Julia Collins on San Francisco Roots, Stanford and Harvard, Building a Billion Dollar Unicorn Startup, and Blending Climate Tech and Creativity Through Planet FWD and PlanetHAUS
Serial entrepreneur and climate tech CEO Julia Collins joins Shannon Nash to discuss the milestones that led her to make history as the first Black woman to found a unicorn startup. From her deep roots as a fourth-generation San Franciscan to the lessons learned on the fry station at Shake Shack after earning an MBA, Julia shares how standing on the shoulders of giants in her family gave her the confidence to belong at any table. This episode explores her decision to claim joy as a professional superpower and her current mission to make sustainability a pleasurable, delicious, and unavoidable part of every home.
Julia Collins is a serial entrepreneur and climate tech CEO, currently leading Planet FWD, the platform helping brands decarbonize their supply chains, and serving as Chief Creative Officer of PlanetHAUS, a creative venture focused on culture, storytelling, and purpose-driven brand building. She made history as the first Black woman to found a unicorn startup with Zume Pizza, and later founded Moonshot Snacks, acquired by Patagonia. A Harvard and Stanford alum, Collins is an investor and serves on multiple nonprofit boards focused on education and climate. She lives in San Francisco with her two sons.
Key Takeaways:
Growing up as a fourth-generation San Franciscan provided a foundation of unapologetic authenticity and the freedom to be a "little weird" while dreaming big.
Standing on the shoulders of giants within her family gave Julia a deep inner confidence that she belonged at the table regardless of future adversity.
Transitioning from a traditional career to the restaurant industry taught her that operational credibility is built through mopping floors and working the fry station.
Claiming joy as a professional superpower became the catalyst for building a billion-dollar company and influencing global teams.
Reaching unicorn status as the first Black woman brought a profound responsibility to mentor other founders and clear the path for those following behind.
Serial entrepreneurship involves constant goodbyes, teaching that while companies and teams are temporary, love and mission are the only enduring things.
Motherhood fosters a unique level of professional efficiency and a renewed commitment to solving the planet's climate challenges for future generations.
Sustainability is most effective when it is framed as a more beautiful, pleasurable, and delicious way to live rather than a fearful obligation.
Maintaining gratitude for achieved dreams requires acknowledging that today’s reality is the result of decades of wishing, dreaming, and working.
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Theme Song: No Boxes Just Verses by Thane Kreiner (Suno)
Joy as a Superpower: Julia Collins on Building Unicorns and Saving the Planet
Professional success is often measured by titles and valuations, but for Julia Collins—serial entrepreneur and CEO of Planet FWD—leadership is rooted in a deep sense of belonging and the pursuit of joy. In this session of No Boxes, Just Verses, Julia shares how standing on the shoulders of giants in her family gave her the confidence to navigate the high-stakes world of venture capital and climate advocacy.
1. The Foundation of Authenticity
Music: "The World Is Yours" – Nas
Julia is a fourth-generation San Franciscan whose family blazed paths in dentistry, law, and social justice. Her grandmother’s early advocacy led to the Lanterman Act, creating vital resources for Californians with developmental differences. This lineage provided Julia with a "quiet confidence"—a belief that she didn't just show up at the table, she is the table. As a child, she expressed this curiosity through the "WORM" (World Organic Recycling Movement) club and a sunroom hydroponic garden where she grew tomatoes, foreshadowing her future in sustainable food systems.
2. Building Credibility from the Ground Up
Music: "We Gon' Make It" – Jadakiss
After studying biomedical engineering at Harvard and earning an MBA from Stanford, Julia made a choice that confused many: she went to work the fry station at Shake Shack. She understood the mechanical necessity of learning a business from its most basic friction points before trying to optimize it with technology. This "grind" provided the operational credibility needed to later found Zume Pizza, where she used robots to improve food systems and made history as the first Black woman to lead a startup to a billion-dollar valuation.
3. Claiming Joy as a Professional Tool
Music: "Joy" – Whitney Houston
When Julia moved to Silicon Valley, she had to define her professional brand. While she took pride in her financial and operational skills, her peers consistently identified her true superpower as joy. She decided to lead with this trait unapologetically, using it as a primary force for influence and team building. She believes that the ability to bring out the spirit of others is what enabled her to build consequential companies and secure investment from leaders like Aileen Lee.
4. The Mission of Sustainability
Music: "Sittin' on Top of the World" – Burna Boy
Julia’s current work with Planet FWD and Planet Haus is focused on helping brands decarbonize and showing consumers that a sustainable life is a pleasurable one. She emphasizes that every purchasing decision—from the food in the fridge to the couch in the living room—is a vote for the type of world we want to inhabit. In this phase of her life, she practices "intentional gratitude," recognizing that her current reality is the result of decades of wishing and working.
5. The Grace of the Goodbye
Music: "Time to Get Going" – Tom Petty
As a serial entrepreneur, Julia has learned that goodbyes are a standard part of the process. Whether selling a company like Moonshot Snacks to Patagonia or moving on from a team, she uses music to navigate these transitions. She views companies and teams as temporary, while the love for the mission and the community remains the only enduring element of a career well-lived.
What achieved dream are you taking a moment to have gratitude for today?