Disruptors for GOOD | Social Entrepreneurs and Social Enterprises

In episode 138 of the Disruptors for GOOD podcast, I speak with Matt Hill, founder of the global reforestation organization One Tree Planted on scaling a nonprofit like a Silicon Valley startup.Listen to episode 54 to get Matt's origin story and the mission of One Tree Planted.Since 2014, the organization has planted over 40 million trees. They have more than doubled the number of trees planted each year, and are working with partners across 43+ countries in North America, Latin America, Africa, Asia, Europe and the Pacific.In 2021, their team grew substantially to accommodate the growth with remarkable expertise. The organization enhanced it's strategy and operations to ensure that they’re using the best technology, restoration methods, and monitoring practices, and implemented new project criteria for quality and accountability in how your trees are grown, managed, and planted.Last year alone, 23,588,232 trees were planted through 166 projects in 42 countries around the world. But as Matt often says, reforestation is about so much more than just trees. From supporting over 35,000 farming families to employing/involving over 5,000 women and engaging over 39,000 volunteers, Matt is proud of the lasting social and economic impact that they’ve made, together.This year for Earth Month, the organization has launched its forest ever Forest Fest. Forest Fest features a gathering of thought-leaders and sustainability professionals changing the world, one tree at a time.Reforestation TechnologyLearn about the cutting-edge technology that’s opening doors and driving innovation in the reforestation space!Sustainability LeadershipHear from global sustainability leaders about new trends, opportunities to grow and the state of the world’s forests.A Tree-mendous TimeNetwork with fellow planet-lovers, get your hands in the dirt and celebrate all that we’ll accomplish together, One Tree Planted style.Forest Fest will be help April 21-24 in San Francisco, CA. ----------------------------------------Disruptors for GOOD is powered by Causeartist, a nonprofit media company dedicated to bridging the gap between capital and culture by spotlighting founders, investors, and organizations reimagining how business can serve people and the planet.Through storytelling, events, and open-access education, Causeartist helps create a shared language of impact, inspiring more founders to build with purpose and more funders to invest with intention.By amplifying ideas and innovations across industries, Causeartist transforms awareness into action and cultivates a community where paying it forward is part of the foundation for growth.

In this episode, I speak with Alessa Berg, Founder and CEO of Top Tier Impact, on the future of carbon credits, ESG, web3 and its place in the paradigm shift of impact investing.Alessa is an entrepreneur, investor and advisor to funds and companies. Her thought leadership sits at the intersection of positive impact and emerging technologies.Alessa was born in Switzerland and is fluent in 6 languages. During high school, she started focusing on neuroscience while working as a windsurf and snowboard instructor on the side. Alessa created her first business at 11 years old and has been investing in the blockchain and biotech sectors since graduating from Oxford University. After covering product at early-stage technology startups, Alessa worked in private equity at Blackstone and in venture capital at Mosaic Ventures. She’s the youngest member of her Oxford degree’s advisory board.Alessa founded Top Tier Impact (TTI), the global ecosystem of impact and sustainability leaders. The TTI Group’s mission is to accelerate the mainstream adoption of impact and sustainability as the way of making investments and running companies.It has an active private network of 500+ impact investors, entrepreneurs and corporate leaders across more than 40 countries, an advisory business focused on ESG & climate risk scenario planning, an impact investing unit and a policy unit that bridges the gap between private and public sector within net-zero energy transition topics. ----------------------------------------Disruptors for GOOD is powered by Causeartist, a nonprofit media company dedicated to bridging the gap between capital and culture by spotlighting founders, investors, and organizations reimagining how business can serve people and the planet.Through storytelling, events, and open-access education, Causeartist helps create a shared language of impact, inspiring more founders to build with purpose and more funders to invest with intention.By amplifying ideas and innovations across industries, Causeartist transforms awareness into action and cultivates a community where paying it forward is part of the foundation for growth.

