Julia Collins is the Founder and CEO of Planet FWD, a company on a mission to tackle climate change by expanding regenerative agriculture adoption. The company is building a software platform for regenerative agriculture alongside Moonshot Snacks, its climate-friendly snack brand that carbon neutral, organic, kosher, plant-based, non-GMO and has no sugar added. Planet FWD has raised over $5M in venture capital from funds including Emerson Collective, BBG Ventures, MCJ Collective, January Ventures, Concrete Rose, Kapor Capital, Arlan Hamilton and more.
Julia is a serial entrepreneur who has started companies like Mexicue, Murray’s Cheese Bar, Harlem Jazz Enterprises, and Zume Pizza, where she raised over $250M in venture capital and became the first black woman to co-found a unicorn company. Julia serves on the board of Black Girls Code, sits on the advisory council for Launch with GS, and serves on the All Raise operating committee. She is an active angel investor focused on funding female entrepreneurs and BIPOC founders.
In this episode, we will cover:
Julia’s first exposure to entrepreneurship and what motivated her to become a founder
How Julia prepared herself to start her first company and what it felt like to actually make the leap and jump in
Julia’s experience starting a company with a co-founder vs. on her own, plus her advice on building the initial team
What Julia learned from founding Zume Pizza and how that informed her approach for Planet FWD
Julia’s experience raising venture capital and her perspective on what matters most in generating momentum for that first round of capital
Julia’s advice for founders just starting out, particularly the mindset they must have in the early days
Julia’s inspiring vision for how Planet FWD will change our lives and positively impact the planet
