Can we really grow sustainable, delicious, and healthy food right in the heart of a bustling city? In this eye-opening episode, I had the pleasure of chatting with Tobias Peggs, co-founder and CEO of Square Roots, an innovative indoor urban farm tech company that's revolutionizing how we grow and distribute food in urban areas.

Together, we explored the intricate operations of creating a successful indoor urban farm, from engineering and construction to farming and distribution processes. Tobias shared fascinating insights on how Square Roots uses cutting-edge technology to minimize its environmental impact, reduce its carbon footprint, and produce food sustainably despite the challenges posed by climate change.

We also touched upon the importance of staying true to a company's mission and values, as well as how Square Roots navigated the COVID-19 pandemic and adapted their business to continue providing fresh, nutritious, and mouth-watering produce to their community. Don't miss this thought-provoking conversation on the future of urban agriculture and how it can help us tackle some of the most pressing global issues of our time.

In This Episode

(0:00:16) - Indoor Urban Farming for Sustainable Food

• Tobias  and I discuss engineering, construction, farming, tech operations, packing, and distribution of urban food production.

(0:10:55) - Revolutionizing Urban Farming With Square Roots

• Tobias discusses Square Roots' sustainable farming process, commercialization, and chefs' satisfaction.

(0:25:29) - Reducing Carbon Footprint for Local Farming

• Tobias and his team use technology to produce food sustainably, reducing their environmental impact through design, energy, and distribution.

(0:31:02) - Mission, Values, and Adapting to Change

• Tobias and I discuss mission and values, adapting to unexpected circumstances, and physical operations to stay focused.

Links

Square Roots - https://www.squarerootsgrow.com

Tobias Peggs - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tobiaspeggs

Michael Koenig - https://linkedin.com/in/michael-koenig514

Episode - https://betweentwocoos.com/square-roots-ceo-tobias-peggs

Stephan Jacob, Co-founder and COO of Cotopaxi, joins Michael to talk about building an impact-driven business, how sustainability drives Cotopaxi’s product development, managing a CEO transition, the proliferation of certified B Corps, donating revenue to fight poverty in developing countries, brand building and taking on North Face and Patagonia, and taking llamas on college campuses. 

With a humanitarian-drive and strong business acumen, Stephan’s career in the COO seat began at Cotopaxi, following the sale of his company, Kembrel in 2013. During this time, Stephan reconnected with an old University of Pennsylvania Wharton and Lauder Institute classmate, Davis Smith, with the commitment to build a brand for those who shared their values: a deep-rooted interest in giving back and a passion for the outdoors. From there, came Cotopaxi, an outdoors brand, which has never wavered from its ESG principles and humanitarian focus. Under Stephan’s stewardship, Cotopaxi has become a role model for how businesses can achieve the seemingly at-odds goals of making the world a better place while achieving growth. As a B-Corp using environmentally friendly sourced materials and ethically-sourced labor, Cotopaxi’s values and colorful apparel have struck a chord with its customers, generating $100m in revenue, aiding 1.5 million people in poverty, and assisting 90k refugees throughout South America in 2021 alone.

Where to find Stephan: 

• Linkedin

Mentioned on the episode:

• Davis Smith, Cotopaxi’s Co-founder & CEO
• Brad Hiranaga, Cotopaxi’s Chief Brand Officer, General Mills’ former Chief Marketing Officer
• Damien Huang, Cotopaxi’s President and incoming CEO,  Eddie Bauer’s former CEO
• Grace Zuncic, Cotopaxi’s Chief Impact Officer, Chobani’s former Chief People Officer
• B Lab
• Ego is the Enemy

Woody Hartman, COO of Lime and former VP of Global Operations at Lyft, sits down with Michael to talk about the challenges in scaling a micro-mobility company, how Lime’s gained a competitive advantage over other players in the market, and why he chose to climb Mount Everest following his time at Lyft!

A biz ops wizard, Woody’s career started as a Business Analyst at McKinsey in 2006, focused on M&A and private equity due diligence. With a passion for creating joyful customer experiences, Woody jumped to the gaming and entertainment website IGN, leading corporate strategy before attending Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business, where he was amongst the top students, earning him distinction as a Siebel Scholar. 

Following a short stint at Disney as a Global Development Associate for Imagineering, Woody joined Lyft in February 2013 as employee 34. Initially tasked with leading Lyft’s launch in Los Angeles, just the company’s second market, Woody mastered these rollouts, becoming the company’s VP of Global Operations in September 2017. 

Before departing in September 2019, he helped grow the company from $100k to $3 billion in annual revenue. He led hallmark company growth events such as 24 launches in 24 hours and launching in New York with only two weeks’ notice. 

After six years with the company, Woody embarked on a new challenge: summitting Mount Everest! Returning to the business world as the President & Head of Product at TeamSnap in March 2020, Woody led the sports app company to double its revenue and its first profitable quarter. Approached with the opportunity to lead a micro-mobility company through its next phase, Woody recently joined Lime in January 2022. With rumors of a Lime IPO following its first profitable year, Woody’s vast expertise and experience have him well-prepared for the work the company has cut out for him. 

