What I Learned About the Advantage of Community From Goodr Founder & CEO Jasmine Crowe-Houston

A new episode of The Next Great Thing  just hit the podcast feeds, and it’s a “good” one. I talk to Jasmine Crowe-Houston, Founder and CEO at Goodr, an Atlanta-based startup that’s using technology to tackle two big problems at once: food waste and food insecurity. 

Goodr has been making major moves lately, so it was an honor to speak with Jasmine. She recently visited Washington, DC, to participate in the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition. Goodr was also just ranked #30 on Fortune’s 2022 Change The World list, alongside other world-changing companies like PayPal, Chipotle, and Coursera (who I talked to in a previous podcast episode). 

You can find the episode with Jasmine on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and anywhere you get your podcasts. Or listen right here:

One “great thing” I learned: Community connection is a competitive advantage. Jasmine built Goodr on the simple concept that humans deserve dignity and respect. Even as her company grows, her roots in the community run deep - from running pop-up free grocery stores to delivering meals from businesses with surplus food to nonprofits that feed people in need. When people see and experience Goodr in their community, they believe in the mission and want to be a part of it. Big or small, the best tech companies don’t just have the best technology, the best engineers, the best developers and designers. They have a deep understanding of, and close connection with, the people they serve -- outside and inside the company -- and innovation and brand loyalty start there. 

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“We've done really well building a solid thought-leadership around hunger, around food waste, and also around culture and community. No one tops Goodr there,” Jasmine says. “If you've been to a Goodr pop-up, if you receive food from Goodr, you start to really love us and want to work with us and be part of what we're doing. Those are the things we focus on: culture, how we serve, putting dignity first, putting people first.” 

Related: 11 BEST ENTREPRENEUR PODCASTS FOR 2023 - LESSONS FROM STARTUP LEADERS

I can’t wait for our next couple of episodes. Stay tuned for conversations with tech leaders who are making great things happen in the worlds of music and medicine. 

One last thing: we need your reviews! It’s the single best way to support the podcast. I would be grateful if you gave us a 5-star review or wrote a quick positive note on Apple podcasts. Even one additional review means a lot for us. 

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