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Origin Story Series W/ Nuno Brito Jorge, GoParity

Here at Brighter Future, we love having conversations with inspiring entrepreneurs about their start-up experience and how they’re making a difference. Today, we’re thrilled to be joined by Nuno Brito Jorge, co-founder and CEO of sustainable investment company GoParity. Founded in Portugal in 2017, GoParity provides planet- and people-focused companies with access to alternative financing for their sustainable projects.

Hi, Nuno! Thank you so much for taking the time to speak to us today. We’re excited to learn more about both you and GoParity. To get started, we’d love to hear a little bit about who you are and how you got to where you are today.

My first memories of a willingness to build something for the good of the planet come from when I was a teenager. It was around this time that I learned about the hole in the ozone layer and the melting of the ice caps. I guess it is one of those cliché origin stories, but my love for nature moved me to act. And although my motivations have become slightly more complex, I am happy to have carried this same feeling with me through all of my experiences since then.

I started my career in a multinational private organisation, but I was quick to leave that job. As a 24-year-old environmental engineer, I moved to Brussels to do an unpaid six-month internship and ended up staying for more than three years. Working with the environmental, energy, and innovation committees in the European Parliament, surrounded by all types of private, public, and non-governmental organisations, gave me invaluable insight into the problems and potential solutions related to sustainable development. Looking back, I believe that was the start of my entrepreneurial path.

As my social and environmental awareness grew further, I kept trying to uncover best practices in terms of my habits, consumption, and plans, which included worrying about making my financial and purchasing decisions as green as possible. What is the footprint of my groceries? What is my bank doing with my money? How can I invest ethically?

I used an ethical bank in Brussels, and also in Spain when I moved there after a backpacking gap year.

Back in Portugal, after a couple of years of working for a big energy company, there was no ethical banking option available. I thought the greenest solution was to use my money to invest in small-scale solar power. And this is how, in 2013, the seed of GoParity, which only bloomed several years later, was planted.

It’s amazing that you can trace your interest in sustainability back to that one point in your young adult life. You mentioned that you began in invest in small-scale solar projects, which put you on the path to co-founding GoParity years later. Could you tell us a little more about how that unfolded?

I started by trying to invest my savings in a small photovoltaic plant that was to be installed on the rooftop of a rural hotel in Tavira, which is in the south of Portugal. The business model was to sell the electricity generated to the grid at a fixed feed-in tariff. It turned out that I didn’t have enough money to do this alone, but I was able to gather a few friends, and we convinced family and acquaintances to lend us the rest of the funds on the condition that we would pay them back with annual interest.

And there was the answer, unfolding in such an organic way: crowdlending

Unfortunately, there was no legal framework for crowdlending in Portugal, so I had to wait. However, we kept this model and started a renewable energy cooperative called Coopérnico, where we invited citizens to create their own utilities. Coopérnico produces and sells clean electricity by installing PVs on the rented roofs of non-profits. These organisations then have access to cheaper electricity. That’s how we brought green energy, social impact, and economic growth together.

In 2017, when the Portuguese Securities Market Commission first published a legal framework for crowdlending, I knew it was our time to act. Shortly after, GoParity was born.

That’s really inspiring! Here we are, almost five years later, and GoParity is successfully providing people across the globe with access to sustainable financing. Any entrepreneur will agree that running a business takes drive, commitment and hard work. What motivates you to continue to pour your efforts into GoParity?

I guess it all comes down to the combination of my love for nature and our planet. For me, that means enjoying life in the open air, practising outdoor sports, and maintaining a deep belief in the collective power of citizens to build a world we want to live in.

Having given it a lot of thought, and no matter how much we like it or not, one must face the fact that money still makes the world go round. The question then becomes: is my money doing anything good for people and our planet?

Our money belongs to us. Ultimately, we should be entitled to choose what it is used for, even when it is just sitting in a bank account. This is the sort of empowerment we want to provide withGoParity: full transparency, visibility, and a choice in what your money does for you and for all of us.

We couldn’t agree more! When you look at all you have achieved with GoParity and all you hope to achieve in the future, who are you doing this for? Who stands to benefit the most from GoParity?

I guess we can say that GoParity has two audiences: impact investors and sustainable project promoters. Our mission is to democratise access to finance and to promote impact financing and investing in general.

On the impact promoter’s side, we want to offer an alternative form of financing to sustainable projects that contribute to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. We stack up against the traditional forms of financing (e.g., banks), we offer communication and awareness within our impact investment community, and we democratise profit, as the interest is paid to hundreds (sometimes thousands) of investors’ wallets. We are young, flexible, savvy, simple and quick. We give small but impactful businesses and start-ups the financing opportunity they need. Our goal is to help grow as many organisations as we can through democratic investment in a community that has the power to create impact and generate financial benefits for projects and themselves.

On the impact investor side, we want to make sustainable investing accessible to all by offering a free investment service, setting the minimum investment at just €5, sharing all the necessary data for informed decision-making, and providing financial literacy-guided content.

We strive to provide a good combination of return and positive impact and to fight the gripping inequality between those who have access to decent investment opportunities and those who don’t, as well as between those who are taught how to make their savings grow and people who have never heard of investing. When using the GoParity platform, both individuals and companies can learn how to invest and grow their money while using it for good. The result is a double return on investment: interest and impact.

What an amazing vision for the future! When you think back on your journey to this point in your life, was there one particular moment you can identify as the point where you decided to do something different from the norm in terms of your life/career focus?

I guess there was more than one moment when that happened.

I can recall one when I was working in Brussels, in the European Parliament. I got a very tempting job offer from the aluminium industry to work as a lobbyist for them. At that moment, instead of taking that offer or just staying in my comfortable job in the EU, I decided I wasn’t going to let money make my decisions for me. So, I quit my job and went backpacking to South America with my life partner.

Later on, in 2011 or 2012, when I had moved back to Portugal to work for a large energy utility, I remember listening to the CEO’s speech at the company’s Christmas lunch. He said something like, “we need to be grateful for being here, for working here on this small paradise island while there is a huge storm out there”. Those words struck me hard. I did not want to be the guy safely sunbathing while everyone else was trying to swim to stay alive.

There are so many people out there who, like you, have great ideas that could have an impact on the big issues we’re facing as a planet. However, many of those ideas never see the light of day. How did you know that GoParity was more than just another idea? What made you believe you could make your idea a reality?

I don’t think it was (nor is) any kind of wisdom I had within me. I’ve always said one should“start by starting”. I see myself as a “doer”. I like to make things happen.

My job in Brussels, for example, was a dream job for many people, and I had it at only 25years old. Working there is like being in an open university: you get information about all of the most pressing issues and political decisions, discuss them with all of the sides involved, and have access to the foremost specialists. But it was too far from the ground for me. Too far removed from where everything that is decided in Brussels actually takes place.

Also, I think it is important for a founder to personally feel the need for the product or project they are creating and to find innovative ways to deliver it. That’s maybe the common thread through all of the projects that I have started.

That’s very true. From our experience, founders who have a personal passion for or connection to the problems they are solving are many times more successful than those who do not. However, starting and running a business isn’t always a walk in the park. Were there ever times when you took a different direction than originally planned?

I think GoParity shares a big learning experience with many of the young organisations that started shortly before 2020 in that we had to learn to survive and adapt to theCOVID-19 pandemic and the worldwide lockdown that began in March of that year.

As a start-up that was eager to grow, GoParity was just proving itself in early 2020 and had caught the attention of investors. It felt like it was just a matter of time before we got a booming round of investment that would finally allow us to flourish.

When COVID hit, it felt like nothing else mattered to us. We’re a very mission-driven company, but at that moment, our mission fully changed and became “let’s do everything we can to help prepare for (and fight)COVID”. We co-founded Tech4Covid19 with 25 other start-ups and launched the first fundraiser in Portugal to buy medical equipment. More than 7000 people donated to the cause, raising more than €280k.

Regarding our projects, we communicated with our impact investment community (at that time, it was around five thousand people, but it’s now over twenty thousand). The humanity of that community became our biggest motivation to work through adversity. GoParity has kept transparency as one of its core pillars, which helped us to overcome the many challenges we faced, as did the partnerships we had with our promotors and the cooperation of our investors. Debt moratoriums were placed on the companies that needed them asa result of being affected by the pandemic, and payment plans were renegotiated. I look back at that time as a time of sadness but also a moment of hope and beautiful union.

That’s incredibly inspiring. It’s amazing what can be achieved when we truly work together. In life and in business, we learn the most from moments of adversity. What were the biggest failures that you experienced along your journey, and what did they teach you?

I have failed in so many different things. One lesson I have learned is that you can’t be at your individual best in all areas of your life at the same time. You can’t be Super Dad, an inspiring entrepreneur or leader, that friend who is great to hang out with, and a sports ace all at the same time. Something’s got to give. Trying to be everything at once brought me to some very tough moments. It is just something that I have tried to learn to manage over the years, learning from my experience.

A less complex failure, but also something that I had to work to overcome, was creating expectations about things that are not certain yet. Putting it in other words, I had to learn to manage my expectations. This is especially important at the early stages of a venture when everything changes so fast.

One failure moment that I’m sure is shared by a large number of entrepreneurs is choosing the wrong co-founders, shareholders or investors. This can lead to destructive combinations. It is essential to be fully transparent from the beginning and to make sure every agreement is clear — in writing — for both parties. Although these are simple principles, they can prevent a lot of trouble in the future.

Hiring the right people is also an absolute game-changer in small companies, and I can say that I haven’t always gotten this one right. Thankfully, I have now learned how to look at what the team needs, and I feel that our current hiring process is one of our biggest assets. As is our culture.

Many entrepreneurs report having an “aha!” moment — a moment where something clicks into place and things suddenly make sense. Have you ever experienced anything like that in your journey?

I’m not sure I have ever had an “aha” moment that is worthy of that name. I typically tend to think of my ideas as not that brilliant. But there have been a lot of moments when I felt I had “connected the dots” and was able to create that new product or feature.

I’ve always sought the advice of older and more experienced people, and I recently found great help and comfort in talking to my co-founders and the founders of other start-ups. One very useful thing is to acknowledge that there’s always someone who has been down the road you’re currently walking.

As you said, relying on those more experienced people who generously offer their insight and advice is incredibly helpful when facing the entrepreneurial unknown. It can make all the difference, especially in those early days. Did you have to make any personal sacrifices in the early days of GoParity to help get it off the ground?

I have sacrificed a lot of things, but I believe most entrepreneurs who have started from nothing but an idea have done so, too. For example, there was a time whenI spent several months without a salary, even after we had become parents to three children in three years — the same three years during which I started three companies. There was a lot of sacrifice at that time. I have had to swallow my pride sometimes and admit I was wrong, all while working day and night. Thankfully, none of it seemed too much or felt like a sacrifice when we kept GoParity’s important mission in mind.

You’re absolutely right. Almost every entrepreneur we’ve spoken to has mentioned the financial or time sacrifices they had to make to get their business started. Very few hold any regrets, though. Similarly, as a society, we know we have to make some sacrifices and changes to ensure a better future for the next generation. We’re curious to hear a little about how you envision the future.

Two recent major events have influenced my answer to this question. The COVID-19 pandemic and the beginning of the war in Ukraine.

COVID-19 was a common enemy. It gave me hope in the collective effort. Not ignoring all of the direct suffering it caused, it was also a sort of mandated pause to think about how we produce and consume, to reflect on excesses and real needs, and to give ourselves natural space to breathe. I believe many important debates came to the fore and that the average person’s consciousness about social and environmental issues was raised.

When Russia invaded its neighbour on the 24th of February 2022, we felt like our happiness was limited by this monstrosity. While that feeling remains, we’re slowly beginning to think further about the underlying problems and emerging issues that affect us all, from foreign policy to international markets and energy dependency. I am grateful to be a part of the European Union and its efforts towards a greener, more democratic, and more sustainable future.

We know that decentralised and green energy is now more important than ever. In a world where all things are interconnected — including all of the problems we need to solve, like war, climate change, poverty, injustice, corruption, and public health — I envision a future where we keep finding innovative and complete answers to these issues. On that note, I am happy to say that GoParity is proud that its mission — green finance — has remained relevant amid these two crises.

We’re certainly living through a time like no other, and your positive outlook is very reassuring. When future generations look back on your life and what you have achieved, what do you hope they’ll take away from your story?

I would like to think my personal life story doesn’t matter, as long as the product of my work remains and has been for the good of people and the planet.

My co-founder Manuel uses an expression to talk about us that I think is really to this point. He calls us a “silent enabler”. You might be driving around in your city or country and pass by solar panels on a charity’s building, see a local sustainable grocery shop, or just be sitting at a bar drinking organic kombucha. You won’t know it, but GoParity (and our community) has been a part of making all of that happen. You don’t see us, but we’re there.

That’s a great phrase! It really sums it all up. Focusing again on the future, we’d like to give you a chance to speak directly to up-and-coming entrepreneurs, young or old, who are just starting out and are possibly shaping the future through their businesses. What advice do you have for them?

1) Start by starting. There’s nothing wrong with dreaming big and aiming for big numbers, but put things in terms of “what’s the next small step that I can take towards that big dream or goal?”

2) Seek advice and listen to what more experienced entrepreneurs have to say. Especially to the mistakes they share. There’s a lot to learn from them. Sometimes when we listen, we’re not absorbing the information. We’re just guessing where that sentence is going and politely waiting to jump into a reply. I’ve found myself more than once thinking “oh, so this is what they were talking about” after I had made some sort of mistake. A mistake that could have been avoided if I had properly listened to their words.

Two great pieces of advice. Thank you for sharing. Like all good things, this fascinating conversation must come to an end. It was wonderful to have had the opportunity to speak to you today, Nuno. To close it out, we’ve got one final question for you: If there was one lasting message you could share with the world, what would it be?

You might be doing everything right to mitigate our environmental and social crises, but until you choose how your money is used, nothing will change.

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A huge thank you to our wonderful guest Nuno from GoParity for participating in this interview and sharing his knowledge! If you would like to find out more about Nuno and the great work being done by GoParity, you can find more information at: www.goparity.com.

To stay up to date with all of our latest content and interviews with amazing entrepreneurs like Nuno, subscribe to the BrighterFuture newsletter here.

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#interview #Environment #origin story #origins #climateaction #climatechange #for the planet

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Here at Brighter Future, we love having conversations with inspiring entrepreneurs about their start-up experience and how they’re making a difference. And today is no exception! We’re thrilled to be joined by Patricia Plesner, the CEO of EcoHotels.com, a hotel booking site focused on true sustainability, fair principles, and low commissions.

