How User Research Is Helping a Food Startup Thrive Featuring Claire Schlemme

Startup Insights

Claire Schlemme is an ardent environmentalist who saw a need to fix a broken food system in order to protect the planet. Her lifelong interest in food and nature began to intertwine when she was diagnosed with cancer in her early 20s. This experience made her passionate about understanding the links between food and health, both of our environment and our own bodies.

She co-founded Boston’s first organic juice company with the aim to connect local farmers and city-dwellers through nutritious and delicious foods. This experience exposed her to two primary challenges: food waste and the lack of affordable nutrition. Committed to finding solutions at the intersection of food, sustainability, and accessible nutrition, Claire launched Renewal Mill.

Claire also co-founded The Outrage, an online and pop-up feminist marketplace that blended design and activism. Prior to diving into entrepreneurship, Claire was an environmental consultant at Industrial Economics, Inc. in Cambridge, MA. She holds a BA from Wellesley College and a Master of Environmental Management from Yale University.

CONNECT WITH CLAIRE + RENEWAL MILL:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/claireschlemme/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/renewalmill

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RenewalMill/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/renewalmill/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/renewalmill/_shop/

Website: https://www.renewalmill.com/

ABOUT THE HOST:

AJ Davis is currently the Founder and CEO of https://experimentzone.com, which provides strategic conversion rate optimization services for online businesses. She also serves as a startup advisor to several companies and focuses on user experience research, data, and fostering growth.

AJ regularly appears on podcasts to discuss user experience, entrepreneurship, remote work, and conversion rate optimization.

CONNECT WITH AJ:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ajdavisatx/

ABOUT THE SHOW:

Startup Insights is a podcast for entrepreneurs interested in building businesses that solve real problems.

We tell stories about early stage startups and how they’ve used user research to shape their product and strategy. We interview entrepreneurs and researchers who have come to understand their customers through interviews, surveys, and other techniques. Our guests highlight specific examples of how their businesses conduct research - and what they’ve learned along the way.

WHO SHOULD LISTEN:

• Early stage startups wanting to build impactful businesses
• Funded startups managing their customer research strategy
• VCs wanting to invest in data-based businesses
• You can also find us on Apple, Spotify and your favorite podcast platforms!