Founder Spotlight: Priyanka Srinivas (The Live Green Co)
Meet Priyanka Srinivas
Company:
The Live Green Co
The Live Green Co uses tech to R&D next-gen plant-based foods while adhering to UN Sustainable Development Goals 3 (Good health), 8 (Good work & growth), and 12 (Responsible production). Our AI Software (Charaka) blends ancestral sciences of plant nutrition with biotech and machine learning to profile the animal as well as synthetic & highly-processed ingredients in our daily food products and prescribe 100% natural plant-based alternatives.
Startup Stage:
Pre-Series A
When did you launch the company?
January 2018
Location:
Santiago, Chile
What led you to where you are today?
I’ve been in touch with sustainable practices since I was a kid, be it reusing utensils and carry bags for years at home until they broke down completely, carrying home-cooked meals even while traveling, or stitching pillow covers and doormats out of old clothes which otherwise would have been discarding them. After working for over 12 years in retail with the likes of Calvin Klein and Target corporation, I decided to startup Live Green to channel my lifelong passion for sustainability. We bootstrapped the company through savings, grants from accelerators, and winning Demo Days and built a solution to usher in the paradigm shift from ‘plant-made’ to ‘plant only’.
What do you wish you knew before embarking on your entrepreneurial journey?
That there is no right time to found a startup. The vision and purpose behind the company will help you find all the support you need whether it is talent, early clients, or investors. You have to ensure that your skills are aligned with what you are going to do and take the leap of faith.
What is the most difficult decision you've had to make regarding your business so far?
Starting up with my husband as my co-founder was the most difficult decision. I wasn't sure how it would work out between us. So we tested it out by investing in a dark kitchen together and working part-time on a couple of projects for a while. I am glad that it turned out to be one of the best decisions I took because we bring unique & different skill sets and a lot of synergies to the table, and make a great team in a startup environment that is generally very volatile.
What can you help the VEGPRENEUR community with?
Moving to a foreign land without knowing the language, culture, or people to start up was a huge leap for me! I’d love to provide some tips for anyone else in the community who is doing or thinking about doing the same.
How can the VEGPRENEUR community help you?
By spreading the word of how we can blend nature and science to make tastier, healthier, and more sustainable foods. Ancestral wisdom and modern technologies aren’t mutually exclusive. In fact, this combination might just be the key to disrupting the way the world eats.
Fun fact about you:
We recently moved into a tiny house made of recycled containers on a farm surrounded by mountains, great people, and lovely animals!
Anything else you would like to share?
I was recently chosen by El Mercurio as one of the Top 100 Women Leaders of Chile for 2020 and by Vegan Women Summit as one of the ‘Women Building the Future’ honouree 2021.
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