Startups for Good

SFG06 - Mara Zapeda, Managing Director at Zebras Unite

Mara Zepeda is the managing director at Zebras Unite. In 2013, she co-founded Switchboard, an engagement platform designed to be used by leaders in higher education and independent schools (including MIT, Williams, Oberlin, Reed, Willamette, University of Portland, and Buckingham, Browne & Nichols) and membership organizations. Switchboard made it easy for members of trusted affinity networks to help each other find what they needed, strengthen loyalty and increase giving. They focused on serving communities underserved and overlooked by technology.

Switchboard was part of Wieden + Kennedy's Portland Incubator Experiment 2013 class. In 2016, the company was recognized with the top honor in its field: a gold Circle of Excellence award for student and alumni engagement by the Council for the Advancement and Support of Higher Education. 

Mara joins me to discuss her founder story and how being a community organizer led to her first startup. She explains what a Zebra company is and the particular set of beliefs that exemplifies them. She also shares some of the other exciting organizations that she has started. We discuss Silicon Valley and should one desire to change it or create another model. We talk about planning forward as capitalism evolves.

 “And so as someone that's creative by nature, that often means that when you see a problem, or when you see something that frustrates you, you're compelled to fix it, or you're compelled to make art about it.” - Mara Zepeda

Today on Startups for Good we cover:

• Founding story of Switchboard and Zebras Unite
• We find out what DazzleCon is
• How to know if you are building a Zebra company
• How a Zebra co-operative works
• Systems level changes within the context of business strategy
• Multi-stakeholder initiatives
• Explaining exit to community and the impact
• Different forms of investing/alternatives to traditional VC funding
• Alternative capital taxonomy
• Resources to learn more about Zebra companies

To connect with Mara: 

Personal

Twitter: @marazepeda 

LinkedIn: Mara Zepeda

Company

Twitter:  @Zebras_Unite

LinkedIn: Zebras Unite

Other Links mentioned in the episode:

Zebras Unite Website

Zebras Fix What Unicorns Break

Zebracast Podcast

Medium Channel for Zebras Unite

Exit to Community

Alternative Capital Taxonomy piece.

Article on the Inclusive Capital Collective

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.startupsforgood.com

Patrick is the co-founder of FreeWill, a social venture which has helped organizations raise nearly $2B in new planned gifts, stock gifts, and qualified charitable distributions. Patrick and his co-founder Jenny were recently named two of the Top 50 Philanthropists in the World by Town & Country. 

Today on Startups For Good Patrick shares with us his journey to entrepreneurship from change.org to his own startup. He discusses his co-founder, Jenny Xia Spralding and how they came to the decision to be co-founders and how they divide responsibilities. Patrick fills us in on how FreeWill got its start, how it works and some of the numbers that represent its success. 

“People often talk about startups founders as these charismatic visionaries, but in many ways, along with velocity, the most important attribute for a startup founder is humility, and being open to being wrong at every turn, and then learning from that extremely quick.”  - Patrick Schmitt

Today on Startups for Good we cover:

• When Patrick realized that the business could be a force for good not simply profit
• How he challenged himself to create ideas for a startup
• Two barriers why people haven’t started the company they have an idea for. 
• First steps to take a business from ideation to reality
• How to manage existing products while launching new products
• Some of the challenges with this startup
• How the values they set up drive their focus
• The impact of COVID on management
• Two pieces of advice for anyone thinking to become a founder 

Connect with Patrick through the FreeWill website: www.freewill.com

Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/schm1tt/

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Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of Startups For Good with your host, Miles Lasater. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast listening app.

Don’t forget to visit our website, connect with Miles on Twitter or  LinkedIn, and share your favorite episodes across social media.

Kanyi is a Managing Partner at Kindred Ventures. He served as a Partner at Collaborative Fund, where he was an early advisor to Tala and Walker & Co., and a board member at Buffer, Camino Financial, Spruce, and True Link. Kanyi is a co-founder at Heartbeat Health, and previously ran growth at One Block Off the Grid (acquired by $NRG) and was an early employee at Doostang (acquired by Universum Global). Kanyi has also served as a Lecturer and Adjunct at New York University Tisch School of the Arts, a curriculum adapted from his time as a student at Stanford University. 

Kanyi and I spoke in 2015 to discuss Collaborative Fund and the companies that they are partnering with. He shares his background and how he came to join Collaborative Fund. We discuss the differences between blended value and blended return. We also get into the topic of shared economy. Miles challenged Kanyi to further explain how some of their companies are “for good”. 

“We have to make enough bets that we can find a couple of home runs in there. And we don’t know going in which of those are going to be the home runs.” - Kanyi Maqubela

Today on Startups for Good we cover:

• The perspective on risk reward when you are considering investing in a company
• Listen to find out what one company owner said that made Kanyi want to strive to be able to collaborate with them. 
• The reason that some company owners are hesitant to take on an investor and why they should consider it
• Kanyi shared his fascination with Bit coin and block chain and where internationally these are popular

Social Media for Kanyi:

Twitter: @km

Subscribe, Rate & Share Your Favorite Episodes!

Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of Startups For Good with your host, Miles Lasater. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast listening app.

Don’t forget to visit our website, connect with Miles on Twitter or  LinkedIn, and share your favorite episodes across social media.

