Superpowers for Good: Empowering Changemakers for Social Impact via Regulated Investment Crowdfunding from the SuperCrowd.

Devin Thorpe

We host changemakers who are using regulated investment crowdfunding for social impact--impact crowdfunding--as impact investors or social entrepreneurs, catalyzing change with leadership skills we call superpowers. www.superpowers4good.com

  1. 9h ago

    Tampon Tribe Turns Plastic-Free Period Care Into Purpose Built Growth

    Watch the show on television by downloading the SuperCrowd.tv Channel app to your Roku or Amazon Fire TV or e360tv channel app to your Roku, LG or Amazon Fire TV. You can also see it on YouTube. Devin: What is your superpower? Jennifer: My superpower is really resilience and never giving up. Through all the trials and tribulations that we all go through in life; I never lose hope and never give up on my dreams. Tampon Tribe is proving that certified organic, plastic-free period products can become a fast-growing business when impact, community and product integrity stay at the center. I welcomed Jennifer Eden, co-founder and CEO of Tampon Tribe, back to Superpowers for Good to celebrate the company’s Purpose Built 100 recognition. Tampon Tribe ranked number 10 overall, number 2 among environmental solutions and number 2 among women founder CEOs. That recognition reflects both growth and mission. Jennifer explained that the company began with two pillars: health and the environment. After struggling with endometriosis, she found that switching products changed her own experience. That personal discovery became the basis for a company now working to eliminate toxins, man-made materials and plastics from period care. “We don’t compromise,” Jennifer told me. “We don’t use any additives, we don’t use any chemicals, any toxins, any waxes, any glues, any perfumes, any dyes or any plastics.” She also shared a major milestone: Tampon Tribe recently became GOTS-certified organic as a company. Jennifer emphasized that this certification goes beyond cotton quality. “It’s an entire impact certification from seed to shelf,” she said, noting that it considers fair work practices, water use and environmental impact. The product line has grown from tampons to include pads, liners, reusable pads, menstrual cups, period underwear and wellness items. Jennifer sees the company becoming a trusted resource across the full life cycle for people who get periods, including tweens and teens preparing for a first period. One of the most compelling parts of the story is how community helped build the business. Tampon Tribe began with an Indiegogo campaign, then used regulated investment crowdfunding on Wefunder and debt crowdfunding through SMBX. I’m proud to be an investor. 🏆 Congratulations to Jennifer Eden, co-founder and CEO of Tampon Tribe, Inc., on ranking #2 among PurposeBuilt100™ Woman Founder/CEOs, #2 in Environmental Solutions, and #10 overall in the inaugural PurposeBuilt100™! Check the full rankings: https://purposebuilt100.com “The crowd’s been instrumental,” Jennifer said. “Tampon Tribe at its core is a community-based company.” That community did more than provide capital. It helped validate demand, shape the product mix and create advocates. Jennifer recalled that early backers quickly asked for pads and liners, prompting the company to add them almost immediately. “When you’re invested in the company, you’re also an advocate,” Jennifer said. For impact entrepreneurs, Tampon Tribe offers a powerful example. Build from lived experience. Listen to customers. Refuse to compromise on mission. Invite the crowd in. That combination can protect bodies, reduce plastic waste and build a company worth celebrating. tl;dr: Jennifer Eden built Tampon Tribe around certified organic cotton, plastic-free packaging and period product safety. Tampon Tribe ranked tenth overall in the Purpose Built 100, second among environmental solutions. Community financing helped validate demand, expand products and turn customers into active advocates. Resilience carried Jennifer through $13 bank balances, rooftop sleeping and pizza delivery side hustles. Her advice: believe in yourself, pivot when needed, ask for help and keep going. How to Develop Resilience As a Superpower Jennifer’s superpower is resilience. She told me, “My superpower is really resilience and never giving up,” adding that she has always believed “you can achieve anything you put your mind to.” That doesn’t mean ignoring fear. Jennifer acknowledged the 3 AM worries and the moments when “you can’t see much light at the end of the tunnel.” Her practice is to keep moving anyway. “As long as you see a little bit of light, for me, that’s enough,” she said. “Get knocked down but get back up.” Jennifer illustrated that resilience with the earliest days of Tampon Tribe. At one point, the company had only about $13 in the bank while she waited for a potential $100,000 investment from the Launch Group. Before that, Jennifer and her co-founder had rented out their bedrooms, kept one room as an office, slept in a tent on their Santa Monica rooftop and delivered pizzas at night to build the first cash for the business. “There are always solutions,” she said. “What can we do? What are our resources?” That gritty optimism helped turn an idea into a multimillion-dollar company. Have courage and choose to believe in yourself before circumstances prove you right. Keep looking forward; treat each day as a fresh chance to solve the next problem. Learn what you do not know, practice it, try again and get back up when you fail. Pivot quickly when an idea is not resonating rather than pushing blindly. Ask for help from people nearby who have capabilities you need. Look for even a little light at the end of the tunnel and move toward it. Use the resources you have without resentment, even if the work feels humble or hard. By following Jennifer’s example and advice, you can make resilience a skill. With practice and effort, you could make it a superpower that enables you to do more good in the world. Remember, however, that research into success suggests that building on your own superpowers is more important than creating new ones or overcoming weaknesses. You do you! Guest Profile Jennifer Eden (she/her): Co-Founder / CEO, Tampon Tribe Website: tampontribe.com X/Twitter Handle: @tampontribe Company Facebook Page: facebook.com/tampontribe Biographical Information: An entrepreneur at heart, Jennifer is an internationally awarded marketer, business leader and broadcaster. Beginning her career in Australia, and working as a live news anchor, journalist and broadcaster both there and in China, Jennifer is no stranger to making very quick decisions under extreme pressure. She founded, grew and exited two businesses in Beijing, and has led several marketing teams from business inception to exit. Jen was awarded Women in Business in Asia’s MarCom Director of the Year and graduated from Charles Sturt University with a Communication and Marketing degree and a triple major in economics, politics and sociology. Jen is a fast problem solver, is quick to pivot and has worked extensively leading results-driven teams in sales, management, marketing and communication. Personal X/Twitter: @Jen90545305 Personal Facebook Profile: facebook.com/jennifer.eden.520 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jeeden/ Instagram: @tampontribe @jen_eden Support Our Sponsors Our generous sponsors make our work possible, serving impact investors, social entrepreneurs, community builders and diverse founders. Today’s advertisers include SuperGreen Live and supercrowd.tv. Learn more about advertising with us here. Max-Impact Members (We’re grateful for every one of these community champions who make this work possible.) Alisa Evans, Mission Enrollment | Brian Christie, Brainsy | Cameron Neil, Lend For Good | Carol Fineagan, Independent Consultant | Eric Coury, Arthia AI | Joey Hayes, thru | John Berlet, CORE Tax Deeds, LLC. | Justin Starbird, The Aebli Group | Ken Steele, Rotarian | Lory Moore, Lory Moore Law | Marcia Brinton, High Desert Gear | Mark Grimes, Networked Enterprise Development | Mike Babbit | Coledger Solutions | Mike Green, Envirosult | Nick Degnan, Unlimit Ventures | Paul Lovejoy, Stakeholder Enterprise | Pearl Wright, Global Changemaker | Scott Thorpe, Philanthropist | Sharon Samjitsingh, Health Care Originals | Add Your Name Here Upcoming SuperCrowd Event Calendar If a location is not noted, the events below are virtual. Join the SuperCrowd Impact League! You can be recognized for making impact investments via Reg CF. See how your activity compares to your peers. It’s free. Win valuable prizes. Start now! Join us for SuperCrowdHour on September 16, 2026, as Devin Thorpe, CEO and Founder of The Super Crowd, Inc., leads “Fuel the Fire: Turning Interest into Investment.” Discover practical strategies for turning curiosity into commitment, keeping prospective investors engaged, building trust, and creating momentum for your crowdfunding campaign. Bring your questions for live Q&A and gain actionable insights to help inspire more people to invest in your mission. Register now for FREE! SuperCrowd Impact Member Networking Session: Impact (and, of course, Max-Impact) Members of the SuperCrowd are invited to a private networking session on October 13th at 8:00 PM ET/5:00 PM PT. Mark your calendar. We’ll send private emails to Impact Members with registration details. Upgrade to Impact Membership today! SuperGreen Live is where climate solutions meet the capital and community needed to scale them. This global virtual gathering brings together entrepreneurs, investors, sustainability leaders and changemakers to explore practical solutions for building a greener future. Expect inspiring conversations, innovative companies, investment opportunities and actionable ideas—all designed to help turn climate ambition into meaningful progress. Join the growing community working to accelerate solutions for people and the planet on February 4, 2027. Learn more at SuperGreenLive.org. Visit Our Complete Community Event Calendar If you would like to submit an event for us to share with the 10,000+ changemakers, investors and entrepreneurs who are members of the SuperCrowd, click here. Manage the volume of emails you receive from us by clicking here. We sh

