Disruptors for GOOD | Social Entrepreneurs and Social Enterprises

If you enjoy this podcast, please rate and review the show. It's a huge help. Thanks!In episode 112 of the Disruptors for Good podcast I speak with Sophia Wang, Co-Founder of MycoWorks, on disrupting the fashion industry by creating a biomaterials company that has developed natural alternatives to leather and plastics using mushroom mycelium technology.In 2013, with artist and inventor Phil Ross, Sophia co-founded MycoWorks, a biomaterials company that has developed natural alternatives to engineered wood, leather and plastics using mushroom mycelium technology.Her creative practice includes choreography, performance, writing, curation and producing original dance and multimedia works. Sophia has danced for Xavier Le Roy, Tino Sehgal, Jerome Bel, Amara Tabor-Smith and Xandra Ibarra, and co-founder of the Brontez Purnell Dance Company. Since 2015, she has co-produced Heavy Breathing, a discussion and movement workshop series that has featured over 45 presenting artists working at the intersection of performance, visual arts and pedagogy.Sophia also holds a PhD in English specializing in 20th and 21st century experimental American poetry, and a BA in English and Visual Arts.MycoWorks create materials at the intersection of art, nature and biotechnology using mycelium, one of the earth’s most regenerative resources. The company's mission is to create a platform for the highest quality materials using Fine Mycelium™. Their first product, Reishi™ offers partners in the fashion industry an option for leather that is neither animal nor plastic, yet uncompromising in quality and aesthetic expression.The company announced last year the closing of a $45 million Series B financing to scale up and meet demand for Reishi™, the leading natural, non-animal leather material. WTT Investment Ltd. (Taipei, Taiwan) and DCVC Bio co-led the round, with major participation from new investors Valor Equity Partners, Humboldt Fund, Gruss & Co., and others, and existing investors Novo Holdings, 8VC, SOSV, AgFunder, Wireframe Ventures, Tony Fadell, and others.About Mushroom MyceliumA breakthrough in materials science and biotechnology, Fine Mycelium is an advanced manufacturing platform for high performance materials in fashion and footwear. The company's proprietary technology has enabled a new class of premium, non-animal materials that are the next evolution in mycelium.Mycelium is one of the earth’s most powerful agents of regeneration and carbon sequestration. These fine, root-like threads are grown on the byproducts of agriculture and lumber, transforming plant matter into their own biomass.Unlike “mushroom leather,” which is compressed mycelium, MycloWorks patented Fine Mycelium technology engineers mycelium during growth to create the proprietary, interlocking cellular structures that give our material its superior strength and durability.Exclusive to MycoWorks, the Fine Mycelium process offers the unique advantage of total control over quality and customization.Fine Mycelium materials are custom-grown to our brand partners’ specifications for performance, aesthetic features and more. This gives brands creative control to design from the material on up, while minimizing waste and ensuring consistent quality. Actionable traceability of the Fine Mycelium process allows our experts to capture and apply data at defining moments during production, fully optimizing our products from initial growth to harvest.Today, the team is growing in order to scale and deliver Reishi to an even broader range of partners in fashion, footwear and beyond. Together, they’re working towards a world where mycelium enables resilient, creative solutions for any industry dependent on animal and petroleum-derived products.Listen to more Causeartist podcasts here.Check out:Partner with us - Learn moreImpactInvestor.io - Discover impact investors from around the world.Podcast Made with TransistorPodcast cover design Made with CanvaBuild amazing web platforms with Webflow ----------------------------------------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.

If you enjoy this podcast, please rate and review the show. It's a huge help. Thanks!In episode 111 of the Disruptors for Good podcast I speak with Brandon Nicholson, Executive Director at The Hidden Genius Project, on using computer science, business, and technology to transform lives and communities for young people of color.An Oakland native, Founding Executive Director Brandon Nicholson has always felt a deep sense of commitment to promoting equity in the public realm, particularly in the education space. Previously, he was a Senior Associate at Social Policy Research Associates (SPR), where he conducted research, evaluation, and analysis across a range of key social policy areas.Brandon has conducted substantial research in the areas of education and youth development, with a particular focus on issues of equity and access in K-12 education for underserved populations. He has considerable experience investigating linkages among race, class, and youth development.The Hidden Genius Project trains and mentors Black male youth in technology creation, entrepreneurship, and leadership skills to transform their lives and communities.The Hidden Genius Project was founded in 2012 by five Black male entrepreneurs/technologists who were unnerved by the dramatic juxtaposition between the high unemployment of Black male youth and the plethora of career opportunities within the local technology sector. To address this challenge, the founders established a program to connect young Black males with the skills, mentors, and experiences that they need to become high-performing entrepreneurs and technologists in a 21st century, global economy.STEM employment opportunities have become the fastest growing segment of jobs in the U.S, with 71 percent of which involving computing. The Hidden Genius Project prepares Black male youth to participate in and meaningfully contribute to the 21st Century, global, tech-economy.Listen to more Causeartist podcasts here.Check out:Partner with us - Learn moreImpactInvestor.io - Discover impact investors from around the world.Podcast Made with TransistorPodcast cover design Made with CanvaBuild amazing web platforms with Webflow ----------------------------------------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.

