Re.Vert Ventures, Stories From Impact Entrepreneurs

Youssef Elbehri
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Honest conversations looking at the climate crisis through the lens of entrepreneurship. 

  1. Lauren Gropper, Founder & CEO of Repurpose, Bettering Convenience through Compostability

    APR 17

    Lauren Gropper, Founder & CEO of Repurpose, Bettering Convenience through Compostability

    In today’s episode we speak with Lauren Gropper, founder of Repurpose — a company creating compostable, plant-based alternatives to single-use plastic products. Repurpose supports the circular economy by replacing petroleum-based, single-use plastics with compostable materials designed to return safely to the earth after use, rather than persist in landfills or our ecosystems. The problem: Globally, over 400 million tons of plastic are produced each year, with a significant portion designed for single use. According to the United Nations Environment Programme, around half of all plastic produced is single-use, and only about 9% of plastic waste ever created has been recycled. The rest ends up in landfills, incinerated, or leaking into ecosystems—where it can take hundreds of years to break down. The solution: Repurpose offers compostable alternatives made from plant-based materials, designed to break down in industrial composting environments. By rethinking everyday items like cutlery, cups, and plates, the company reduces reliance on fossil-fuel-based plastics and helps shift consumption toward more regenerative systems. This conversation dives into the pursuit for real impact, how curiosity and conviction can shape an entirely new category, and how being a first mover in sustainable materials can be both an advantage and a challenge—while building a business that pushes consumers and systems to change. Repurpose Youtube Episode

    43 min
  2. Claire Schlemme of Renewal Mill, Baking A Better World with Food Waste

    FEB 27

    Claire Schlemme of Renewal Mill, Baking A Better World with Food Waste

    In todays episode we speak with Claire Schlemme, the founder of Renewal Mill. A company up cycling fibrous byproducts from food manufacturing into high value ingredients.  Renewal Mill  supports the circular economy by diverting food from landfill and ensuring all calories and nutrients dont go to waste but get a second life as a new food ingredient for consumption. The company focuses on flour alternatives as their main product, derived from Okara and soy, banana, oats, corn and pineapples, among others.  The problem: In the US along, approximately 30-40% of the food supply is wasted - worth billions of dollars of wasted value, and all the water, fertilizer, land use, and labor involved in producing that. Producing methane which is 28X more warming impact than carbon dioxide - in some calculations food waste is one of the largest material found in landfill and municipal waste streams. Economic Research Service of the US - around 13.5% of Americans are food insecure - meaning they dont have reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable nutritious food.   The solution: Renewal mill extends the life of these ingredients, still rich in nutrients, to create new healthy ingredients suitable for consumption and existing baking processes. Whether thats at home or industrial baking, these products extend the life, and help divert food waste going to landfill.  This conversation dives into our pursuit for real impact, solving multiple problems within one solution family, the realities of up cycling food,  and how taking one step towards an idea brings about plentiful new opportunities! Renewal Mill: https://www.renewalmill.com/?srsltid=AfmBOoq1q4XAdOSEmiCEMBk9seGcC3gkC1LzObqUjgQ4nBlAqw_Rz2RI Full YT episode: https://youtu.be/UTDFWuT474Y

    57 min
  3. Cleo Escarez, Founder of Redyoos. Recycling Jewelry to Support Clean Technology

    12/05/2025

    Cleo Escarez, Founder of Redyoos. Recycling Jewelry to Support Clean Technology

    In todays episode we speak with Cleo Escarez, the founder of Redyoos. A company focused on supporting the clean energy transition through recycling jewelry and precious metals.  Redyoos supports the circular economy by reducing the need for mining for new finite precious metals, and provides a direct end of life solution for consumers and businesses to properly discard their pieces.   The problem:  Precious metals like silver and gold are critical for green technology like solar panels, batteries, medical devices, more. Yet An estimated $61 billion in precious metals is landfilled annually. These materials are essential for processing in computers, phones, medical devices, solar panels, and wind turbines. 30-50% of virgin silver and gold production go toward jewelry, in a time when there is increasing demand for these critical technology.  Its also getting harder and harder to find these finite materials in nature.  The Solution: Precious metals are infinitely recyclable without any loss of quality, offering a viable path to a more stable and sustainable supply chain. Redyoos connects the end of life of jewelry into renewed inputs for critical green technology through recycling.  This conversation dives into our pursuit for real impact, finding the blue ocean opportunities in combining unlikely industries,  and the power of cross industry partnership. People don’t usually put jewelry and green technology in the same conversation but Cleo proves their link and finds solutions for one with the waste of another. Redyoos Video Interview

    56 min
  4. Anna Hammond of Matriark Foods, Upcycling to Fight Food Waste

    11/21/2025

    Anna Hammond of Matriark Foods, Upcycling to Fight Food Waste

    In todays episode we speak with Anna Hammond, the founder of Matriarch Foods. A company that upcycles farm surplus and fresh-cut remnants into delicious, healthy products for food service, retail, and emergency food. We learn her story working in the arts to engaging local farmers in the New York City region, which lead to her discovering how we can extend the full value of our crops in our current food system.  We discuss the skills she brings to the table, the scale of the problem of current agriculture industry and how she is expanding her business to fight food waste, bring healthy food to those in need, and changing the way people think of up cycling food. Tackling food waste is a critical channel to address the climate crisis and so the work of companies like Matriarch Foods and others are essential to immediately address our changing climate.  Matriark Foods Full Video