  2. 5d ago

    Don’t Join the SuperCrowd Unless You’d Like to Make More Money

    Watch the show on television by downloading the SuperCrowd.tv Channel app to your Roku or Amazon Fire TV or e360tv channel app to your Roku, LG or Amazon Fire TV. You can also see it on YouTube. I learned something important at SuperCrowd26 featuring PurposeBuilt100™—and it may change how I talk about the SuperCrowd forever. For years, I’ve led with the mission. The Super Crowd, Inc., is a public benefit corporation. Our mission is to help ordinary people invest for impact, support diverse founders and make money a force for good. I care deeply about that mission. I’m not backing away from it by an inch. But I learned something at SuperCrowd26: mission isn’t a very effective sales pitch. People don’t wake up in the morning hoping to pay me to teach them how to do better. Investors want help finding better opportunities, avoiding mistakes and making more money. Entrepreneurs want help raising capital, finding customers, attracting talent and growing their businesses. So, here’s my new pitch: Don’t join the SuperCrowd unless you’d like to make more money. Impact is the context. Impact is the mission. Economic value is the reason to join. For Investors: Find Better Opportunities and Make Better Decisions Regulation Crowdfunding changed investing in a profound way. You don’t have to be wealthy or accredited to invest in private companies through Reg CF. Non-accredited investors can participate subject to annual investment limits, opening an asset class that was once largely inaccessible to ordinary people. Some offerings even have minimum investments as low as $10. The challenge is no longer simply gaining access. It is finding promising opportunities and doing enough homework to make thoughtful decisions. That’s where the SuperCrowd ecosystem starts earning its keep. Every week, we publish a list of every new Reg CF offering we identify, organized to make it easier to spot companies with social impact, women leaders and underrepresented founders, along with the rest of the market. Then there is the SuperCrowd Impact League, our free, gamified portfolio tracker. Investors can record their Reg CF investments, participate anonymously, earn recognition and see how active they are relative to others in the community. More importantly, we’re turning it into an investor intelligence platform. We monitor portfolio companies for SEC filings so members can learn when a company files an annual report, updates an offering, amends its disclosures or takes other regulatory actions. If a company you invested in suddenly files paperwork suggesting something important is happening, you shouldn’t have to stumble across that information by accident. We’ve also built SuperImpactScore.ai, which can research a current Reg CF offering and produce a due diligence report in minutes. AI should never replace investor judgment. It can, however, dramatically accelerate research. The goal is to give you data, sources, red flags and questions that would take far longer to assemble manually. Impact Members also get access to the SuperCrowd Investment Directory, where the impact offerings we track are searchable with diligence reports, along with Devin’s Impact Pick of the Week. Our free Reg CF filings database makes SEC filings much easier to browse than working directly in EDGAR. None of those tools can guarantee a profit. Private-company investing is risky. But better information, faster research and stronger portfolio monitoring can help you make better decisions. Avoiding just one bad investment could pay for years of membership. For Entrepreneurs: Raise Capital, Save Money and Grow The same ecosystem is built to help founders make money from the other side of the table. I spent years in corporate finance and ran an SEC-regulated, FINRA-member investment banking firm. Today, I make that experience available through coaching for entrepreneurs preparing to raise capital from the crowd. A little strategic guidance before a campaign can prevent expensive mistakes. We can help founders think through positioning, launch preparation, communications and the professionals they may need around them. We’ve also now added the SuperCrowd Campaign Diagnostic, combining structured research, human verification and an hour with me to produce a written action plan for a Reg CF raise. Think about the economics. If better preparation helps you raise another $10,000, $50,000 or $100,000, that matters. If it helps you identify a problem before launching rather than after spending thousands of dollars on marketing, that matters, too. Visibility also has economic value. SuperCrowd Impact Wire helps purpose-driven organizations distribute press releases. SuperCrowd.tv creates opportunities for founders and ecosystem leaders to reach audiences through the web, Roku and Amazon Fire TV. The Superpowers for Good show, SuperCrowdHour, live pitches, events and the Impact Newsroom all create ways for entrepreneurs to learn, be seen and connect. Then there is SuperCrowd Career Path. Growing companies need people. Founders can post jobs, research compensation and build job descriptions using data-driven tools. Hiring the right person at the right compensation level isn’t just an HR exercise. It is a financial decision. Our networking platform adds another layer. Members, speakers, sponsors and special communities—including PurposeBuilt100™ winners—can participate in private rooms, exchange messages and build relationships beyond the few hours of a live event. Capital moves through relationships. So do customers. So do partnerships, jobs and business opportunities. Learn What Makes Money—and What Wastes It Much of the SuperCrowd ecosystem remains free because we want the community to be genuinely accessible. SuperCrowd.tv carries the Superpowers for Good show and other programming. We host SuperCrowdHour trainings, live pitch events and major gatherings such as SuperCrowd26. We also carry webinars from the Crowdfunding Professional Association. But I want to be clearer about why that education matters. Learning how to file a required form yourself can save money. Learning how successful crowdfunding campaigns launch can help you raise more money. Learning how experienced investors assess a deal can help you invest more wisely. Learning from founders who have scaled companies can help you avoid wasting months—or years—repeating mistakes someone else has already made. Education becomes valuable when you can put it to work. Impact Is Still the Point None of these changes our mission. I still want millions of ordinary people to discover that they can invest in companies solving real problems. I still want women, Black, Latino, Indigenous and other underrepresented founders to gain better access to capital. I still want entrepreneurs tackling climate change, health disparities, poverty and other social challenges to win. That explains what we build and why we build it. It doesn’t necessarily explain why you should pay for it. Perhaps I’ve spent too much time asking people to buy the mission when I should have been offering them the value. So, I’ll try this instead. Become a free member of the SuperCrowd and use the resources that cost nothing. Then, if you’re an investor who wants better tools, deeper research and help finding opportunities—or an entrepreneur who expects to raise capital, hire people, generate publicity and grow a business—consider becoming an Impact Member. Annual Impact Membership is $55, equivalent to about $4.58 per month. Max-Impact Membership is $155 per year, with additional benefits as we continue building the ecosystem. Please don’t join because you think you owe it to the world to support my mission. Join because you’d like to make more money. Then let’s see how much good we can do with it. Support Our Sponsors Our generous sponsors make our work possible, serving impact investors, social entrepreneurs, community builders and diverse founders. Today’s advertisers include SuperCrowd Membership and supercrowd.tv. Learn more about advertising with us here. Max-Impact Members (We’re grateful for every one of these community champions who make this work possible.) Alisa Evans, Mission Enrollment | Brian Christie, Brainsy | Cameron Neil, Lend For Good | Carol Fineagan, Independent Consultant | Eric Coury, Arthia AI | Joey Hayes, thru | John Berlet, CORE Tax Deeds, LLC. | Justin Starbird, The Aebli Group | Ken Steele, Rotarian | Lory Moore, Lory Moore Law | Marcia Brinton, High Desert Gear | Mark Grimes, Networked Enterprise Development | Mike Babbit | Coledger Solutions | Mike Green, Envirosult | Nick Degnan, Unlimit Ventures | Paul Lovejoy, Stakeholder Enterprise | Pearl Wright, Global Changemaker | Scott Thorpe, Philanthropist | Sharon Samjitsingh, Health Care Originals | Add Your Name Here Upcoming SuperCrowd Event Calendar If a location is not noted, the events below are virtual. Join the SuperCrowd Impact League! You can be recognized for making impact investments via Reg CF. See how your activity compares to your peers. It’s free. Win valuable prizes. Start now! Join us for SuperCrowdHour on September 16, 2026, as Devin Thorpe, CEO and Founder of The Super Crowd, Inc., leads “Fuel the Fire: Turning Interest into Investment.” Discover practical strategies for turning curiosity into commitment, keeping prospective investors engaged, building trust, and creating momentum for your crowdfunding campaign. Bring your questions for live Q&A and gain actionable insights to help inspire more people to invest in your mission. Register now for FREE! SuperCrowd Impact Member Networking Session: Impact (and, of course, Max-Impact) Members of the SuperCrowd are invited to a private networking session on October 13th at 8:00 PM ET/5:00 PM PT. Mark your calendar. We’ll send private emails to Impact Members with registration details. Upgrade to Impact Membership today! Visit Our Complete Comm

