Goodr
Jasmine Crowe-Houston became obsessed with a stark contradiction: millions of Americans don't have enough to eat while 40% of the food produced in the U.S. gets thrown away. She recognized that much of this discarded food—from restaurants, supermarkets, office buildings and more—is perfectly safe to eat. Beyond the human cost of food insecurity, this waste produces harmful methane emissions that contribute to global climate change. These interconnected problems sparked her vision for a solution.
In 2017, Jasmine founded Goodr as a for-profit organization designed to solve the logistical challenge of connecting surplus food with people experiencing food insecurity. The business model was elegant: instead of businesses paying waste management companies to dispose of surplus food in landfills, they could partner with Goodr to deliver that food to local nonprofits that serve communities in need.
Goodr's growth was driven by a growing corporate focus on sustainability. As businesses became increasingly committed to environmental and social responsibility, Goodr positioned itself as a partner that helped them achieve sustainability goals while solving real social problems. This alignment of profit motive with purpose created rapid growth, with companies eager to work with Goodr rather than continue paying for waste disposal.
Goodr has grown significantly by solving both the logistics of food redistribution and meeting the rising demand from businesses for sustainability solutions. The company's for-profit model proved effective at scaling, as it aligned incentives between waste reduction, corporate sustainability, and food security.
Similar Companies
QuestionPro
$2.5M/moQuestionPro is a bootstrapped SaaS survey and feedback platform that grew to $30M ARR primarily through strategic acquisitions of smaller companies, buying them at 2x multiples. The company's growth strategy focused on consolidation within the survey/feedback tools market rather than traditional marketing channels.
Pieter Levels' AI Startups Portfolio
$250k/moPieter Levels is a prolific indie hacker and entrepreneur running multiple AI startups that collectively generate $250,000 in monthly recurring revenue. Despite claiming "Indie Hacking is dead," Pieter exemplifies how the practice has evolved in the age of AI tools and platforms, discussing topics from dependency risks to preparing businesses for potential exits while maintaining a strong presence on social media.
Sheets & Giggles
$200k/moSheets & Giggles is a pun-based, eco-friendly bedding brand founded by Colin McIntosh that launched in May 2018 on Indiegogo. The company makes lyocell bed sheets from eucalyptus trees and achieved nearly $500K in revenue in their first 6 months with over 6,000 orders, now generating $200K monthly revenue.
Drata
Adam Markowitz founded Drata after spending seven years in edtech without real product-market fit, recognizing the difference when compliance became a clear painkiller. Drata achieved rapid traction with 100 customers in six weeks and 1,000 in year one, reaching $100M ARR before their fourth birthday. The company built a distribution moat through strategic partnerships, becoming a top 5 AWS ISV and sourcing two-thirds of pipeline through partner channels.
140 Canvas
140 Canvas was a failed startup that allowed users to create custom fake tweets and purchase them as canvas prints for £30. Despite getting 17,000 visitors from a successful YouTube influencer campaign, they only converted 20 sales, losing £145 total due to lack of market validation and a complicated user experience requiring customers to write their own tweets.