Impact at Scale

Impact at Scale

By Hosted by Zal Dastur and Produced by Michael Waitze MediaBusinessEntrepreneurship
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Impact at Scale episodes

  • EP 59 - Marina Tran-Vu - Founder of EQUO - I Went Into the Startup World Completely Blind

    The Social Innovation Podcast was joined by Marina Tran-Vu, the Founder of EQUO.  Derived from the words ECO, meaning not harmful to the environment and STATUS QUO, meaning an existing state or condition, EQUO stands for the ideal of creating products with minimal impact to the environment.

    Some of the topics that Marina and I discussed:

    • Leaving a high-paying job and going 'back' to Vietnam
    • Living quite an unsustainable life prior to founding EQUO
    • The grass straw and deciding to commercialize them globally
    • Starting a business during a recession
    • Building a sustainable AND fun brand
    • European expansion

      • Some other titles we considered for this episode:

      1. To Be Honest, I Was Completely Not Sustainable
      2. I Wanted Bright and Loud and Colorful
      3. I Did Everything by Trial and Error
      4. The Biggest Currency in Life Is Time
      5. People Said This Was Crazy and Stupid

        6. This episode was produced by Isabelle Goh.

        46 min
      6. EP 58 - Lily Dempster - Founder & CEO at One Small Step - Change Does Not Happen on a Linear Basis

        The Social Innovation Podcast welcomed Lily Dempster, the Founder & CEO at One Small Step.  One Small Step is a mobile app with tailored programs to help you cut your carbon footprint. It employs behavioural science to make green living simple, easy and fun.

        Lily started her career working in the Prime Minister's office before realizing she could have a bigger impact by helping people make changes on an individual basis. She has always viewed success in terms of the positive impact she is having on the planet. It is clear from the way she speaks that she is passionate about what she sees as the biggest issue of our lifetime.

        This episode was guest-hosted again by Zal Dastur. Zal, has been an entrepreneur for the last 14 years and has turned his attention to helping solve the climate crisis in the best way he knows, helping for-planet businesses develop and grow. As an active advisor and investor, Zal has impacted dozens of companies in the climate space helping them to reach their potential to do the maximum good for the planet.

        Some of the topics Lily discussed:

        • The movie that woke her up to climate change
        • Climate change as a threat multiplier
        • Insights into government policymaking
        • Government regulation versus individual action
        • The influence of mining, oil and gas on Australian politics
        • Climate change as progressive vs conservative issue
        • Our ability to influence those around us
        • Socially contagious behaviors
        • Helping people take the first step
        • The difficulty of getting large organizations to change

          • Other titles we considered for this episode:

          1. Success Looks Like Making a Contribution to Society
          2. Climate Change Is the Biggest Social Justice Issue Facing Our Generation
          3. Climate Change Is a Network Problem
          4. Where Do You Have In Your Life the Biggest Points of Influence
          5. We Have a Lot More Power Than Is Currently Acknowledged
            6. 37 min
          6. EP 57 - Max Nelen - Founder & CEO at Agros - Close Your Eyes, Make the Jump and See Where You Land

            The Social Innovation Podcast spoke to Max Nelen the CEO and Founder of Agros about all things farming and agriculture. Max moved from being a management consultant to talking to smallholder farmers all over Southeast Asia to try and find a solution that works for them to lower their carbon footprint. He takes a farmer-first view for his business, ensuring that all of his solutions are driving value for the farmer, first and foremost.

            This episode was guest-hosted again by Zal Dastur. Zal, has been an entrepreneur for the last 14 years and has turned his attention to helping solve the climate crisis in the best way he knows, helping for-planet businesses develop and grow. As an active advisor and investor, Zal has impacted dozens of companies in the climate space helping them to reach their potential to do the maximum good for the planet.

