Julia Collins, a pioneering entrepreneur with deep family roots in business and agriculture, has once again made headlines with her new venture, Planet FWD. Growing up in an entrepreneurial household in San Francisco, Collins was shaped by her family's diverse business background, including real estate, dental practice, and a historic Black-owned produce company founded in 1883. This heritage fuels her passion for sustainable food systems and innovation.

Collins first gained widespread recognition as the founder of Zume Pizza, a tech-driven food company launched in 2015 that revolutionized the pizza delivery model with innovations like cooking-en-route and fully compostable packaging. The company attracted significant attention when it raised $375 million in a 2018 funding round led by SoftBank, reaching a valuation exceeding $1 billion and crowning Collins the first Black woman co-founder of a unicorn startup. Despite this success, Collins stepped down from her leadership roles to focus on mission-driven work after becoming a mother, concerned about the pressures of rapid capital return in such ventures.

Her current focus is on Planet FWD, a sustainability intelligence platform designed specifically for consumer industries such as food, fashion, and beauty, which collectively contribute a quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions. The platform helps companies accurately measure their environmental impact across water, air, and carbon metrics, empowering them to become more sustainable. Now in its eighth year, Planet FWD has steadily grown and recently secured $25 million in funding.

Collins has purposely cultivated a diverse group of investors, ensuring that women and people of color have meaningful representation not only among financial backers but also in the company’s boardroom. This strategic approach to capital raising reflects her commitment to inclusive leadership and sustainable impact, positioning Planet FWD as a key player in the global movement toward corporate environmental responsibility.