Hi, Patricia! Thank you so much for speaking to us today. We’re excited to learn more about you and EcoHotels. Let’s start with the basics. Where are you from?

I was born in Copenhagen, Denmark. Myself and my sister were sustainably raised from the day we could crawl. My parents focused a lot on giving us only the best produce with minimal chemicals, teaching us to prioritize buying organic and Fairtrade products and produce, minimising plastic, second-hand shopping, and so on. From an early age, I learned that sustainability didn’t just mean a focus on the environment; it also meant a focus on society and economics. For me, personally, I found the societal aspect of sustainability to be the area that made me think the most, especially in terms of equal opportunities, education, and a fair living standard. I have always travelled widely and lived in different places around the world, which has only enhanced my commitment to sustainable living.

Wow! It’s pretty rare to meet someone who was raised with a focus on sustainable living from a young age. We love the idea of EcoHotels.com! What exactly led you to the idea for the business?

EcoHotels.com was founded in April of 2020, just a few months into the COVID-19 pandemic. We are a booking site solely dedicated to eco-certified, sustainable hotels, as I believe this is the future for us as travellers. As the pandemic hit the hospitality and leisure sector, millions of jobs were lost — jobs primarily held by women, young people, and low-education employees. In particular, developing countries that depended on tourism were set back many years, and the effect this has had on the world has not even been measured yet. We hope that through EcoHotels.com, we can provide small, sustainable, eco-friendly businesses with the exposure and support they need to get back on their feet post-pandemic.

That’s a really impressive ambition, especially at such a tough time for travel. You mentioned that sustainability was a big part of your childhood. What drives you now, as an adult, to keep going with EcoHotels.com?

I believe that we have an opportunity to make an impact on the hospitality industry and on the world. We allow eco-certified hotels to join our site for free. We also put in some promotional effort on our side to help them get established on the site, and they only pay 10% in commission in comparison to the sometimes 30% hotels are used to paying. Hopefully, this will prompt more hotels to take a sustainable approach to business while also allowing for more profit to be made. With a better bottom line, these hotels can hire more people, pay better salaries, support other local businesses, and so on. That’s what motivates me to keep going with the business. We can see a real difference in the hotels we work with, the people they hire, and the communities they support.

That’s a truly inspiring approach. So often, we focus on the big global issues that feel insurmountable and overlook the everyday improvements that result from mission-focused businesses. Let’s get back to EcoHotel.com. Who exactly is this booking site aimed at?

The hotel booking business is extremely difficult to figure out. Many of the big booking sites undermine the hotels they work with and are continuously fined for misleading advertising, aggressive sales tactics, and putting psychological pressure on travellers. So, our business is two-sided. With EcoHotels.com, it’s my hope that we can support small boutique hotels. But I also hope that we can give travellers (as 50% of people would like to travel more sustainably in the future) a platform where transparency, fair principles, and sustainability are key.

We love that! There’s no reason why travelling the world and exploring new places can’t also align with a person’s values in terms of sustainability. How did you know that you had a viable idea with EcoHotels.com?

At the time that the pandemic hit, I was supposed to attend Columbia University for my master’s degree. That didn’t happen. The option to travel the world was put on hold, but I never doubted that it would come back. I didn’t, however, have any idea that it would take this long. For many of us, our mental wellness depends on the ability to take breaks away from the stresses of daily life or to experience different cultures or places for perspective. And it doesn’t have to be abroad or some far-flung destination. The anticipation and “looking forward to” part of a break away, near or far, is something that always brings us a little joy. When that was taken away by the pandemic and we felt its absence in our lives, I knew that there was space in the market for EcoHotels.com.

That’s so true! We don’t realise how important something is — even just the option of having it — until it’s gone. What fundamental beliefs or life experiences informed your start-up journey with EcoHotels.com?

I believe every experience in life can make you wiser, including the good and the bad. Sometimes struggles are necessary, as they show us how to move towards better things. Learning from our mistakes is part of everyday life. Even today, I am still making mistakes and continuously learning, and it’s something that will probably continue for the rest of my life. The greater level of education and awareness around environmental issues and climate change will, I believe, continue to grow. With EcoHotels, we also bring in the societal and economic side of the issue, which will hopefully shape the future of travelling. Those are the things that underpin my startup journey: a willingness to fail and learn, and an optimism about the future.

We know that starting a business takes more than just passion and a great idea. There are inevitably things that don’t go to plan. Can you think of a time when you failed or when things didn’t quite turn out how you expected? What did you learn from this?

Personally, my biggest failure was focusing primarily on the environmental factors associated with the hotels and less on the societal factors. I am motivated by making it possible for hotels to increase diversity, pay fair salaries, offer better educational options, and so on. I’m not as driven by water savings or better light-saving bulbs. Both of these are necessary and important, so they need to be given equal weight. We can see that environmental issues are a huge deciding factor in eco-friendly hotel bookings, but I also needed to focus on the societal issues in order to stay motivated and feel fulfilled. It’s not just about the number of bookings.

That’s a great lesson! As entrepreneurs, we have to identify what drives us most and harness that passion to stay in it for the long run and have the greatest impact. It’s not always easy to do. On a more positive note, many entrepreneurs report experiencing an “aha!” moment — a split second where things fall into place or suddenly make sense. Did you ever have a moment like that during your journey with EcoHotels?

My most memorable “aha” moments have occurred while travelling with my family and friends. I love to travel as authentically as possible and visit somewhere different to my everyday life. I can sometimes get stuck in a certain routine or get caught up in my goals and my successes, but when I’m visiting somewhere completely different, it gives me perspective. Those are my “aha!” moments.

Running a business can be an all-consuming endeavour, so we know exactly what you mean. It’s good to get out of your familiar surroundings to open and refresh your mind. It’s often said that building a successful business takes hard work and sacrifice. Did you have to make any sacrifices to get to where you are now?

A serious sacrifice might have been time — something none of us can ever get back. I have spent a lot of time both in school and working, so my personal life and working life have blended together, and time with friends, sleeping, watching TV, etc. is minimal.

Speaking of sacrifices, as a society, we know we have to make some changes to ensure a better future for the next generation. We’re curious to hear a little about how you envision the future.

Generally speaking, I feel positive about the years to come. The future of travelling will, without any doubt, be shaped by a growing demand for sustainable travel options. This is certain. I am also very excited to see how technical advances will shape the future of travelling. Most people already use technology when travelling, such as booking flights on their smartphones or having AI-assisted experiences with things like boarding passes. These actions alone offer endless possibilities, yet there will also be new challenges that arise, such as responding quickly enough to new customer demands, hiring the best tech-leads, and prioritising resources for R&D.

We agree! While there’s a lot of work to be done, there’s also a lot of interesting and exciting developments to look forward to. When future generations look back on your life and what you have achieved, what do you hope they’ll take away from your story?

I have thought about this question a lot. I hope to be remembered as a kind, compassionate, and helpful person, and I hope that shines through in both my personal journey and my professional one with EcoHotels.com. Having said that, being able to have a huge impact on this industry is, of course, a huge dream — and hopefully one I will be remembered for!

That’s amazing! You’ve achieved so much with EcoHotels.com in a short amount of time. There are many up-and-coming entrepreneurs, young and old, who are just starting out on their journey. What advice do you have for them?

Ask a lot of questions, believe in both yourself and others, do thorough market research, and just try it out! It’s sometimes necessary to fail to succeed.

Excellent advice, Patricia! Unfortunately, we’ve reached the end of this really insightful conversation. It was wonderful to have the opportunity to speak to you today. To wrap it up, we’ve got one last question for you: If there was one lasting message you could share with the world, what would it be?

Book with EcoHotels.com! (haha)

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A huge thank you to our inspiring guest Patricia Plesner from EcoHotels.com! If you would like to find out more about Patricia and EcoHotels — or maybe book an eco-friendly break away for yourself — you can find her at: www.ecohotels.com.

To stay up to date with all of our latest content and interviews with amazing entrepreneurs like Patricia, subscribe to the Brighter Future newsletter here.

https://www.brighterfuture.agency/

#interview #origin story #origins #Environment #climatechange #climateaction #for the planet

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Here at Brighter Future, we love having conversations with inspiring entrepreneurs about their start-up experience and how they’re making a difference. Today, we’re thrilled to be joined by Josh Brito from MakeGrowLab, an innovative company that uses unique technology to turn local food waste into natural, home-compostable and 100% plastic-free materials. MakeGrowLab fuses science with design, creating a fully circular production of local, sustainable materials.

Hi, Josh! Thank you so much for agreeing to share your story with us today. To kick things off, why don’t you tell us a little bit about where you’re from.

Sure! I’m from Garden Grove, a city in northern Orange County, which is located in Southern California. I grew up with a single mom, who was also a refugee from Mexico. It was actually my mom who taught me the fundamentals of marketing and planted that entrepreneurial seed in me early on. Because she was an immigrant, she couldn’t get a legal job in the United States, so she would hand out business cards on the street for doctors. She would earn $20 any time a patient would go in. I also spent a lot of time in nature growing up, which instilled in me a real love and respect for the environment. I think both of these things were early indications of what I would go on to pursue in my life and career.

That’s an incredible story! It sounds like your mom was a very hard-working and resourceful woman. You must have learned a lot from her. What exactly was it, then, that led to the creation of MakeGrowLab?

I think one of the most important things that led to me starting this business was my previous jobs. For example, when I was studying at university, I worked in a large warehouse for an electronics store in the US called Best Buy. Essentially, my job consisted of unloading these huge trucks full of products, like laptops, TVs, camcorders, etc. Part of my role was unpacking everything, and this created mountains of cardboard every day that we would put into balers that smush all the cardboard together. It was on that job that I got my first glimpse at a very big problem with waste, which eventually informed the idea for MakeGrowLab.

Another hugely impactful experience was some disaster response work I took part in. That was when I kind of got out of my Southern Californian bubble and got to see the rest of the world. During this time, I saw people burning their trash or throwing it into nearby rivers in the mornings. One of my experiences took me to the Himalayas, which is a very remote area. What struck me most was that no matter how remote the village, there was still plastic everywhere. Even in places so removed from the world that you’d think you were the only person to have ever been there.

Now, years later, the places that I’ve been to — or the places that I would like to visit — are being destroyed. People are being displaced from their villages and homes because of the destruction of the environment. These places might not be there in the next ten years. I saw this happening before my eyes and wanted to help. Those experiences inspired me to start MakeGrowLab.

That’s incredible! Travel really broadens the mind and exposes us to problems that have the potential to be solved. We’d love to hear a little bit more about your company, MakeGrowLab, and what it does.

MakeGrowLab takes food waste — anything from an avocado to a beverage — and feeds it to microbes. These microbes take the nutrients from the food and synthesize it to make nanofibres. The microbes work together to weave a layer of cellulose into a blanket to protect themselves from the environment. We take that cellulose and use it to make paper, cardboard, packaging, etc. Most of the cellulose used today comes from recycled materials like trees. But with our process, instead of having to cut down or grow trees, we can just grow the cellulose in a room. No sunlight or chemicals are required. It’s simply grown by the bacteria very quickly. And it’s actually better cellulose than you would get from a tree because it’s one of the purest forms of cellulose and the fibres are much narrower, which allows us to create tighter weaves for better protection in the products created. It’s also completely home compostable!

Overall, it’s an amazing solution! Ultimately, we’ve created this product for the betterment of the planet. It benefits everyone, whether they know it or not.

What an amazingly innovative idea! You mentioned university and then disaster response work abroad. How did that come about? Was there a point in your life when you made a conscious decision to take a different direction?

Yes. I had a very tough year in 2015 with school, work and all of the other things that come with life. I remember that on one particular night, I was feeling so down. That same day, there had been a huge earthquake in Nepal. While I was scrolling on Instagram, I saw a post from National Geographic. It was a sketch of the Himalayas showing how many people had died. At the time, I had two jobs. I was burning myself out working every day and going to school. And in that moment — I don’t know why because I’m not a religious person — I was overcome with a sudden urge to go there and help. I felt a calling. So, I booked a ticket to Nepal the very next day. I was only supposed to go for a month, but I stayed there for half a year. That decision changed the direction of my life.

That was when I started to understand the true scale of the pollution issue. In Nepal, it’s a very big problem, and you’re confronted with it everywhere you go. It’s common for people to burn their trash multiple times a week there.

After my time in Nepal, I worked in Ecuador with the same volunteer relief agency, which is how I met my wife and business partner, Rosa.

The experiences I had while doing this relief work planted the seed for what became our business, MakeGrowLab, today.

‍Wow! That was a brave leap of faith. It sounds like you learned a lot from your time abroad. You mentioned your mom earlier, who immigrated to the US and made a life there. What aspects of your childhood and your upbringing do you think impacted the person you are today and the entrepreneur you have become?

I learned a lot from growing up with a single mom. My mom’s situation was very hard. She was living in California as an immigrant who couldn’t get a job, which meant it was very hard to pay for anything. Even though she worked all the time, we were still quite poor. She taught me a lot about discipline and hard work, which has stayed with me to this day. My childhood also taught me that you’re going to be alone sometimes, so you need to learn to live with yourself and be strong.

My mom is this very tiny Mexican woman. She is a hardcore feminist, and she raised me that way. She raised me to be strong and independent, which has definitely contributed to my ability to take risks, my willingness to put myself out there in the world, and informed my belief in my ability to have an impact through my business.

You mentioned making a split-second decision to go to Nepal to do disaster response work, which was not at all part of your life plan up to that point. In business, there are always times when things just don’t go to plan. Can you share with us a time when you took a different direction than the one you originally planned?

Sure! As an entrepreneur, you have to be adaptable. My partner, Rosa, is Polish. When I first arrived here in Poland — which is where we now live and run MakeGrowLab — Rosa introduced me to growing materials with the kombucha process. When you make kombucha, there’s a product that forms at the top called Scoby. That’s cellulose, and that’s how we started. That project was what made my partner, Rosa, very popular at university. But after we started to use it more and more, we noticed that it was actually quite difficult to work with. It was very challenging to clean it and to get rid of its fermented smell. So, after a year or so, we went in a completely different direction.

We knew we had to reinvent the business, so we brainstormed other types of materials we could grow. We looked at different types of cellulose and other microbes, which eventually led us to our current process of growing something a lot nicer with more yield. That was a real “aha!” moment for us. We knew there was something there that could be explored.

