Founder Spotlight: Valerie Bendish (Valerie's)
Meet Valerie Bendish
Company:
Valerie's is a vegan company partnered with Master Chefs, MDs, PhDs and nutritionists for a delicious and healthy take on vegan. We have our first product on the market with the goal to open our flagship drive-thru equivalent to the vegan Mcdonald's by next year!
Location:
Queens, New York, USA
When did you launch the business?
November 15, 2020
What stage is your business at?
Seed, actively in an accelerator program: NewChip
What led you to where you are today?
I became a vegetarian in 2017 and vegan in 2020 and realized there was nowhere to find delicious, healthy vegan food, especially on the go. That was the inception of Valerie's.
What do you wish you knew before embarking on your entrepreneurial journey?
I wish I had known how imperative revenue would be for investment. I would have started product production earlier!
What is the most difficult decision you've had to make regarding your business so far?
The most difficult decision I've had to make would definitely be going in on this journey alone as a solo Founder and CEO. There are many times when that can be a lonely decision, but I've been blessed with many trusting partnerships that have been rewarding already, and knowing the team building will be a natural progression upon financial gain is all the more satisfying.
What can you help the VEGPRENEUR community with?
I have a great network in the vegan, vegetarian, and clean-eating media community due to my first company, VBPR. We focus on philanthropic public relations, raising awareness for the important causes of our time.
How can the VEGPRENEUR community help you?
I would love to be connected with more like-minded founders and community members interested in seeing veganism pave the way for a more healthy and more sustainable future!
Fun fact about you:
I love singing and I write music in my free time.
Anything else you would like to share?
We all know that the plant-based protein shift has begun and it’s all about having… Good product, Sustainable product, Healthy product! I can’t tell you how many people I’ve served that don’t believe that PAOW! is plant-based and it is such an A-HA moment. Let’s keep up the momentum!
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