Antonio Nuño , Co-founder of Someone Somewhere on Alleviating Poverty Through Business - Causeartist

In episode 197 of the Disruptors for Good podcast, I speak with Antonio Nuño, Co-founder and CEO of Someone Somewhere, on his journey starting the brand and the impact it has had on alleviating poverty through business and commerce. The conversation covers topics such as the transition from B2C to B

The conversation covers topics such as the transition from B2C to B2B, pitching to Fortune 500 companies, sustainable manufacturing in Mexico, and the positive response from the artisan community.

Antonio also discusses the future goals for the company and the visual impact in the sales cycle.

Antonio Nuño , Co-founder of Someone Somewhere

Takeaways

Starting a brand with the goal of alleviating poverty through business and commerce can have a significant impact.
Transitioning from B2C to B2B can provide consistent jobs and impact in the community.
Pitching to Fortune 500 companies requires understanding their needs and speaking their language.
Sustainable manufacturing in Mexico can be a viable alternative to manufacturing in Asia.
Building a company that brings artisans together can create a supportive and collaborative environment.

About Someone Somewhere

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At Someone Somewhere, they make products for companies who want to transform their textile supply chains and make sustainability and social impact a priority.

They achieve this by:

Using generative AI to design better products -Sourcing the most sustainable raw materials, or developing them when they don’t exist
Working with indigenous artisan communities to make their fabrics and other key components
Working with marginalized manufacturing workers to cut, sew or assemble their final products
Doing all of this in Mexico, benefitting from NAFTA and closer distances to the US to make their products landed-cost neutral

At Someone Somewhere, they make products for companies who want to transform their textile supply chains and make sustainability and social impact a priority.

Just in the last 12 months, they have made more than 10 million Climate Neutral products for various Fortune 500 Companies (e.g. Delta Air Lines, Google, Accenture), tripling the income of more than 3,000 people in marginalized communities.

By connecting conscious consumers and corporations to artisans across LATAM through a mobile-based supply chain, the company is raising thousands of people out of extreme poverty and recycling thousands of tons of cotton and plastic.

The company connects indigenous artisans, 98% women, in remote regions with vital, rapidly growing markets in the United States and LATAM by delivering functional, fashionable, sustainable and high-quality products for socially conscious consumers (e.g. apparel, backpacks, accessories, luggage).

The brand has a B2B channel where they work with large corporations (e.g. Google, Uber) to help them incorporate artisans into their supply chain, and a D2C channel where they sell through their own online and physical stores.

Chapters

timing of chapters might be a bit off after editing.

00:00 Introduction

00:33 Genesis of the Company

03:23 First Steps in Starting the Brand

10:06 Transition to B2B

14:19 Expansion into B2B Market

15:41 Pitching to Fortune 500 Companies

18:30 Sustainable Manufacturing in Mexico

24:26 Future Goals for the Company

28:18 Visual Impact in Sales Cycle

31:35 Physical Production Process

34:09 Impact on Artisan Community