    Don’t Join the SuperCrowd Unless You’d Like to Make More Money
  3. Sep 8

    How Integrity Helps Social Enterprises Scale

    Watch the show on television by downloading the SuperCrowd.tv Channel app to your Roku or Amazon Fire TV or e360tv channel app to your Roku, LG or Amazon Fire TV. You can also see it on YouTube. Devin: What is your superpower? Marc: I think it has to do with how you frame issues, how you message, how you think more holistically about what your organization is trying to achieve and how it may be described in a way that appeals to others so that they wish to support you. A lot of this has to do with bridging silos. Profit and purpose can reinforce each other when integrity, public policy and smart legal structures work together to empower social enterprises. That idea sat at the center of my conversation with Marc J. Lane, President of The Law Offices of Marc J. Lane and author of the Capital and Conscience newsletter. Marc is a nationally recognized business and tax attorney whose work spans nonprofits, social enterprises, impact investing and public policy. What makes Marc’s story compelling is that his career didn’t begin as a tidy social impact plan. It began with values. “I was a child of the ’60s,” Marc told me. “You would see me out there in the world protesting, supporting and empowering those who were involved in the women’s movement, the gay and lesbian movement, the green movement and the anti-Vietnam War movement.” He later built a successful career as a corporate and tax attorney and financial planner. About 20 years ago, he said, he pivoted toward the social impact ecosystem, bringing those professional tools back into alignment with who he had always been. “I am one of the blessed ones: my professional life and my personal life are really one and the same,” he said. That oneness shows up in Marc’s view of integrity. We discussed a recent essay he wrote about voters who say they care about honesty and accountability but too often excuse ethical failures when candidates support their preferred policies. Marc’s view is clear: “Without integrity, you really have no idea what somebody’s going to do in office other than potentially self-enrichment.” For Marc, the same principle applies to business. He connects social enterprise and public policy through empowerment. He has helped draft legislation for L3Cs, benefit corporations and procurement preferences that give mission-driven ventures a better shot at sustainability. “Public policy really is the tool by which social enterprises have a greater shot at financial sustainability and achievement of mission,” Marc said. That insight matters for founders, nonprofit leaders, investors and policymakers. Legal structures are not just compliance boxes. They can determine whether a nonprofit can earn revenue, whether a social enterprise can attract capital and whether communities can benefit from innovation at scale. Marc’s message is refreshingly practical. “With no money, no mission,” he said. Social impact requires resources. The challenge is not choosing between financial success and measurable good. The opportunity is designing ventures where each strengthens the other. tl;dr: Marc turned corporate law, tax planning and financial expertise into tools for social impact. Integrity matters because leaders without trustworthiness cannot be expected to serve the public good. L3C legislation can help nonprofits and social enterprises attract capital while preserving mission. Public policy gives mission-driven ventures a better shot at sustainability and measurable impact. Stakeholder alignment helps nonprofits, investors, businesses and government collaborate around shared value. How to Develop Stakeholder Alignment As a Superpower Marc’s superpower is stakeholder alignment. He helps mission-driven leaders identify “necessary or desirable stakeholders” and “create value propositions for each of them.” As he explained, “It has to do with how you frame issues, how you message, how you think more holistically about what your organization is trying to achieve.” His gift is seeing across sectors that have historically operated in silos, then finding ways to bring nonprofits, businesses, investors, government and academia together so each can advance its own goals while contributing to a shared impact agenda. Marc illustrated this superpower through his work with Chicago Scholars, a successful nonprofit helping high school students map educational and career paths. The organization wanted to turn its curriculum into an app and expand beyond its local reach. Marc helped create an L3C subsidiary, giving the nonprofit equity it could sell and allowing outside investors to shoulder entrepreneurial risk. The venture raised seven figures, secured a patent and reached far more students. Because of the structure, earnings could flow through the nonprofit in a tax-exempt way, improving investor returns while expanding mission impact. Identify every stakeholder whose support could help your mission scale. Create a clear value proposition for each stakeholder, not just for your organization. Frame your message around aligned interests so others can see why supporting you helps them, too. Bridge silos among nonprofits, businesses, investors, government and academia instead of working alone. Hold yourself to both financial sustainability and measurable social impact standards. Measure outputs that serve as reasonable proxies for impact, not just activities. Keep checking whether the financial model makes sense so the mission can endure. By following Marc’s example and advice, you can make stakeholder alignment a skill. With practice and effort, you could make it a superpower that enables you to do more good in the world. Remember, however, that research into success suggests that building on your own superpowers is more important than creating new ones or overcoming weaknesses. You do you! Guest Profile Marc J. Lane (he/him): President, The Law Offices of Marc J. Lane About The Law Offices of Marc J. Lane: The Law Offices of Marc J. Lane offers successful people and their organizations a strategic, multidisciplinary approach to tax, corporate, intellectual property, and estate planning. We counsel clients from a wide spectrum of occupations, backgrounds and situations. Our clients include executives, private investors, individuals, families, businesses and their owners, nonprofit organizations, professionals and philanthropists. We are affiliated with Marc J. Lane & Company, a registered broker-dealer and SIPC member; and Marc J. Lane Risk Management, Inc., an Illinois licensed insurance agency. Website: marcjlane.com Biographical Information: Marc J. Lane is President of The Law Offices of Marc J. Lane, P.C., a Chicago-based, nationally recognized business and tax law firm. Marc is also a Master Registered Financial Planner, a Registered Financial Counselor, and a Certified Investment Specialist. Twice a recipient of the Illinois State Bar Association’s Lincoln Award, he has taught law at Northwestern University School of Law and business in the MBA program at the University of Illinois. Marc drafted Illinois’ Low-profit Limited Liability Company (L3C) legislation and other laws that help drive positive social change. By appointment of then-Gov. Pat Quinn, Marc chaired the State of Illinois’ Task Force on Social Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Enterprise. Gov. Quinn also appointed him as a Commissioner of the Serve Illinois Commission. By appointment of then-Cook County Commissioner and now-Congressman Jesus “Chuy” Garcia, he serves as Vice Chairperson of the Cook County Commission on Social Innovation. He is the President of Social Enterprise Chicago. Marc is the author of 36 books, including “The Mission-Driven Venture: Business Solutions to the World’s Most Vexing Social Problems,” “Social Enterprise: Empowering Mission-Driven Entrepreneurs,” and “Profitable Socially Responsible Investing? An Institutional Investor’s Guide.” Support Our Sponsors Our generous sponsors make our work possible, serving impact investors, social entrepreneurs, community builders and diverse founders. Today’s advertisers include PurposeBuilt100™ Winners and supercrowd.tv. Learn more about advertising with us here. Max-Impact Members (We’re grateful for every one of these community champions who make this work possible.) Alisa Evans, Mission Enrollment | Brian Christie, Brainsy | Cameron Neil, Lend For Good | Carol Fineagan, Independent Consultant | Eric Coury, Arthia AI | Joey Hayes, thru | John Berlet, CORE Tax Deeds, LLC. | Justin Starbird, The Aebli Group | Ken Steele, Rotarian | Lory Moore, Lory Moore Law | Marcia Brinton, High Desert Gear | Mark Grimes, Networked Enterprise Development | Mike Babbit | Coledger Solutions | Mike Green, Envirosult | Nick Degnan, Unlimit Ventures | Paul Lovejoy, Stakeholder Enterprise | Pearl Wright, Global Changemaker | Scott Thorpe, Philanthropist | Sharon Samjitsingh, Health Care Originals | Add Your Name Here Upcoming SuperCrowd Event Calendar If a location is not noted, the events below are virtual. Join the SuperCrowd Impact League! You can be recognized for making impact investments via Reg CF. See how your activity compares to your peers. It’s free. Win valuable prizes. Start now! SuperCrowd Impact Member Networking Session: Impact (and, of course, Max-Impact) Members of the SuperCrowd are invited to a private networking session on September 8th at 8:00 PM ET/5:00 PM PT. Mark your calendar. We’ll send private emails to Impact Members with registration details. Upgrade to Impact Membership today! Join us for SuperCrowdHour on September 16, 2026, as Devin Thorpe, CEO and Founder of The Super Crowd, Inc., leads “Fuel the Fire: Turning Interest into Investment.” Discover practical strategies for turning curiosity into commitment, keeping prospective investors engaged, building trust, and creating momentum for your crowdfunding campaign. Bring your questions for

