Past Lunches

NEW DATE!!
Imagine using plastic pulled from oceans and beaches and using steam to cheaply make a building product that uses no additives, fillers or chemicals, and uses 95% less greenhouse gases than concrete. Meet Heidi Kujawa, the Founder and CEO of ByFusion and learn what’s next for bringing this machine to a pile of plastic recycling near you.

Come listen to this liberal arts grad talk about being a small business owner and creating a path to lead change that resulted in him being the first Black mayor in the Portland area. Let’s talk about his approach to breaking down the barriers of affordable housing and social justice.

This alumna promises to give you the B side of her resume! Come to discuss how she went from Palatine Hill to studying the interaction between humans and computers, how technology is changing everyday life, the future of money, alternative business models for the web, and creator compensation.

If only we could make biodegradable materials from methane. Come to this lunch and meet the woman who has done just that! Hear about her career path as well as methods to create closed loop, cradle-to-cradle technologies to sustainably recycle carbon.

CANCELLED DUE TO THE POWER OUTAGES! POSTPONED

Can a shoe company be successful if it focuses less on flash and more on mission? Can you combine purpose with profitability and give corporate bonuses based on carbon saved? Listen to this Kiwi talk about his love for wool’s remarkable qualities and why Allbirds’ technology is open source.

Engage with a seasoned life science entrepreneur on the various and nefarious ways to engage in entrepreneurship. Sandra’s career has involved product development, IP licensing, global health, and relationship-building among NGOs, government agencies and international businesses. She will share insights gleaned from work in academia, government agencies in the U.S. and Europe, start-up companies and nonprofits.

Come learn about Zoe’s mission to make the food sector more diverse and inclusive and why she is backing companies overlooked by traditional investors. The Chobani Incubator tackles broken food systems and provides start-ups with access and expertise to achieve scale and growth.

Converse with the first openly gay woman to become CEO of a Fortune 500 company. Beth Ford, CEO of Land O Lakes ( a company that touches 300,000 farmers and half the harvested acres in the nation) wants to respond to your questions about career advancement, innovations in sustainable agriculture, and amplifying underrepresented voices in the workplace. Beth is getting to know Lewis & Clark with her daughter, Gigi, who happens to be a First year here!