It just makes sense when you see the process and when you compare it to the existing processes that we use. Before this deviation from the plan, we were just designers working with small companies, but now we’re working with larger corporate partners. So, we went from being a design studio to a biotechnology company. And that’s a huge difference. Today, we have chemists and engineers and biotechnology experts working with us at MakeGrowLab. It took a long time, as well as a lot of reading, research and mentoring, to get to where we are today. There were lots of long days and nights, but we are lucky to now have partners who can help us with the questions that we can’t answer for ourselves.

A solid team that works together is a huge asset in any endeavour. Many entrepreneurs try to do everything themselves, which means they’re much more limited and less likely to overcome the inevitable hurdles that arise along the way. What hurdles did you have to overcome when starting MakeGrowLab, and what did you learn from them?

That’s a great question. There will always be challenges to overcome. Starting a business is always difficult, but one thing that stands out in our story is that I did it as a foreigner. You see, our business is based in Poland, which means I had to adapt to a different culture and different ways of doing things. One mistake I’ve made and learned a lot from is conducting business here in Poland as I would have expected it to be in the United States. Some things are done differently here, so I had to adapt.

Luckily, my partner, Rosa, is Polish. She’s very important because she runs all of the operations of our company. Her role is absolutely essential as there are many things that I can’t do as a foreigner in Poland.

Starting a business in another country is a brave move! You mentioned putting in lots of long hours when you were starting the business. What would you say is the biggest sacrifice you’ve had to make for MakeGrowLab?

There are so many sacrifices, but the one that stands out most is that by leaving my home country, the United States, I lost many of my connections to the people around me, especially to my friends and family. It also meant being lonely sometimes, especially when I couldn’t make friends because I couldn’t speak the language.

That’s tough. Being an entrepreneur can be a very lonely road, and even more so when you’re far from home and those you love. Your business, MakeGrowLab, is doing important work. It’s helping secure a brighter future for the generations to come. We’re curious to hear about how you envision the future.

I see the world moving more towards technology. At the same time, I think people will also shift back towards their roots in terms of sustainable living. I envision a combination of new technology and an ancient way of living. For example, although we are classed as a biotechnology company, which sounds very futuristic, our process is actually a very natural one. If you were to leave your beer or vinegar outside for a while, this process will naturally occur. So, it’s something that we can all benefit from, and it doesn’t require much technology to accomplish.

That’s very true! There’s still a lot of room for learning, exploration and innovation in some of our oldest and most natural processes. When future generations look back on your story and your journey with MakeGrowLab, what do you want them to take away from it?

To be honest, I don’t really care if future generations remember me or not. I just really believe in this material. So, if people want to remember me, it can be for the product and the technology.

From my perspective, I just really like where I’m from. I love this planet. I love everything about it and all the beautiful things that we’re lucky enough to live alongside. At the end of the day, I’ll just be Josh. A guy from California who liked nature.

There are so many young people out there with great potential and big dreams of starting their own business. What advice would you give your younger self or a young entrepreneur who is just starting out on their journey?

That’s a tough one. To my younger self, I would say, “Hey, Josh. No girlfriends! ;-) ” I would also tell myself to stay in school like my mom told me to.

And I would tell my younger self and any aspiring entrepreneurs out there to take some business courses and financial classes. That’s an important but often overlooked part of education. No matter what you go to school for, one day, you may want to be your own boss. You can either learn the hard way, by just jumping in with your own cash to burn, or you can take some classes and learn it in a safe environment.

So, my advice would be to focus, save your money, and surround yourself with people you want to be like. That’s some advice I wish I had gotten that I would like to pass on to anyone who is starting out today.

‍Great advice! Especially surrounding yourself with people you aspire to be like. Unfortunately, like all good things, our conversation has to come to an end. To wrap it up, we’ve got one last question for you. If there was one lasting message you could share with the world, what would it be?

Thank you so much. It’s been a pleasure. My message for anyone reading this is: Be more mindful and conscious of your surroundings, because all of your actions cause a reaction — and even the little things you do today can have a very big impact on the rest of the world.

— — — — — — —

A huge thank you to our inspiring guest Josh Brito from MakeGrowLab! If you would like to find out more about Josh and his amazing work at MakeGrowLab, you can find him at: www.makegrowlab.com.

To stay up to date with all of our latest content and interviews with inspiring entrepreneurs like Josh, subscribe to the Brighter Future newsletter here.

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Here at Brighter Future, we love having conversations with inspiring entrepreneurs about their start-up experience and how they’re making a difference. And today is no exception! We’re thrilled to be joined by Matteo Aghemo from Must Had, an innovative refashion platform for upcycled clothing and accessories. Must Had employs a sustainable business model and offers high-quality items made from fashion industry waste, connecting a growing cohort of conscious consumers with exciting responsible brands.

Hi, Matteo! Thank you so much for speaking to us today. We’re excited to learn more about you and Must Had. Let’s start with the basics. Where are you from?

I was born in Turin, Italy. However, even as a young child, I had a big passion for travelling and exploring new places, people and cultures. So much so that just a few days after I graduated with my Business Administration degree, I flew to Mumbai, India to start an internship with a certification company, focusing on sustainability, quality and safety. Luckily, the internship went well, and I was offered a full-time job there, eventually going on to become that company’s business developer for three years.

But that desire to travel and explore soon kicked in again, which lead me to Hanoi, Vietnam, where I worked with a leading Italian fabric manufacturer. I was the company’s sales developer for the USA, but I voluntarily took part in the company’s CSR activities, sharing ideas and supporting the development of its many projects.

After four and a half years in that role, myself and my two business partners decided to return to our hometown of Torino in Italy to found Must Had, our own start-up focused on revolutionising the way fashion is consumed and accelerating the transition to regenerative fashion. So, I was born in Italy and we founded the company in Italy, but I’ve been exposed to a diversity of cultures along the way.

Wow! That’s pretty cool. We love the idea of Must Had. What exactly led you to the idea for the business? Were you always interested in sustainable fashion? Or just fashion in general?

I started to become interested in sustainable development as a teenager and young adult. My later experiences in India and Vietnam further developed my knowledge of the textile industry, which married well with my interest in sustainability.

While in Vietnam, I was working with some of the biggest textile brands in the world, which really allowed me to understand the dynamics of mass-produced fashion, including the related business models and supply chains. I quickly realised that these models, while successful now, could not meet the needs of our society and our planet in the years to come. This inspired me to take action and start my adventure with Must Had.

We were really inspired by an Italian brand from Torino that rescues and revalues old cashmere sweaters. Through our research, we learned that a lot of artisans and emerging designers were starting to embrace circular production and sourcing. They were transforming discarded materials rather than producing new ones.

We looked into their unmet needs and decided to develop a platform that would feature these innovative, responsible brands, offering them an online sales channel, as well as other services that could help them grow.

That’s a really impressive story. You mentioned an early interest in sustainability. Is that what drives you to keep going with Must Had?

Yes. Each one of us (Must Had’s three founders) has a huge passion for changing the world through fashion. It’s no secret that the fashion industry has a massive waste problem. In fact, the UN considers it one of the largest global polluters.

Research shows that the number of garments purchased each year by the average consumer has increased by 60% compared to 2000, and according to The New York Times, nearly three-fifths of all clothing ends up in incinerators or landfills within a year of being produced. To us, that’s insane!

This linear model of constant extracting, producing, consuming and discarding makes less and less sense as the years go by and we learn more about the scarcity of resources predicted for future—but not so distant—generations.

Must Had was born from a true passion and belief that a more sustainable fashion industry can be achieved by reusing the waste we generate and focusing on three key actions: RESCUE, REPURPOSE and REVALUE.

That’s what gets us up in the morning and drives us forward. Our goal at Must Had is to disrupt the current system by embracing refashion as the evolution of fashion.

Rescue, Repurpose and Revalue is a concept that could make a huge difference in a wide variety of industries. Here at Brighter Future, we know that everyone can make a difference and help to build a better future in some way. Who exactly are you striving to help with Must Had?

At Must Had, we’re focused on helping our society and our planet by accelerating the transition from a linear approach to fashion to a circular approach to fashion. We believe that the products of today can become the resources of tomorrow, and that this shift can have a huge impact on the world

We all love fashion! It’s a way to express yourself and have fun. We’re not saying that people need to stop buying clothes. But as consumers, we really need to be a little bit more thoughtful about our relationship with the items we buy. We can all learn to shop more responsibly and sustainably while still building a wardrobe we love.

For example, if we can extend the usable life of our clothes by just nine extra months, each one of us could reduce our carbon, water and waste footprints by around 20 to 30 percent. That’s a very significant improvement! It’s a big impact for very little effort, and it’s something every individual can do.

Additionally, the fashion items we stock at Must Had not only positively impact the environment but strongly support small, independent artisans and designers who are struggling to grow due to the huge competition from low-cost, fast-fashion brands whose styles are designed to be worn a limited number of times.

At Must Had, all of the upcycled creations are unique pieces or limited editions. We’ve found that the people who love what we stand for also love our clothes and accessories. They care about making a difference and see sustainable fashion as just another way to express their unique personality and values. Must Had is for anyone who wants to make a difference in the world—and wants do so in style!

We love that! There’s no reason why being a responsible consumer can’t also be fun, exciting and stylish. Speaking of living your values, what aspects of your life before Must Had helped you make that leap and start the business? How did you know that you had a viable idea?

Great question! Again, my work experience in Vietnam was the spark that ignited my passion. But what turned that passion into real action was the market research we did to validate our idea. We had a hunch that consumers were beginning to care more and more about sustainability and were becoming more educated on the matter. There was an increasing demand for eco-friendly products and higher transparency, which meant brands were having to adapt their offerings to satisfy this changing market demand. We could see there was a gap in the market for a sustainable fashion platform — and we believed we had the passion and knowledge to fill it.

Myself and my business partners love quality, craftsmanship and creativity, and we identified in upcycling a truly viable solution. Upcycling eliminates the production of new materials and the associated environmental impacts, such as greenhouse gas emissions, the enormous consumption of water and energy, and the discharge of chemical substances into the environment. Last but not least, this regenerative approach also reduces the dumping of waste into landfills and incinerators.

We were the first upcycling platform in Italy. Our beautiful country has a long and rich textile heritage that we are immensely proud of, and it is our dream to be part of it in a new, innovative and positive way by accelerating this transition.

That’s a goal to be proud of — and it looks like Must Had is well on its way to achieving it! We know that starting a business takes more than just passion and a great idea. There are inevitably things that don’t go to plan. Can you think of a time where things didn’t quite turn out how you expected?

For sure! Upcycling is not yet a common practice, so there is a limited number of upcycling brands in the market (compared to traditional brands). Because of this, we weren’t too strict about the aesthetic and style of the brands we initially selected to showcase on our platform. With time, however, we learned the importance of editing our choices and being rigorous in our selection process, prioritising quality over quantity, for example. This wasn’t something we had anticipated early on, but you learn by doing. Ultimately, even as responsible consumers, we all want to purchase items we believe to be beautiful and useful. Sustainability alone is not enough. When we became more selective, it improved the appeal of the platform as a whole.

That’s a great lesson. Sometimes less is more. Is there anything else you wish you had done differently starting out with Must Had?

Absolutely! If I could go back in time to the early days of Must Had, I would focus more on building and growing a community before launching the website and its marketplace. It’s very important to cultivate your community early on, and that’s a lesson we wish we had learned sooner.

A community of like-minded people is so important. Especially for change-driven brands. On a more positive note, many entrepreneurs report experiencing an “aha!” moment — a split second where things fall into place or suddenly make sense. Did you ever have a moment like that during your journey with Must Had?

Yes. I definitely experienced an “aha!” moment where I suddenly realised that this was really happening. I had just come back to Italy and was standing in line for my first COVID-19 vaccination when I got the news that Must Had had been chosen to participate in a business acceleration programme. This was huge for us. Ultimately, it was that accelerator that enabled us to raise our first round of capital from investors. That was my “aha!” moment.

That’s amazing! Somehow the most life-changing moments always seem arrive during some mundane daily activity. It’s not all wins and big highs, though. Starting a business is difficult. What kinds of sacrifices did you have to make to get Must Had off the ground?

Launching a start-up is all-consuming. It definitely takes up most of your time, and your weekends become weekdays pretty quickly. We worked long hours, seven days a week, but that’s the part people never see.

As well as that, for its first year, Must Had was completely self-funded by the founders, which meant we all had to adjust our lifestyles and finances. It wasn’t easy to make those changes, but it got us where we needed to be.

Speaking of necessary changes, the world is currently undergoing a period of great uncertainty. As a society, we know we have to make some sacrifices and changes to ensure a better future for the next generation. We’re curious to hear a little about how you envision the future?

Positively! I strongly believe that hard times create strong people, and I’m certain that future generations will be able to meet the challenges ahead by leveraging a huge wave of innovations. I prefer to focus on what could go right rather than what could go wrong. That’s the entrepreneurial mindset, after all.

That’s very true. It’s easy to focus on the doom and gloom, but there’s also a lot of good to look forward to. When future generations look back on your life and what you have achieved, what do you hope they’ll take away from your story?

If someone is looking back at my life, I hope they see me as someone who, with passion and ambition, tried to, as my favourite quote says, be the change he wanted to see in the world. And I hope my story inspires them to do the same.

We love that quote! You’ve spoken to future generations with your last answer, now is your chance to speak to up-and-coming entrepreneurs, young or old, who are just starting out. What advice do you have for them?

Firstly, and this is just my personal opinion, I would advise those thinking of starting a business to consider finding a great business partner — or several! Obviously, these people need to be very carefully selected, but having others working alongside you on a shared goal is a completely different experience to taking it all on alone.

Launching a start-up is extremely tough these days, and I honestly couldn’t imagine doing it without the endless support of my business partners.

Other than that, I would recommend that you always road-test your idea, always ask for other people’s opinions, and always learn from your mistakes — and definitely do not underestimate the importance of building a strong network!

Great advice! I’m sad to say we’ve reached the end of this really insightful conversation. It was fantastic to have the opportunity to speak to you today, Matteo. To finish up, we’ve got one last question for you: If there was one lasting message you could share with the world, what would it be?

Thank you! I’ll leave you with my favourite quote: Be the change you want to see in the world.

— — — — — — —

A huge thank you to our inspiring guest Matteo Aghemo from Must Had! If you would like to find out more about Matteo and Must Had, you can find him at: www.musthad.com.