In episode 137 of the Disruptors for GOOD podcast I speak with with Chaitanya “Chet” Kanojia, co-founder and CEO of Starry Inc, on providing high-quality, affordable internet that helps move communities forward.Chaitanya “Chet” Kanojia is co-founder and CEO of Starry Inc., a wideband hybrid fiber wireless technology company focused on building competitive, affordable, high-quality broadband across the United States.Prior to Starry, Chet was founder and CEO of Aereo, Inc., the groundbreaking online television platform that enabled consumers to record and watch live HD broadcast television on virtually any type of Internet-connected device via a cloud-based OTA antenna and DVR.Previously, Chet was the founder and CEO of Navic Networks. Like Aereo, Navic Networks addressed the challenges of today’s highly fragmented media landscape. Under Chet’s leadership, Navic Networks grew to be the undisputed industry leader in advanced television advertising and was acquired by Microsoft in 2008.Chet holds more than 31 patents in fields ranging from robotics to data communications systems and is an innovative leader known for pushing beyond the conventional and developing breakthrough solutions.He has been noted as part of Vanity Fair's 2013 "Next Establishment List” and named one of Inc. Magazine’s 2013 “Entrepreneurs of the Year.”  Aereo's technology was also named one of TIME magazine's Top 50 Best Websites (2012) and a Top 50 Technology (2013) by MIT Technology Review.In 2019, Chet was honored with Public Knowledge’s IP3 Award for Internet Protocol for his years of work developing technology in the interest of competition and consumer choice.Chet holds a master's degree in Computer Systems Engineering from Northeastern University in Boston and a bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering from the National Institute of Technology in Bhopal, India.About StarryStarry was recently named to the second annual TIME100 Most Influential Companies list.Starry is a next generation licensed fixed wireless technology developer and internet service provider on a mission to connect as many people as possible to affordable, high-quality home broadband. The company believes that connectivity is a social good and therefore should be both affordable and ubiquitous.Starry's goal is to provide competitive, high-quality, low-cost broadband options for residents in every community they serve. They currently serve subscribers in six major U.S. cities today - Boston, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, New York City, Denver and Columbus, OH - and have an expansion roadmap to cover more than 40 million households nationwide. ----------------------------------------Disruptors for GOOD is powered by Causeartist, a nonprofit media company dedicated to bridging the gap between capital and culture by spotlighting founders, investors, and organizations reimagining how business can serve people and the planet.Through storytelling, events, and open-access education, Causeartist helps create a shared language of impact, inspiring more founders to build with purpose and more funders to invest with intention.By amplifying ideas and innovations across industries, Causeartist transforms awareness into action and cultivates a community where paying it forward is part of the foundation for growth.

In this short episode I sit down with Heather McDougall to talk about her journey and the new Causeartist Podcast - Changemaker Rehab.You can subscribe and listen to Heather and Changemaker Rehab on Apple Podcast, Spotify, and wherever you listen to your shows.Heather is an honors law school grad and social entrepreneur, a yogini, and a global citizen.She is the Co-founder of Bogobrush and has spoken about sustainability and innovation for groups including TEDx, Yellow Conference, MN Business Ventures, Abu Dhabi's GEM Academy and others.Learn how Heather leads impact at thisisheather.me and connect with her on LinkedIn.Thanks. ----------------------------------------Disruptors for GOOD is powered by Causeartist, a nonprofit media company dedicated to bridging the gap between capital and culture by spotlighting founders, investors, and organizations reimagining how business can serve people and the planet.Through storytelling, events, and open-access education, Causeartist helps create a shared language of impact, inspiring more founders to build with purpose and more funders to invest with intention.By amplifying ideas and innovations across industries, Causeartist transforms awareness into action and cultivates a community where paying it forward is part of the foundation for growth.

