EMILY OLSON

Networth: $1.2 Million

Country Of Residence: USA

http://foodzie.com/

Emily Olson, 23, is the co-founder and chief-Foodie of Foodzie of San Fransisco based website.

Foodzie raised 1 million USD capital for her marketplace of specialty foods (sort of the Etsy of artisan food producers). Investors are Jeff Clavier at SoftTech VC, First Round Capital, and angel investors.

It is interesting to note that there are a number of women funding their business startups with VC capital. The rate however still remains low compared with the number of women starting companies and the number of funding deals.

The woman-led companies that have closed funding deals are true pioneers for the next generation. Emily pursued the idea and started the company as part of the 2008 TechStars incubator program, together with Nik Bauman (CTO) and Rob LaFave (Business Development+ Design).

Foodzie is an online marketplace where you can discover and buy food directly from small passionate food producers and growers. They are a part of a bigger mission, to help change the way people eat. Our small piece of that mission is to help the small food producers across the country find customers and grow their business.

At Foodzie, the definition of sustainable food is multi-dimensional. Surfing the wave equitable trade, social responsibility, healthy living and environmental protection, they believe that a truly sustainable food is part of an ecosystem that requires a balance of economic, environmental, and social viability.

• Economically, Foodzie strives  to ensure that the producers and growers are able to build sustainable businesses. This requires that small producers have the resources and access to bring their products to market.

• Environmentally, Foodzie aims to encourage those same artisans to make responsible decisions about how they grow, produce, package, and distribute their products.

• Socially, Foodzie aims to improve access to healthy and nutritious foods, and support fair compensation for foodmakers.