  4. Sep 3

    Ancient Plant Science Fuels NextGen Scientific’s Cancer Drug Pipeline

    Watch the show on television by downloading the SuperCrowd.tv Channel app to your Roku or Amazon Fire TV or e360tv channel app to your Roku, LG or Amazon Fire TV. You can also see it on YouTube. Devin: What is your superpower? Jason: I like to think that we are people with big brains and small egos. If we are high-impact, low-ego folks and we keep our eye on the ball, that’s a recipe for success no matter what industry you’re in. NextGen Scientific is turning an ancient Middle Eastern medicinal plant into a modern platform for cancer drug development and wellness products. In this episode, I spoke with Jason West, co-founder of NextGen Scientific, a PurposeBuilt100™ company recognized for combining growth with measurable impact. Jason explained that the company operates along two related tracks: Hyatt Life Sciences, its dietary supplement business and Genzada Pharmaceuticals, its drug discovery and development company. The common thread is chemistry. Jason described the company’s work with Arum palestinum, a plant that grows wild in the Middle East and has long been used there as a tea. That history is what pulled the scientific team in. “What caught our attention was that there are references to the use of this plant as a medicinal plant going all the way back to the 9th century AD,” Jason said. “For 1,100 years, it’s been in continuous use.” That kind of longevity raised a serious scientific question for the team: why would people keep using it for more than a millennium if there were no benefit? Jason said NextGen began studying naturally occurring molecules in the plant, ultimately identifying compounds that became the basis for its oncology research. The company now has two lead oncology or oncology-related drug candidates. One is an oral capsule in clinical trials at Virginia Commonwealth University for late-stage prostate cancer, with trials expected in the Netherlands and Sweden. The other is a topical cream aimed at actinic keratosis, a precancerous skin condition with tens of millions of cases annually in the United States. Jason emphasized that the goal is not to replace oncologists but to help them. “We feel like we can be just one more tool in the toolbox of the oncologist, and that’s what our ultimate goal is,” he said. Congratulations to NextGen Scientific LLC on ranking #46 on the 2026 PurposeBuilt100™ list! We’re proud to recognize the company among America’s fastest-growing mission-driven businesses, celebrating the connection between purpose, innovation, and growth. Meet the Class of 2026 — see the full list of winners → What I found especially compelling is the company’s dual-path strategy. Drug development can be slow, expensive and risky. By building a supplement business alongside the pharmaceutical pipeline, NextGen has created revenue while continuing the long FDA-focused journey. That strategy emerged organically. In rural Kansas, word spread that the family was working with a tea tied to cancer wellness. People began asking for it. “By the end of the day, I think we were sending about 40 gallons of this tea out a week just to friends and family,” Jason said. NextGen Scientific is currently raising capital through a Regulation D offering for accredited investors, targeting just over $10 million. Jason said proceeds will help accelerate clinical trials, open new trial fronts and support marketing for the supplement business. It is exactly the kind of purpose-built growth story I love to celebrate. tl;dr: Jason West’s team is translating an ancient Middle Eastern plant into cancer drugs and supplements. NextGen Scientific pairs Genzada Pharmaceuticals’ clinical pipeline with Hyatt Life Sciences’ wellness products. Small-town curiosity created unexpected demand, eventually reaching roughly 40 gallons of tea weekly. A Regulation D raise seeks just over $10 million from accredited investors to accelerate trials. Low-ego brilliance helps Jason keep hard conversations focused on data, kindness and learning. How to Develop Low-Ego Brilliance As a Superpower Jason’s superpower is Low-Ego Brilliance. He describes it as being among people with “big brains and small egos.” For Jason, the combination matters because “if we are high-impact, low-ego folks and we keep our eye on the ball, that’s a recipe for success no matter what industry you’re in.” He connects the idea to persistence, humility and disciplined focus: “You just have to keep on putting one foot in front of the other.” His advice is simple but powerful: “Take the phone call. Always take the phone call.” Jason shared a story about meeting with an exceptionally smart but highly skeptical person who seemed to have little patience for NextGen’s science. Rather than taking offense or trying to win a personality contest, Jason and his team stayed calm and redirected the conversation to the data. A meeting scheduled for 15 or 20 minutes stretched to about two hours. By the end, the skeptic had become a friend. Jason summed up the lesson this way: “If you have the data on your side, you don’t need to be too big for your britches.” Build teams with big brains and small egos; value impact over status. Keep your eye on the ball, especially when the work is long and difficult. Put one foot in front of the other rather than demanding instant success. When challenged, redirect the conversation to evidence instead of emotion. Be kind to skeptics; you can catch more flies with honey than vinegar. Take the phone call when you can because there is almost always something to learn. Stay curious, not judgmental, especially when you assume a conversation will not matter. By following Jason’s example and advice, you can make low-ego brilliance a skill. With practice and effort, you could make it a superpower that enables you to do more good in the world. Remember, however, that research into success suggests that building on your own superpowers is more important than creating new ones or overcoming weaknesses. You do you! Guest Profile Jason West (he/him): Executive Vice President, NextGen Scientific About NextGen Scientific: NextGen Scientific is a biotechnology and life sciences company dedicated to advancing innovative oncology research and developing evidence-based therapeutic solutions. Focused on cancer research, tumor biology, precision therapeutics, and plant-based pharmaceutical and bioactive compounds, the company works to bridge the gap between scientific discovery and real-world healthcare impact. Through translational medicine, preclinical research, intellectual property development, and a disciplined, research-driven approach, NextGen Scientific is building novel, scalable solutions designed to advance the future of cancer care and therapeutic innovation. Operating at the intersection of biotechnology, healthcare innovation, and commercial strategy, NextGen Scientific has developed a dual-entity model that combines biotechnology development with a revenue-generating wellness platform. Alongside its oncology pipeline, the company brings science-backed nutraceutical and metabolic wellness products to market, creating a sustainable engine to support continued research and growth. As NextGen Scientific expands its oncology pipeline, patent portfolio, and commercialization strategy, it remains focused on translating promising science into safe, effective, and impactful health solutions. Website: investinnextgen.com LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/nextgen-scientific Biographical Information: Jason West is a seasoned executive and entrepreneur with extensive leadership experience across biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, life sciences, chemicals, and business development. He currently serves as Executive Vice President of Genzada Pharmaceuticals and NextGen Scientific, while also serving as Chairman of Geo-Chemicals, LLC and Chief Executive Officer of Hyatt Life Sciences. His career reflects a strong combination of scientific knowledge, legal expertise, and executive leadership, with a focus on building and guiding organizations at the intersection of science, innovation, and commercial growth. Earlier in his career, Jason spent 15 years with Jacam Chemical Company, including more than seven years as President and seven years as Vice President and General Counsel. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Sterling College, a Juris Doctor from Vermont Law School, and an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. With experience spanning scientific research, law, corporate leadership, and strategic management, Jason brings a multidisciplinary perspective to advancing innovative businesses and life sciences initiatives. LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jason-west-b33b7a163 Watch the Impact Stories on BIG Screen! Support Our Sponsors Our generous sponsors make our work possible, serving impact investors, social entrepreneurs, community builders and diverse founders. Today’s advertisers include PurposeBuilt100™ Winners and supercrowd.tv. Learn more about advertising with us here. Max-Impact Members (We’re grateful for every one of these community champions who make this work possible.) Brian Christie, Brainsy | Cameron Neil, Lend For Good | Carol Fineagan, Independent Consultant | Eric Coury, Arthia AI | Joey Hayes, thru | John Berlet, CORE Tax Deeds, LLC. | Justin Starbird, The Aebli Group | Ken Steele, Rotarian | Lory Moore, Lory Moore Law | Marcia Brinton, High Desert Gear | Mark Grimes, Networked Enterprise Development | Mike Babbit | Coledger Solutions | Mike Green, Envirosult | Nick Degnan, Unlimit Ventures | Paul Lovejoy, Stakeholder Enterprise | Pearl Wright, Global Changemaker | Scott Thorpe, Philanthropist | Sharon Samjitsingh, Health Care Originals | Add Your Name Here Upcoming SuperCrowd Event Calendar If a location is not noted, the events below are virtual. Join the SuperCrowd Impact League! You can be recognized for making impact inve

