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Nov 24, 2022 · 45m · how-i-built-this

HIBT Lab! Goodr: Jasmine Crowe-Houston

Jasmine Crowe-Houston · 27m spoken Guy Raz · 13m spoken
0:00 / 0:00

gold bands on the timeline = statements, start to end. Hover to read, click to jump. CC turns on captions

In this episode of How I Built This Lab, Guy Raz interviews entrepreneur Jasmine Crowe-Houston, who transformed hunger relief by creating Goodr—a technology-driven logistics company that diverts edible surplus food from landfills to food-insecure communities while providing tax and ESG benefits to businesses.

How this conversation actually went

Every chapter scored 0–10 on four independent dynamics. Hover any point for the reasoning behind the score. Guy holds 33.3% of the talking time here. How this is scored →

Guy as informed peer 4.7 Guest teaching 3.8 Guest disagreement 0.7 Guy pushing back 0.0
05100:0015:0030:0045:001:29–7:06 · Guy as informed peer 3/10 From Celebrity Giving to Sunday Soul Pop-Ups Guy asks standard biographical and exploratory questions about Jasmine's early initiatives. Jasmine gently corrects Guy's estimate of her pop-up dining events from 50-100 people up to 350-500 people served with full restaurant dignity.7:07–14:19 · Guy as informed peer 5/10 Uncovering the Food Waste Crisis and the Epiphany Guy introduces key national statistics on food waste and landfill emissions. Jasmine expands on the broader supply chain crisis, explaining how late trucker deliveries lead to entire 18-wheelers of edible food being rejected at distribution centers.14:31–20:27 · Guy as informed peer 5/10 The Decision to Build a For-Profit Venture Guy explores the operational and philosophical logic of structuring Goodr as a for-profit entity rather than a charity. Jasmine explains that businesses already budget to pay waste haulers to trash surplus food, opening a direct commercial pathway.20:28–29:17 · Guy as informed peer 6/10 Building the Platform, Pitching, and Business Evolution Guy demonstrates strong domain literacy by comparing Goodr's routing and tech platform to UPS logistics optimizations. Jasmine details their reverse-logistics software, showing how enterprise clients achieve a 4x to 10x ROI via calculated donation tax deductions.29:32–37:03 · Guy as informed peer 4/10 Scaling Distribution Networks and Food Safety Operations Guy probes the practical complexities of managing gig-economy delivery networks and food safety shelf-life. Jasmine explains their county-by-county regulatory compliance and cold-chain storage agreements with receiving non-profits.37:04–43:49 · Guy as informed peer 5/10 Legislative Catalysts, Industry Disruption, and Future Goals Guy reinforces how market discipline enables sustainable operational scale. Jasmine targets a 15% reduction in national food waste to feed 25 million people, while addressing criticism from traditionalists skeptical of tech-driven for-profit hunger relief.1:29–7:06 · Guest teaching 3/10 From Celebrity Giving to Sunday Soul Pop-Ups Guy asks standard biographical and exploratory questions about Jasmine's early initiatives. Jasmine gently corrects Guy's estimate of her pop-up dining events from 50-100 people up to 350-500 people served with full restaurant dignity.7:07–14:19 · Guest teaching 5/10 Uncovering the Food Waste Crisis and the Epiphany Guy introduces key national statistics on food waste and landfill emissions. Jasmine expands on the broader supply chain crisis, explaining how late trucker deliveries lead to entire 18-wheelers of edible food being rejected at distribution centers.14:31–20:27 · Guest teaching 4/10 The Decision to Build a For-Profit Venture Guy explores the operational and philosophical logic of structuring Goodr as a for-profit entity rather than a charity. Jasmine explains that businesses already budget to pay waste haulers to trash surplus food, opening a direct commercial pathway.20:28–29:17 · Guest teaching 4/10 Building the Platform, Pitching, and Business Evolution Guy demonstrates strong domain literacy by comparing Goodr's routing and tech platform to UPS logistics optimizations. Jasmine details their reverse-logistics software, showing how enterprise clients achieve a 4x to 10x ROI via calculated donation tax deductions.29:32–37:03 · Guest teaching 4/10 Scaling Distribution Networks and Food Safety Operations Guy probes the practical complexities of managing gig-economy delivery networks and food safety shelf-life. Jasmine