Bart Houlahan, along with his partners, Jay Coen Gilbert and Andrew Kassoy, co-founded B Lab in 2006. B Lab is a non-profit organization serving a movement of people using business as a force for good. B Lab is redefining success in business by shining a light on leaders through a corporate certification (2500+ Certified B Corporations in 50+ countries), and then providing easy pathways for others to follow. B Lab encourages all companies to measure and manage their social and environmental impact using the B Impact Assessment (70,000+ companies engaged). And it works to create opportunities for companies to align their mission with their governance (Benefit Corporation legislation passed in 37 states and in process in 11 countries). Prior to B Lab, Bart was President of AND 1, a $250 million basketball footwear and apparel company. Bart is a Henry Crown Fellow of the Aspen Institute; a recipient of both the 2014 Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship and the 2015 John P. McNulty Prize; and an advisory board member of the Duke University Center for the Advancement of Social Entrepreneurship (CASE). 

Bart Houlahan joins me today to give us a clear picture of B lab, for benefit corporations and, and certified B corps. Bart shares with us how he started B lab and the motivation behind it. He goes into great detail about the law modifications of a for benefit corporations (B corp) and why startups should consider structuring as such. We discuss the international aspects of benefit corporations and some of B-labs partnerships. Bart closes the episode with some advice for up and coming entrepreneurs when contemplating a a for benefit corporate distinction.

“The secret is this isn’t just the right thing to do, it’s also good business. And if you are looking to create long-term value for yourself and for your shareholders, having a greater commitment to the environment and to society and governance practices should result in long term increased profitability.  - Bart Houlahan

Today on Startups for Good we cover:

• How B Lab started and its mission
• We discuss the corporate certification that B Lab offers
• Bart explains a For Benefit Corporation and why a company would choose such a distinction
• He shares how this effects venture capitalists and other investors
• We learn the legal implications and the support for this distinction

To more information about B Lab: bcorporation.net

Twitter: @BCorporation

Subscribe, Rate & Share Your Favorite Episodes!

Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of Startups For Good with your host, Miles Lasater. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast listening app.

Don’t forget to visit our website, connect with us  on Twitter or  LinkedIn, and share your favorite episodes across social media.

Professor Lynn stout was a professor at Cornell Law School, where she was an internationally recognized expert in the field of corporate governance, securities, regulation, financial derivatives, law and economics. 

Lynn discussed her book, Shareholder Value Myth. Recorded in 2015 Lynn shares with me more of the insights from her book. This book is short and easy to get through, but packed with a very clear perspective and some great insights.

“And each of the 50 states has a corporate code, including Delaware, which is the most important state for corporate law since the majority of Fortune 500 companies are incorporated there.” - Lynn Stout

Today on Startups for Good we cover:

• Lynn’s background and how she got her start in business and corporate law.
• She shares with us how she came to realize that a company’s responsibility to increase shareholder value is a myth and what that has translated in long range returns.
• She shares how this way of thinking has impacted other people within the corporation especially the employees.
• Directors and officers of corporation have no general legal duty to maximize shareholder value
• She explains the business judgement rule and how it affects how the directors are held responsible.

Here are the links to the articles that Miles referenced in the episode:

https://www.businessroundtable.org/business-roundtable-redefines-the-purpose-of-a-corporation-to-promote-an-economy-that-serves-all-americans

https://www.nytimes.com/1970/09/13/archives/a-friedman-doctrine-the-social-responsibility-of-business-is-to.html

Subscribe, Rate & Share Your Favorite Episodes!

Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of Startups For Good with your host, Miles Lasater. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast listening app.

Don’t forget to visit our website, follow Miles on LinkedIn, follow us on Twitter or Instagram, and share your favorite episodes across social media.

For more information or to join The Giving Circle visit: www.startupsforgood.com and click on Giving Circle.

Andrew Yang is an American businessman, lawyer, book author and philanthropist, as well as a former 2020 Democratic presidential candidate. He is the founder of Venture for America which connects young professionals to innovative companies in economically challenged cities. 

Andrew joins me today to discuss Venture for America and his 2015 book Smart People should Build Things. He shares his experience with building a social venture and placing young professionals in cities like Detroit, New Orleans and Cincinnati. He discusses the mindset of entrepreneurship and how to be successful. Andrew shares how he prepared himself for the leadership role and what inspires him.  

“What most business boils down to is that sense of what makes people tick.” - Andrew Yang

Today on Startups for Good we cover:

• Andrew's beginning following graduating from Brown and entering law school.
• Explaining what inspired Venture for America and how it began.
• Andrew also shares the success of Venture for America. 
• We learn about the mission and goals of the company.
• Andrew shares the relationship between the fellows and the companies.
• Some of the challenges as CEO of a non-profit and why he chose the non-profit route.
• Some of the staffing issues involved when hiring for a social impact venture.
• Andrew addresses if he has received any criticism in regards to a high scale/high growth model.

Connect with Andrew: @AndrewYang on Twitter

Andrew’s Website

His latest book The War on Normal People

Subscribe, Rate & Share Your Favorite Episodes!

Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of Startups For Good with your host, Miles Lasater. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast listening app.

Don’t forget to visit our website, follow Miles on LinkedIn, follow us on Twitter or Instagram, and share your favorite episodes across social media.

For more information or to join The Giving Circle visit: www.startupsforgood.com and click on Giving Circle.

Miles shares with you his vision for the podcast and highlights upcoming guests and intention of the podcast

The first four episodes will be:

Andrew Yang, Venture for America

Lynn Stout, Professor Cornell Law School

Bart Houlan, B Lab

Kanyi Maquebela, Kindred Ventures

“Join us to hear their stories, join us to be inspired to be a founder or join to be a part of a community that believes startups can be a force for good” -Miles Lasater.

Subscribe and Share to people who will be interested in this episode

Don’t forget to visit our website, connect with Miles on LinkedIn, and Twitter.