            Some of the topics covered in this episode:

            • Feeding the world
            • The requirements of smallholder farmers in Asia
            • Convincing farmers to change
            • The power of soil as carbon capture tool
            • The impact of rice on the planet
            • Helping farmers manage their soil and fertilizer
            • VCs and proving traction over time
            • The iterative process of product development
            • A financial model that works for farmers

              • Other titles we considered for this episode:

              1. Agriculture Is 24% Of Global Greenhouse Gas Emission
              2. By 2050 90% Of the World's Soil Will Be Degraded
              3. Take an Outside View, Ask the Difficult Questions
              4. Double the Income of 100,000 Farmers in Southeast Asia
              5. The Feedback Is Smiling Faces
              6. Constant Questioning of the Status Quo
              7. Farmers Don’t Really Care About Climate Change
                8. 31 min
              8. EP 56 - Samridh Goyal - Founder & CEO at Solar Horizon - Nations of Energy "Prosumers" Not Just Consumers

                The Social Innovation Podcast had a great discussion with Samridh Goyal, the Founder & CEO of Solar Horizon.  Solar Horizon is a full service solar project consultancy operating in South East Asia and India with a mission to help companies unlock the full value of their rooftops by harnessing the power of the sun. Sam comes with a wealth of experience having been in the solar industry for more than a decade. In this conversation we talk about the future of solar in South East Asia and we cover the next big thing in solar, decentralized energy creation.


                This week's episode is guest hosted by Zal Dastur. Zal, has been an entrepreneur for the last 14 years and has turned his attention to helping solve the climate crisis in the best way he knows, helping for-planet businesses develop and grow. As an active advisor and investor Zal has impacted dozens of companies in the climate space helping them to reach their potential to do the maximum good for the planet.

                Some of the topics covered in this episode:

                • Why solar is perfect for the urbanized world
                • The Singapore solar market boom
                • The challenge of net zero
                • What Singapore got right in its model
                • Floating solar
                • Using the energy grid like a battery
                • Decentralized energy creation
                • Deregulating energy markets
                • Blockchain enabled solar systems and energy distribution tracking
                • An integrated energy market for ASEAN

                  • Other titles we considered for this episode:

                  1. The Grids in the Region Must Start to Deregulate
                  2. Finally the Banks in Singapore Offering Green Loans
                  3. Peer to Peer Energy Trading
                  4. Power to the People
                  5. A Virtual Power Grid
                  6. Power the Entire Planet With Renewables
                  7. The Revolution Will Happen at the Distributed Energy Level
                  8. We All Have to Play Our Part
                    9. 33 min
                  9. EP 55 - Mayur Singh - a co-Founder at Green Collective - Choose Your Own Route

                    The Social Innovation Podcast was joined by Mayur Singh, a co-Founder at Green Collective and a Founding Partner at IxSA.

                    Mayur truly embodies the title of this week's episode. From a young age, he has chosen his own route both in what he wanted to study and in his career. Coming from a background in investment banking, Mayur has combined his love of sustainability and a for profit mindset to develop a retail as a service concept in Singapore.


                    This week's episode is guest hosted by Zal Dastur. Zal, has been an entrepreneur for the last 14 years and has turned his attention to helping solve the climate crisis in the best way he knows, helping for-planet businesses develop and grow. As an active advisor and investor Zal has impacted dozens of companies in the climate space helping them to reach their potential to do the maximum good for the planet.

                    Some of the topics covered in this episode:

                    • Going against the family tradition
                    • Being a doctor or an engineer
                    • Finding Ikigai
                    • How frustration leads to a business
                    • Taking a step into the unknown
                    • The growth of Earth Day
                    • Government's power to push awareness
                    • Sustainability as a way of doing business
                    • The changing face of consumer products
                    • How to make sustainability more inclusive
                    • Consumers buying into sustainable products

                      • Other titles we considered for this episode:

                      1. Find My Own Ikigai
                      2. Maths or Biology
                      3. Never Scared of Thinking Against the Tide
                      4. A For-Profit Mindset
                      5. When Will your Home Be Uninsurable?
                      6. We Need Consumer Demand for Large-Scale Change
                      7. I Would Love a Carbon Tax
                        8. 28 min
                      8. EP 54 - Mick Liubinskas - co-Founder at Climate Salad - A Trillion Positive Decisions

                        The Social Innovation Podcast had the chance to talk to Mick Liubinskas, a co-Founder of Climate Salad, an online community dedicated to fostering and developing the climate and sustainability industry in Australia. Mick shares with us what made him leave the tech world and commit to climate and how we can all look around and ask, "What more can I be doing?".

