Julia Collins: First Black Woman Co-Founder

Julia Collins, the first Black woman to co-found a unicorn startup, helped launch Zume Pizza to a $1 billion valuation in 2018. After leaving Zume, she founded Planet FWD, a sustainability platform that raised $16.8 million in Series A funding in 2022.

Early Career and First Hire

In 2010, Collins became the first employee at Mexicue, a Mexican-American barbecue chain that began as a food truck in New York City. The experience taught her the importance of capital efficiency; without venture backing or a small-business loan, the company had to be profitable from day one. She later noted that this lesson helped her build the right team and understand product-market fit. Her early work at Mexicue is reflected in the stats of her ventures, showing how lean operations can drive growth.

From Pizza to Planet

Collins earned an MBA from Stanford University before co-founding Zume Pizza with Alex Garden in 2015. Zume focused on automated pizza production and delivery, and in 2018 it became the first unicorn co-founded by a Black woman when its valuation surpassed $1 billion. The company’s rapid ascent is summarized in the table below.

In 2018, Collins left Zume to launch Planet FWD, a platform that helps brands measure, reduce, and report their carbon footprints. Planet FWD’s mission expanded beyond food brands to include fashion, beauty, and major retailers. The platform’s impact metrics are tracked in the squad dashboard, illustrating how capital can meet environmental goals.

Capital and Impact

Collins has raised more than $500 million in venture capital across multiple sectors, including hospitality, consumer products, robotics, artificial intelligence, and climate technology. She cautions founders not to conflate their personal value with their company’s valuation, noting that a valuation can be either too high or too low. Instead, she advises evaluating potential investors by their track record with other founders.

In 2019, Collins launched Moonshot Snacks, a sustainable snack line for kids inspired by her son. The brand built on an organic, regenerative supply chain and grew rapidly. Moonshot’s growth is reflected in the fixtures of its supply chain, and the brand caught Patagonia’s attention. Patagonia Provisions acquired Moonshot in 2023, marking the company’s first acquisition in more than 20 years.

Authentic Leadership

Early coaching urged Collins to be less “nice” and less “feminine,” but she found that trying to suppress these traits made her sound ridiculous. She concluded that authentic, purpose-driven leadership-rooted in kindness and care-was the most powerful approach. According to Entrepreneur, Collins believes that when leaders stay true to their values, employees and investors feel safe and can perform at their best.

She emphasizes that purpose and profit must align; otherwise, sustaining both becomes difficult. Collins’s journey from a first hire at a food truck to co-founding a unicorn and leading a sustainability platform demonstrates how authenticity, capital efficiency, and impact can coexist in a thriving business.