Where to find Woody: 

• Linkedin

On this week’s episode, Michael’s joined by Felicity “Flick” Fisher, Partner and de facto COO of the law firm, Fieldfisher. Flick breaks down all things privacy and data related, including the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation, where privacy and data laws may be headed, and the impact privacy advocates have had on the space. 

Now amongst the top InfoSec legal experts, Flick’s journey in the space began when she moved to the Bay Area in 2015. Initially joining her firm, Osborne Clark’s, Palo Alto office to focus on transactions in the tech industry, her move coincided with the emerging push for increased data privacy regulations. In January 2016, Flick moved to Fieldfisher as an Associate and the fourth employee of its newly formed Privacy, Security, and Information Group, immersing herself in all data privacy matters, with a particular interest in EU compliance as the GDPR was implemented. Since then, Flick has become a Partner, stepping into a de facto COO role, and overseeing the firm's day-to-day operations. 

Where to find Flick: 

• LinkedIn

As mentioned on the episode:

• Mark Webber, Fieldfisher’s US Managing Partner, Technology & Data
• Max Schrems - Austrian lawyer & digital privacy activist
• Fieldfisher’s Privacy Blog
• European Data Protection Board

Holger Seim, co-founder, and CEO of Blinkist, speaks with Michael about how Blinkist emerged out of shifting consumption patterns, where the company may be headed in the future, and how to stay true to your long-term strategic vision while also incorporating the thoughts and ideas of other stakeholders. 

With an entrepreneurial spirit that emerged during his childhood in Germany, Holger’s journey has been guided by his unsatiated love of building things from the ground up. Leaning further into this spirit in college, Holger founded a successful student consultancy with several friends. Upon graduating in 2010, Holger joined T-Mobile, working in the Division of the CEO. 

While he valued his experience and time working close to leadership, the hunger to build his own company drew him to join his college friends in Berlin. Recognizing that they lacked the time they once had as college students to quickly read books in full, Holger and his team founded Blinkist in 2012. 

Founded to make knowledge quick and accessible through short summaries of books, Blinkist was quickly able to capitalize on emerging consumer preference for shorter and mobile-accessible content to become the preeminent company in the space. Taking full advantage of being the first mover, Blinkist has expanded beyond written book summaries to audio and podcast summaries and has grown its user base to over 21 million across the globe while securing $40 million in venture funding. 

Where to find Holger: 

• Linkedin
• Twitter

Mentioned on the episode:

• Paul Graham, venture capitalist
• Markus Witte, Founder & CEO of Babbel
• Elliot Darvick, Head of Regional Marketplace at Workrise
• Nathaniel Manning, Co-founder & COO of Kettle
• Patrick Lencioni, business author
  • The Advantage: Why Organizational Health Trumps Everything Else in Business
  • The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable
  • The Ideal Team Player: How to Recognize and Cultivate the Three Essential Virtues

Diego Camberos, COO of Vodafone Qatar and former CEO of Tigo Millicom Senegal and Rwanda, joins Michael to share insight into navigating cultural differences in different markets, how “radical simplification” has served as the bedrock of Vodafone’s success, and how to build a corporate culture that acknowledges and respects different cultures.  

A citizen of the globe, having spent time living in several countries outside his home country of Bolivia, Diego has expertise across various departments, ranging from operations to marketing to commercial strategy. Starting his career in the quick service restaurant (QSR) industry upon returning to South America after college in the US, Diego served as the Operations Manager for McDonald’s Columbia. He led day-to-day operations for the company’s McOpCo chain from 2003 to 2005. After a brief stint as Burger King’s Director of Operations for the Dominican Republic, Diego shifted his attention to the telecommunications industry, starting his journey in the space as the Vice President of Sales for Trilogy/Viva Dominicana in 2007. In 2009, Diego joined Swedish telco giant Millicom as the Head of Sales & Marketing for its Tigo brand, rising to the role of CEO of its Rwanda market in 2011. Following a successful tenure as the CEO of Tigo/Millicom’s Senegal business, Diego headed further east in March 2017, signing on as Vodafone Qatar’s Consumer Business Unit Director before taking the reins as its COO in March 2018. 

Where to find Diego: 

• LinkedIn
• Twitter

Cameron Herold, Founder of the COO Alliance and former COO of 1-800-GOT-JUNK, talks to Michael about building a successful company culture, effective process implementation, and what a strong relationship between a COO and CEO should look like. They also touch on how to attract “A” players to your team,  how to approach each initiative with a Plan, Brief, Execute, and Debrief mentality, reverse engineering processes, and of course, penguins.