                        This episode is hosted again by Zal Dastur. Zal, has been an entrepreneur for the last 14 years and has turned his attention to helping solve the climate crisis in the best way he knows how, helping for-planet businesses develop and grow. As an active advisor and investor, Zal has impacted dozens of companies in the climate space, helping them to reach their potential to do the maximum good for the planet.

                        Some of the topics that Zal and Mick discussed:

                        • Being a private environmentalist
                        • How an individual message changed Mick's life
                        • What good entrepreneurship looks like
                        • The genesis of Climate Salad
                        • The Climate Tech 100
                        • Comparing carbon to dollars (starting to sound familiar!)
                        • The role of consumers in solving the climate problem
                        • What should a burger REALLY cost?
                        • When do we realize this is a crisis?

                          • Other titles we considered for this episode:

                          1. Maybe It's Time You Get In This Game
                          2. Startup Helping Startups
                          3. A Massive Sense of Urgency
                          4. People Are Dying Right Now
                          5. More Opportunities Than You Think
                            6. 33 min
                          6. EP 53 - Marie Cheong and Quentin Vaquette - Founding Partners, Wavemaker Impact - Approach Carbon in the Same Way You Approach Dollars

                            The Social Innovation Podcast sat down with Marie Cheong and Quentin Vaquette, two of the founding partners of Wavemaker Impact, to talk about solving the climate crisis through impactful businesses. Wavemaker Impact is a fund and a venture builder looking to grow companies that can earn $100 million in revenue and abate 100 megatonnes of carbon per year.

                            This week's episode is guest-hosted by Zal Dastur. Zal, has been an entrepreneur for the past 14 years and has turned his attention to solving the climate crisis in the best way he knows, helping for-planet businesses develop and grow. As an active advisor and investor, Zal has impacted dozens of companies in the climate space, helping them reach their potential to do the maximum good for the planet.

                            Some of the topics that we discussed:

                            • What does 100x100 companies mean?
                            • How a trip to the Maldives helped to inspire change
                            • How to create a new molecule
                            • Adoption can be the biggest challenge in decarbonization
                            • Approaching change from the lower point of friction
                            • The $2BN opportunity in carbon
                            • How to analyze companies by their ability to draw down carbon
                            • How to go after the big game in carbon
                            • What is the carbon TAM?
                            • Creating a carbon emissions map
                            • The impact rice growing has on emissions

                              • Other titles we considered for this episode:

                              1. Carbon Can Be the New Natural Resource for Asia
                              2. Sustainability Is a Team Game
                              3. Value Pockets Are Like Hot Pockets, But Full of Dollars
                              4. Climate Is the New Tech
                              5. You Don't Need to Be a Scientist to Build a Climate Tech Company
                              6. The Next Thousand Unicorns Are Going to Be in Climate
                                7. 39 min
                              7. EP 52 - Shamini Dhana - Founder and CEO at Dhana, Inc. - They Saw Chaos at Its Best

                                The Social Innovation Podcast had such a wonderful conversation with Shamini Dhana, the Founder and CEO of Dhana, Inc. and the CEO at D/Sphere.  Dhana Inc. is a fashion tech company, transforming customer experience from zero-waste designs to social and environmental impact through Circular Fashion. D/Sphere is the creative fashion platform for people to create clothing using second-life materials, share stories while doing good in the world.