explains their county-by-county regulatory compliance and cold-chain storage agreements with receiving non-profits.37:04–43:49 · Guest teaching 3/10 Legislative Catalysts, Industry Disruption, and Future Goals Guy reinforces how market discipline enables sustainable operational scale. Jasmine targets a 15% reduction in national food waste to feed 25 million people, while addressing criticism from traditionalists skeptical of tech-driven for-profit hunger relief.1:29–7:06 · Guest disagreement 1/10 From Celebrity Giving to Sunday Soul Pop-Ups Guy asks standard biographical and exploratory questions about Jasmine's early initiatives. Jasmine gently corrects Guy's estimate of her pop-up dining events from 50-100 people up to 350-500 people served with full restaurant dignity.7:07–14:19 · Guest disagreement 0/10 Uncovering the Food Waste Crisis and the Epiphany Guy introduces key national statistics on food waste and landfill emissions. Jasmine expands on the broader supply chain crisis, explaining how late trucker deliveries lead to entire 18-wheelers of edible food being rejected at distribution centers.14:31–20:27 · Guest disagreement 1/10 The Decision to Build a For-Profit Venture Guy explores the operational and philosophical logic of structuring Goodr as a for-profit entity rather than a charity. Jasmine explains that businesses already budget to pay waste haulers to trash surplus food, opening a direct commercial pathway.20:28–29:17 · Guest disagreement 0/10 Building the Platform, Pitching, and Business Evolution Guy demonstrates strong domain literacy by comparing Goodr's routing and tech platform to UPS logistics optimizations. Jasmine details their reverse-logistics software, showing how enterprise clients achieve a 4x to 10x ROI via calculated donation tax deductions.29:32–37:03 · Guest disagreement 0/10 Scaling Distribution Networks and Food Safety Operations Guy probes the practical complexities of managing gig-economy delivery networks and food safety shelf-life. Jasmine explains their county-by-county regulatory compliance and cold-chain storage agreements with receiving non-profits.37:04–43:49 · Guest disagreement 2/10 Legislative Catalysts, Industry Disruption, and Future Goals Guy reinforces how market discipline enables sustainable operational scale. Jasmine targets a 15% reduction in national food waste to feed 25 million people, while addressing criticism from traditionalists skeptical of tech-driven for-profit hunger relief.1:29–7:06 · Guy pushing back 0/10 From Celebrity Giving to Sunday Soul Pop-Ups Guy asks standard biographical and exploratory questions about Jasmine's early initiatives. Jasmine gently corrects Guy's estimate of her pop-up dining events from 50-100 people up to 350-500 people served with full restaurant dignity.7:07–14:19 · Guy pushing back 0/10 Uncovering the Food Waste Crisis and the Epiphany Guy introduces key national statistics on food waste and landfill emissions. Jasmine expands on the broader supply chain crisis, explaining how late trucker deliveries lead to entire 18-wheelers of edible food being rejected at distribution centers.14:31–20:27 · Guy pushing back 0/10 The Decision to Build a For-Profit Venture Guy explores the operational and philosophical logic of structuring Goodr as a for-profit entity rather than a charity. Jasmine explains that businesses already budget to pay waste haulers to trash surplus food, opening a direct commercial pathway.20:28–29:17 · Guy pushing back 0/10 Building the Platform, Pitching, and Business Evolution Guy demonstrates strong domain literacy by comparing Goodr's routing and tech platform to UPS logistics optimizations. Jasmine details their reverse-logistics software, showing how enterprise clients achieve a 4x to 10x ROI via calculated donation tax deductions.29:32–37:03 · Guy pushing back 0/10 Scaling Distribution Networks and Food Safety Operations Guy probes the practical complexities of managing gig-economy delivery networks and food safety shelf-life. Jasmine explains their county-by-county regulatory compliance and cold-chain storage agreements with receiving non-profits.37:04–43:49 · Guy pushing back 0/10 Legislative Catalysts, Industry Disruption, and Future Goals Guy reinforces how market discipline enables sustainable operational scale. Jasmine targets a 15% reduction in national food waste to feed 25 million people, while addressing criticism from traditionalists skeptical of tech-driven for-profit hunger relief.