  5. Sep 1

    Revalue Makes Values-Aligned Investing More Human

    Watch the show on television by downloading the SuperCrowd.tv Channel app to your Roku or Amazon Fire TV or e360tv channel app to your Roku, LG or Amazon Fire TV. You can also see it on YouTube. Devin: What is your superpower? Michelle: I think of myself as having the superpower of a translator. I really thrive in doing curious, deep listening when I’m with people, and when you are in a mindset to listen, I think you can collect data at a rapid pace. Values-aligned investing becomes more accessible when advisors start with people’s values instead of their account balances. That is the work Michelle Hoexum leads as CEO of Revalue, a Registered Investment Advisory firm and Purpose Built 100 winner. During this episode, Michelle explained how Revalue grew from early work in community impact investing into a fast-growing firm helping individuals, organizations and nonprofits align money with purpose. The traditional financial industry often leaves people out until they have accumulated enough wealth to qualify for service. Revalue chose a different path. “We became very accessible to people in the sense that we had no account minimums,” Michelle said. “So, we would accept people that the industry was leaving behind.” That commitment shows up in practical ways. Revalue helps clients consider public market investing, patient capital in their own communities and the deeper question of what money is for. Michelle described a client experience built around education, partnership and healing. Revalue is proud to be ranked #26 on the 2026 PurposeBuilt100™ list, recognizing America’s fastest-growing mission-driven companies—proof that values-aligned investing and meaningful growth can go hand in hand. Meet the Class of 2026 — see the full list of winners → “A lot of clients come to us with guilt, just a lot of baggage around money,” she said. “We are able to break down the value of money or wealth into what we call the 10 forms of capital, which really gets its roots from permaculture.” That permaculture influence helps Revalue think in systems. Instead of chasing only the fastest financial return, the firm looks for long-term yield across multiple forms of capital, including social, natural, cultural, health and financial capital. For Michelle, that work begins inside the company. “Our strongest litmus test is our internal team culture,” she said. “Without internal team culture, we can’t deliver then that same strategy to our clients.” I was struck by how much of Revalue’s model challenges the assumptions baked into wealth management. The firm does not simply ask clients how much money they have or how much risk they can tolerate. Michelle wants to understand what matters to them. “This is your money,” she said. “You should never feel stupid about something that you worked very hard for.” That simple sentence captures the heart of Revalue’s work. Financial wellbeing should not belong only to people who already feel confident with money. Revalue is showing that investing can be values-aligned, community-centered and deeply human. tl;dr: Revalue helps clients align investments with values, community impact and long-term regenerative thinking. Michelle Hoexum emphasizes no account minimums, making financial wellbeing more accessible to people. Money conversations at Revalue include healing guilt, building confidence and honoring personal agency. Permaculture shapes the firm’s systems approach to wealth, culture and multiple forms of capital. Michelle’s superpower, curious translation, turns deep listening into purpose-driven strategy and action. How to Develop Curious Translation As a Superpower Michelle describes her superpower as being “a translator,” grounded in “curious, deep listening.” She explained, “When you are in a mindset to listen, I think you can collect data at a rapid pace.” Her gift is connecting those data points into “a purpose-driven way of executing on those missions and values,” helping people see the systems they are part of and the strategies available to them. She said that “having that vision around what’s possible and how to connect those dots” is what gets her out of bed in the morning. Michelle’s path illustrates that power. After earning a finance degree, she worked in international banking in Chicago but felt drawn to food and moved to New York hoping to become a pastry chef. People did not understand the leap. She kept iterating, eventually combining food, PR, nonprofit storytelling and finance. Later, through her business Propeller, she helped creative entrepreneurs who had brilliant ideas but lacked business skills. Those experiences now help her understand purpose-built founders and the impact investments Revalue supports. Practice curious, deep listening before offering advice or solutions. Collect the data points people reveal through stories, values and context. Look for patterns across systems instead of treating problems in isolation. Translate what you hear into a purpose-driven strategy people can act on. Keep iterating when others do not understand your path or idea. Use story sharing to build trust, community and understanding. Harness who you are instead of trying to copy someone else’s superpower. Find aligned people who strengthen your gifts and help them grow. By following Michelle’s example and advice, you can make curious translation a skill. With practice and effort, you could make it a superpower that enables you to do more good in the world. Remember, however, that research into success suggests that building on your own superpowers is more important than creating new ones or overcoming weaknesses. You do you! Guest Profile Michelle Hoexum (she/her): CEO, Revalue About Revalue: Revalue, is a Registered Investment Advisory firm, that lives at the edge. The fertile boundary where life takes hold. It is here, at this edge, that we are growing into the fullest expression of what’s possible: where more people reach the resources they need, grow deeper roots, and live abundance. We lead regeneratively, using the wisdom of permaculture to inform how we think, plan, and grow. Observing before acting, working with what’s already alive in a system rather than against it, designing for the long yield, not the quick one. We love to serve, and service means honoring sovereignty: every person we work with holds their own agency, their own path, their own way of defining a life well-lived. Our role is to help heal. Be it money stories, or the flow of capital for the collective good, for humanity, with humanity. We hold that true wealth is multidimensional, made up of many forms of capital. Social, natural, cultural, spiritual, material, intellectual, health, attention, built, and financial. These multiple forms of capital are important because a whole life is not built from one root alone. We center on healing, recognizing that how capital has moved in the past has often left depletion in its wake. Our work is to help it flow differently, replenishing what it touches rather than extracting from it. There is no single right way to grow. We honor many paths. Revalue holds space for all of them, the way a healthy edge holds many species at once, each thriving because of, not despite, its neighbors. Website: revalueinvesting.com LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/revalueinvesting/ Biographical Information: I live in a 100-year-old house with floors made from then 100 yr old trees. So, every day I am grounded in old growth forest wisdom. My chocolate lab, Albert, is my constant companion and helps me build real community with my neighbors. He reminds me of curiosity and generosity every day. LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/michelle-hoexum-699b926/ Watch the Impact Stories on BIG Screen! Support Our Sponsors Our generous sponsors make our work possible, serving impact investors, social entrepreneurs, community builders and diverse founders. Today’s advertisers include PurposeBuilt100™ Winners and supercrowd.tv. Learn more about advertising with us here. Max-Impact Members (We’re grateful for every one of these community champions who make this work possible.) Brian Christie, Brainsy | Cameron Neil, Lend For Good | Carol Fineagan, Independent Consultant | Eric Coury, Arthia AI | Joey Hayes, thru | John Berlet, CORE Tax Deeds, LLC. | Justin Starbird, The Aebli Group | Ken Steele, Rotarian | Lory Moore, Lory Moore Law | Marcia Brinton, High Desert Gear | Mark Grimes, Networked Enterprise Development | Mike Babbit | Coledger Solutions | Mike Green, Envirosult | Nick Degnan, Unlimit Ventures | Paul Lovejoy, Stakeholder Enterprise | Pearl Wright, Global Changemaker | Scott Thorpe, Philanthropist | Sharon Samjitsingh, Health Care Originals | Add Your Name Here Upcoming SuperCrowd Event Calendar If a location is not noted, the events below are virtual. Join the SuperCrowd Impact League! You can be recognized for making impact investments via Reg CF. See how your activity compares to your peers. It’s free. Win valuable prizes. Start now! SuperCrowd Impact Member Networking Session: Impact (and, of course, Max-Impact) Members of the SuperCrowd are invited to a private networking session on September 8th at 8:00 PM ET/5:00 PM PT. Mark your calendar. We’ll send private emails to Impact Members with registration details. Upgrade to Impact Membership today! Apply for the Superpowers for Good Live Pitch: Are you raising capital through Regulation Crowdfunding? Apply by September 2 for the September 30 Superpowers for Good Live Pitch. Selected founders pitch free to investors and gain exposure through SuperCrowd.tv, e360tv, social media, and our 10,000-subscriber newsletter. We especially encourage social entrepreneurs, women and underrepresented entrepreneurs to apply. Visit Our Complete Community Event Calendar If you would like to submit an event for us to share with the 10,000+ changemakers, investors and entrepren