In episode 136 of the Disruptors for GOOD podcast, Causeartist contributor Rafael Aldon, speaks with Simon Schillebeeckx, Co-founder of Handprint and Global Mangrove Trust, on the convergence of digitization and sustainability.Simon is an academic entrepreneur devoting his time to better understanding how digitization and sustainability are converging. The new business models that grow out of this collision are not only the topic of his research but also inspired his entrepreneurial activities. Simon is the Co-founder of Handprint and Global Mangrove Trust. He is also the Assistant Professor of Strategic Management at SMU - Singapore Management University. He holds a PhD in Management from Imperial College London alongside advanced degrees in Corporate Social Responsibility and Commercial Engineering.About HandprintHandprint is on a mission to integrate positive impact into every business transaction. The team has built a platform that connects companies to fantastic causes they curate with the help of their global impact board. Handprint digitizes these causes and, once they establish a direct impact connection with an interested company, they automate, integrate, report, and visualize the positive impact actions corporate clients facilitate.Rather than making sustainability an afterthought, Simon and the team focus on regeneration of ecosystems and the rebuilding of communities. By aligning positive impact with companies' purpose and values, their commitment is real, is long-term, and unwavering. By integrating and automating the positive impact actions with strategic KPIs, they know that your business growth genuinely becomes good for the world.About Global Mangrove TrustMangroves are crucial ecosystems for addressing climate change. To support these incredible natural systems, Global Mangrove Trust works with local impact partners and leading teams around the world to ensure families and businesses are empowered and engaged in community-based mangrove forestry, no matter where they are on the planet, or within the value chain. We’ve closely aligned our mission and goals with twelve of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. ----------------------------------------Disruptors for GOOD is powered by Causeartist, a nonprofit media company dedicated to bridging the gap between capital and culture by spotlighting founders, investors, and organizations reimagining how business can serve people and the planet.Through storytelling, events, and open-access education, Causeartist helps create a shared language of impact, inspiring more founders to build with purpose and more funders to invest with intention.By amplifying ideas and innovations across industries, Causeartist transforms awareness into action and cultivates a community where paying it forward is part of the foundation for growth.

In this episode I speak with Rafael Aldon, Impact Investor and Co-founder of regenr8, on his journey into impact investing and the future of regenerative business.Rafael will be co-hosting upcoming episodes on the Investing in Impact podcast feed and the Disruptors for GOOD podcast feed.Rafael is a founder-focused Venture Capital professional with extensive experience in investment and startup growth strategies, including investments with advisory and Board positions in FinTech, InsurTech, DeepTech & SaaS companies, predominantly in S.E. Asia and Europe. Rafael is driven by a passion for nature and the transformative power of technology, and is a student of regenerative leadership.About regenr8 - regenr8 is pioneering regenerative venture capital approaches in Asia to invest globally in purpose-driven founders building highly-scalable technology companies that fit under the core themes of Energy & the Environment, Food & Water, Circularity & Zero Waste and Social Inclusion.The future of business is regenerative. Regenerative businesses are inspired by nature, in harmony with people and the planet and go beyond sustainable to actively address urgent global challenges such as biodiversity loss, climate change or inequality. They are on a mission and seek to collaborate across continents and cultures to support a global community of founders, investors, professionals and partners who share the vision to accelerate positive impact business models. regenr8 partners with a global network of Family Offices anchored by SE Asia families in key regional locations, proving the means for generational family wealth to create prosperity whilst supporting regenerative approaches that create abundance for future generations. ----------------------------------------Disruptors for GOOD is powered by Causeartist, a nonprofit media company dedicated to bridging the gap between capital and culture by spotlighting founders, investors, and organizations reimagining how business can serve people and the planet.Through storytelling, events, and open-access education, Causeartist helps create a shared language of impact, inspiring more founders to build with purpose and more funders to invest with intention.By amplifying ideas and innovations across industries, Causeartist transforms awareness into action and cultivates a community where paying it forward is part of the foundation for growth.

