roots — Startup Spotlight. Sienna Campbell, the founder of roots…
By: Alexander Arber
Tags: Inclusion, Harvard Ventures, Entrepreneurship, Food, Startups

We spoke to Sienna Campbell, the founder of roots, about her experiences and lessons learned during Harvard Ventures’ VentureWorks summer incubator.

“I want to make plant-based possible.”

Photo by Chantal Garnier on Unsplash

What’s the founding story of your startup?

“I have been vegetarian since I was seventeen. When I changed my diet, I felt lost and alone. It wasn’t until I found vegetarians who looked like me that my relationship with food improved, and I could enjoy a plant-based lifestyle. Few health and wellness spaces, if any, cater to vegetarians and vegans. And none consider the importance of race and culture when it comes to changing your diet. Food tells stories, and I didn’t want the food I ate to tell a story about a girl who abandoned her culture, so I don’t let it. That’s where my venture comes in. My mission is to make a meat-free lifestyle accessible for people of color who grew up loving certain foods and want to keep enjoying their culture in a healthy, fresh, and fun way. I want to make plant-based possible.”

What problem are you trying to solve, and why is your team uniquely positioned to bring this idea into reality?

“I am trying to help solve the lack of solidarity among plant-based people of color, and I’m equipped to solve it because I have lived through the pain point. This is not something that I just picked up randomly. There is a deeply personal element to the work I’m doing. I also recognize the power of storytelling and have interviewed 40+ plant-based people of color just as a listening ear to help give their stories a positive ending.”

How did participation in the VentureWorks program accelerate your progress?

“VentureWorks put things into perspective and helped me embrace the non-linear process that is founding a start-up. My mentors, Annie and Justin, gave me tangible action items that helped get my venture off the ground and got me farther than I would have anticipated.”

What advice would you give to other college students who are also running a startup?

“I would say pause. Running a start-up as a full-time college student is a lot! We need to step back and breathe. It’s worth it.”

What is your vision for your business in 5 years time?

“In 5 years time, I want my business to have touched plant-based communities across the country! Again, this is a non-linear process, so I don’t know what form my venture will take by then, but hopefully it has gained enough steam that people can say their lives are just a little easier.”

What is your Hottest Take?

“My Hottest Take is that our culture can prevent us from choosing a plant-based lifestyle! This may sound counterintuitive, but my interviewees and I bonded over the isolation and backlash we experienced when transitioning our lifestyle. It can feel like you are an outcast in the family just because your plate looks different, and that’s something that a white-dominated wellness space fails to recognize. So many people who are interested in transitioning to a plant-based lifestyle don’t do it because either nobody looks like them or the food doesn’t taste like home.”