Episode 350 - Building a $5B Counter-Trafficking Industry | Tim Tebow & Wes Lyons

Nov 4, 2025

In a compelling discussion, Tim Tebow, former athlete and humanitarian, teams up with Wes Lyons, entrepreneur and anti-trafficking advocate, to delve into innovative solutions against human trafficking. Tim shares a poignant story of rescue that sparked his mission. They explore the potential for a $5B counter-trafficking industry, emphasizing the power of combining for-profit ventures with nonprofit efforts. By 'looking again' at the value of every individual, they urge collective action against apathy, and reveal how diverse networks can lead to profound societal impact.

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ANECDOTE

Rescue At An Underground Pastor Conference

Tim Tebow's father bought the freedom of four girls at an underground pastor conference using all the cash in his wallet.
Tim was shocked that other pastors at the table did nothing and this spurred his lifelong involvement against trafficking.

INSIGHT

Dense Networks Drive Long-Term Change

Wes Lyons connects Clapham's historical dense network to Wilberforce's anti-slavery movement as a blueprint.
Long-term, friendship-based networks of entrepreneurs, lawmakers, and faith leaders can shift entrenched social evils.

INSIGHT

Motives Separate Trafficking And Exploitation

Wes Lyons distinguishes trafficking as money-driven and sexual exploitation as deviance-driven.
Different motives require different prevention and intervention strategies.

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Join host Justin Forman in Boulder, Colorado, for a powerful conversation with Tim Tebow and Wes Lyons at the Clapham gathering—where 150 entrepreneurs are uniting to disrupt one of the world's darkest evils: human trafficking. This episode explores how for-profit ventures, nonprofit organizations, and churches can collaborate to create an unprecedented counter-trafficking industry worth billions.

Tim shares the heartbreaking story that launched his anti-trafficking work: his father's decision to purchase the freedom of four girls at an underground pastor's conference. Wes reveals how entrepreneurs are building sustainable businesses that fight trafficking—from training frontline healthcare workers to creating digital safety for children—proving that mission and profit can powerfully align.

Discover why "looking again" at those society overlooks is essential to stopping traffickers, how apathy is the real enemy, and why living an extreme life for Christ matters more than living a balanced one.

Key Topics:

The origin story: How Tim Tebow's father rescued four girls and launched a movement
Understanding trafficking vs. sexual exploitation: Different motives, different solutions
Building the counter-trafficking industry: How for-profit businesses are seeding a $5B market by 2030
The Clapham model: Learning from William Wilberforce's dense network approach
Healthcare's hidden opportunity: 90% of trafficking victims interact with medical professionals 15-18 times before identification
Why being made in God's image means "image being," not "image bearer"
The case against living a balanced life—and for living an extreme one
Eagle Venture Fund's strategy: Treating counter-trafficking like counter-cybersecurity

Notable Quotes:

"My dad is one of my biggest heroes and role models because he's not someone that can look the other way and do nothing." - Tim Tebow

"You can be for profit and for purpose and for people. Like that can happen." - Tim Tebow

"People need dramatic examples to shake them out of apathy. We have to be passionate believers, passionate about the cause of Christ, passionate about hurting people, not apathetic people that someone else is going to do it." - Tim Tebow

"Traffickers target the people that the church gave up seeing." - Justin Forman