speaking balance: gold is Guy, purple is the guest (3 minute bins)

0:00 · Guy 63.1% · guest 36.9%0:00 · Guy 63.1% · guest 36.9%3:00 · Guy 21.2% · guest 78.8%3:00 · Guy 21.2% · guest 78.8%6:00 · Guy 38.4% · guest 61.6%6:00 · Guy 38.4% · guest 61.6%9:00 · Guy 42.4% · guest 57.6%9:00 · Guy 42.4% · guest 57.6%12:00 · Guy 26.1% · guest 73.9%12:00 · Guy 26.1% · guest 73.9%15:00 · Guy 23.9% · guest 76.1%15:00 · Guy 23.9% · guest 76.1%18:00 · Guy 38.3% · guest 61.7%18:00 · Guy 38.3% · guest 61.7%21:00 · Guy 24.9% · guest 75.1%21:00 · Guy 24.9% · guest 75.1%24:00 · Guy 19% · guest 81%24:00 · Guy 19% · guest 81%27:00 · Guy 45.8% · guest 54.2%27:00 · Guy 45.8% · guest 54.2%30:00 · Guy 28.2% · guest 71.8%30:00 · Guy 28.2% · guest 71.8%33:00 · Guy 29.6% · guest 70.4%33:00 · Guy 29.6% · guest 70.4%36:00 · Guy 28.1% · guest 71.9%36:00 · Guy 28.1% · guest 71.9%39:00 · Guy 18.4% · guest 81.6%39:00 · Guy 18.4% · guest 81.6%42:00 · Guy 53.6% · guest 46.4%42:00 · Guy 53.6% · guest 46.4%45:00 · Guy 0% · guest 0%45:00 · Guy 0% · guest 0%
Sharpest disagreement ▶ 41:57 Defending tech innovation against TED Talk detractors

Jasmine directly confronts critics who argued that technology and enterprise models should not be applied to hunger relief, insisting tech must be used for social impact beyond conventional networking.

 Hardest push from Guy ▶ 33:44 Testing the core revenue model viability

Guy presses Jasmine on whether Goodr can truly achieve sustainable profitability strictly from surplus pickup fees without leaning permanently on secondary revenue streams.

 Biggest teaching moment ▶ 7:45 The reality of commercial freight food rejections

Jasmine educates Guy on how minor traffic delays cause distribution centers to reject entire 18-wheeler truckloads of fresh food, exposing the hidden mechanics of industrial food waste.

 Guy holds their own ▶ 21:49 Connecting logistics efficiency to UPS operational hacks

Guy demonstrates deep business acumen by linking Goodr's technological platform to enterprise routing efficiencies like UPS minimizing left turns to capture massive operational savings.
the scores for every segment, with the reasoning behind each
ChapterTopicGuy as informed peerGuest teachingGuest disagreementGuy pushing backWhy
From Celebrity Giving to Sunday Soul Pop-Ups 3310 Guy asks standard biographical and exploratory questions about Jasmine's early initiatives. Jasmine gently corrects Guy's estimate of her pop-up dining events from 50-100 people up to 350-500 people served with full restaurant dignity.
Uncovering the Food Waste Crisis and the Epiphany 5500 Guy introduces key national statistics on food waste and landfill emissions. Jasmine expands on the broader supply chain crisis, explaining how late trucker deliveries lead to entire 18-wheelers of edible food being rejected at distribution centers.
The Decision to Build a For-Profit Venture 5410 Guy explores the operational and philosophical logic of structuring Goodr as a for-profit entity rather than a charity. Jasmine explains that businesses already budget to pay waste haulers to trash surplus food, opening a direct commercial pathway.
Building the Platform, Pitching, and Business Evolution 6400 Guy demonstrates strong domain literacy by comparing Goodr's routing and tech platform to UPS logistics optimizations. Jasmine details their reverse-logistics software, showing how enterprise clients achieve a 4x to 10x ROI via calculated donation tax deductions.
Scaling Distribution Networks and Food Safety Operations 4400 Guy probes the practical complexities of managing gig-economy delivery networks and food safety shelf-life. Jasmine explains their county-by-county regulatory compliance and cold-chain storage agreements with receiving non-profits.
Legislative Catalysts, Industry Disruption, and Future Goals 5320 Guy reinforces how market discipline enables sustainable operational scale. Jasmine targets a 15% reduction in national food waste to feed 25 million people, while addressing criticism from traditionalists skeptical of tech-driven for-profit hunger relief.

