How Startups Can Lead the Charge Toward a Regenerative Economy with Julia Zhou

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In this episode, I spoke with Julia Zhou, co-founder of Tidal Impact, and President of the Sigma Squared Society. Julia shared her journey from growing up in an entrepreneurial family to co-founding Tidal Impact with a focus on shifting businesses from merely reducing harm to creating a meaningful impact.
We explored how startups can play a pivotal role in building a regenerative economy and why they are uniquely positioned to adopt sustainable practices faster than larger corporations. Julia also explained the importance of redefining success beyond financial metrics, stressing the need to focus on the positive societal and environmental outcomes a company can achieve.
We discussed the work of the Sigma Square Society, a network fostering connections among young entrepreneurs, and how building emotional intelligence and personal awareness are crucial for driving systems change.
Julia emphasized the need for businesses to develop a theory of change to measure long-term impact and shared her thoughts on the evolving world of impact investing, where diverse funding models are necessary for different types of impact-driven companies.
We covered:

• Tidal Impact’s mission: Helping businesses measure and manage ESG and create positive impact
• Startups' role: How they can lead the charge in building a regenerative economy
• Redefining success: Moving beyond financial metrics to focus on impact
• The Sigma Square Society: Supporting young entrepreneurs and fostering systemic change
• Theory of change: A framework for measuring long-term goals and impact
• Impact investing: The need for diverse funding models to support various businesses
• Personal stories: Julia’s journey and insights on aligning business goals with personal values
• Lessons learned: Challenges in systems change, team building, and securing funding

Where to find Julia:
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julia-zhou-3a94a5b3/
- Website: Tidal Impact, Sigma Squared Society
Where to find Michel:
- Newsletter: Stun and Awe
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/micheljgagnon/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/michelgagnon

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1. How Startups Can Lead the Charge Toward a Regenerative Economy with Julia Zhou (00:00:00)

2. Julia's Entrepreneurial Background (00:03:12)

3. Founding Tidal Impact (00:05:45)

4. Difference Between ESG and Impact (00:09:08)

5. Role of Startups in a Regenerative Economy (00:12:30)

6. Challenges in Creating Systems Change (00:16:50)

7. Redefining Success Beyond Financial Metrics (00:20:15)

8. Sigma Square Society and Annual Summit (00:23:40)

9. Innovative Startups and Breakthrough Technologies (00:28:10)

10. Importance of Awareness and Emotional Maturity (00:32:45)

11. Measuring Impact and Theory of Change (00:36:20)

12. Impact Investing Landscape (00:41:00)

13. Aligning Business Goals with Personal Values (00:45:30)