On this episode of the VWS Pathfinders Podcast, Jenny sits down with Whipped Urban Dessert Lab founder Courtney Blagrove, a founder changing the vegan dessert game with her oat-based ice-cream. Courtney shares the daily challenges of being a Black woman founder and the biases she encounters, and the current state of the gender and racial equality movements.

She delves into the origins of Whipped, how her family and nut allergies led her into the vegan dessert world, her mother's influence, and how being an underrepresented woman in STEM has prepared her for a life in business. She talks about the importance of adaptation in business, how the COVID era has forced Whipped to change, and sheds light on the outrageous and under-handed tactics of big companies.

This Cast Covers:

Introduction [00:32]

Courtney's background and the importance of female role models [02:35]

Love of science [05:50]

Representation and being the only one in the room [06:40]

High-school life and getting ahead [11:42]

University of Georgia [13:32]

Insecticides and consumer transparency [14:53]

Changes in the food system for the better [17:36]

Your metabolism, can it be changed? [21:20]

Vitamin D and S.A.D. [24:05]

From Ph.D. to founder [25:40]

Going legit [29:00]

Women in the business world [30:00]

How to get people invested in your product [35:52]

Funding, pitching, and scaling up [36:40]

Adversity driving innovation [40:50]

Biggest mistake [42:42]

Why Whipped? [47:03]

Follow Whipped on:

Website: https://www.urbandessertlab.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/whippedurbandessertlab

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/urbandessertlab

Follow VWS on:

VWS Newsletter: veganwomensummit.com/newsletter

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/vegan-women-summit/

Instagram: www.instagram.com/veganwomensummit/

Facebook: www.facebook.com/veganwomensummit

Twitter: twitter.com/vegwomensummit

Quotes:

"I was always the minority, and so even from a young age, I was groomed to be the minority and again in business where I am dealing with the same type of issues." Courtney Blagrove

"If you hit the pockets of the people that are growing most of our food, believe me they are going to change it." Courtney Blagrove