Statements from this episode (14)

Assertion Not checkable as stated
Jasmine Crowe-Houston served 350 to 500 people per Sunday Soul pop-up
“I was serving anywhere from three 50 to 500 people at a time.”
Jasmine Crowe-Houston Nov 24, 2022 ▶ 5:04
Assertion Supported
The US wastes 80 billion pounds of food annually, says Crowe-Houston
“It's true. And that equates to about eighty billion pounds of food.”
Jasmine Crowe-Houston Nov 24, 2022 ▶ 7:31
Assertion Supported
Crowe-Houston: Project Drawdown Ranked Food Waste Reduction as Top Climate Solution
“Project Drawdown last year said that food waste was the number one thing That we could do to combat global climate change.”
Jasmine Crowe-Houston Nov 24, 2022 ▶ 9:42
Assertion Supported
Food is the single largest source of material in landfills
“And just to give you some aspects, food is the single largest source of everything that's in a landfill.”
Jasmine Crowe-Houston Nov 24, 2022 ▶ 9:50
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Goodr rescued $30K of food during an Atlanta Walmart power outage
“A Walmart in Atlanta, the power went out, and I mean, went out for less than 20 minutes, right? And because of that, they were throwing away everything in their freezers and everything in their coolers, and so she calls us, and she was like, hey, I don't know …”
Jasmine Crowe-Houston Nov 24, 2022 ▶ 16:49
Insight
Goodr chose a for-profit model because businesses already pay for disposal
“The reason why I decided to go a for-profit, right, as soon as I realized that it was definitely this logistics problem was that businesses were already paying to throw the food away.”
Jasmine Crowe-Houston Nov 24, 2022 ▶ 18:50
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Early prospects rejected Goodr for being a for-profit business
“And for the first year of the business, Every company that I spoke to was like, oh, we can't work with you because you're not a non-profit.”
Jasmine Crowe-Houston Nov 24, 2022 ▶ 19:43
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Goodr Clients Typically See 4x to 10x ROI via Donated Food Value
“We typically see a four to 10 X ROI. So if they're paying us a thousand dollars a month, they are typically donating 4000 dollars worth of food on a monthly basis.”
Jasmine Crowe-Houston Nov 24, 2022 ▶ 27:28
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Goodr received only one bad food report in five years
“And luckily in five years, we've only ever had one nonprofit that said, hey, we got some food that just doesn't look good.”
Jasmine Crowe-Houston Nov 24, 2022 ▶ 33:05
Opinion
Goodr can achieve profitability solely on its core surplus food fees
“Yeah, we can 100% make it happen on our surplus food, on our waste stream business.”
Jasmine Crowe-Houston Nov 24, 2022 ▶ 34:04
Assertion Supported
Goodr operated in approximately 34 cities as of late 2022
“We're in about 34 cities right now.”
Jasmine Crowe-Houston Nov 24, 2022 ▶ 37:12
Assertion Supported
CA, NY, and NJ are making it illegal to discard food
“There are states like California, New York, and New Jersey That are introducing legislation that makes it illegal for businesses to throw away their food. They have to recycle it or donate it.”
Jasmine Crowe-Houston Nov 24, 2022 ▶ 37:44
Disclosure
Goodr is rolling out nationally across Magic Johnson's Sodexo joint venture
“We have a great partnership in place with Magic Johnson's joint venture with Sodexo. And so rolling out across all their locations.”
Jasmine Crowe-Houston Nov 24, 2022 ▶ 38:06
Assertion Supported
Cutting US food waste by 15 percent could feed 25 million Americans
“If I can reduce food waste by 15%, that would be enough food to feed about twenty-five million Americans.”
Jasmine Crowe-Houston Nov 24, 2022 ▶ 39:08
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