If you enjoy this podcast, please rate and review the show. It's a huge help. Thanks!In this episode of the Disruptors for Good podcast I speak with Claire Coder, Founder of Aunt Flow, about quitting college at 19 to start an organic tampon company, fighting for women's menstrual issues, and raising $1.5 million.Claire Coder is the Founder and CEO of Aunt Flow. Committed to ensuring everyone has access to menstrual products, Coder dropped out of college to pursue Aunt Flow. The social enterprise now stocks over 100 companies and schools with freely accessible menstrual products ranging from Viacom, Jeni’s Ice Creams, and Bark Box to Stanford and Brown University. They have donated over 125,000 menstrual products to menstruators in need in the USA.Headquartered in Ohio, Aunt Flow ensures every bathroom outside the home is stocked with freely accessible menstrual products. Four years of grit and hustle has positioned Aunt Flow to sell to hundreds of companies and schools, raise venture capital from top firms, and give back 500,000 menstrual products to people in need.Check out:Partner with us - Learn moreImpactInvestor.io - Discover impact investors from around the world.Podcast Made with TransistorPodcast cover design Made with CanvaBuild amazing web platforms with Webflow ----------------------------------------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.

If you enjoy this podcast, please rate and review the show. It's a huge help. Thanks!In this episode I speak with Jenny Xia Spradling, the Co-founder and Co-CEO of FreeWill, an online will creation platform aiming to channel $1 Trillion towards charity over the next 10 years!FreeWill is a social good enterprise that's generated more than $650 million in committed funds for non-profit organizations around the country. Partnering with organizations like the American Red Cross, United Way, Save the Children, Human Rights Watch, and Defenders of Wildlife, FreeWill is currently facilitating about $3M pledged to charity every single day! They did this by building an intuitive and warm estate planning platform that encourages charitable giving during the process. Serving the 70% of Americans without an up to date will, it takes 20 minutes or less, is completely free, and generates legally valid wills in all fifty states. FreeWill is aiming to channel $1 Trillion towards charity over the next 10 years.Jenny is a veteran of McKinsey and Bain Capital, where she helped to launch the firm’s first impact investment fund. She is the cofounder of Paribus (acquired by Capital One). She holds a degree in Applied Mathematics from Harvard University and also holds a MBA from Stanford University.Check out:Partner with us - Learn moreImpactInvestor.io - Discover impact investors from around the world.Podcast Made with TransistorPodcast cover design Made with CanvaBuild amazing web platforms with Webflow ----------------------------------------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.

If you enjoy this podcast, please rate and review the show. It's a huge help. Thanks!In this classic episode of the Disruptors for Good podcast I speak with Max Rivest, the Co-founder and CEO of Wize Tea. By using the leaves of the coffee plant in the off-season that are typically discarded, Wize Monkey generates year-round jobs for growers and train staff with added-value skills to process and taste-test Coffee Leaf Tea.Some of their accolades include World Tea Expo ‘Best New Product’, ‘Best Mission-Driven Business’ NEXTY Award, and multiple nominations for innovation awards. Having a Bachelor’s in International Sustainable Development and a Master’s in International Business, Max’s personal goal is to set a new standard in the tea and coffee industries for transparency and straight-forward communications. He is most excited about the opportunity to revolutionize the coffee industry for the better, and give back to the cultures and people that have provided so many great experiences.Check out:Partner with us - Learn moreImpactInvestor.io - Discover impact investors from around the world.Podcast Made with TransistorPodcast cover design Made with CanvaBuild amazing web platforms with Webflow ----------------------------------------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.