  6. Aug 27

    Farm to Pet Is Scaling Single-Ingredient Dog Treats With Community Capital

    Watch the show on television by downloading the SuperCrowd.tv Channel app to your Roku or Amazon Fire TV or e360tv channel app to your Roku, LG or Amazon Fire TV. You can also see it on YouTube. Devin: What is your superpower? Jackson: I would say it’s, it’s having a mission, um, that you are very passionate about and your ability to kind of see through the next few steps, uh, you know, the road ahead. Um, but then recruiting the right people along the way. Farm to Pet is proving that a simple, single-ingredient dog treat can challenge the highly processed pet snack aisle while building a fast-growing business. Jackson Jones, founder and CEO of Farm to Pet, started with a problem close to home: he wanted something healthier for his dog, Rooney. During the pandemic, he began experimenting in his basement with a KitchenAid mixer, a dehydrator and a simple idea. He told me, “I wanted to create something that was what I considered the healthiest treat for my dog and had an idea that we could take a chicken breast, we could take a turkey breast, and we could dehydrate that and just literally use it and nothing else.” That “nothing else” became the heart of the Farm to Pet brand. The company makes single ingredient treats in a crunchy chip format that dogs love. Jackson explained the common reaction perfectly: “That’s one of the first things people ask is, are you sure it only has one ingredient? What else do you put in there?” What began as a homemade snack for Rooney has grown into a vertically integrated pet treat company with national reach. Jackson moved from the basement into one facility after another, ultimately landing in a larger production space that allows the company to meet demand. Along the way, Farm to Pet built sales through local retailers, Amazon and other channels. I was struck by Jackson’s candor about the challenge. “It wasn’t an overnight success by any means,” he said. “It’s been steps and steps along this journey.” For me, the human interest in this story is the combination of love for a pet, entrepreneurial persistence and a clean-label product that is easy for customers to understand. Pet parents increasingly want transparency. Jackson built the company around exactly that. Farm to Pet is also raising capital through a regulated investment crowdfunding campaign on StartEngine. Jackson said the campaign grew out of the need to fund more capacity while keeping the company in family control and inviting aligned investors into the journey. You can review the campaign at startengine.com/offering/farm-to-pet. I love seeing a purpose-driven consumer brand use community capital to grow. Jackson is not just selling treats. He is helping pet owners rethink what belongs in a dog’s diet, one simple chip at a time. tl;dr: Jackson turned homemade chicken chips into the fast-growing Farm to Pet brand. Single ingredient treats provide a simple, healthy alternative to processed pet snacks. Farm to Pet is scaling operations with a focus on transparency and vertical integration. Jackson’s leadership blends mission-driven passion, humility, team building, and trust. Practical insights for founders show how purpose and community can fuel business growth. How to Develop Mission-Driven Leadership As a Superpower Jackson’s superpower is mission-driven leadership. As he described it, the work starts with “having a mission…that you are very passionate about” and the ability “to kind of see through the next few steps.” Just as important, he said, is “recruiting the right people along the way.” Jackson was quick to emphasize that leadership also means humility. “It starts out, I think, by knowing what you’re not naturally great at,” he said. For him, leadership is not about pretending to know everything. It is about building a team, listening, observing, changing his mind and giving talented people “the space and the time and the authority” to run with important work. Jackson illustrated this superpower through his early work with Miranda, who helped shape the company’s social media and marketing. He admitted he did not know Instagram and was trying to DM people without much confidence. Rather than struggle alone, he invited Miranda to join the company and lead that work. She became a key part of the team, helping bring the crowdfunding campaign and brand story to life. Jackson’s role was not to control every detail. It was to recognize talent, create space for ownership and let her strengths complement his own. Know what you are not naturally great at before trying to lead every function yourself. Build around a mission you care about deeply enough to sustain you through hard days. Look a few steps ahead so your team can prepare for growth before it arrives. Recruit people whose strengths fill your gaps and trust them with real responsibility. Listen carefully, observe what people enjoy and notice where they naturally excel. Give team members the space, time and authority to make decisions and own outcomes. Stay willing to change your mind when new information or better ideas emerge. Let go of work others can do better so you can focus on scaling the mission. By following Jackson’s example and advice, you can make mission-driven leadership a skill. With practice and effort, you could make it a superpower that enables you to do more good in the world. Remember, however, that research into success suggests that building on your own superpowers is more important than creating new ones or overcoming weaknesses. You do you! Guest Profile Jackson Jones: Founder and CEO, Farm to Pet About Farm to Pet: Farm to Pet is a premium pet treat company committed to producing healthy, single ingredient treats for dogs. We responsibly source our ingredients and prioritize complete transparency, ensuring pet owners know exactly what they are feeding their furry companions without worrying about hidden additives or fillers. Website: farmtopettreats.com LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/farmtopet Other URL: startengine.com/offering/farm-to-pet Biographical Information: Jackson Jones is the Founder and CEO of Farm to Pet. Driven by a passion for animal wellness and transparent sourcing, Jackson built Farm to Pet to provide pet owners with high-quality, single ingredient treats they can trust. Under his leadership, the vertically integrated company has grown to serve hundreds of thousands of happy dogs and cats, championing a healthier standard in the pet food industry. LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jacksonajones Support Our Sponsors Our generous sponsors make our work possible, serving impact investors, social entrepreneurs, community builders and diverse founders. Today’s advertisers include PurposeBuilt100™ Winners and supercrowd.tv. Learn more about advertising with us here. Max-Impact Members (We’re grateful for every one of these community champions who make this work possible.) Brian Christie, Brainsy | Cameron Neil, Lend For Good | Carol Fineagan, Independent Consultant | Eric Coury, Arthia AI | John Berlet, CORE Tax Deeds, LLC. | Justin Starbird, The Aebli Group | Ken Steele, Rotarian | Lory Moore, Lory Moore Law | Marcia Brinton, High Desert Gear | Mark Grimes, Networked Enterprise Development | Mike Babbit | Coledger Solutions | Mike Green, Envirosult | Nick Degnan, Unlimit Ventures | Paul Lovejoy, Stakeholder Enterprise | Pearl Wright, Global Changemaker | Scott Thorpe, Philanthropist | Sharon Samjitsingh, Health Care Originals | Add Your Name Here Upcoming SuperCrowd Event Calendar If a location is not noted, the events below are virtual. Join the SuperCrowd Impact League! You can be recognized for making impact investments via Reg CF. See how your activity compares to your peers. It’s free. Win valuable prizes. Start now! SuperCrowd Impact Member Networking Session: Impact (and, of course, Max-Impact) Members of the SuperCrowd are invited to a private networking session on September 8th at 8:00 PM ET/5:00 PM PT. Mark your calendar. We’ll send private emails to Impact Members with registration details. Upgrade to Impact Membership today! SuperCrowd26 featuring PurposeBuilt100™: This August 25–27, founders, investors, and ecosystem leaders will gather for a three-day, broadcast-quality global experience focused on disciplined capital formation, regulated investment crowdfunding, and purpose-driven growth. We’re bringing together leading voices in impact investing, compliance, digital marketing, and circular economy innovation to deliver practical frameworks, real-world case studies, and actionable strategies. The event culminates in the PurposeBuilt100™ Showcase, recognizing 100 of the fastest-growing purpose-driven companies in the U.S. Register now to secure your seat and get all the details. August 25–27, streaming worldwide. Visit Our Complete Community Event Calendar If you would like to submit an event for us to share with the 10,000+ changemakers, investors and entrepreneurs who are members of the SuperCrowd, click here. Manage the volume of emails you receive from us by clicking here. We share educational information—not investment advice. Some links may generate compensation. See our full disclosure. We use AI to help us write compelling recaps of each episode. Get full access to Superpowers for Good at www.superpowers4good.com/subscribe