To stay up to date with all of our interviews and latest content with amazing entrepreneurs like Matteo, subscribe to the Brighter Future newsletter here.

https://www.brighterfuture.agency/

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Origin Story Series W/ Lili Dreyer, VAER

Today, we are joined by Lili Dreyer, the CEO and co-founder of VAER, a sustainable startup making upcycled shoes from textile waste. The company is the first in the world to produce upcycled sneakers at scale. VAER’s team of amazing sustainability nerds and designers work together to solve the problem of textile-waste overload. We’re so grateful that Lili took the time to speak with Brighter Future today and share her experience of building a successful brand and business that is having an impact on the world.

Hi, Lili! Thanks for agreeing to participate in this interview. Let’s kick it off with a brief introduction to who you are. Where do you come from?

Hi! My mom is from China and my dad is from Denmark. I was born in Denmark and have lived almost my entire life here, with the exception of a couple of years studying abroad.

Making sneakers from upcycled materials is a really cool concept! How did the idea for VAER come about?

Thank you! I completed my Master’s in Sustainability, Entrepreneurship and Design in London, so the idea was really fleshed out while I was working on my thesis project for that programme. The problem of textiles being wasted — and upcycling as a solution — was at the forefront of my mind at the time, and that’s the main thing that led me to create VAER. Upcycling is often overlooked as a solution to the textile waste problem because it isn’t scalable. However, in my thesis, I identified some different ways to potentially make textile waste a scalable solution, which would open up so many options for sustainable products in the future. It was these theories that I wanted to test in real life after I graduated. Shortly after, VAER was born!

That’s a really inspiring startup story — especially for all the students out there working on their own thesis projects! We know that no matter how great the product is, getting any idea off the ground takes perseverance and lots of hard work. What is it about VAER that drives you to keep going day after day?

The main thing that motivates me is saving textiles and giving them a new life. When we produce a pair of sneakers from some unwanted jeans or an old uniform, we know that we are making a tangible difference. That’s exciting and invigorating to me, and it’s what keeps me going day after day. Apart from that, I also want to prove that there is huge potential in textile upcycling. At the beginning of our journey, our suppliers and factory thought it was a cool project, but they didn’t really believe in it. Now they have seen that it is possible, but I want to also show them that upcycling textiles could be really good for business. So, I’m very motivated by making VAER a good business that is profitable and can pay its employees a good salary. I want to show that sustainable business is good business.

That’s super-inspiring! You’re clearly very passionate and knowledgable about textile upcycling. When you think about who is served most by a company like VAER, who springs to mind?

Hmm… that’s a good question! I think the first thing that came to mind was the planet and everyone who inhabits it. So, I guess I’m doing this for Mother Earth and for all those discarded textiles. But, in some ways, I also benefit greatly from VAER because I get to do what I love the most every single day. I’m very lucky in that respect.

In terms of customers, VAER is for those who really care about sustainable fashion and therefore buy our shoes, but it’s also for the people who don’t care about those things. If we really want to make a difference in the world, we know that we need to serve everyone — whether it’s directly or indirectly. We offer our customers a unique upcycled shoe with a lower environmental footprint, but we also offer the world the benefit of a planet with less waste and fewer discarded textiles. Our hope is that everyone, whether they are a VAER customer or not, will benefit from the work we do — and some will get a really cool shoe out of it!

What a great approach! So, it sounds like you were studying hard and had a great idea that could be applied in the real world. It takes a leap to go from theory to practice. Did you reach a specific point in your life when you decided to take a risk and pursue your own dream?

Yes. In fact, I’ve reached this point a few different times in my life so far. One of them was when I was just about to finish my bachelor’s degree in business administration and project management. I had to figure out what I wanted to study for my master’s degree. I knew that I wanted to work in the field of sustainability, but my education to date didn’t reflect that at all. Instead of following the well-trodden path of doing a master’s in the same university with the same people I had studied alongside for the past few years, I decided to take a risk and pursue that passion. I packed my bags and moved to London to complete my Master’s in Sustainability, Entrepreneurship and Design — and I’m so glad I did! In London, I made some amazing friends, including my boyfriend, and that risk paid off. It was the spark that led to VAER (called Wair back then), and it’s definitely one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.

That was a brave move! I’m sure your education greatly contributed to the success of VAER, but it also takes so much more than that to launch a viable business. What aspects of your previous life experience contributed to the success you’ve seen today?

That’s true! It took more than just my college degrees to get VAER off the ground. I think that my upbringing and my life experience have given me a deep belief in myself that has proven absolutely invaluable. I truly believe that I can do anything if I just put the work into it. Although I have never really been exceptional at anything, when I work hard, I always have the ability to become really good at things, whether it’s football or maths. I am convinced that this self-belief has been a major factor in all that I’ve achieved with the business. When I started VAER, I simply believed that I could make more sustainable shoes than the ones that existed on the market. And I worked hard to prove myself right. Having inspiring people to look up to has also been a big factor. When I started my master’s degree, we were told about previous students who now had their own startups, and I knew that if they could do it, then I could do it, too.

Self-belief is essential for entrepreneurs in any field! So many world-changing ideas never make it off the drawing board simply due to a lack of confidence. So much of the startup journey is uncertain, no matter how experienced or knowledgeable you are. We know that nothing ever goes completely to plan. Can you think of a time where you took a different direction than planned?

Yes, so many times things have taken a completely different turn than I had anticipated! I actually thought that I would graduate college and get a normal nine-to-five job. I had spent an entire year in London doing my master’s and basically preparing to start my own company. I had developed the concept for VAER, analysed the environmental impact of traditional sneakers vs upcycled sneakers, participated in startup competitions with the idea, and I even wrote my whole thesis about textile upcycling and how to make it scalable.

Still, I just assumed that, like everyone else, I would go out and get a job when I graduated. However, this did not happen — and not for a lack of trying! I sent so many applications and really put my all into them, but I didn’t get called in for any interviews. So, after a few months of rejections, I decided to start VAER “just until I got a job”. It didn’t take long for VAER to consume my every thought, and before I knew it, the thought of getting a job didn’t appeal to me at all. It was like I was straying away from the path I had created for myself — one I had really wanted to follow. I had been so determined to get a role in my field but fate was like “nope, she shall not get any of those jobs”, which was very disheartening at the time. Of course, now I am very grateful for that. If I had gotten one of those jobs I had applied for, it’s very likely that VAER wouldn’t exist right now.

It sounds like instead of crumbling when faced with a big challenge, like finding a job as a new grad, you were resourceful. You used the knowledge, skills and ideas you had, you adapted, and you overcame it. Failure is another inevitable but educational aspect of running any startup. Have you ever experienced failure, and what did you learn from it?

Failure is always a big word. Personally, I don’t like to see things as failures. Everything I have done or not done has brought me to the point where I am now. However, there are always challenges and hurdles along the way that slow us down and force us to learn important skills. For example, initially, I thought that I could do everything at once. I had no focus at all. Although focus can still be a struggle from time to time, I’ve got a much better handle on it now.

At the beginning of VAER, for instance, I wanted to create upcycled sneakers, develop a DIY upcycling kit and also run upcycling workshops at the same time. I was passionate and excited about all three of these things. There are so many possibilities with textile upcycling, and I really wanted to prove that it can be made scalable with these different methods. Later on, however, I realised that we were just spreading our already limited resources too thin. We had to focus on making the upcycled sneakers a success first. So, we cut out the development of workshops and DIY kits, and we also stopped working on other upcycled fashion products. Today, we focus almost 100% on upcycled sneakers. That’s a lesson I had to learn before VAER could become a success.

I believe this is especially common in mission-focused entrepreneurs because when you want to save the world, you tend to try to do everything at once. Today, I know that letting go of an idea for now doesn’t mean it’s gone forever. I can always come back to it later when I can give it the time and energy it deserves.

That’s a very common experience among entrepreneurs in the startup phase. It becomes all-consuming and there’s an urgency to help as quickly as possible. Another common but more positive experience is the “aha!” moment — a moment when things seem to click into place and finally make sense. Have you ever experienced an “aha!” moment, and if so, could you tell us about it?

Yes, I have definitely experienced that! I think my biggest “aha!” moment occurred when I watched Al Gore’s documentary “An Inconvenient Truth” at school. I was only ten or eleven years old, but I clearly remember being shaken to my core. At the same time, I also had an overwhelming urge to do something about it! So, it was an “aha!” moment both in terms of the serious state that our planet was in and a realisation of my purpose in life. Of course, I didn’t know back then that it was my purpose, but I definitely had a very strong feeling that I wanted to do something to help, no matter what it took. This led to me having a meeting with the school principal about getting solar panels on the roof and creating a recycling system for my classmates’ plastic bottles. That was my big “aha!” moment, and it was certainly an indication of what was to come for me.

It’s pretty cool that your school was exposing its students to the realities of climate change from early on — and just look at what that moment led to! You mentioned your original plan to get a normal nine-to-five job. Entrepreneurs often have to make sacrifices that their peers in traditional employment — even within the same industry, don’t. What kinds of sacrifices did you have to make to get to where you are now?

Hmm… I don’t actually think that I have made any serious sacrifices. While there are disadvantages to taking a non-traditional career path, being an entrepreneur, and going the sustainability route with my career, there are also so many benefits that I experience, including benefits to my happiness and wellbeing.

One of the disadvantages is that it’s often very uncertain. There is no financial stability, and there is definitely a lot of responsibility on my shoulders and those my teammates. Still, I don’t see that as a sacrifice because I don’t think more consistent money or less responsibility would necessarily have made me happier. I’d just be more secure and stable. The way I see it is that I can always go back to a “normal” job if I want to. But right now, life as a textile upcycling entrepreneur is what fulfils me and makes me happy. It has given me so much! I’ve had lots of crazy, amazing experiences that I would never have had if not for VAER. I definitely consider myself a very lucky person, and I’m so grateful to be on this journey.

That’s so great to hear! You’re clearly living your purpose, being creative, and having a huge impact. You briefly mentioned the uncertainty of entrepreneurship, which happens to tie into our next question. The world is currently experiencing a period of great change and uncertainty. Companies like VAER are doing their part to turn the tide and make a difference. We’d love to know how you personally envision the future.

I hope for a future where we, as people and as a society, have a more long-term and holistic mindset. One where we do more of what is good — not just for ourselves, but also for others and our planet.

We know that a lot of our current behaviours are harmful to the planet and that these are habits that have to be changed. It’s not that we don’t want to do the right things. I believe people feel stuck in conformity and are resigned to “how it has always been”. In recent years and months, however, I’ve noticed that world events, like the pandemic and the war in Ukraine, are speeding up the realisation of how urgent the situation is. Politically and individually, behaviours are shifting. It is my hope that this shift is long-lasting. I hope to see more people taking holidays in their own country, consuming less, eating a more plant-based diet, shifting to green energy, etc. That’s what I hope for and envision for the future. We don’t have long to make the necessary changes, so I hope it happens fast!

You’re right about that! Time is of the essence. Let’s quickly flash forward past your lifetime. When you are no longer here on Earth, how would you like people to remember you and your journey?

For me, it’s important that the things I do have a real impact. I would love for my legacy to be that I made a difference. My team and I have saved discarded textiles, we changed the system, we proved the potential of textile upcycling, and we made it scalable to a degree where it became a solution to countless tonnes of unwanted textiles. That’s what I want future generations to remember. I want them to know that with passion, hard work and self-belief, a small group of people — or even an individual — can have an impact on the world. And they can change it for the better.

That’s a legacy worth striving for, and you’re well on your way to achieving it with VAER! Speaking of future generations, there are so many people — young and old — with big ideas and lots of potential. What advice would you give to them as they start out on their entrepreneurial journeys?

My advice would be to lean into your interests. Do more of what you think is interesting and push yourself to explore it further. I really loved fashion from a young age. Sometimes, I would sew upcycled outfits, do photoshoots, and even make my own blog posts and magazines. All of these things taught me skills that I used when I started VAER. There’s a lot of focus on getting a good education these days, but self-taught skills are just as important. What benefited me most when starting VAER was the skills I learned along the way. Not the fancy theories.

This has been such an inspiring conversation, Lili. Thank you so much for sharing your story with us today. Let’s wrap it up with one final question. If there was one lasting message you could share with the world, what would it be?

Uh, that’s so difficult! There are so many clever quotes out there, so I think I will stay away from big philosophical words. The latest UN report states that it is now or never. We only have four years left to turn the ship in terms of climate change. So, with that terrifying fact in mind, my message would be to not feel discouraged or afraid. Instead, harness those feelings and use them as your motivation to do something now. In a way, we are lucky. We have the knowledge to identify and understand what we are doing wrong and what we can do better. We still have a chance to do something. We can still act and change things!

So, my message would be to start now. Start your own personal sustainability revolution in whatever way you like but do it today! 💪

— — — — — — — -

What a great way to end this inspiring interview! Thanks again to our wonderful guest Lili Dreyer from VAER. If you would like to find out more about Lili and her work at VAER — or maybe even pick up a pair of stylish upcycled sneakers for yourself — you can find her at: www.vaerupcycled.com.

To stay up to date with all of our latest content and interviews with inspiring entrepreneurs like Lili, subscribe to the Brighter Future newsletter here.

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[brighterfutureagency]

Today, we are joined by Luca Michas, the CMO and co-founder of yamo, a mission-driven business pioneering the next generation of baby and kid’s food. Launched in 2017, yamo creates fresh, healthy, nutrious food and snack options for children of all ages. Loved by kids and adults alike, yamo’s products are 100% organic and plant-based. We’re so thankful that Luca took the time to speak with Brighter Future and share his experience of building a successful brand and business that is having an impact on the world.

Hi Luca! Thanks for agreeing to participate in this interview. Let’s kick it off with a brief introduction to who you are. Where do you come from?

I was born and raised across two cultures in Greece and Switzerland, which instilled a deep curiosity in me about the unknown and planted the seed of my adventurous soul. I truly love exploring new things, and I’m always learning and growing as a person. I guess these aspects of my personality are a big part of why I never hesitated to start a business once the opportunity presented itself.

Yamo looks like a really fun and interesting business! How did the idea come about?

A couple of years ago, myself and my co-founder, Tobias, did a 30-day vegan challenge as a kind of self-experiment. During this time, we started to closely examine the ingredients in some of the processed vegan products on the market. Many of them had quite a lot of additives, sugars and chemicals in them. Like many others, I had naively assumed that “vegan” automatically meant “healthy”, which is often not the case for prepackaged foods, vegan or not. We turned to what we thought was the most natural and healthy food category available in the supermarket: baby food. We were shocked by the high sugar content, the lack of freshness due to the extremely long shelf life, and the additives in the existing ranges of baby food. So, we decided to change this. Having identified a gap in the market, we set out to create a healthier future for the next generation through clean, sustainable, convenient baby food and snacks. In 2017, yamo was born!