    51 min
  5. Dan Kurzrock, Founder of Upcycled Foods Inc. Unlocking Food Waste's Potential. S.3 E.4

    11/06/2025

    Dan Kurzrock, Founder of Upcycled Foods Inc. Unlocking Food Waste's Potential. S.3 E.4

    In this episode of Re.Vert Ventures, we sit down with Dan Kurzrock, founder of Upcycled Foods (formerly ReGrained), a pioneer turning the food upcycling movement into a thriving business. Based in the Bay Area, Dan shares how a college beer-brewing hobby turned into a mission to give “spent grain” a second life. From dorm room experiments to scaling a purpose-driven company, his story is one of persistence, creativity, and reimagining what we call waste. We explore his path through creative financing, evolving business models, and the broader impact of upcycling — from reducing food loss to creating value for businesses and communities alike. It’s a powerful case study in innovation, sustainability, and finding win-win solutions at the intersection of waste and worth. Check out Upcycled Foods here: https://upcycledfoods.com/ Youtube version here: https://youtu.be/j0veWhLoNXc

    1h 7m
  6. John Erik Metcalf, Founder of Upgraded, Enabling Circular Hardware s.3 e.3

    10/24/2025

    John Erik Metcalf, Founder of Upgraded, Enabling Circular Hardware s.3 e.3

    In this episode of Re.Vert Ventures we speak with John Metcalf, founder of Upgraded, the leading tech subscription service in the US focusing on MacBooks.   Based in Austin, we hear John’s story from childhood to being self employed to full time founder and everything in between. Culminating to John creating a platform enabling the a new model for device ownership and creating a scalable take back program for one of the leading consumer electronic brands in the world, furthering the circular economy in the tech space.  We learn about his journey from the US to Asia, to Europe, the lessons learned from starting businesses in each of these distinct cultures. We get transparent about his business model, the unit economics that allow Upgraded to work, and the environmental impact that leasing unlocks.  This is a great case study for thinking differently about distribution, ownership, and impact. Upgraded: https://getupgraded.com/ Video Interview: https://youtu.be/6Y574LYMqV8

    52 min
  7. Ken Elliott, Founder of IND Hemp. The Goodness of Hemp Interview, S.3 E.02

    10/10/2025

    Ken Elliott, Founder of IND Hemp. The Goodness of Hemp Interview, S.3 E.02

    In this episode of Re.Vert Ventures, we speak with Ken Elliott, founder of IND Hemp, the leading source of industrial hemp food, feed and fiber ingredients in the country. Based in Montana, we hear ken’s story of going from the environmental services sector to discovering the restorative properties of growing hemp. From there he decides to go full in on this magic crop and grow his industrial hemp business to becoming one of the largest in the country.  We hear about his mission and god lead journey, the  goodness of hemp, and its impact on the environment and the communities surrounding it. The challenges of working in the hemp industry and his advice for anyone entering this burgeoning industry.  Re.Vert Ventures is an interview focused podcast and media platform looking at the climate crisis through the lease of entrepreneurship, and digging into the jouneys of those founders making a real difference. All Interviews and stories can be found here.  IND Hemp Re.Vert Ventures Instagram  Re.Vert Ventures TikTok

    1h 8m
  8. Alan Mak, Founder of Version Tomorrow, From Finance to Fashion - Re.Vert Ventures S3.E01

    09/26/2025

    Alan Mak, Founder of Version Tomorrow, From Finance to Fashion - Re.Vert Ventures S3.E01

    Welcome to Re.Vert Ventures Season 3 (formerly Growing Green Ventures). We’ve made a few aesthetic updates, but the heart of the show remains the same: exploring the climate crisis through the lens of entrepreneurship and digging into the journeys of founders making a real impact. This season, we’re focusing on the circular economy — reimagining waste as a valuable input, and exploring bio-based and regenerative materials across fashion, food, consumer tech, and beyond. Today I’m joined by Alan Mak, founder of Version Tomorrow, a production platform helping brands and creators produce high-quality, environmentally responsible apparel through innovative recycled and organic cotton fabrics. Alan is also the managing partner of the fashion label Public School NYC. In this episode, we trace his path from finance, to working with his family in the fashion industry, to building women’s contemporary brands, joining Public School, and ultimately launching Version Tomorrow. His story is full of insights for anyone looking to pivot, grow, and expand their career or business with purpose. Version Tomorrow: https://versiontomorrow.com/ VT IG:https://www.instagram.com/versiontomorrow/?hl=en Re.Vert Ventures: https://www.instagram.com/revertventures/ Youtube:

    1h 10m
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Honest conversations looking at the climate crisis through the lens of entrepreneurship. 

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