  7. Aug 25

    CSD Is Breaking Bias to Open Economic Opportunity for Deaf People

    Watch the show on television by downloading the SuperCrowd.tv Channel app to your Roku or Amazon Fire TV or e360tv channel app to your Roku, LG or Amazon Fire TV. You can also see it on YouTube. Devin: What is your superpower? Chris: For me, I always think of it in terms of a toolbox or a toolkit. And there’s a mix of things that I would put into that toolbox that I think have supported me on my leadership journey. Communication Service for the Deaf is expanding opportunity for deaf and hard of hearing people by fighting bias as much as by improving access. When I welcomed Chris Soukup, CEO of Communication Service for the Deaf, back to this episode, I wanted to understand how CSD’s work has evolved over its 50-year history. Chris described a mission rooted in “a persevering commitment to advancing the quality of life for people who are deaf and for the broader disability community.” For decades, CSD helped lead the push for communication access. That work mattered. Interpreting services, video relay and new technologies opened doors that had long been closed. But Chris explained that access alone did not change the economic reality for the community. Employment barriers remained stubbornly high. “We’re really confronting challenges with misperception and bias,” Chris said. He noted that the barrier often appears at the very start of a job search, when a deaf applicant identifies themselves and an employer immediately imagines cost, complexity or extra work. “That blocker has really made it difficult for our community to make meaningful progress,” he said. CSD is responding in every direction. Chris called the work “a process of breaking down barriers by land, by air, by sea.” That means media engagement, policy work, corporate partnerships, employee resource groups, storytelling and matching motivated employers with talented deaf professionals ready to contribute. One part of the work especially excites Chris: entrepreneurship. CSD supports deaf founders building their own businesses. As Chris explained, when those entrepreneurs succeed, “they turn right back around, and they hire from their community.” That creates a powerful cycle. Deaf business owners build companies, employ others and become proof points that help dismantle bias for the next person. Chris also reminded me that accessibility is still a matter of safety. In a 911 emergency, a deaf person may have to wait several minutes for a video relay interpreter before even reaching a dispatcher. In a crisis, that delay can be life or death. Chris’s response is characteristic of CSD’s culture: “There’s a better way.” That optimism is not naive. It comes from 50 years of pushing systems to become more humane, more accessible and more just. CSD’s work shows that inclusion is not charity. It is infrastructure. It is innovation. It is economic opportunity. tl;dr: CSD’s 50-year commitment expands communication access, employment, and economic opportunity for deaf communities. Bias often blocks talented deaf professionals before employers recognize their value. Entrepreneurship is a powerful path for deaf leaders to create jobs and opportunities. Accessible emergency communication remains a critical issue of safety and equity. Chris’s superpower is authentic perseverance in advocating for systemic change and inclusion. How to Develop Authentic Perseverance As a Superpower Chris’s superpower is authentic perseverance. He said leadership requires a “toolbox,” beginning with “authenticity.” Early in his career, he struggled with preconceived ideas of how a leader should behave. Over time, he learned that “you’re doing yourself and the people that you support a disservice by not representing yourself in a way that really reflects the person that you are.” He also emphasized persistence: “Nothing happens overnight,” and “change happens by showing up every day and being committed to making a difference.” Chris described an awakening that came from noticing where he felt most effective. One-on-one, he could use humor, tell stories, share experiences, use metaphors and speak honestly about big goals and fears. He realized he could bring that same intimacy to a larger audience. Instead of manufacturing a leadership persona, he chose to show more of himself. That authenticity helped him connect more deeply and lead more effectively, whether speaking with one person or many. Stop performing a leadership role and identify what is genuinely true about your strengths and vulnerabilities. Practice sharing the messy mix that makes you human, including humor, confidence, fears and limitations. Notice where you feel most natural and effective, then bring that presence into bigger settings. Keep showing up month after month, even when meaningful change takes longer than expected. Stay focused on the world you want to create and keep moving toward it with resilience. By following Chris’s example and advice, you can make authentic perseverance a skill. With practice and effort, you could make it a superpower that enables you to do more good in the world. Remember, however, that research into success suggests that building on your own superpowers is more important than creating new ones or overcoming weaknesses. You do you! Guest Profile Chris Soukup (he/him): CEO, Communication Service for the Deaf About Communication Service for the Deaf: Communication Service for the Deaf (CSD) is the largest Deaf-led social impact organization in the world. Since 1975, CSD has been a leader in creating and providing accessible and innovative solutions for deaf and hard of hearing communities. Today, CSD continues its work to create opportunities for personal and economic growth, specifically addressing leadership and employment. In 2022, CSD was named to Fast Company’s “Most Innovative Companies” list. Website: csd.org X/Twitter Handle: @ThisIsCSD Company Facebook Page: facebook.com/ThisIsCSD LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/thisiscsd Instagram: @thisiscsd Biographical Information: Chris Soukup is Chief Executive Officer of Communication Service for the Deaf (CSD), one of the world’s leading deaf-led social impact organizations. For 50 years, CSD has pioneered accessible technologies and communication services for the deaf and hard of hearing communities, including the first nationwide video relay service (VRS) in the United States and one of today’s leading direct to video calling (DVC) solutions. Chris is a longtime leading advocate for the deaf and disability communities. For more than a decade, he has led CSD’s transformation and global initiatives, including implementing a virtualized infrastructure; developing a disruptive sign language interpreting platform; launching the first social venture fund for deaf entrepreneurs; introducing a constellation of programs to advance employment opportunities within deaf and disabled communities; and creating a new community foundation designed to strengthen other deaf-centric nonprofits. Chris continues to serve a leadership role in the advancement of key policy and legislation to expand accessibility, including the Communications, Video, and Technology Accessibility Act (CVTA). He also has served on several prominent committees and advisory boards to increase opportunities and accessibility for the deaf and disability communities: the Federal Communications Commission’s Consumer Advisory Committee; the Disability:IN Disability Equality Index Advisory Committee; NTID Foundation Board and the TDI Board of Associates. LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/csoukup Support Our Sponsors Our generous sponsors make our work possible, serving impact investors, social entrepreneurs, community builders and diverse founders. Today’s advertisers include PurposeBuilt100™ Winners and supercrowd.tv. Learn more about advertising with us here. Max-Impact Members (We’re grateful for every one of these community champions who make this work possible.) Brian Christie, Brainsy | Cameron Neil, Lend For Good | Carol Fineagan, Independent Consultant | Eric Coury, Arthia AI | John Berlet, CORE Tax Deeds, LLC. | Justin Starbird, The Aebli Group | Ken Steele, Rotarian | Lory Moore, Lory Moore Law | Marcia Brinton, High Desert Gear | Mark Grimes, Networked Enterprise Development | Mike Babbit | Coledger Solutions | Mike Green, Envirosult | Nick Degnan, Unlimit Ventures | Paul Lovejoy, Stakeholder Enterprise | Pearl Wright, Global Changemaker | Scott Thorpe, Philanthropist | Sharon Samjitsingh, Health Care Originals | Add Your Name Here Upcoming SuperCrowd Event Calendar If a location is not noted, the events below are virtual. Join the SuperCrowd Impact League! You can be recognized for making impact investments via Reg CF. See how your activity compares to your peers. It’s free. Win valuable prizes. Start now! SuperCrowd Impact Member Networking Session: Impact (and, of course, Max-Impact) Members of the SuperCrowd are invited to a private networking session on September 8th at 8:00 PM ET/5:00 PM PT. Mark your calendar. We’ll send private emails to Impact Members with registration details. Upgrade to Impact Membership today! SuperCrowd26 featuring PurposeBuilt100™: This August 25–27, founders, investors, and ecosystem leaders will gather for a three-day, broadcast-quality global experience focused on disciplined capital formation, regulated investment crowdfunding, and purpose-driven growth. We’re bringing together leading voices in impact investing, compliance, digital marketing, and circular economy innovation to deliver practical frameworks, real-world case studies, and actionable strategies. The event culminates in the PurposeBuilt100™ Showcase, recognizing 100 of the fastest-growing purpose-driven companies in the U.S. Register now to secure your seat and get all the details. August 25–27, streaming worldwide. Visit Our Complete Community Event Calendar If you would like to submit