That’s such an inspiring startup story! We know that no matter how delicious the products, getting any idea off the ground takes perseverance and lots of hard work. What is it about yamo that drives you to keep going day after day?

The main thing that drives us to keep going is knowing that what we are doing is creating a better future for a lot of parents and children, as well as the planet! I feel motivated from the moment I wake up in the morning because I know I have a strong purpose. I know that I’m contributing to the betterment of our world and that my work will leave it a better place. At yamo, we create fresh, nutritious, plant-based food for babies and small children, which helps give them a great start in life and really makes a difference!

Purpose — or a strong why — seems to be a common denominator among successful entrepreneurs. Did you reach a specific point in your old life where you decided to take a risk and pursue your own dream?

After years of working in a corporate role, I finally reached a point where I could do no more. I had simply had enough. I wanted to have a bigger impact on the world, but I felt that my path was already set in stone. At times, it felt like the only way forward was to continue to climb the corporate ladder. But I knew that we had a great idea with yamo and a great vision of the future, so I decided to take a chance, change my path, and start the learning process from scratch.

That’s brave! I’m sure some of your skills from your previous career helped with building yamo. What aspects of your previous life experience contributed to the success you’ve seen today?

Honestly, we were neither experienced nor wise when we decided to start yamo. However, we were young, bold and really had nothing to lose. A lot of our confidence also came from listening to interviews and podcasts with other startup entrepreneurs. We took a lot from their stories and tried to learn from their advice and mistakes. We also learned that many successful founders have no real industry experience in the field they are tapping into. They often stumble across a market gap and have the advantage of looking at that opportunity with fresh, unbiased eyes. That was certainly the case for us and yamo.

That’s very true! Sometimes an outsider can see things much more clearly than an industry veteran. So much of the startup journey is uncertain, no matter how experienced or knowledgeable you are. Nothing ever goes completely to plan. Can you think of an instance where you took a different direction than planned?

I think that if you are truly adaptable and open to new things, changing directions happens a lot. It’s an essential part of the entrepreneurial process! The question is how you deal with it and what you learn from it. After university, for example, I accepted an offer from an advertising agency that was one of THE places to work in Zurich. It was a big deal. I took the opportunity with both hands but wound up leaving after only three weeks. I just didn’t feel it was the direction I wanted to take at the beginning of my career. I couldn’t even explain why. I just felt it. And it was the best decision I ever made because shortly after that, I found another role in another company — and that’s where I met my great co-founder, Tobias!

Gut feeling (or intuition) is an underestimated part of decision-making. We’re glad you listened to your gut, and it worked out! As you said, it’s all about how you deal with things and what you learn from them. What are some failures or hurdles you’ve had to overcome as an entrepreneur, and what did they teach you?

When we were starting yamo, I thought I needed to do everything myself. It took me too long to accept help, which meant I almost burned myself out before the company even took off. I learned from it, though. I started to listen to myself, and I committed to certain routines and habits. For example, in the early days of the startup, things were hectic. I lost track of myself a bit. Now, things like regularly playing sports, freeing up time for family, friends and my girlfriend, taking time to relax, etc. have helped me get myself back on track. Unfortunately, I had to push myself close to burnout to learn exactly where my limits are.

That’s a very common experience among entrepreneurs in the startup phase. It becomes all-consuming. Another common but more positive experience is the “aha!” moment — a moment when things seem to click into place and finally make sense. Have you ever experienced an “aha!” moment, and if so, could you tell us about it?

Yes! I have experienced a variation of the “aha!” moment. It happened when I switched from being a manager with a secure job and a steady income to being an entrepreneur without any salary but tons of uncertainties and sacrifices. My “aha!” moment was when I realised just how much blood, sweat and tears almost every entrepreneur has to put in, and how much they have to sacrifice every day. We tend to focus on the incredible startup success stories. We read and talk about the Teslas and Airbnbs of this world. But we forget that only about 5% of all startups survive. That means out of 100 startup companies, 95 will run out of money and quickly close their doors, shutting down their hopes, visions, sacrifices and even losing their personal financial investments. What normal person would take a 5% chance of success when the alternative is losing everything you’ve built and invested? But still, millions of businesses are started every year around the world. The people who start them believe in themselves and are willing to sacrifice anything for their dream. I now have so much respect for anyone who leaves their comfort zone and goes “all in”. That was my “aha!” moment.

So true! It’s not for the fainthearted. You mentioned the sacrifices that entrepreneurs have to make on a daily basis. What kinds of sacrifices did you have to make to get to where you are now?

Most of the sacrifices I made were related to my mental and physical health, my friendships and relationships, and love. Of course, there is also the constant financial worries looming overhead, which takes its toll. At one stage, I could no longer pay my rent, so I had to move back in with my father for a while. There are a lot of sacrifices to be made when you’re starting or running a business, but you make them because you believe that you’re building a better future — for yourself, for those you love, and, in the case of yamo, for future generations and the wider world.

Speaking of future generations, the world is now experiencing a period of great change and uncertainty. Companies like yamo are doing their part to turn the tide and make a difference. We’d love to know how you personally envision the future?

I’m not going to lie, I’m worried about where we are going from an ecological point of view. I really hope that we, as humans, can get our shit together because it’s almost too late. It seems like we don’t learn from the conflicts and wars of the past. At the same time, I believe in the power of creativity and innovation, as well as the benefits that future technology can provide if applied in the right way. Overall, I’m cautious but I’m also very optimistic. Right now, I’m focusing on what I can do personally and through yamo.

That’s a very positive and manageable approach. Let’s flash forward past your lifetime. When you are no longer here on Earth, how would you like people to remember you and your journey?

I am not someone who feels a burning need to build a legacy. If I can positively influence a few people with my learnings from building a startup and help parents raise their kids on healthier and more sustainable food, then I have already added more value to our world through yamo than I ever thought I would. If people get one thing from my story, I hope it’s the idea of listening to your gut and doing the things that make you happy. You’ve only got one life, so live it!

This has been an amazing conversation, Luca. We’ve really enjoyed speaking to you today. Thank you so much for sharing your story and insights with us. To close it out, we’ve got one last question for you. If there was one lasting message you could share with the world, what would it be?

Awesome! Let’s end the interview with a smile! :-) I recently read this and loved it: “If no one comes from the future to stop you from doing it, then how bad of a decision can it really be?

— — — — — — —

What a great way to end this inspiring interview! Thanks again to our wonderful guest Luca from yamo. If you would like to find out more about Luca and his work at yamo — or maybe even try out some of yamo’s delicious products with your kids — you can find him at: www.yamo.bio.

To stay up to date with all of our interviews and latest content with inspiring entrepreneurs like Luca, subscribe to the Brighter Future newsletter here.

https://www.brighterfuture.agency/

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[brighterfutureagency]

Here at Brighter Future, we love having conversations with inspiring entrepreneurs about their start-up experience and how they’re making a difference. Today, we’re thrilled to be joined by Chris Langwallner from WhatIF Foods, a plant-based food company founded on regenerative principles. WhatIF Foods creates tasty and nutritious foods that nourish people and nurture the planet.

Hi, Chris! Thank you so much for speaking to us today. We’re excited to learn more about you and WhatIF Foods. Let’s jump in with the basics. Where are you from?

Thank you! I grew up in Salzburg, at the foothills of the Austrian Alps. It was there that, as a young boy, I was found myself in the midst of an extended family business that farmed, milked cows, raised pigs, made honest meats and sausages, and had fun serving authentic foods to guests from near and far in a traditional restaurant setting just next to the church, the mayor’s residence, and the local bakery. To help people understand how such communities worked back then, I sometimes share stories about my grandfather. He was a heck of a guy. Tall, a butcher by training, and an entertainer at heart. He was the Facebook of his time. People came to our space to listen to him, and he often told a story in such a way that folks needed to come back if they wanted to hear the next part. With cattle, cows and grassland, as well as our butchery and the restaurant, we were set in a perfect supply chain. My family and I knew the lineage and even the names of the animals we served to our guests. We had an honest approach and deep appreciation for what we had — and so did our guests. Back then, I didn’t see it that way. I was too young, too crazy, too much into tennis, skiing, football and helping out wherever I was needed. I was milking cows in the early morning, cutting meat in the afternoon or serving dishes at a wedding. Sometimes, I did all of that on the same day! It was never boring. No internet, no mobile phones. It was hard work every day with no shortcuts… but it was a life full of energy within a community that was there when it mattered. Good times!

My schooling, on the other hand, was hard. Very hard. My teachers told me, “You are dyslexic, and you’ll be better off doing this or that…” However, nothing really gave me a breakthrough. Naturally, I didn’t enjoy the confined space of a classroom, and there were many occasions where my teacher had to visit my mom and tell her, “Chris just got up and left school and didn’t come back.” Well, I had better things to do. I heard my dad driving tractors and felt I was “needed” elsewhere. Traditional schooling was a nightmare for the most part. When we progressed past the part where grammar and spelling were important, school got better for me. I started to get good marks for my actual content, and that’s when I started to fall in love with learning. It was easy for me to study agriculture, food science and technology, and finance and marketing for a triple-accredited MBA.

Wow! That’s a pretty incredible story! Schooling aside, what an amazing childhood and community you had in your younger years. It sounds like it primed you for the successful career you have today. How exactly did the idea for WhatIF Foods come about?

It’s a good twenty-five years now since I started working in the agrifood industry. After working for the family business, I was employed by SMEs and some of the world’s biggest multinationals. However, my DNA is wired for entrepreneurial adventure. I never found it too difficult to take the lead, take responsibility, or take risks. Over the years, I also fell in love with seeing the world. England, Russia, India, China, Singapore, and now the USA. These are all countries I have lived in and built businesses in. I’ve learned a ton from those experiences! There are different cultures, rituals, systems, structures, etc., but at the end of the day, it is all about people and how their hearts beat. As simple as that!

Do you remember about twenty-five years ago, when the first GMO crops were introduced? Well, I was just a teen, but I was out on the streets protesting and venting my frustrations. Today, what have we got as a result of that shift? Global monopolies and ultra-dependencies on just a few players who have an utter disregard for biodiversity and our soil and communities’ health and wellbeing. Or take the first carbon footprint discussions some twenty years ago or so. What came of it? Literally skyrocketing amounts of carbon in our atmosphere and a hotter planet that is just seven years away from the +1.5˚C point of no return. Today, despite us knowing that a healthy, traditional diet consists of hundreds of different foods, we depend on twelve crops and five animals for more than 75% of our foods. That is insane! Why? Because such a level of global concentration disregards fully the complexity of our biological systems. How can humanity ever be healthy if our soils are sick, our crops are grown on “steroids”, our food processors are driven by the single bottom line? Today, fast, processed, convenience foods are cheaper than fruits and veggies. That is the world we are living in. It is frustrating. Very frustrating indeed.

We couldn’t agree more! The world we’re living in today is so different to even just ten or twenty years ago. We still have time to act, but it’s fast running out. You mentioned your early activism, and that’s so important. Is that what drives you forward with WhatIF Foods — the idea that you can help turn the tide on the climate disaster we are facing into?

Look, what humanity has done to natural ecosystems is a disgrace, and we are digging a deeper rabbit hole every day. Over the decades, and many podcasts, journals, and books later, I’ve found myself wrestling profoundly with a reality check, because the truth of the matter is, it’s not about saving the planet. It’s about regenerating natural ecosystems so that our children, their children, and their grandchildren find themselves in an environment that allows them to go on hikes in the mountains, ski a powder, or swim in the seas and surf a wave. That’s what it’s all about! Today, our youth dream about that future, so it’s our responsibility to save their dreams. It’s not about saving the planet. It is about us recognising our responsibility to leave a natural habitat behind so that future generations can enjoy what I used to take for granted when I was a teenager at the foothills of the Austrian Alps.

Frankly, humanity has no power to save the planet. Humanity is a pest to the ecological systems out there and their wonderful biodiversity. Therefore, the faster this pest destroys its habitat, the faster our planet will be working on a new wave of biodiversity. After all, it’s got time on its hands. In little more than five billion years, our sun will run out of hydrogen. Then it’s game over.

Yes! We have the information and technology required to stop or slow this disastrous progression, so it is our responsibility to act. When you think about the impact that WhatIF Foods could have on the planet, on ecosystems, on people, who exactly are you doing this for?

Our political, institutional, and business setups don’t lend a voice to our youth. Their votes aren’t counted. Their voices aren’t heard. Their worries are buried in endless social media feeds. Their physical wellbeing is medicated, and their mental and emotional wellbeing is neglected. What was it that I was worried about at their age? Maybe it was how I get to the next ski race or tennis tournament? Not in my wildest dreams was I worried about a changing climate, the loss of nutrients in my food, the loss of natural habits, and the endless desertification of our soils. These are all very profound issues that will determine their wellbeing when they are forty, fifty or sixty. Yet, today, they have no say, no voice, and no vote.

I’m doing what I do for my kids, their generation, and for many generations to come.

You mentioned going from working for your family business to SMEs and multinationals. What prompted you to take a risk and start your own company? Was there one particular moment that stands out?

For me, it was a process that took time. There wasn’t one eureka moment. Yet, I feel I took responsibility and started WhatIF Foods because this is what I know best. This is how I can best contribute to changing the agrifood world from the ground up. Literally from the ground up!

Aside from the practical education you got from working on your family’s farm and in their business, were there other life experiences that informed your decision to start WhatIF Foods or that you feel have contributed to the success you’ve achieved today?

Great question, and a very difficult one to answer! In part, I do think that my dyslexia trained me to do things differently. The ready-made schooling formula simply didn’t work for me at all, so very early in life, I realised that I needed to figure out how to do things differently to make things work. I feel the rest was just onboarding as many experiences as possible. When you’re young, you’re a sponge, absorbing everything around you. I was always a student of the world around me, constantly developing the skill of making loose ends join.

That’s such an interesting connection. Many entrepreneurs and high achievers have dyslexia and have excelled in life because they were forced to think differently. That alternative approach later allowed them to come at and solve business (and world) problems in new, innovative ways. We’d love to know how you keep yourself on track towards your goals for WhatIF Foods?

Over the decades, I’ve come to understand that setting big enough goals matters a lot. Because if your goals aren’t big enough, then they can easily be hidden behind the first or second obstacle that crosses one’s path. Out of sight, out of mind, so to speak. For me, with small goals, it’s easy to lose sight of the target, to lose direction, and to lose that sense of purpose. Hence, dream big and enjoy the journey!

