Julia CollinsFounder

United States - San Francisco, California,

I’m the Founder & CEO of Planet FWD, where we're on a mission to tackle climate change by making it easier to bring climate-friendly products to market.

Planet FWD is empowering the next generation of sustainable brands with our proprietary software that reduces the cost and complexity of creating sustainable and carbon-neutral products

Food has been my calling since I was a young girl growing up in San Francisco. It led me to New York, where I spent over a decade of my career launching and growing food brands such as Union Square Hospitality Group, Mexicue, and Murray’s Cheese Bar.

I also served as Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at Harlem Jazz Enterprises, which holds The Cecil and Minton’s, a historic jazz supper club. During my time, The Cecil, an Afro-Asian Brasserie, won Best New Restaurant of the Year. and Harlem Jazz Enterprises (the company responsible for the award-winning restaurant, The Cecil).

In 2015, I moved back to the Bay Area and co-founded Zume Pizza, where I became the first Black woman to create a company valued at over a billion dollars

In 2018, I became a mother. I gained clarity on my life’s purpose: bringing delicious food to people in a way that helps heal the planet for everyone, including my son.

In 2020, I launched Moonshot Snacks as the first climate-friendly snack brand and proofing ground for Planet FWD’s software. Today, our carbon management platform is helping food, fashion, beauty and personal care brands take climate action and reach their climate goals.

In addition to leading Planet FWD, I sit on the advisory council for Launch with GS, the Food for Climate League board and I’m an EIR for Cleo Capital. I’m an active angel investor focused on funding female entrepreneurs and BIPOC founders, as well as an Ambassador for the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture.

You can follow me here on LinkedIn, or visit our company website at https://www.planetfwd.com/about