Founder Crystal Chanel.
“As three female founders of color, there’s no better feeling than having people bet not just on your vision — but on you. What made this seed round especially meaningful was how organically it came together. From day one, we’ve been building in the open, sharing the highs, the lows, and everything in between. So when we casually posted on Instagram that we were raising, we woke up to nearly 10 inbound messages from people who had been quietly cheering us on,” Watkins told AFROTECH™.
She later added, “We’re already making our way into wellness studios across Dallas and are in early conversations with Whole Foods as we expand our footprint. Right now, we feel incredibly energized and laser-focused on helping people drink different — to feel good today, tonight, and tomorrow.”
