Summary

Jessi Roesch, founder of Downland, discusses her journey from banking to starting a climate-smart farming marketplace. She highlights the similarities between farming and startups, such as the need for resilience, the importance of understanding customer needs, and the pursuit of a legacy. Jessi also explains the concept of regenerative agriculture and its benefits for soil health and nutrient-dense food. She shares her experience with crowdfunding and invites listeners to participate in Downland's fundraising campaign on WeFunder.

Links

Please leave us a review: https://www.podchaser.com/AdventuresOnTheCanDo

The book Think Like a Startup Founder (early access): https://www.manning.com/books/think-like-a-tech-founder

Jothy’s site for speaking, podcasting, and ruminating: https://jothyrosenberg.com

Jothy’s non-profit foundation The Who Says I Can’t Foundation: https://whosaysicant.org

Jessi’s current startup for helping regenerative farmers and ranchers: https://www.godownland.com/

Jessi’s slot on the WeFunder platform where she is raising her first round: https://wefunder.com/downland

Jessi’s bio

Jessi Roesch (rhymes with "fresh") has over a decade of experience driving transformation at startups, unicorns and enterprise companies. She is a Terra.do Climate Fellow, member of the Soil Health Committee at BCarbon, Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Antler, a global venture firm, and 3x startup executive, having led her prior company to #10 in Financial Services on the 2023 Inc. 5000 list, which recognizes companies for high growth.

Jessi is the founder and CEO of Downland, a startup that aims to remove barriers for a new generation of regenerative farmers and ranchers

Takeaways

Farming and startups share similarities in terms of resilience, understanding customer needs, and pursuing a legacy.

Regenerative agriculture focuses on improving soil health and producing nutrient-dense food.

Crowdfunding platforms like WeFunder provide opportunities for everyday people to invest in startups and support innovative solutions.

The founder journey requires resilience, grit, and a willingness to embrace challenges and personal growth.

Support Downland

Friends & insiders (that's you!) can invest in Downland via Wefunder before it opens to the public on May 1st. Early investors have access to preferred terms.
Follow Downland on LinkedIn and Instagram
Subscribe to Downland's newsletter
Landowner Letter of Intent (LOI)*

*Landowners who may consider making their land available (in part or in whole) to a regenerative farming/ranching apprentice can share their interest using the form at this link. This is a non-binding letter of interest. The landowner will follow the link, enter their email address, then receive an email from DocuSign to complete the form. Think of this like a petition that Downland should exist and is helpful.

For more info, visit Downland’s website.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Small Talk

08:19 Taking Risks and Embracing Change

16:30 Introduction to Downland and Regenerative Agriculture

32:53 Crowdfunding and the Opportunity for Everyday Investors

39:15 Investing in Downland and Supporting the Future of Food Systems

46:02 Final Thoughts and Encouragement for Founders

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