S1E71 - Joey Zwillinger - Environment and Climate Change: The Green Trojan Horse

Allbirds co-owner and CEO Joey Zwillinger joined us for a wide-ranging discussion focusing on the ups and downs and successes and challenges of the international shoe company as well as decarbonization and sustainability; entrepreneurship and branding; innovation and capitalism. We talked about the fashion industry and the CEO's role in the public company which makes over 200 million shoes a year. Worker's rights, DEI and factory conditions also emerged in the conversation which concluded with advice from Joey Zwillinger to aspiring entrepreneurs and those who want to make a difference against the existential threat of climate change.

Biography

Joey is the co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Allbirds. He has long been passionate about making things from renewable resources. Prior to Allbirds, he spent six years at biotechnology firm, Terravia (formerly Solazyme, Inc.), leading its renewable chemical business, developing and selling high-performance algae-based chemicals into various industries such as CPG, personal care, and industrials. 

The experience left Joey convinced that there was an opportunity to build a business that could deliver a superior experience for both the consumer and planet, which ultimately led him to launch Allbirds with Tim Brown in 2016. 

Joey has also worked in advisory and investment roles at Industry Ventures, Deloitte Consulting and Goldman Sachs. He sits on the Board of education nonprofit Stiles Hall and Colorwave, as well as the Advisory Board of Wharton's Baker Retail Center. He earned an MBA from Wharton with honors, and a BS in industrial engineering from UC Berkeley. 

Allbirds
www.allbirds.com/pages/sustainable-practices#reality
www.linkedin.com/in/jzwillinger
www.instagram.com/allbirds

Conversation recorded on February 16, 2024.