ETHICALLY: Conscious Consumerism At The Tip Of Your Mouse

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NAME OF STARTUP: Ethically

FOUNDED IN (Year): 2021

THE IDEA: What is the problem being solved by your startup / business?:

It’s estimated that businesses cause over 2 Trillion dollars of environmental damage every year. As consumers, we want to hold those businesses accountable, but also celebrate and promote the ones who are making a positive impact. That said, it is hard to consume consciously.

There is a lot of “sustainability” information out there which makes it really hard to tell what is real vs. what is just marketing or greenwashing. On the flip side, companies don’t actually know what consumers care about.

They spend a lot of money on consultants to tell them what kinds of sustainable initiatives might be a good investment.

Wouldn’t it be better to hear directly from their customers? By collecting data directly from customers on their values, and also where they actually put their dollars, we feel we can provide a better service to businesses looking to do better.

THE FOUNDER’S STORY: When and how did you come up with the idea for the business?:

Jada McLean, CEO and Co-founder of Ethically is a recovering investment banker turned social impact entrepreneur. Jada previously founded Hurry Home, a fintech startup that enabled homeownership through an innovative rent to buy model.

Jada has been recognized for Hurry Home’s innovative approach to filling in the gap of financing for small-dollar properties by renowned institutions like Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, Techstars, and Village Capital. Prior to founding Hurry Home she was an investment banker at Bank of America Merrill Lynch and Mccoll Partners (acquired by Deloitte Corporate Finance) where she focused on advising companies through mergers, acquisitions and divestitures.

She holds a BSE in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Duke University. Jada has partnered with Platform Venture Studio as the first founder in residence to build Ethically.

Platform Venture Studio’s thesis is to provide the infrastructure for founders from all backgrounds to build groundbreaking companies which tackle the world’s biggest problems. Platform Venture Studio has provided Jada with the resources necessary to tackle one of the biggest problems humanity faces today.

WHO IS THE CUSTOMER: What is the typical profile of your target customer? 

Sustainability, online shopping, e-commerce

LESSONS TO SHARE: What 3 key lessons from your startup journey you’d like to share with aspiring entrepreneurs?:

Ethically is a browser extension for the conscious consumer. We provide real-time sustainability scores while you are shopping online so you can find and shop with companies that are more aligned with your values.

When we were building Ethically, we wanted to make a tool to demystify the sustainability world.

When talking to potential users, most people really wanted to hold businesses accountable but just didn’t know where to start. What makes Ethically special is that we bring sustainability to you.

We know you want to be more sustainable, so we help you do it incrementally because we know every action counts. Using Ethically you can find more sustainable options within the places you are already shopping, like Amazon.

HQ City: San Francisco, California, USA

Website URL: https://joinethically.com/

Number of Employees: 1-5

Name Of Founder / Co-Founder: Jada McLean

LinkedIN URL:: https://www.linkedin.com/company/72467652/admin/