Julia Collins

Julia Collins is a food tech entrepreneur who has spent her career building food companies, including Zume Pizza where she became the first Black woman to co-found a unicorn company.

Early life and education Collins was born in San Francisco, California. She earned her Bachelor’s from Harvard University in 2001 and her Master of Business Administration from Stanford University in 2009.

Career Collins first started in the New York restaurant industry, co-creating a restaurant chain, Mexicue in 2010 and serving as director of Murray's Cheese in 2012. Through Zume, Collins became the first Black woman to co-found a unicorn company. Some of the major brands Planet FWD has worked with are: Clif Bar, Blue Apron, Kashi, Numi Organic Tea.

Recognitions and Awards Julia Collins was recognized for three consecutive years by major magazines. Her first recognition was in 2020 by Newsweek, they named her one of the "13 Tech Innovators Helping to Save the Planet" and praised her for her commitment and effort to fight against climate change.

Boards and Advisories Collins currently serves on the board of directors for Climate Collaborative and Food for Climate League. Food for Climate League is a nonprofit organization that is led by women that works to normalize climate-smart eating. The organization uses behavioral science, communications and campaigns to help change the way we think about food and the environment.

Planet FWD Planet FWD uses the Greenhouse Gas Protocol that was developed in 1998 by the World Resources Institute (WRI) and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD). This tool uses a broad range of data collected on farming and food production to see how food is grown, processed and shipped. This process helps the companies track how much greenhouse gases each step creates and what changes they can make to cut the most pollution.

This tool also helps companies follow international rules and goals for climate change. The tool Planet FWD uses is a climate calculator for food brands. It shows where the pollution is coming from in their products and what choices they can make to become more eco-friendly. The Greenhouse Gas Protocol provides the worlds most used greenhouse gas accounting standards for companies and organizations.