If you enjoy this podcast, please rate and review the show. It's a huge help. Thanks!In this classic episode of the Disruptors for GOOD podcast, I speak with Trinity Heavenz, Founder and CEO of era92 on growing up in the slums of Uganda and escaping extreme poverty and violence through the love of technology. Trinity is a social entrepreneur from Kampala, Uganda with an incredible an inspiring story. He grew up in the extreme poverty, lived on the streets, and eventually landed a one year internship with Coca Cola that changed his life and eventually led him to start is own tech firm provided tech services to businesses and in turn helps train and employ the youth of Uganda. He has a passion for up-skilling the next generation of digital talent in preparation for jobs and entrepreneurial opportunities in Uganda. He is the founder of era92, a youth creative agency, training and employing Uganda's young adults in DESIGN, ARTS & TECHNOLOGY.era92 is a social enterprise that partners with businesses to amplify their message & increase sales or donations to have a greater impact on the world while helping them train and employ young adults in Uganda. Trinity believes we can end youth unemployment in his lifetime, together. That’s why they commit their skills, resources and profits from their services to helping young people in need. 3 in 5 youth in Africa are unemployed and lack skills, Trinity's mission is to make this statistic irrelevant by implementing technology training pathways for individuals living in extreme poverty in Uganda.Trinity also believes that the youth of Africa has amazing potential to bring creativity and talent to businesses around the world and plans on making Uganda the next global tech hub for young skilled tech workers.  He is also the co-founder of 92hands a movement that mobilizes young adults across Africa to carry out intensive community services, becoming agents of change in the communities they come from, through educating and empowering the vulnerable people of Uganda. "As an entrepreneur, I am particularly passionate about sustainable wages for up-and-coming African creatives. I believe the best ideas come from win-win collaborations. Talent is equally distributed but the opportunity is not. I am an opportunity creator, committed to releasing the brilliance of unemployed young people in Africa" Trinity HeavenzListen to more Causeartist podcasts here.Check out:Partner with us - Learn moreImpactInvestor.io - Discover impact investors from around the world.Podcast Made with TransistorPodcast cover design Made with CanvaBuild amazing web platforms with Webflow ----------------------------------------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.

If you enjoy this podcast, please rate and review the show. It's a huge help. Thanks!In episode 110 of the Disruptors for GOOD podcast, we speak with David Cutler, Co-founder of Fortuna Cools and Nutshell Coolers on making sustainable coolers and natural packaging out of upcycled coconut husk fiber.David is the co-founder and CEO of Fortuna Cools, a company leading the transition from plastic foam to natural fiber packaging, reducing supply chain waste in the process. David and his colleagues developed Fortuna's Coconut Cooler with partners in Southeast Asia and launched the Nutshell Cooler to bring this same combination of sustainability and performance to the consumer cooler market.Prior to Fortuna, David was a database management consultant in Asia and policy analyst in Washington DC. David studied politics at Middlebury College and received a Master’s in Environmental Policy from Stanford University.The Fortuna Cools MissionFortuna Cools is replacing plastic foam insulation once and for all. In its place, the company uses coconut fiber, a leftover waste product of the enormous coconut meat industry. Nine billion coconut husks are burned as garbage every year in the Philippines alone. Fortuna’s coconut fiber insulation avoids CO2 emissions from incineration and provides extra income for impoverished coconut farmers. Fortuna partners with rural communities in the Philippines to build coolers that last years. Impact is built into every Fortuna Cooler we sell.About the Nutshell CoolerThe Nutshell Cooler is Fortuna's first consumer product. The Modern Sustainable Cooler. Sustainable but sturdy, spacious but foldable: Nutshell is a thoughtfully-designed cooler for lovers of the outdoors. Nutshell is insulated with fiber from upcycled coconut husks which would otherwise have been burned as waste.Listen to more Causeartist podcasts here.This episode is sponsored by BrandShine Creative - We help impact startups connect with consumers, claim their rightful market share, and change the world by fueling them with intelligent brand strategies, memorable visuals, and outstanding websites. Learn more here.Check out:Partner with us - Learn moreImpactInvestor.io - Discover impact investors from around the world.Podcast Made with TransistorPodcast cover design Made with CanvaBuild amazing web platforms with Webflow ----------------------------------------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.

