EPISODE 55 - MIKE SMITH ON TAKING YOUR STARTUP FROM ZERO TO HERO
Mike Smith is the Founder and Chief ‘Used Pouch Salesman’ of Zero Co, an Australian startup on a mission to untrash the planet by stopping the production of new single use plastics in the home cleaning and personal care industries. An experienced entrepreneur and founder, Mike zeroed in on developing a solution to the plastic pollution problem after an 18-month adventure around the globe with his now wife, Alyssa. No matter where Mike and Alyssa trekked they couldn’t escape the scourge of discarded plastic.
With a fire ignited in Mike to develop a solution to the plastic problem it was in depth analysis of supermarket aisles that led him to the glaring opportunity of innovation in the home cleaning and personal care product categories. Mike, Alyssa and a new recruit Kate set about building Zero Co in April 2019, launching a Kickstarter campaign to launch the business in October 2019 that raised $740k in pre-sale orders. Fast forward to October 2021 and Zero Co launched an equity crowdfunding campaign on Birchal that raised $5m in 7 hours - the fastest and biggest equity crowdfunding campaign in Australia’s history.
Disrupting a product category fuelled by multinational corporations with household brands that have existed for decades is not an easy task. Nor is building a business built on circular economy principles and supply chains that don’t exist yet. Through his tenacity, intellect and the right support structures Mike is doing what others might have considered infeasible, even impossible. Mike is the first to put up his hand and admit to the mistakes he’s made and also the first to nominate himself to try something new and bold.
At OIO we are fuelled by the growing urgency and opportunity to tackle the enormous challenges facing Planet Ocean through inspiration, innovation and ‘good business’. When you come across entrepreneurs like Mike and startups like Zero Co, you can’t help but be inspired and optimistic at the potential for this emerging ocean impact ecosystem to truly help transform the future.
For more information on Mike and Zero Co visit: https://www.zeroco.com.au/
To follow Zero Co on Instagram visit: https://www.instagram.com/zeroco.com.au/
To read more about Zero Co’s Birchal campaign please visit: https://www.birchal.com/company/zeroco