                                Some of the topics that Shamini covered:

                                • Recording on an auspicious day and naming her company after her father
                                • Growing up in Singapore
                                • How working for the government of California was a pivotal point in her career
                                • Moving to Silicon Valley Bank and establishing it in India
                                • Taking 25 VCs on a trip to India that was fascinating on so many levels
                                • Seeing something first-hand has to touch you
                                • Businesses are getting more value-aligned
                                • The what, why, and how of D/Sphere
                                • The circular economy and second-life materials
                                • The fashion industry's contribution to the world's pollution
                                • Driving social and environmental impact
                                • Fashion as a mechanism for telling stories

                                  • Other titles we considered for this episode:

                                  1. Came With Two Suitcases and Not Knowing a Person
                                  2. Entrepreneurship Is About Being Able To Navigate In the Chaos
                                  3. A Trajectory of Your Whole Journey
                                  4. I Need To Show You Something
                                  5. We Fundamentally Believe In the Human Expression
                                  6. Empowering People To Create Impact
                                  7. Repair, Resale, Rental and Recycle
                                  8. The Store, the Studio, and the Story
                                    9. 42 min
                                  9. EP 51 - Edward Booty - CEO at reach52 - How Do We Act In a More Inclusive Way?

                                    The Social Innovation Podcast was joined by Edward Booty, the CEO at reach52. reach52 delivers health services in markets others don't reach.

                                    Some of the topics Ed discussed:

                                    • Encouraged by his father to travel after graduation from university
                                    • Traveled to India among other countries
                                    • Worked at a pharmaceutical company in Bombay creating new business models for emerging markets
                                    • How even some of the people that join reach52 just assume that basic services exist everywhere
                                    • According to a WHO report, half the world lacks access to essential health services
                                    • The chronic shortage of healthcare workers
                                    • Rural areas suffer most from these shortages
                                    • The sheer amount of medicine that gets thrown away
                                    • Some of the roadblocks to solving healthcare access problems
                                    • The impact of the lack of payment systems in the markets that reach52 serves
                                    • Is healthcare a human right?

                                      • Other titles we considered for this episode:

                                      1. Big, Crazy, Loud, and Exciting
                                      2. Seeing It For Real Is Definitely Most Important
                                      3. That’s What It Says On the Tin
                                      4. We Don’t Need Bleeding-edge Innovation
                                      5. People Are Pretty Bad at Taking Their Medicine
                                      6. Cash, Cash, and More Cash…
                                        7. 35 min
                                      7. EP 50 - Chaitali Patel - Chief Impact Officer at 100 Women in Finance and the CEO of EverGood - From Success To Significance

                                        The Social Innovation Podcast enjoyed the opportunity to talk to Chaitali Patel, the Chief Impact Officer at 100 Women in Finance and the CEO of EverGood.  EverGood seeks to help the world’s most innovative, resourceful, and mission-driven organizations plan, measure, and communicate their impact.

                                        Some of the topics that Chaitali discussed:

                                        • Immigrating from India to the United States as a 17-year-old
                                        • Falling in love with finance because it was part art and part science
                                        • The difference between her computer classes and finance classes
                                        • Transitioning from FinTech and finance into impact and sustainability
                                        • Having a short-lived desire to work for a think tank in Washington D.C.
                                        • The state of Utah and female empowerment
                                        • Success happens slowly and then fast
                                        • Seeing ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) through a risk-management lens
                                        • The potentially large alpha opportunity for ESG investments
                                        • The food industry and reading about ancient civilizations

                                          • Other titles we considered for this episode:

                                          1. We Never Left Glam
                                          2. The Constant Change Becomes Your Normal
                                          3. How Do We Fix It?
                                          4. How Big of a Client Can You Take?
                                          5. How Fast Can You Scale?
                                          6. The Purpose Is Building Something Bigger Than Yourself
                                          7. The Initial Seed Funding Has To Be Tied to Sustainability
                                            8. 37 min

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