In episode 135 of the Disruptors for GOOD podcast I speak with Carlo Mondavi, Co-founder of Monarch Tractor, on making sustainable farming economically superior and cleaner with fully electric and autonomous tractors.Carlo Mondavi is a 4th generation farmer & winegrower and grandson of the legendary Robert Mondavi. In addition to making wine, Carlo is co-founder & chief farming officer of Monarch Tractor founded in 2017. He is currently an active sustainable farmer and leads the delivery of the world’s smartest, fully electric, autonomous tractor which is being deployed around the world to farmers.In 2013 he formed RAEN Winery with his brother Dante. He has also put the Monarch Tractor to work at RAEN winery. RAEN stands for “Research in Agriculture and Enology Naturally,” which speaks to the core ethos of Carlo’s farming & winemaking practices: to farm at the highest level and in unison with nature. RAEN implements permaculture, biodynamic and organic.In 2017 he started the The Monarch Challenge. The Monarch Challenge is set to enlighten, encourage and connect our communities to farm and thrive in unison with nature and give back to the delicate circle of life---Basically cleaner farming.The challenge was inspired by the dwindling Monarch butterflies that used to be in the millions and have dramatically been reduced to thousands. The butterflies are very important to the farming ecosystem in Napa and Sonoma but impact other regions too.The name ‘The Monarch Challenge’ comes from the fact that since Roundup’s introduction into the market in 1974, the Monarch butterfly population has declined by 90% and is currently under threat of extinction. The environmental impact goes beyond the Monarch to frogs, bees, other pollinators and even on to our human health.In 2020 he was co-founder of Monarch Tractor leading the electrification of agriculture.Carlo states, “The true definition of sustainable is all over the place, blurring the root meaning of what sustainable is. With that said, truly sustainable farming is leaving the soils and environment farmed as good if not better than before to allow for life and farming to continue on healthily. This means no herbicides, systemics and a basic regenerative practice to help build soil health and biodiversity on the farm. Once this balance is found on a farm there is the opportunity for a healthier farm team meaning healthier community and most importantly a better and healthier product to share and sell.”What is the Monarch Tractor?Monarch Tractor is making sustainable farming economically superior with the MK-V -- the world’s smartest, fully electric autonomous tractor and with a world-class leadership team that have accelerated vision to product delivery in three years.What are the benefits of the Tractor?Monarch’s fully electric tractor helps eliminate the 35 percent of carbon emissions developed by current diesel tractors used in agriculture farming. Monarch projections suggest its tractor can directly reduce 1% of GHG emissions, while regenerative practices enabled by Monarch can reduce 4% of GHG emissions.Farmers today face numerous challenges including labor shortages, effects of climate change, safety concerns, increased customer scrutiny for sustainability demands, government regulations, and more. Monarch Tractor addresses these issues by combining electrification, automation, machine learning, and data analysis to enhance farmer’s existing operations, increase labor productivity and safety, and maximize yields to cut overhead costs and emissions.Monarch Tractor has helped customers cut their carbon footprint, improve field safety, streamline farming operations, and increase their bottom lines. Monarch Tractor will be the template for all future tractors in terms of an all-electric, driver optional and actionable intelligence features. ----------------------------------------Disruptors for GOOD is powered by Causeartist, a nonprofit media company dedicated to bridging the gap between capital and culture by spotlighting founders, investors, and organizations reimagining how business can serve people and the planet.Through storytelling, events, and open-access education, Causeartist helps create a shared language of impact, inspiring more founders to build with purpose and more funders to invest with intention.By amplifying ideas and innovations across industries, Causeartist transforms awareness into action and cultivates a community where paying it forward is part of the foundation for growth.

In episode 134 of the Disruptors for GOOD podcast I speak with Anieke Lamers, Co-founder of Peekabond on building a digital playground for global families to stay closer connected through childhood development.Anieke is an ex-VC turned social entrepreneur on a mission to make every child in the world feel special and connected to roots & loved ones.With Peekabond, she helps global families build bonds with young kids. They unlock deep family bonds between kids, family and loved ones at a distance through asynchronous connection with playful content inspiration such as interactive lessons, activities, games, stories, songs. Peekabond aims to become a digital playground for families, where they can enjoy playful activities and spent quality time together. Using technology for good, Peekabond helps strengthen real-life relationships. With simple, engaging, and clever content ideas at the touch of a button, it’s easy for every member of the family to get a little closer, even when you are not close by.By 2026, Peekabond's mission is to help over 4 million families to bond remotely, without space, time or age limitations.The free app is available to try out and download here. ----------------------------------------Disruptors for GOOD is powered by Causeartist, a nonprofit media company dedicated to bridging the gap between capital and culture by spotlighting founders, investors, and organizations reimagining how business can serve people and the planet.Through storytelling, events, and open-access education, Causeartist helps create a shared language of impact, inspiring more founders to build with purpose and more funders to invest with intention.By amplifying ideas and innovations across industries, Causeartist transforms awareness into action and cultivates a community where paying it forward is part of the foundation for growth.

