Brand on Purpose

Thank You For Coming Out Founder and Executive Producer Dubbs Weinblatt talks about how their experience growing up in a reform synagogue impacted their identity and how their dedication to educating people on the nuances of LGBTQ identity inspired the founding of their improv group and podcast. Founded in 2015, Thank You For Coming Out offers a safe space for LGBTQIA+ storytellers and improvisers to share their vulnerable and heartfelt coming out stories. In today’s society, representation...

Uncommon Goods Founder & CEO Dave Bolotsky offers an inside look at the groundbreaking e-commerce company – one of the very first in the space at its founding in 1999, and one of the original purpose-driven companies. Now a certified B-Corp headquartered in Brooklyn, Uncommon Goods is an online marketplace to connect creators and their products with shoppers looking for truly unique goods. Through the longstanding Better to Give program, the company donates $1 for every purchase to select...

Reel Co-Founder and Chief Marketing Officer Derin Oyekan talks about how his experience growing up in Nigeria and seeing firsthand the effects of the lack of access to sanitation inspired the founding of his eco-friendly toilet paper startup. Launched in March 2019 and available on Amazon, Reel Paper is made of 100% bamboo and helps to reduce waste, encourage conscious consumerism, and help improve the quality of life for disadvantaged people around the world. Derin and Aaron discuss where...

digitalundivided (DID) founder and former CEO Kathryn Finney talks about how the social enterprise supports Black and Latinx female entrepreneurs through data and resources. An Echoing Green fellow and Obama administration White House Champion of Change, Kathryn leverages her background in political science and epidemiology to spearhead innovative, systemic change in the business world. After the onset of COVID-19, Kathryn founded The Doonie Fund with a $10,000 personal donation, ultimately...

IFundWomen’s Director of Marketing Julia Steele discusses the barriers that women face within the entrepreneurial community and how the organization helps women overcome those barriers to ultimately launch and fund their own businesses. Julia delves into how her background in media and startups influenced her career path and explains the steps the that IFundWomen has taken to help break through the glass ceiling that still exists for many women entrepreneurs today. Aaron and Julia also talk...

Belvedere Vodka CEO and President Rodney Williams discusses the company’s commitment to nature, supported by a mission to nourish and protect the planet – with a goal to generate 100% renewable energy for the distillery and surrounding businesses by 2025. As leader of the world’s first luxury vodka, Rodney shares his thoughts on how vodka can be a muse for craftsmanship, the unique natural and organic properties that define Belvedere’s product, and the importance of having vulnerable...

United By Blue Founder & CEO Brian Linton talks about how the organic and eco-friendly clothing and accessories retailer is leading the charge when it comes to sustainability innovation. A certified B Corp since 2011, Philadelphia-based United By Blue makes its products out of recycled and organic materials, removing one pound of trash from oceans and waterways for every product purchased – leading to over three million pounds of trash removed to date. Brian discusses the ways growing up in...

Margo founder Antya Waegemann discusses the trauma of sexual assault, the stigma attached to victims and the importance of conducting a rape kit – and how these points led her to becoming a sexual assault advocate. After discovering that thousands of rape kits are left untested, Antya took a stand to address the issue by redesigning a rape kit that aims to empower assault survivors by offering them the help and care that they deserve. Antya sheds light on the importance of having empathy for...

Warby Parker co-founder and co-CEO Neil Blumenthal and VisionSpring CEO Ella Gudwin discuss the “buy a pair, give a pair” partnership that transformed the glasses industry and the widespread impact the organizations have had around the world. Diving into how the organizations work together, the duo pull back the curtain on how Warby’s glasses sales support VisionSpring’s efforts to bring glasses and vision education to emerging regions. Coming up with the idea for Warby Parker with some...

Rescuing Leftover Cuisine CEO and Co-Founder Robert Lee discusses how he followed a gut feeling to leave his financial services job and pursue a fulltime career donating otherwise unused food to those in need. Born with a food-saver mentality, Robert has taken the nonprofit to new heights, partnering with restaurants, grocery stores and other food businesses to donate over 5 million pounds of food to homeless shelters and pantries. Aaron and Robert discuss how 40 percent of food produced in...

Brand on Purpose will return in January 2021. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) Chief Social Responsibility Officer & Global Head of CSR Balaji Ganapathy talks about the IT services, digital and business solutions company’s purpose journey and its mission to connect youth, women and marginalized groups to opportunities in the digital economy. Part of the 152-year old Tata Group of companies, TCS recently became the world’s most valuable information tech company, leveraging its extensive history to quickly adapt to an ever-changing world...

Hims & Hers Founder and CEO Andrew Dudum highlights how the digital health platform is leading the charge in virtual health, of which has drastically risen in popularity - and necessity - during the pandemic. Launched just three years ago, Hims & Hers serves with the mission to be “the front door” in today’s current healthcare system, as nearly 80% of U.S. rural counties don’t have a doctor close by. In conversation, Andrew and Aaron discuss how Hims encourages men to take care of themselves...

Raising Our Hands author Jenna Arnold discusses equality, vulnerability, and the importance of finding and using your voice during this challenging, polarizing and politicized time. Exploring the themes covered in the book, Jenna offers her unique perspective on privilege and shares insights from her years of conversations with white women across America about their identity and role in the country. Raising Our Hands is a call to white women – but relevant beyond that demographic – to stop...

BioLite CEO Jonathan Cedar shines a light on how many people around the world lack clean, affordable household energy, which leads to meals cooked on smoky open fires and little or no electricity in homes. After learning about these issues, Jonathan founded BioLite, which offers products designed to cook, charge, and light off-grid households by harnessing surrounding energy. Through the company’s unique Parallel Innovation model, BioLite targets both off-grid households in emerging markets...

Abbey Wemimo co-founder of Esusu, a financial technology platform that helps disenfranchised and financially excluded individuals seek a better, more fiscally prosperous future, believes where you come from shouldn’t determine where you’ll go. Abbey and Aaron explore housing as a basic human right, discuss how Esusu helps individuals build money and credit that is deemed essential to securing housing and wealth in the U.S., and why companies like Esusu are essential to leveling out the...

The Honey Pot Founder and CEO Bea Dixon touches on the founding of her plant-powered hygiene product company and how she’s leveraged her platform to discuss racial, gender and economic justice. Bea began creating The Honey Pot products from her own kitchen sink, and now the company is in nearly every major retailer. In conversation, Bea discusses the recent Target advertisement that received backlash and how Target has had such a strong impact on the company’s success, how The Honey Pot...

Bombas Co-Founders David Heath (CEO) and Randy Goldberg (Chief Branding Officer) discuss how a Facebook post that mentioned socks are the number one most requested item in homeless shelters led to the creation of the brand that supports those communities by way of a one-for-one premium sock donation model. David and Randy also discuss how Toms and Warby Parker served as inspiration, the importance of having a pristine product for a mission-driven organization, their successful Shark Tank...

Vessel co-founder Dagny Tucker talks about why she helped start the tech-enabled stainless steel reusable cup service. Having worked in global peace and conflict for over 20 years, Dagny was struck by how often tensions would rise in areas over resources, and began considering ways she could make a difference when it came to conservation and more sustainable solutions in everyday life. This deep interest in looking at unseen environmental and social impacts of consumption led to the creation...

Photo Patch Foundation Founder and Executive Director Antoine Patton talks about how his own incarceration led to the creation of the brand that helps to increase communication for the 2.7 million children in the United States that have a parent in prison. Through a digital platform and mobile app - created by Antoine’s then 12-year-old daughter - children can write letters and send photos to their incarcerated parents, strengthening communication between youth and their family members. In...