VT WIN Entrepreneur HerStory: Meagan Downey, Founder of Shiki Wrap

After two decades leading and consulting mission-driven organizations across the country working to solve big problems like homelessness, teenage pregnancy and health disparities, Meagan Downey focused on solving a seemingly simple problem: how can eco-conscious gift givers give a beautiful gift to their recipient without the waste and the hassle of paper gift wrap?

It seemed like a simple problem to solve, considering her day-to-day work included counseling health care providers through an abrupt federal funding battle and conducting on-site board trainings for an organization serving the military in Alaska. So she set out to solve it, but soon learned that solving even the simplest problems sustainably and at scale is a LOT harder than it seems. It’s also incredibly rewarding. Meagan draws parallels between founding a company and mothering a child.

Meagan moved to Vermont from Chicago as a single mother in 2011. She graduated with an MBA at Champlain College and in 2021, founded Shiki Wrap, a startup on a mission to change gift giving for good.