VWS Pathfinders Podcast

Summary

On this episode of the VWS Pathfinders Podcast, Jenny chats with Riana Lynn, CEO of Journey Foods, a premium data service looking to build more sustainable and efficient pathways in the food industry. Riana shares her family history and her grandparents' influential role in exposing her to a plant-based lifestyle and food systems from an early age. 

Riana talks about her time in the White House during the Obama administration, how she snuck her way into the 2008 inauguration, broke a world record with The First Lady, and even wound up with her name in the White House Archives. 

Riana discusses the importance of Journey's work and how it uses data to improve everything in the food industry, from the efficiency of supply chains to reducing water waste. She also shares her predictions for the future of the food industry post-COVID and why the future of food may lie in native and indigenous foods. 

This Podcast Covers

[00:37] Introduction

[02:30] Background and upbringing 

[05:30] Connecting with southern roots and the influence of grandparents 

[10:50] Understanding different perspectives on sustainability 

[12:48] First harvest

[14:32] Goals and values of Journey Foods 

[17:18] First time scuba diving and our impact on the environment 

[18:20] The magic of UNC

[20:00] Black farming and its repression 

[21:40] Getting to the White House 

[25:22] Obama memories 

[28:31] The working landscape post COVID

[30:00] The journey to Journey

[33:22] First pitch

[34:44] What Journey does today

[37:44] The magic ingredient 

[40:55] Biggest mistake 

[42:30] The tech approach to food-tech and the rise of the rest

[44:07] Why Austin? 

[45:55] Final words of advice 

[47:50] Significance of big data

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Summary

On this episode of the VWS Pathfinders Podcast, Jenny chats with Mid-Day Squares co-founder and CEO Lezlie Karls. Lezlie is the co-founder and CEO of Mid-Day Squares, whose functional chocolate bars offer the decadence of everyone's favorite treat with the health benefits of a protein bar.

Lezlie shares the rocky road that led to her founding Mid-Day Squares and the many failures that came with it. They delve into Lezlie's childhood, where she opens up about being an outcast and how the negativity she felt after being diagnosed with severe learning difficulties fuels her ambition. She shares her thoughts on her ADHD and how she has now turned it into her superpower.

Lezlie shares her thoughts on how to run an effective business and the turbulent nature of running a rapidly expanding company. She lets us in on her plans for the future, how she wants to be bigger than Nike and hopes to break into the public sphere and American market within a year.

This Podcast Covers

[0:36] Introduction

[02:08] What is Mid-Day Squares?

[03:22] Growing up and the origins of Mid-Day Squares

[16:11] Reflecting on childhood and mistakes

[17:14] The haters come crawling back

[18:32] Fighting for acknowledgment and 'White Dude' central

[20:48] The school system and turning disabilities into superpowers

[25:23] Staying focused and having a safe space

[26:68] Making ADHD work for you

[30:57] First pitch and paying dues

[34:58] Being a Canadian company and entering new markets

[39:00] Biggest mistake and finding the right team

[42:29] Phasing changes

[44:55] Mid-Day Squares's future

[48:20] Why does Mid-Day Squares matter?

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On this episode of the VWS Pathfinders Podcast, Jenny sits down with Whipped Urban Dessert Lab founder Courtney Blagrove, a founder changing the vegan dessert game with her oat-based ice-cream. Courtney shares the daily challenges of being a Black woman founder and the biases she encounters, and the current state of the gender and racial equality movements.

She delves into the origins of Whipped, how her family and nut allergies led her into the vegan dessert world, her mother's influence, and how being an underrepresented woman in STEM has prepared her for a life in business. She talks about the importance of adaptation in business, how the COVID era has forced Whipped to change, and sheds light on the outrageous and under-handed tactics of big companies.

This Cast Covers:

Introduction [00:32]

Courtney's background and the importance of female role models [02:35]

Love of science [05:50]

Representation and being the only one in the room [06:40]

High-school life and getting ahead [11:42]

University of Georgia [13:32]

Insecticides and consumer transparency [14:53]

Changes in the food system for the better [17:36]

Your metabolism, can it be changed? [21:20]

Vitamin D and S.A.D. [24:05]

From Ph.D. to founder [25:40]

Going legit [29:00]

Women in the business world [30:00]

How to get people invested in your product [35:52]

Funding, pitching, and scaling up [36:40]

Adversity driving innovation [40:50]

Biggest mistake [42:42]

Why Whipped? [47:03]

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On this episode of the VWS Pathfinders Podcast, Jenny talks to Aki Kaltenbach, a Canadian founder whose company Save Da Sea is making big waves with their carrot smoked salmon. Aki discusses the origins of Save Da Sea and how she swapped the small-town restaurant life of Whistler, British Colombia, for the jet-setting life of a London advertiser, only to ultimately wind up back home.

As a mother to a two-year-old, Aki talks about how providing a better world for her son fuels her work. She shares her views on customer service, why mothers make the best founders, and explains why she doesn't have a co-founder. She shares her plans for Save Da Sea and how she looks to break into the American market and snag a partnership with the big kahuna of the plant-based world Whole Foods.

This Cast Covers:

[0:38] Intro

[2:11] Background story and growing up

[6:00] Influence of Yelp

[6:53] Getting away from the kitchen

[9:00] Life in London and living a glamorous life

[11:17] Returning home

[12:29] A day at the Winter Olympics

[16:15] Plant-based industry in British Colombia

[17:58] How you got started

[20:13] Solo founder pros and cons

[23:00] Advice for mom founders

[25:30] Are women better investors?

[26:25] First pitch

[28:07] The 'I am a founder' moment

[29:19] Delivering product and babies

[30:45] Leaving a legacy and inspiring children

[32:28] Biggest mistake

[34:13] Conservative founders, being bold and taking credit

[35:51] Different investors in different markets

[40:35] What is next for Save da Sea?

[42:30] Why Save da Sea?

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