Many entrepreneurs report having an “aha!” moment — a moment where something clicks into place and things suddenly make sense. Have you ever experienced anything like that in your journey?

As I said before, my journey has been an evolution. There hasn’t been a distinct “eureka!” moment. However, Peter Drucker and his work changed the way I look at business, as did my many mentors who helped me to take the correct steps at the correct times. I’m eternally grateful to all of them.

Surrounding yourself with wise, experienced people who generously offer their insight and advice is incredibly helpful when starting a business. It can make all the difference, especially in those early days. Did you have to make any personal sacrifices in the early days of WhatIF Foods to help get it off the ground?

Luckily, I didn’t have to make any serious sacrifices at all! I’m one of the most blessed people on this planet. I have wonderful children and a wife who has had the guts to travel this journey with me. In fact, she has been a massive driver behind all that we do. I have met thousands of people along the way and have seen many of them grow because of what we do. No sacrifices. Just blessings!

That’s wonderful! You seem to have a very positive perspective on life and business. As a society, however, we know we have to make some sacrifices and changes to ensure a better future for the next generation. We’re curious to hear a little about how you envision the future.

Personally, I struggle to see a bright future ahead unless we rally behind Sustainable Development Goal 15, which requires us to protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss. If we don’t succeed in this, we will struggle to eliminate poverty and hunger, and we will not achieve the greater wellbeing, equality, education, clean water, etc. we need to live on this planet.

We need to work together to protect the very essence of regeneration for the powerful possibilities it holds. Let’s strive to bring back the agrobiodiversity we need to sink more carbon in our soils; to grow a rich basket of many different crops; to create exciting nutrient-dense products; and to reconnect to communities — consumers and farmers alike — so that they prosper within a life-affirming purpose.

Regeneration must not become a new management tool or be misused for greenwashing. Regenerative leaders need to create an environment for others to succeed in delivering a life-affirming future where WIN-WIN equations are the norm and not the exception.

That’s a great way to look at it! When future generations look back on your life and what you have achieved, what do you hope they’ll take away from your story?

For me, this question is very easy to answer. I would like them to look at my journey and my life and say, “Bloody hell! He’s had a good go about it!”

And we’re certain that they will! We’ve spoken a lot about future generations in terms of the planet and climate change. Now, we’d like to give you a chance to speak directly to up-and-coming entrepreneurs, young or old, who are just starting out and are possibly shaping the future through their businesses. What advice do you have for them?

Trust your gut! It does you good. Listen to your mentors because they have been there. Don’t run through walls too early. It will leave you with concussions. Over the years, we’ve made countless mistakes and endured countless failures. I’d like to pass on my biggest take away from all of them so up-and-coming entrepreneurs can learn from them. Here’s my advice: try to look deep into the soul of a person before you decide to venture with them. That’s important.

Great advice! Like all good things, this truly insightful conversation must come to an end. It was fantastic to have the opportunity to speak to you today, Chris. To finish up, we’ve got one last question for you: If there was one lasting message you could share with the world, what would it be?

Let’s not sustain something that’s broken. Let’s regenerate for good. Hope is not enough to make a lasting impact. We need doers and action now. If not us, then who? If not now, then when?

— — — — — — — — —

A huge thank you to our wonderful guest Chris Langwallner from WhatIF Foods for participating in this interview and sharing his knowledge! If you would like to find out more about Chris and WhatIF Foods, you can find him at: www.whatif-foods.com.

To stay up to date with all of our latest content and interviews with amazing entrepreneurs like Chris, subscribe to the Brighter Future newsletter here.

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[brighterfutureagency]

Today, we’re delighted to be speaking to Martin Baart from ecoligo, a company dedicated to tackling the climate crisis, making the world a better place to live, and transforming the world’s energy landscape for the better. Ecoligo uses crowd investing to provide fast and flexible funding solutions for clean energy systems in emerging markets, like Kenya and Vietnam. It provides a “solar-as-a-service” solution that reduces soaring energy costs for businesses while using clean, renewable energy and having a big impact on climate change.

First of all, thank you so much for joining us today, Martin, It’s great to have the opportunity to speak to you. Let’s get this interview started with a simple question. Where are you from?

I come from a working-class family in the UK. I was actually the first in my family to graduate from university. I studied electrical engineering, as I knew early on that I wanted to work in this field. Specifically, I wanted to work in renewable energies in order to save the planet. After successfully finishing my bachelor’s degree, which was a dual degree in combination with an apprenticeship, I started an international dual master’s degree in business and engineering. During my studies, I was working in Australia for a leading renewable energy company. After a few years in Australia, where I worked on the international expansion of products that allow a higher share of renewable energies in power grids, I first moved back to Germany, then relocated to Spain. It was around this time that I joined a start-up focused on solar project development in East Africa. So, basically, I focused my whole career on renewable energies, but I also dived deeper into the topics of technology, sales, business development, and finance in between before I started ecoligo.

It’s incredible that you knew so early on that you wanted to be involved in this area. What made you take the leap from working for others in the industry to starting your own business?

It mostly came down to the fact that we had successfully identified a solution to a major problem in the renewable energies market. Knowing that we could really make a difference—to people and to the planet—kept us going and motivated in the early days. In fact, even to this day, creating a meaningful impact through our work and knowing that we are changing the planet for the better with each new project is highly motivating for the entire ecoligo team. I knew the results we could achieve were worth the risk, so I made that leap of faith and committed to making ecoligo a reality.

A sense of purpose and making a difference are always mentioned by the mission-driven entrepreneurs we interview. Do you feel the same? What motivates you to keep going?

As an entrepreneur, there are two elements that motivate me. The first one is the huge impact we can have on the climate crisis. With our solar projects, we actively avoid CO2 emissions in emerging markets, which is a fantastic achievement in and of itself. That we are able to successfully scale both our company and our impact only strengthens this feeling. On the other hand, I feel motived by the fact that we have built a company that is so impactful and rewarding that our team enjoys coming into work. That’s tough to achieve. It requires constant adaption to an ever-changing and growing company, but it is so worth it. In fact, ensuring that our team members have enjoyable jobs, a good work-life balance, and a work environment that enables them to grow and achieve the best in their positions is my second-highest priority, just after generating impact. Those two things are what motivate me most.

Ecoligo is an incredible business that is having a positive impact on the planet. When you think about those you are impacting most with your work, who comes to mind?

We built ecoligo to benefit every person who is currently living on this planet, as well as the future generations to come. Everyone should care about the climate crisis because there is no planet B. We should and must do everything we possibly can to ensure a safe and liveable planet for mankind.

We absolutely agree! There is nowhere to hide from this problem and no time waste. We know you were focused on the renewable energies market from the very start of your studies and career, but was there a particular moment when you decided it was time to make a change and pursue your own ideas in the market?

Actually, yes. At one point in my early career, I was transitioning from a founder-based company to a large corporate company. It struck me as so painfully obvious that in a corporate company, the actual impact you can have is very limited. The work is centred around politics, administration and dealing with internal matters. Only a fraction of your time is dedicated to real impact. In a founder-owned company, the situation is quite the opposite. This experience made me realise that in order to achieve my goal of helping to save the planet, I would have to start my own business. I knew that I had to be in a position where I could steer 100% of my time and my company’s time towards this one goal.

That’s a powerful realisation! Seeing and experiencing that environment for yourself probably clarified your next step. What other aspects of your previous career or life contributed to you founding ecoligo?

Great question! For a few years, I had been working in the solar industry in emerging markets. During that time, I noticed that no one really adjusted their way of doing business to the requirements of these markets, whether from a cultural or commercial perspective. Renewable energy companies took the same approach to selling solar systems here as they would in other parts of the world, including trying to sell systems with high up-front costs that almost no company in these markets could afford. So, naturally, they barely sold any. It was painstakingly obvious that new and innovative business models were needed to bring more solar systems into emerging markets. It was as a result of this first-hand observation that my co-founder and I came up with the idea of offering long-term contracts, so-called “power purchase agreements”, while raising the desired capital through crowd investors in Germany. This model was extremely unique. In fact, it was so unique and complex that everyone we spoke to told us that we wouldn’t succeed. However, we were convinced by our solution, and because we were experts in the markets we worked in, we knew we were onto something. I think our success today proves us right.

That’s incredible. Even with your wealth of knowledge, industry expertise and first-hand experience, people still doubted your idea. You spoke about a lack of adaptability on the part of some companies in the industry. Being adaptable is a core skill for entrepreneurs. Could you share with us a time when perhaps things went in a different direction, for better or worse, than you had originally planned?

Sure! Life always throws up twists and turns that take us off the path we had planned for ourselves. For example, I lived and worked in Australia for two years. After coming back to Germany, I was adamant that I was going to return to Australia for many years to come. But for various reasons, and despite wanting to go back so badly, I never took another job offer in Australia. The plan just never materialised. I was quite sad about that for a long time, as I had never really wanted to leave in the first place. But if I had returned there, I am pretty sure I would have never started ecoligo, and my life would have turned out quite differently. I’m not sure my career would be as fulfilling as it is today. Right now, I am very satisfied with my life as an entrepreneur. It has allowed me to grow tremendously. So, even though my plan didn’t come to pass, I adapted and somehow ended up exactly where I needed to be.

Funny how that happens! We’re grateful that ecoligo exists today. Being an entrepreneur is not all fun and games, though. Failure is a real part of the process. Is there anything you consider a failure in your journey, and what did you learn from it?

My biggest failure is that, early on, I did not accept the fact that there are limits to what I can do and what I am good at. I had to come to an understanding that there are some things I need to unlearn or relearn. Accepting that I simply do not and cannot know everything was quite a challenge. Another failure on my part was not giving my team more ownership over tasks. I can admit that I micromanaged them too much. That was a tough time for my team. When I finally managed to let go of responsibilities and stop managing them too closely, everything flowed much more smoothly. I’ve learned and grown a lot from my failures.

Letting go is so difficult for many entrepreneurs. It’s not all negative, though. Ideas, solutions and “aha!” moments flow through you when you’re so connected to every aspect of the business. Do you ever experience these “aha!” moments, where something just clicks into place?

Yes! I experience most of my “aha!” moments just before I fall asleep at night. My brain goes into rest mode before I go to bed, and that seems to free up some capacity to think about unsolved challenges. It’s incredible how solutions can just arrive in your conscious mind, as if from nowhere, when you’re not actively trying to find them.

Yes! The unconscious brain is always silently working on solving problems. It seems building a business is a 24/7 commitment, whether we want it to be or not. All entrepreneurs make these little sacrifices, as well as some pretty big ones in some cases! What kinds of sacrifices did you make in order to ensure ecoligo would be a success?

In the first year after ecoligo was founded, we had little to no income. It took us several years to be able to live on our salaries as entrepreneurs. And that’s in addition to the burden of having to invest a lot of our personal savings into the company. This type of financial stress can become unbearable, especially when the situation is so tight that having a social life becomes almost impossible. In addition to that, I was working 60 to 80 hours every week for a few years straight. That basically means I had to work every evening and every weekend. Being an entrepreneur is extremely tough. It’s definitely not something to be taken lightly.

Again and again, the two biggest sacrifices entrepreneurs highlight are time and money, especially in those early years. It’s a huge change from being an employee with defined hours and a consistent salary. The world itself is going through a period of great change right now. And just like starting a business, we all have to make sacrifices in the hope of securing a better future. How do you envision the future?

In my view, there is only one constant in life: change. Change has always been part of life on this planet and it will continue to be an important part of our lived experience. It is just that, in our perception, these changes are happening faster than ever before. In my opinion, the biggest change ahead of us is the huge threat that is the climate crisis. But I am still optimistic that, as humans, we can tackle and ultimately overcome this challenge before it’s too late. For me, I think society at large is already very aware of the things that went wrong in the past and is willing to make changes faster and more radically than ever before. I think the future is bright if we continue to adapt and innovate in positive ways.

Legacy is another common theme that comes up when we speak to entrepreneurs. When future generations look back on your life and your work with ecoligo, how would you like them to remember you?

I would like people to remember me as the person whose motto was “saving the planet” long before Fridays for Future was around, long before the climate crisis was ever-present in the media, and long before sustainability was a hot topic. And then I would like them to look at what we have achieved with ecoligo. I’d like people to be impressed by the impact we created in emerging markets thanks to our clean, climate-friendly energy solutions. In an ideal world, they’d see that ecoligo pioneered the energy transition in emerging markets, and that I was the one who initiated it.

That’s quite a legacy to leave behind! There are so many creative and innovative up-and-coming entrepreneurs who could learn a lot from someone with your experience. What advice would you give to them as they embark on their own journeys?

I would recommend that entrepreneurs just starting out today get themselves a more experienced founder as a mentor or coach. Then talk to them on a regular basis to absorb as much of their knowledge as humanly possible. Almost all founders face the same major challenges when starting a company, so they could easily help those starting out to successfully overcome them or at least avoid the most common pitfalls or setbacks.

Great advice! Sharing knowledge and helping others to launch is and will continue to be a huge part of how we progress as a species and overcome global problems, like climate change! We’re so grateful that you’ve taken the time to share your knowledge and experience, as well as your start-up story, with us at Brighter Future. We’ll leave you with this final question: If there was one lasting message you could share with the world, what would it be?

Save the planet!

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A huge thank you to our inspiring guest Martin from ecoligo! If you would like to find out more about Martin and ecoligo, you can find him/her at: www.ecoligo.com

To stay up to date with all of our latest content and interviews with amazing entrepreneurs like Martin, subscribe to the Brighter Future newsletter here.

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Today we are delighted to be joined by Jan Skjoldhammer. Jan, a former pilot, is the founder and CEO of Novige AB and the creative mind behind the company’s innovative NoviOcean technology, a wave energy converter (WEC) that harnesses wave power for clean, sustainable energy. We’re so grateful that Jan took the time to speak with Brighter Future and share his experience of building a business that is having a big impact on the world.

‍Hi, Jan! Thank you so much for joining us today. To get started, we’d love to hear a little bit about you and where you come from.