If you enjoy this podcast, please rate and review the show. It's a huge help. Thanks!In episode 109 of the Disruptors for GOOD podcast, we speak with Molly Stillman on her learnings and impact on spending a decade covering and interviewing social entrepreneurs and impact brands.Molly Stillman is the founder and creator of Still Being Molly, a life and style blog started in 2007, and the host of the Business with Purpose podcast, started in 2016. She is a speaker, teacher, writer, and loud laugher with a passion for inspiring women to know that they were created on purpose, with a purpose, and for a purpose.Molly started blogging in college on LiveJournal. (Remember that? It was a whole lot of Dashboard Confessional lyrics and was incredibly emo.) In 2007, Molly moved to Wordpress and wanted to bring joy to people through her satirical writing."True joy from within looks different than I thought it once did."Molly and her husband recently purchased a farm! Selah Farm is a family homestead with a dream & vision to steward the land well. In the episode we talk about her journey through conscious consumerism and how the farm is a natural evolution of a continued lifestyle built around sustainability.Listen to more Causeartist podcasts here.This episode is sponsored by BrandShine Creative - We help impact startups connect with consumers, claim their rightful market share, and change the world by fueling them with intelligent brand strategies, memorable visuals, and outstanding websites. Learn more here.Check out:Partner with us - Learn moreImpactInvestor.io - Discover impact investors from around the world.Podcast Made with TransistorPodcast cover design Made with CanvaBuild amazing web platforms with Webflow ----------------------------------------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.

If you enjoy this podcast, please rate and review the show. It's a huge help. Thanks!Bonus episode: In episode 28 of the Investing in Impact podcast, we speak with Jacqueline van den Ende, Co-founder of Carbon Equity, on enabling access to alternative investments such as Climate Venture Capital, Climate Private Equity, and other asset classes.Jacqueline is an entrepreneur and investor passionate about building high impact ventures. In the Philippines she successfully founded Lamudi Philippines and over the past three years grew it to be the clear market leader in online real estate. Prior to that Jacqueline worked as an investment professional in the private equity firm HAL Investments and as a Partner at Peak Capital. Prior to that she founded De Kleine Consultant, a non-profit Management Consulting organization which now employs over 200 students in three countries.About Carbon EquityCarbon Equity is looking to move the needle on climate change by connecting Capital to Climate technology by the billions. To mitigate climate change we need to rebuild pretty much every inch of our fossil fuel-dependent economy in a historically unprecedented amount of time. Carbon Equity, through its climate fintech solution, seeks to offer retail investors climate investment products that actually move the needle.This means euro for euro direct investment in R&D, technology and scaling of companies (in contrast to secondary market investments). We do this by enabling access to Alternative Investments such as Climate Venture Capital, Climate Private Equity and other asset classes - with direct climate impact and attractive financial returns.Listen to more Causeartist podcasts here.Check out the Impact Investor platform here - Discover Impact Investors from around the world.We are powered by:Partner with us - Learn morePodcast Made with TransistorPodcast cover design Made with CanvaBuild amazing web platforms with Webflow ----------------------------------------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.

If you enjoy this podcast, please rate and review the show. It's a huge help. Thanks!In episode 108 of the Disruptors for GOOD podcast, we speak with Alexandria Harris, President of The Andrew Goodman Foundation, on her mission to make young voices and votes a powerful force in democracy.Alexandria “Alex” Harris is the President of The Andrew Goodman Foundation. In her role, she is responsible for activating the Foundation’s goals and vision through the strategic and sustainable growth of the organization. Alexandria first became passionate about voting when she was in elementary school.She participated in many local and national campaigns, organized and registered students to vote on campus, and successfully lobbied the Georgia State Legislature to enact a law that allowed a voter to cast a provisional ballot if they believed they were entitled to vote. The law was the precursor to the Provisional Vote Law enjoyed across the United States today.Alexandria practiced corporate law for nearly a decade. She left the law to become a social entrepreneur, opened a school, and has since helped nonprofits around the world scale. She earned a B.A. from Spelman College and a J.D. from Harvard Law School. Alex typically spends her free time playing outside with her husband, two small boys, and Mini Schnauzer, Langston Hughes.The Andrew Goodman Foundation’s mission is to make young voices and votes a powerful force in democracy by training the next generation of leaders, engaging young voters, and challenging restrictive voter suppression laws. The Foundation’s Vote Everywhere program partners with America’s colleges and universities to provide resources, visibility, and mentoring to a national network of student leaders who involve their peers in participatory democracy through long-term voter engagement, public policy, and social initiatives.The organization is named after Andrew Goodman, a 20-year old Freedom Summer volunteer, and champion of equality and voting rights who was murdered in 1964 while registering African Americans to vote in Mississippi.Listen to more Causeartist podcasts here.Check out:Partner with us - Learn moreImpactInvestor.io - Discover impact investors from around the world.Podcast Made with TransistorPodcast cover design Made with CanvaBuild amazing web platforms with Webflow ----------------------------------------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.