Greenhero
#4 – Plant-based entrepreneurship is changing the way we eat w/ Vevolution co-founder Erik Amundson
Welcome back to the Greenhero podcast with your host, Rikard Björkdahl! Joining the show today is Erik Admundson, co-founder and managing director of Vevolution, a global network and investment marketplace with a mission to accelerate the growth of the plant-based and the cell-based economy. After years of managing networks in the nonprofit and for-profit sectors, Erik's passion for entrepreneurship and the future of food led him to Vevolution.
Vevolution was founded after the collapse of the in-person event industry due to COVID-19. With the fundamental goal to cultivate and accelerate the plant-based economy, the company shifted to become the first and only plant-based-ag investment marketplace. They make it easy for start-ups to find mission-aligned investors, and investors to find those start-ups.
Erik is seeing a lot of growth and movement in western Europe and the US regarding plant-based investments. Some serious up-and-coming places like Singapore, Tel Aviv, and parts of Australia have put themselves on the map. There are always the usual suspects, he says, but it’s incredible and surprising how and where innovation happens.
The drivers of the innovation depend on where you are. In Europe, sustainability is a primary motivator for many people and companies to go plant-based. In some places, the government has made it part of their long-term plan, whereas individuals and companies take on the responsibility in other places. At the same time, there needs to be support at all levels.
Erik’s passion for change and his own plant-based journey when he became more and more involved with sustainability while in college. As he is from the midwest US, there weren’t many plant-based options. But, when he traveled to Australia, he really committed himself to being an environmentalist and became a vegetarian. When he began working in the nonprofit space, he would see these prominent figures in the plant-based economy downing burgers, and it felt like a misalignment of mission. And so began his journey.
The problem, he feels, is that the effort has to come from the individual. When typical problems are presented with a solution from the top-down (a mayor, leader, etc.) change happens much more easily. Things like subsidization, capital projects and investments, and other ways can have a big impact on the growth of Ag. On the grassroots side of things, it’s about the action to take when you buy plant-based.
Perfection is the enemy of good, Erik says when it comes to transitioning to plant-based. A huge stopper on many people going plant-based is the shaming that happens when they have meat. It can be graduation and circumstantial at first. But when you’re alone shopping for yourself, that’s where the action happens. It won’t happen overnight, especially because of locational challenges, but when chains like Chipotle start offering plant-based options, it suddenly becomes more accessible and approachable.
Things you’ll learn
- The drivers of the innovation depend on where you are. In some places, the government has made it part of their long-term plan, whereas individuals and companies take on the responsibility in other places. At the same time, there needs to be support at all levels.
- Things like subsidization, capital projects and investments, and other ways can have a big impact on the growth of Ag.
- Perfection is the enemy of good, when it comes to transitioning to plant-based. A huge stopper on many people going plant-based is the shaming that happens when they have meat.
Links
@vevolution
Welcome back to the Greenhero podcast with your host, Rikard Björkdahl! Joining the show today is Erik Admundson, co-founder and managing director of Vevolution, a global network and investment marketplace with a mission to accelerate the growth of the plant-based and the cell-based economy. After years of managing networks in the nonprofit and for-profit sectors, Erik's passion for entrepreneurship and the future of food led him to Vevolution.
Vevolution was founded after the collapse of the in-person event industry due to COVID-19. With the fundamental goal to cultivate and accelerate the plant-based economy, the company shifted to become the first and only plant-based-ag investment marketplace. They make it easy for start-ups to find mission-aligned investors, and investors to find those start-ups.
Erik is seeing a lot of growth and movement in western Europe and the US regarding plant-based investments. Some serious up-and-coming places like Singapore, Tel Aviv, and parts of Australia have put themselves on the map. There are always the usual suspects, he says, but it’s incredible and surprising how and where innovation happens.
The drivers of the innovation depend on where you are. In Europe, sustainability is a primary motivator for many people and companies to go plant-based. In some places, the government has made it part of their long-term plan, whereas individuals and companies take on the responsibility in other places. At the same time, there needs to be support at all levels.
Erik’s passion for change and his own plant-based journey when he became more and more involved with sustainability while in college. As he is from the midwest US, there weren’t many plant-based options. But, when he traveled to Australia, he really committed himself to being an environmentalist and became a vegetarian. When he began working in the nonprofit space, he would see these prominent figures in the plant-based economy downing burgers, and it felt like a misalignment of mission. And so began his journey.
The problem, he feels, is that the effort has to come from the individual. When typical problems are presented with a solution from the top-down (a mayor, leader, etc.) change happens much more easily. Things like subsidization, capital projects and investments, and other ways can have a big impact on the growth of Ag. On the grassroots side of things, it’s about the action to take when you buy plant-based.
Perfection is the enemy of good, Erik says when it comes to transitioning to plant-based. A huge stopper on many people going plant-based is the shaming that happens when they have meat. It can be graduation and circumstantial at first. But when you’re alone shopping for yourself, that’s where the action happens. It won’t happen overnight, especially because of locational challenges, but when chains like Chipotle start offering plant-based options, it suddenly becomes more accessible and approachable.
Things you’ll learn
- The drivers of the innovation depend on where you are. In some places, the government has made it part of their long-term plan, whereas individuals and companies take on the responsibility in other places. At the same time, there needs to be support at all levels.
- Things like subsidization, capital projects and investments, and other ways can have a big impact on the growth of Ag.
- Perfection is the enemy of good, when it comes to transitioning to plant-based. A huge stopper on many people going plant-based is the shaming that happens when they have meat.
Links
@vevolution