Hello! I’m Jan, and I’m from Oslo, Norway. From a young age, I was interested in sports, innovation, and business. Norwegians are practically born with skis on, so I’ve been involved in sports and skiing all of my life. As a teenager, I even developed a few inventions, including carving skis, different ski jumpsuits for more lift and less drag, a brake recovery system based on pressurized air, now in similar use on UK buses, and the ekranoplan at the same time as the Russian military, a secret by them for more than 15 years. As I got older, I started to explore aviation and other areas. When I was twenty-five, I spotted an opportunity to harness the immense force of waves in the water for energy. I drew up a design for a rectangular float instead of the standard round one. It more closely resembled a wave, which allowed it to lift much heavier loads. A round float with a 10-meter diameter can lift around 150 tons, but my iteration could lift 600 tons and could even go up to 2000 tons with the larger system, which is a significant increase.

Soon, my attention turned to flying and the aviation industry, so this idea just sat in my drawer gathering dust. It wasn’t until I completed a rather large property deal that I found myself confronted with a choice in life: continue flying and have a nice, easy life as a pilot or put myself out there and try to do something more meaningful with my life. I chose the latter. Now I’ve been working full-time (and then some) as a single dad, with six of the last seven years being basically unpaid as I tried to get my business off the ground. My daughter is ten years old now, and my oldest son is twenty-three. It’s been tough balancing family life and being an entrepreneur, but I believe it is worth it.

Great introduction, Jan! Many entrepreneurs have to make sacrifices and juggle work and family life to get an idea off the ground. What finally prompted you to dust off that idea in your drawer and commit to making it a reality?

In my younger years, I didn’t really give too much thought to the environment. However, as I got older, I started to read more about climate change and the environment, and I felt I could make a difference. I had learned that wind and solar power were not optimal because of the associated intermittency, and I had an inkling that the idea I had tucked away years before could help.

You see, wave energy is the largest untapped energy source on the planet. I knew that if we could harness that energy, we could tackle at least some of the climate issue with wave power. I put together a team who are equally passionate about solving this problem in a clean, sustainable and profitable way that benefits the environment and Novige AB was born!

Our goal is to get thousands of NoviOcean WECs out into our oceans in my lifetime.

That’s an amazing goal. You mentioned that you could have stayed in a comfortable job with better hours and better pay, but you didn’t. What drives you on a day-to-day basis to keep going then?

I’m doing this for the environment and for my children’s future. We’re looking down the barrel of a huge problem, and if this trend line isn’t changed soon, it will be very hard to reverse. Right now is the time to do it. There’s no time to lose. We cannot do it too slowly. We have to come together with our best ideas and just go for it. Take some chances, take some risks. That’s what drives me when the hours are long. I’m doing it to clean the air, lower emissions, and play my part in creating a better future for all of us.

It must have been quite a leap to take this from an idea paper and convince others it was a viable solution to a huge environmental problem. How did you know you had something that was better than the current solutions on the market? Did any of your past experiences contribute to the success of the NoviOcean WEC?

I had experience with inventing things in the past, but I never had the time or opportunity to take any of them to market. However, others inevitably hit on the same ideas and were able to make those same inventions a commercial success, It was frustrating to know that I could have done that had I taken the risk months or years earlier. It instilled a confidence in me, though, that my ideas were good and could be successful — so why not this one, too? Another important factor was that I had some financial freedom to focus my time on this one, so it was the right idea at the right time in my life.

Any successful entrepreneur knows that things don’t always go to plan. It’s important to expect the unexpected. Could you tell us about a time when you took a different direction within your business than originally planned?

When I decided to commit to this business, the float was just a basic design that didn’t have any of the machinery it needed. This machinery is called power take-off (PTO). It had to be very strong, achieve a very high output, be light, consist of very few parts, and also be extremely cost-effective. Those were the essential requirements. I looked at all of the systems, wires, rotations and hydraulic motors available. I looked at cog wheels, use of wires, gearboxes and racks, as well as accumulators to convert the energy from the lifting float. Myself and selected subcontractors looked at different options and analysed them thoroughly. They were all swiftly ruled out as they didn’t meet our requirements. I had been toying with the idea of a cylinder for almost a year, but I couldn’t get it right. Eventually, I saw that by mounting an inverted cylinder and couple it to a Pelton turbine, it all fell in place. Both components are well proven for 200 years. It’s tried and true. It’s in our cars and it’s up in our mountains. It’s light, strong, and it met all of the core requirements. The Hydro Power plant At Sea, HPAS system was born. It is basically an inverted hydro power plant, using the enormous vertical lifting force of the waves to power the turbine in the exact same way as the height difference in a hydro power plant does.

Of course, I had to have this idea verified by someone other than me, so I went to WavEC in Portugal to have them analyze it. Thankfully, they came back with fantastic numbers. That’s when I finally said, “I’ll go for it!”

Unfortunately, things didn’t go to plan. I had the idea, and I had the numbers to back it up, so I was expecting to get a positive response from the larger companies I pitched it to. Wrong. We were rejected by companies, too early, and we failed to get many of the grants we applied for. A lot of people said no and just a few said yes. However, it was just enough to keep the project going. Eventually, we managed to get four universities supporting us with studies, and we now have had fifty master’s students working on the design, testing, and building of our product. This is proof that nothing is ever simple, easy, or straightforward in business. Nothing went according to the early plan but we’re still here and we’ll continue to work on it until we achieve everything we set out to do. Now we have been awarded grants of more than 2.5 Million EUR, covering 50% of the full-scale design, construction, and deployment of our NoviOcean 500 kW pilot, so this will happen, no doubt!

That’s incredible! Perseverance is a key element of success, and it sounds like you’ve got plenty of that. Failure and setbacks are unavoidable parts of any successful business journey. Are there any failures or setbacks that stand out to you, and what did you learn from them?

Failure is a common experience. As an entrepreneur, you think the process will go much faster than it does. You think that if you have everything in place, the response from big companies should be positive. But that’s not always the case, and it hasn’t been true for us. You can do everything right and they might just say, “We wish you luck. Come back when you’ve achieved this or that.” That’s been our biggest failure. Not anticipating those setbacks and hurdles.

Otherwise, technically, we’ve made good progress. The product itself has worked very well from day one, from the first deployment to the first official test in the wave tide. The solution itself just functioned perfectly, and it didn’t break down. The test rig, wave tank and offshore performance have all validated the unique simulations to the point. We’re very happy for that and are enjoying the work and progress we are making.

Many entrepreneurs report experiencing an “aha!” moment when things just finally clicked into place. Have you ever experienced this, and if so, would you be willing to share it with us?

My “aha!” moment came when I got the numbers back from WavEC in Portugal. Dr Marco Alvis wrote back that the surge forces, the horizontal forces in the wave, are exceptionally low compared to the lifting force. The 600-ton lifting force of the NoviOcean WEC was found to be multiple times greater than anything else currently available. When I got his report back and I saw that my theory was correct, it was an instant feeling of “Yes! It really works and I’m actually going to do this!”

You mentioned the struggle of balancing being an entrepreneur and being a father, as well as giving up a comfortable life to pursue your dream. What kinds of sacrifices did you have to make to get to where you are today?

The biggest sacrifice I’ve made is time. For the first six years, I worked twelve to fifteen hours a day without pay, all while being a single dad. That takes its toll on you. But then I think about our mission, and I truly believe that if I die five years earlier because of this, that’s fine by me. Being a pilot and working steady hours for good pay would have been much, much easier, but this is more meaningful and is more to what I am made to do.

Novige offers an innovative solution that could have a huge impact on the environment. We’re curious to hear about how you envision the future.

Nikolai Kondratiev was a Russian economist in Stalin’s time. He wrote about economic cycles, as well as other cycles in the world. Unfortunately, according to his model, the cycle we’re now approaching is the winter cycle, meaning more wars and more problems in the world.

But as sure as the sun rises, spring inevitably follows the winter, so things will eventually improve. At the moment, there are wars, there is rising inflation, the pandemic, and there is the looming climate crisis. People are feeling exhausted and afraid. For me, although the global future doesn’t look so good right now, I know I can only work on my contribution, so I focus on that. I believe strongly that with my ideas, skills, and experience, I will help lower emissions and alleviate some of the impacts of the climate crisis. But, of course, it will take a collective effort. We all have to do our part, small or large. Overall, I’m optimistic that we can and will make a huge difference.

That’s a great attitude to have! We all get just one lifetime, short or long, to make our mark on the world. When you are no longer here on Earth, how would you like people to think of you and your journey?

I think my kids will be proud of me. I hope they’ll be proud of what I’ve done, for trying and working so hard to achieve something for the greater good. If this becomes a success, I hope they’ll be proud of that, too. I also think that the people around me will say that Jan took a big risk in life by stepping away from a secure life and jumping into this with both feet — and I hope they’ll say it was the right choice! Ultimately, if my kids — or anyone of any age in any part of the world — can look at my story and feel inspired to do something themselves, that would be an incredible legacy. I hope that whatever their dream or big idea, they go for it.

As you just mentioned, there are so many young people out there with big dreams and potentially world-changing ideas. What advice would you give to them as they’re just starting out?

When I was younger, I had this personality, this innovative mind. But I don’t think my parents really saw that or saw it as part of my future. Parents always want to make sure their kids are safe and secure, whether in their career or their relationships or in any other aspect of their lives. They suggested that I should be a doctor or an economist or an engineer. They were okay with me becoming a pilot, but I really think I should have pursued being an inventor and entrepreneur many, many years ago. Lots of people can fly an aircraft with the right training, but not so many can do exactly what I do. To any person out there, young or old, with an idea or a dream, I say, “Go for it! Become who you want to be, achieve what you want to achieve, and don’t listen too much to your parents.

‍Wow! What an inspirational story and a great message to the community. Thank you so much for sharing your journey and insights with us, Jan. To close this interview, we have just one final question: If there was one lasting message you could share with the world, what would it be?

We’re going to make it.

A huge thank you to Jan for taking the time to share his inspirational story with us.

If you would like to learn more about Jan, Novige AB, or his journey, you can find him here: https://noviocean.energy

To stay up to date with all of our interviews and latest content with amazing innovators like Jan, subscribe to the Brighter Future newsletter here.

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Today, we are joined by Jeff Kirschner, the founder and CEO of Litterati, a data science company with a mission to crowdsource a litter-free world. Litterati believes in the power of the individual and the community to effect change. It works with individuals, data scientists, corporations, and researchers to capture data about litter through geo-tagged photos, finally making it possible to measure, track and create effective solutions for this global issue. We’re so happy that Jeff agreed to speak with Brighter Future and share his experience of building a successful brand and business that is having an impact on the world.

Hi, Jeff! Thank you so much for agreeing to participate in this interview. For those who are not yet familiar with you or your work, let’s get started with a brief introduction to who you are.

Thank you! My name is Jeff Kirschner and I’m the founder and CEO of a company called Litterati. It’s a crowdsourcing app that leverages mobile technology to photograph and identify the world’s litter. To date, Litterati users have cleaned up millions of pieces of litter, and the data we capture has even helped companies transform the way they do business. Ona more personal level, I’m a world backpacker turned bartender, turned serial entrepreneur and Dad, all wrapped up with a love for storytelling.

Excellent. Litterati is such a simple but creative and innovative business idea! How did the idea come about?

Thank you! I was walking in the woods with my two little kids when my four-year-old daughter noticed someone had thrown aplastic tub of cat litter into a creek. “Daddeeee,” she said, “that doesn’t go there.” That was my eye-opening moment. I was reminded of a lesson I had learned as a kid at summer camp. On visiting day, each camper would pick up five pieces of litter.

200 kids x 5 pieces/kid = a clean camp!

So, I thought, why not apply that same crowdsourced model to the world? And why not leverage technology to do it? That was the inspiration for Litterati.

Today, our platform supports a global community that is collecting litter data in 185 countries. It’s been incredible to see what can be achieved when we all do just a little bit to help.

That’s an amazing story! Kids have a way of bringing us back to the simplest and most important truths about the world we live in. What motivates you personally to keep doing what you do? And who does Litterati benefit most?

Litter is a global pandemic. We live in a throwaway culture, where immediate consumption and disposable packaging are the norm. Litter is so pervasive that it blends into the background of our lives.Society has become desensitised to it, and with seven billion of us sharing the planet, the problem is only getting worse.

Personally, I’m motivated by knowing that even as an individual, I can make a big difference by empowering others to create an impact. Litter impacts the economy, pollutes the environment, degrades communities, and kills wildlife. It’s a problem that affects all of us and so needs to be tackled by all of us. Many hands make light work, and when we each take small steps in unison, we become an unstoppable force for positive change.

We completely agree! As we’ve interviewed successful entrepreneurs for this series, we’ve noticed that there is often some common thread weaving its way through that person’s life that they can only see looking back. Would you say your past experiences or skills contributed to the success of Litterati, and if so, what is that common thread that lead you to this business?

I haven’t taken a particularly linear path through life. I’ve been a backpacker, bartender, copywriter, and entrepreneur. Along with that mixed bag of experiences, I’ve enjoyed a little success and my fair share of failure. Such a variety of experiences may seem disconnected, but as you mentioned, there has always been a consistent thread. For me, it’s an insatiable curiosity driven by the desire to build something from nothing.

Litter is one of the world’s most challenging problems, and it’s very clear that the existing solutions and strategies to tackle it aren’t working. I believe that we have to try something new. I applied my natural curiosity and creativity to this problem, which resulted in Litterati.

Thank you for sharing that. So much of the startup journey is uncertain, no matter how experienced or knowledgeable the founder is. Nothing ever goes completely to plan. How do you handle the inherent uncertainty and unavoidable failures associated with starting a business?

Honestly, it’s just always there in the background. Expecting the unexpected is the daily life of an entrepreneur.Things rarely go as originally planned. Failures, both large and small, are, as you mentioned, an unavoidable aspect of entrepreneurship. You have to be comfortable with that risk. The only way to deal with failures is to learn from them and become better as a result of them.

For example, my biggest failure was when I lost the trust of our early partners. We had a large software release that ended up not working. Our customers and community members were upset — and rightly so! We messed up. However, from that incident, I learned that what takes years to build can be destroyed in a matter of moments. That lesson has stayed with me and has probably prevented me from making even bigger mistakes later on.

Very well put, Jeff! As you said, it’s all about how you deal with problems and what you learn from them. As a planet, we are currently undergoing a period of great change. We, too, have to learn from our mistakes and act differently to secure a liveable planet for future generations. With all of the insights and data you have on environmental issues, we’d love to hear a little about how you envision the future.

With respect to litter, I see a world where NGOs advocate for tighter policies, brands are held accountable for their packaging, cities are informed by real-time data, and people are able to contribute and consume data — all from one trusted platform.

That’s very interesting, and we truly hope that vision becomes a reality. Let’s flash forward past your lifetime. When you are no longer here on Earth, how would you like people to remember you and your journey?