Cameron is a growth expert and an acclaimed “CEO Whisperer”, who has led several companies, focusing on people and process improvement. In 2000, Cameron was brought aboard as the COO of 1-800-GOT-JUNK?, leading operations, P&L, franchise development, and sales amongst other responsibilities. He helped grow 1-800-GOT-JUNK? from 12 franchises and $2 million in revenue to 300 franchises across 4 countries and $150 million in revenue when he departed in 2007. Since then, he’s written 5 books and serves as an independent consultant for several major companies. Upon realizing there was no group for COOs to learn and share their knowledge, Cameron founded the COO Alliance in 2016 as a network for COOs to exchange ideas and best practices. 

Where to find Cameron: 

• CameronHerold.com
• COO Alliance
• Second in Command Podcast
• Instagram
• Facebook
• LinkedIn
• YouTube

Cathy Hawley, former Chief People Officer of Return Path and Co-Founder of Bolster, sits down with Michael to discuss the importance of intentionality and an agile mindset in building a remote company culture, how people operations grew out of traditional human resources, and why employers should focus on a co-creating mentality when approaching its workforce.   

Cathy is a strategic people leader, with an exceptional track record of laying the foundation for strong company cultures. After several years in the UK as a social services counselor, Cathy returned to the US as a human resources director. With her experience in the UK informing her people-centric approach to human resources, Cathy served as the Sr. Director of Human Resources at Epsilon for several years before joining Return Path as its Sr. People Director in 2008. 

Rising through the ranks to become the company’s Chief People Officer, Cathy fostered a strong partnership with Matt Blumberg, Return Path’s CEO, which was instrumental in helping the company build a development-focused culture. After departing Return Path in June 2019, Cathy teamed back up with Matt in 2020 to found Bolster, an executive talent marketplace, and to co-author Startup CXO: A Field Guide to Scaling Up Your Company's Critical Functions and Teams. 

In addition to her role at Bolster, Cathy serves as a Founding Board Member of Path Forward, a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering people to return to the workforce after taking time off to care for a loved one.

Where to find Cathy: 

• LinkedIn
• Bolster

Mentioned on the episode: 

• Matt Blumberg, former CEO of Return Path, co-founder of Bolster, & author of Startup CxO: A Field Guide to Scaling Up Your Business
• Fred Wilson, co-founder of Union Square Ventures
• The First 90 Days: Proven Strategies for Getting Up to Speed Faster and Smarter by Michael D. Hawkins

Dale Pfeifer, CEO of Goodworld, chats on scaling social impact through tech, the evolution of CSR (corporate social responsibility) from consumer targeted to greater corporate involvement, Mastercard, Citi, and BlackRock's leadership in CSR, the impact of the pandemic on accelerating CSR, the challenges of raising VC capital as a woman and as a social impact co., and what it's like to pitch President Obama & being on the front page of the NYTimes.

Goodworld helps companies grow by making it easy to embed Social Impact into commerce, workplace culture and sustainability initiatives. Through our Social Impact experiences, sales teams close more deals at higher prices, HR teams increase employee engagement and attract talent, ESG teams drive ROI from their activities, and marketing teams create irresistible brands that boost product prices.

Dale Pfeifer is passionate about Social Impact, CSR and ESG. Dale is the founder and CEO of fintech Goodworld - named one of the World’s Most Innovative Companies and a World Changing Idea by Fast Company magazine. Their Social Impact Platform empowers employees, customers and communities to drive positive cultural change together through giving, volunteering and rewards.

Goodworld - https://goodworldnow.com

Dale Pfeifer's Ted Talk - Creating a good world one # at a time 

Dale Pfeifer on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/dale-pfeifer

Episode Webpage - https://betweentwocoos.com/goodworld-ceo-dale-pfeifer

Between Two COO's - https://betweentwocoos.com 

Lean Startup - http://theleanstartup.com

Michael Koenig on LinkedIn - https://linkedin.com/in/mkoenig514

Jenny Lawton is the EVP at Bolster,  an on-demand executive talent marketplace that helps accelerate companies’ growth by connecting them with experienced, highly vetted executives for interim, fractional, advisory, project-based, or board roles. Prior to Bolster, Jenny served in a variety of C-Suite roles which include her time as the Chief Strategy Officer and then CEO of MakerBot, the leader in desktop 3D printing technology that was acquired by Stratasys for over $400M. Jenny also served as the COO of LittleBits, the STEM learning division of Sphero (the company behind the adorable droid BB8 that captured our hearts in the latest Star Wars films), and then as COO and CIO, Chief Innovation Officer at Techstars, the global startup accelerator which is near and dear to my heart. It’s also worth noting that Jenny was inducted into the Connecticut Women’s Hall of Fame in 2014 for her work in business and labor.

And in case you haven’t picked up on it, Jenny has dedicated herself to empowering others to invent and innovate, whether through creating products for makers, empowering startup entrepreneurs, or connecting companies and executives with great opportunities.

Jenny Lawton on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenny-lawton-09278410

Bolster: https://bolster.com/

Michael Koenig on LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/mkoenig514 

Episode webpage: https://betweentwocoos.com/jenny-lawton

Between Two COO's: https://betweentwocoos.com