  8. Aug 20

    Jiminy’s Turns Cricket Protein Into Climate-Friendly Dog Food

    Watch the show on television by downloading the SuperCrowd.tv Channel app to your Roku or Amazon Fire TV or e360tv channel app to your Roku, LG or Amazon Fire TV. You can also see it on YouTube. Devin: What is your superpower? Anne: I tend to question everything. Jiminy’s is proving that cricket protein can help dogs live healthier lives while cutting the carbon pawprints of America’s pets. Anne Carlson, founder and CEO of Jiminy’s, has built a purpose-driven company around an idea that sounds surprising until you hear the science. Jiminy’s makes dog food, treats and dental chews using insect protein. Anne explained the mission simply: “At Jiminy’s, we help dogs live longer, healthier lives on a greener planet.” The environmental case is powerful. Anne shared that a UCLA study found that 25 to 30 percent of the environmental impact of meat consumption in the United States comes from dogs and cats. Replacing traditional animal protein in pet food with insect protein can reduce land use, water use and greenhouse gas emissions. For Anne, the mission began at home. “I had this conversation with my daughter, and she really hit me with a bombshell,” she told me. “She told me that she didn’t want to have kids. And the reason was she was worried about what the world would be like by the time those kids grew up.” That moment changed her career path. She had worked in the pet industry and knew there was room for innovation. Then she saw a United Nations study suggesting insects could help address world hunger. She ordered dry-roasted crickets online and offered them to her dogs. “The dogs went crazy for it,” Anne said. “As soon as they started drooling, I knew we had something that we could work with.” Anne Carlson will be speaking at SuperCrowd26 featuring PurposeBuilt100™️! Register now to watch his session live. What impresses me most is that Jiminy’s is not just a clever brand with a fun name. Anne and her team have invested in science. They worked through FDA and AAFCO processes to demonstrate digestibility, palatability and real health benefits. Anne said the protein has been shown to support the microbiome, skin and coat health and even oral health. That science has translated into products dogs love and pet parents can feel good about buying. Jiminy’s has won industry recognition for its food, treats and dental chews while growing distribution online and in independent pet stores. Anne is showing that purpose and growth can run together. By asking better questions about what we feed our pets, she is helping build a healthier future for dogs and the planet they depend on. tl;dr: Jiminy’s uses cricket protein to create sustainable pet food that reduces environmental impact. Anne’s climate concern for her daughter inspired her purpose-driven entrepreneurial journey. Science-backed benefits for dogs include improved gut health, oral health, and overall wellness. Jiminy’s has earned industry recognition for its eco-friendly pet food innovations and growth. Anne’s superpower is questioning everything and tenaciously pursuing innovative solutions. How to Develop Question Everything As a Superpower Anne’s superpower is Question Everything. She told me, “I tend to question everything,” adding that she is “curious” and likes “to understand how things work.” That habit is not passive. Anne continues to ask, “What else can we do? How else can we have impact?” For her, the question is only the beginning. She emphasized that it is “not just ask the question, but then follow up,” because when a path emerges, “you’ve got to be tenacious to get it done.” Anne illustrated her superpower with a discovery that began on her floor at home. Her older dog Tuco was breathing in her face, and she wondered, “How the heck does Tuco have good breath?” She opened his mouth and saw white teeth. Because she was not giving him dental chews, she asked her scientists whether insect protein could be affecting his mouth. They hypothesized that medium-chain fatty acids might be responsible. Anne kept pushing. The company conducted a study, proved the oral microbiome benefit and relaunched dental chews that later won a major innovation award. Be fully present when talking with people so you notice ideas worth exploring. Do not let questions pass through your mind without asking them out loud. Probe for the underlying reason when something surprises you or does not make sense. Use science, data and expert partners to test your hypotheses. Follow up on promising questions with tenacity until you discover whether they lead somewhere useful. Keep asking how your work can create more impact for customers, animals and the planet. By following Anne’s example and advice, you can make questioning everything a skill. With practice and effort, you could make it a superpower that enables you to do more good in the world. Remember, however, that research into success suggests that building on your own superpowers is more important than creating new ones or overcoming weaknesses. You do you! Guest Profile Anne Carlson (she/her): Founder & CEO, Jiminy’s, Inc. About Jiminy’s, Inc.: Jiminy’s is disrupting the pet industry; fighting climate change as we feed our pets. We make sustainable dog food and treats using a novel protein source - insect protein! Jiminy’s products nourish our pets and promote long-term stewardship of the earth. Website: jiminys.com Company Facebook Page: facebook.com/jiminysforpets Biographical Information: Meet Anne Carlson – the dog-loving entrepreneur who’s revolutionizing pet food by thinking outside the (kibble) box! As the founder of Jiminy’s, she’s on a mission to make dog food and treats that are both tail-waggingly delicious and planet-friendly, using – wait for it – cricket protein! Her innovative approach is turning heads in the pet industry, with Jiminy’s racking up impressive recognition in 2024: snagging the Pet Innovation Award for Best Dry Dog Food with Good Grub, winning Pet Age Magazine’s Editor’s Select Award for their mouthwatering Sweet Potato & Peas Training Treats, and scoring Pet Product News Magazine’s Editor’s Choice Award for their game-changing Dental Chews! When she’s not leading her award-winning company, you might find Anne geeking out over insect agriculture (yes, she literally wrote the scientific playbook for cricket protein in dog food!). Her groundbreaking work earned her the 2019 Entrepreneur of the Year award, but her real critics are her four-legged taste-testers: Tuco and Timber, her beloved pups. Before becoming the “Cricket Queen” of pet food, Anne was a corporate powerhouse at Big Heart Pet Brands and founded Secant (which she later sold to IRI). She’s got the brains to back her vision – with degrees from Wash U and NYU – but these days, she’s focused on changing the world one sustainable kibble at a time. When she’s not disrupting the pet food industry, Anne’s hanging with her family in Berkeley, CA, where her husband Eric and daughter Boothe have learned to embrace her passion for sustainable pet parenthood! Personal Facebook Profile: facebook.com/anne.t.carlson LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/annetcarlson/ Instagram: @jiminysforpets Support Our Sponsors Our generous sponsors make our work possible, serving impact investors, social entrepreneurs, community builders and diverse founders. Today’s advertisers include PurposeBuilt100™ Winners and supercrowd.tv. Learn more about advertising with us here. 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SuperCrowd Impact Member Networking Session: Impact (and, of course, Max-Impact) Members of the SuperCrowd are invited to a private networking session on September 8th at 8:00 PM ET/5:00 PM PT. Mark your calendar. We’ll send private emails to Impact Members with registration details. Upgrade to Impact Membership today! SuperCrowd26 featuring PurposeBuilt100™: This August 25–27, founders, investors, and ecosystem leaders will gather for a three-day, broadcast-quality global experience focused on disciplined capital formation, regulated investment crowdfunding, and purpose-driven growth. We’re bringing together leading voices in impact investing, compliance, digital marketing, and circular economy innovation to deliver practical frameworks, real-world case studies, and actionable strategies. The event culminates in the PurposeBuilt100™ Showcase, recognizing 100 of the fastest-growing purpose-driven companies in the U.S. Register now to secure your seat and get all the details. 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We host changemakers who are using regulated investment crowdfunding for social impact--impact crowdfunding--as impact investors or social entrepreneurs, catalyzing change with leadership skills we call superpowers. www.superpowers4good.com