If future generations look back at my life and what I’ve achieved with my work, I’d like them to say: He left this world better than he found it. That’s all I want to be remembered for. In contrast, if I could rewind and go back in time to my younger self, who is just starting out, I’d tell myself to relax a little. Things take time.

This has been a really enlightening conversation, Jeff. We’ve really enjoyed speaking to you today and learning about Litterati. Thank you so much for sharing your story and insights with us. To close it out, we’ve got one last question for you. If there was one lasting message you could share with the world, what would it be?

My one lasting message for the world would be this: Individually, we can make a difference. Together, we can create an impact.

What an excellent way to end this insightful interview! A big thank you once again to our wonderful guest Jeff Kirschner from Litterati.

If you would like to find out more about Jeff and his work at Litterati — or maybe even get involved — you can find him at: www.litterati.org. He’s also got an excellent TED talk that is available here.

To stay up to date with all of our interviews and latest content with amazing innovators like Jeff, subscribe to the Brighter Future newsletter here.

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Today we are lucky enough to be joined by Chris Do, an Emmy Award-winning designer, director, strategist and educator. Chris is the founder of The Futur, an online design education platform with an ambitious goal to teach one billion creatives how to make a living doing what they love. We’re so grateful that Chris took the time to speak with Brighter Future and share his experience of building a successful brand and business that is having an impact on the world.

‍Hi, Chris! Thank you so much for joining us. To get started, we’d love to hear a little bit about your roots. Where do you come from?

I was born in Saigon, Vietnam. My family, along with over one hundred thousand others, escaped Vietnam in the Spring of 1975 due to communism, political oppression and ongoing war. We fled on April 30th of 1975, and my parents, my two brothers and I landed in Kansas City, Missouri. That was where our host/sponsor family was located. It was part of a Catholic church programme to help Vietnamese refugees acclimate to the United States. Two years later, my parents moved to San Jose, California to join the rest of our extended family. San Jose is where I grew up until I went to college.

‍That’s an incredible story. From first-generation immigrant to Emmy Award-winning designer and CEO. How did you get from there to where you are today?

My first passion was the visual arts. When I was just seventeen years old, I discovered graphic design and instantly knew it was the perfect outlet for my many passions, like drawing, letterforms, sub-culture, music, packaging, design and typography. Shortly after graduating from ArtCenter College of Design in 1995, I started a motion design studio called Blind, which I ran until 2018. In 2014, I started a new business venture, originally named The Skool, with my business partner Jose Caballer. After its dissolution in 2016 due to creative differences, I formed a new company called The Futur, where I was able to run our education company exactly the way I had envisioned it.

At The Futur, our mission is to teach one billion creatives how to make a living doing what they love. Our core audience are self-identified creatives who lack the key business, marketing, sales and communication skills to be successful entrepreneurs.

Amazing! What do you think drives you to do what you do, especially in terms of educating others?

‍I was very fortunate to land in America. My family was able to create a new life here. My dad’s first job was bussing tables. Through hard work, sacrifice and focus, he ultimately worked his way up to being the chief engineer at a semiconductor company in Silicon Valley. We were able to climb out of poverty and reach the upper-middle class within one generation. As a first-generation immigrant, I’ve been able to achieve levels of success beyond my wildest dreams. I feel indebted and extremely grateful for the many opportunities I was given. As the expression goes: when you make it, you have an obligation to send the elevator back down for others. ‍

I’m also determined to use technology to make education more relevant, dynamic, accessible and affordable. In America, private education is very expensive and can put some families into crippling debt. Schools, for the most part, don’t adequately prepare students for well-paid jobs, and they leave families holding the bag when it comes to paying off student loans. I think it is unconscionable for a modern, industrialised country to sack young people with so much debt. We need to find a better way.

‍It sounds like you built a solution to that very problem with The Futur. Is The Futur only aimed at high school graduates who want to avoid college debt?

The Futur is for anyone who is seeking to explore their creative nature and wants to be successful at running their own design studio/agency. We do this for everyone who previously thought that being a successful creative was unattainable. We are for the career shifters, the art school rejects, the late-starters, and the disenfranchised.

‍In addition to being an established design instructor, you were also a very successful creative for more than two decades before you started making online content for The Futur. When did you decide it was time to do something differently — and are you glad you took that risk?

When I was forty-two years old, a college classmate encouraged me to make some content with him for the internet. In January of 2014, we released our first YouTube video. I reluctantly agreed to go on camera, but he ultimately made me an offer I couldn’t refuse. He told me to be silent until I was ready to speak. Despite my introverted nature, I agreed. Doing so completely changed the trajectory of my life and career. I’ve been making content full time since then. We have since produced over 1600 videos on YouTube and have nearly two million subscribers.

‍What parts of your past experience do you think contributed to your ability to pivot your career in a new direction and be successful on YouTube?

Prior to making content on YouTube, I had been teaching for nearly fifteen years and producing commercials and music videos for 20+ years. I had years of practice and training as a design instructor. I knew how to direct and produce videos. I had the space, equipment and staff to help me produce content. I also had a company that generated revenue, which meant I could experiment without the need to make money. As a content creator on YouTube, I knew I had the experience and pedigree to stand out from the mostly “self-taught” creators on the platform.

Anyone who has done anything knows that no journey is all smooth sailing. There were surely times when things didn’t go to plan. How did you deal with those times?

‍Content creation is less about doing things right and more about discovering what not to do. Each time we make something, it’s an opportunity to learn and find ways to improve. It’s a lot of failures and missed opportunities before you find your voice, style, subject matter, audience and cadence. There isn’t a lot that is “planned”. It’s more about putting in the time and showing up consistently. Do the work and make small improvements as you go. Eventually, if you don’t quit, you will find something that helps you to stand out.

‍That’s great advice. Consistency and persistence go a long way in most endeavours. We know that failure is part of growth. Could you share with us a failure you experienced when beginning your journey, and what did you learn from it?

I consider the on-air chemistry between Jose and I as somewhat of a failure. We have very different personalities and didn’t gel on set. Our audience could feel the tension between our teaching styles. Both of us were good, but not together. I think the root of our problem was duelling egos that we couldn’t resolve. Ultimately, as the introvert of the duo, I had to learn how to be more confident on camera, which taught me to develop my skills as a public speaker and on-air personality.

At some point in every journey, learning process or creative endeavour, there is a moment when things just click into place. Some call it an “aha!” moment. Have you ever experienced a moment like this?

After producing a few videos, my wife remarked that our videos were “unwatchable”. They were disorganised, unfocused and difficult to follow. In addition, the videos were designed to be soft pitches for our educational products. If my own wife couldn’t watch our videos, what chance did we have of getting strangers to tune in? We instituted some new rules, including writing and producing presentation decks. No more selling. No pitching. We just focused on delivering value. Jose and I prepared our decks, and with that first episode after implementing those changes, things started to take off. It was a valuable lesson about not taking your audience’s time for granted.

‍That’s a powerful realisation! You’ve achieved so much over the course of your career. I think it’s safe to say you’ve made it. But that means you’ve probably taken some big risks and made some serious leaps of faith along the way. Is that the case?

From 2014 to 2016, a full two years after starting our education company, we barely made enough money to support one full-time staff member. And that didn’t account for the rent, equipment and personnel that were needed to produce the videos. Aside from this, I had stopped showing up for client meetings and focused most of my time writing and producing content. My peers questioned what we were doing. Some even got upset at us for disclosing so many “industry secrets”. My business coach thought it was a mistake to ignore my other company, Blind, as it was my primary source of income. I didn’t have any empirical evidence that The Futur was going to work out. I just did it on faith. Thankfully, it did work out, and now we make content full time with a team of 15 people. I haven’t done any client work since December of 2018.

‍Your education company is very aptly named The Futur. The entire world is currently undergoing a period of great change and uncertainty. With that in mind, we’d love to know how you envision the future.

‍I am very optimistic about the future. The internet allows us to have a connected global community. In a way, the world is getting smaller. Economies are more intertwined, which should help prevent us from annihilating one another. We live in a time of many great technical advances, including computing, artificial intelligence, machine learning, medicine (CRISPR gene), space travel, energy production, etc. There’s a lot to look forward to, and I do my best to focus on that.

When you are no longer here on Earth, how do you want people to remember you and your journey?

I hope I am able to bend the current of education to be more inclusive, diverse, equitable and accessible. I want to leave behind a legacy of educational tools that transform people’s lives.

‍You’re certainly on track to achieve that! There are so many young people just starting out who also want to achieve big things and have an impact on the world. What advice would you give to them?

Start creating content. Embrace the technological shifts. It is futile to resist. Those who can master the gaps between cultural and technological shifts will be influential leaders.

Thank you so much for joining us today, Chris! This interview has been so insightful. We’ll close it with one final question: If there was one lasting message you could share with the world, what would it be?

‍When we use our collective energy to lift one another up — emotionally, spiritually, physically and financially — we all win. When we hoard all the resources, we all lose.

A huge thank you to our incredible guest Chris Do!

If you would like to find out more about Chris and his work at The Futur — or perhaps explore your own creative side — you can find him at: www.thefutur.com.

To stay up to date with all of our interviews and latest content with amazing people like Chris, subscribe to the Brighter Future newsletter here.

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The Amazon Rainforest is critical to the wellbeing of the planet. Not only does this immense tropical forest provide ecological benefits for our natural systems, but it is also a vital economic lifeline for the livelihoods of millions of individuals worldwide. Yet, the model we have prescribed for so long has been built upon the idea of extraction and destruction. This economic system allows us to justify the atrocities we commit in the name of power and growth. The time has come when we stop rewarding destruction and greed with profit and accolades. Destroying the earth’s ecosystems should not be celebrated. It should be reprimanded. That’s why we are committed to working with companies that prioritize working with nature, not against it. Our work is rooted in supporting businesses that aim to rewrite the industrial framework in a way that prioritizes the future of our planet—a future in which places like the Amazon are considered sacred, not disposable.

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[brighterfutureagency]

The Amazon rainforest is often referred to as the “lungs” of our planet. Encompassing nearly 6.9 million square kilometers, the Amazon basin is larger than the next two biggest rainforests combined. This great jungle provides a livelihood for millions, sequesters immense amounts of carbon dioxide, and is home to over a million species of animals. This forest was once the planet’s biggest hope to combat the climate crisis. Historically, the Amazon rainforest absorbed CO2 contained in the atmosphere, offsetting much of the greenhouse emissions caused by human industry. As a result, the forest acted as a regulator for the earth’s carbon emissions. Yet, this year, a landmark report found that the Brazilian portion of the Amazon Basin is emitting more carbon dioxide than it is absorbing. This change in function is due to vast amounts of deforestation, land-use change, and fire. Overall, the rainforest is still a carbon sink due to the offset of emissions by the western portion. Still, this report highlights the destructive path we are headed down if we continue to prioritize greed and extraction in the Amazon Basin. If we are to have any hope of slowing the climate crisis, we must prioritize the conservation of systems like the Amazon. We must work together to protect the vital lifelines of our planet, inspiring community conservation, sustainable industry, and government action.

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[brighterfutureagency]

Imagine looking up at the sky and not being able to see the sun. Instead, the world above is filled with an endless horizon of green, plants hang overhead, intertwined, twisting, and curving in and out of sight. The trunks of trees appear to extend toward the sky without end. Small creatures cling to the branches, peering down with curious eyes, as an endless chatter of life fills the air. On the ground, there appears to be a new plant species every few feet. If you look closer, you can witness entire colonies of ants marching their way through the forest like a well-trained platoon readying for war. Fungi, moss, and other forest dwellers scatter themselves across the jungle floor. The air is humid with the overwhelming scent of rain. As you walk through the dense forest towards an opening in the undergrowth, something seems to take hold of the air. It’s an overwhelming feeling of loss. A striking intuition that something terrible lies on the horizon ahead. As you get closer to the opening, there appears to be a growing amount of smoke in the air. The air becomes warmer. The heat becomes unbearable. You walk out into the opening and there it is. Thousands of acres sprawled out in front of you, all encompassed by fire. The image in front of you no longer resembles a forest. It is a wasteland. A deadly reminder that this forest is under siege from an all too familiar foe. Greed.

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The youth activists fighting for the future of our planet are the leaders of the next generation. At Brighter Future, we stand behind them and implore the world to listen to their message. This is by no means a light burden they carry. As voices of their generation, these individuals are fighting for something much greater than themselves. These individuals have renounced the freedom of their youth to help secure a future for their fellow citizens. They have assembled themselves on the world’s stage, begging our leaders to listen. These activists have bravely done this in the face of fear and oppression. They have subjected themselves to a lifetime of scrutiny and demand to advocate for the planet. They understand they cannot stand by and watch the world fall to the doom of the climate crisis. We must celebrate the bearing of the burden. We must listen to the youth and the pioneers of tomorrow. How we handle this crisis will have direct consequences on their lives. They are the ones who will deal with our actions. It is time we gave them a seat at the table and listen to what they have to say. @gretathunberg

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For decades, the past generations have built entire systems that operate based on profit and greed. We have cast aside all warnings of an impending environmental crisis and continued down our path of destruction and exploitation. As a result, our industry has polluted our ecosystems, corporations have cut down our forests, and our leaders have ignored our message. These failures have led us to this moment—when we are staring at a future characterized by the consequences of our actions. Repercussions of our inability to change will have wide-ranging effects on the planet for generations to come. One of those generations has decided to take a stand for their future. We hear their rallying cries on the streets of our nation’s capitals, we witness them calling out our leaders on the world’s stage, and we listen as their voice grows louder amidst the chaos. This generation is taking a stand against the inaction of their predecessors. They have foregone the simplicity of their youth to fight for a better tomorrow. We can no longer stand by and be separated from this fight. The time has come when we join arms with the leaders of tomorrow and fight for a Brighter Future for all.

@jamie_s_margolin

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We are stronger together than on our own. This has been tried and tested throughout human history. Mass movements have given rise to monumental change. These movements have toppled empires, sparked monumental reform, and ushered in new eras of equality and justice. When we come together, we become a power that can no longer be silenced. The youth climate movement has become the driving force behind the push for climate action. Leaders have staged school walkouts, led thousands through the streets of our capitals, and stood strong in the face of adversity on the international stage. This youth climate movement can no longer be ignored. It has become an international campaign that grows stronger by the day. These activists of tomorrow have started the fire and are burning down the house. They are here to rise from the ashes and define themselves as the pioneers of a Brighter Future. This is not the protest of a few. It is the rallying cry of a generation. @alexandriav2005

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