In this episode, I speak with Will Peterffy, ESG Director at Interactive Brokers, on his life's journey of ecological discover and building the next generation mobile trading platform for socially conscious investors.Will is on a mission to arm millennials to gen Zs with tools to invest in the future and make “impact” in the world. From giving back to planting trees all based on personal values and cause. A lifelong environmental advocate, Will has made it his mission to help humanity right its relationship with the earth. As ESG Director of Interactive Brokers, Will has led the development of IMPACT, a mobile trading platform for socially conscious investors. IMPACT solidifies Interactive Brokers’ commitment to sustainable practices. Additionally, Will has built an organization called “One Small Planet” whose mission statement is to harmonize the wealth of people and planet through the deployment of vital capital. Will views the launch of the IMPACT app and One Small Planet as a manifestation of his life’s purpose. The son of Hungarian immigrant and Forbes billionaire, Thomas Petterfy, Will is determined to make an impact for his generation.   With IMPACT, users select their personal investment criteria from 13 impact values and principles across a variety of categories including environmental sustainability, racial and gender equality, clean water, LGBTQ inclusion, and ethical and transparent business practices. Users can also exclude investments based on 10 categories including animal testing, corporate political spending and lobbying, and environmental pollution. Based on their preferences, the IMPACT app identifies companies that correspond with the categories and provides impact scores on existing portfolios and holdings. The user may then choose to customize their portfolios to align with their values. ----------------------------------------Disruptors for GOOD is powered by Causeartist, a nonprofit media company dedicated to bridging the gap between capital and culture by spotlighting founders, investors, and organizations reimagining how business can serve people and the planet.Through storytelling, events, and open-access education, Causeartist helps create a shared language of impact, inspiring more founders to build with purpose and more funders to invest with intention.By amplifying ideas and innovations across industries, Causeartist transforms awareness into action and cultivates a community where paying it forward is part of the foundation for growth.

In episode 133 of the Disruptors for GOOD podcast I speak with Christie Lagally, Founder & CEO of Rebellyous Foods, on using her aerospace and engineering background to scale access and affordability to delicious plant-based chicken.Christie Lagally is the founder and CEO of Rebellyous Foods, a food production technology company working to make plant-based meat price-competitive with traditional chicken products. Ms. Lagally is a mechanical engineer and holder of multiple patents in manufacturing technology. She spent much of her career in the aerospace industry working on commercial airplanes and spacecraft in testing, design, and manufacturing at Boeing Commercial Airplanes. Previously, Ms. Lagally served as a Senior Scientist for the Good Food Institute uncovering the technical barriers in the development of plant-based meat and cultured meat. Ms. Lagally holds Bachelor’s degrees in Organizational Psychology and Mechanical Engineering and a Master’s of Science in Mechanical Engineering. She is also an active member of the National Women’s Political Caucus of Washington, a co-founder of the Humane Voters of Washington (a political action committee) and serves as a Washington State Volunteer Leader for the Humane Society of the United States.Rebellyous Foods is an innovative food production company creating delicious, affordable plant-based meats for the foodservice industry. The company has achieved this through the custom design of low-cost, high-quality products in combination with the use of high-throughput manufacturing automation, the development of new, low-energy manufacturing tools, and the design of modular production facilities operated by Rebellyous Foods.With current plant-based meat products at two-to-five times the cost per pound of animal-based meat, plant-based meat will only truly become widely available when it can be produced and sold at a low cost. Rebellyous Foods is utilizing leading-edge manufacturing methods at scale through R&D with universities, a planned pilot-scale facility in the Puget Sound, and a production facility in Seattle. Working closely with industry partners, Rebellyous Foods equips our facilities with redesigned and optimized equipment for large scale production of plant-based meat. ----------------------------------------Disruptors for GOOD is powered by Causeartist, a nonprofit media company dedicated to bridging the gap between capital and culture by spotlighting founders, investors, and organizations reimagining how business can serve people and the planet.Through storytelling, events, and open-access education, Causeartist helps create a shared language of impact, inspiring more founders to build with purpose and more funders to invest with intention.By amplifying ideas and innovations across industries, Causeartist transforms awareness into action and cultivates a community where paying it forward is part of the foundation for growth.