About Jesse Henry
Entrepreneur. Author. Speaker. Lover.
I help the world's largest companies reduce their negative impact through the use of sustainable materials.
All the materials we use on this planet have a really high carbon footprint. If our society is going to continue to be reliant on these materials for decades to come, it's our responsibility to figure out how to reduce the negative impact these materials have on the planet.
Timeline
Always Moving & Always Adapting
I was born in Boston Mass, but moved 4x by the time I was 4. Most of my childhood was spent in South Florida.
As a kid, I was always on the move. My brain naturally finds peace in forward progress. My inclination to keep my feet moving started at an early age.
Sports. Stuttering. And a 1,000 ideas that never went anywhere.
I was a young kid was a lot of heart, a good head on my shoulders, and an ambition to change the world.
As a kid, I played hockey, volleyball, track, and cross country. Activities like speech therapy and stage acting for 10+ years helped me overcome a stutter. My involvement in DECA (a business club) sparked an interest in the world of business.
Degree in Entrepreneurship & Sales From Florida State
I became a leader in student government, my fraternity, and the local entrepreneurial ecosystem.
My college experience was mainly about all the things I was working on outside the classroom. During my junior year, I started Catalyst Media, a video production company. Back in the old days (2013), we were known for producing one of the first viral sorority videos.
Entrepreneurial Work @ FSU
FSU had a small entrepreneurial ecosystem when I got there in 2010. I spent years finding ways to better support this community of leaders.
While at Florida State, became VP of the Young Entrepreneurs Society. I developed a chapter of the Collegiate Entrepreneurs Organization, and a bureau of student government called the Office of Entrepreneurship and Innovation. This led me to do a TEDx Talk toward the end of my time at FSU.
I worked with the man, the myth, the legend… Tony Robbins
At the time, I was the youngest speaker ever for Tony Robbins. I traveled the country hosting corporate training events for Fortune 500 companies. My presentations focused on helping people uncover their limiting beliefs and patterns.
All Leaders Face Similar Problems
During my time working with Tony, I noticed 2 main patterns:
- A generational gap between millennials entering the workforce, and their managers who were baby boomers (this was 2015-2016).
- Access to capital.
About millennials impact on society
The book was titled, The Millennial Merger: How To Sell, Manage, Empathize, & Communicate in A Multi-Generational Workforce. I cover every topic under the sun, including politics, religion, and all the other stuff they tell us not to talk about.
I became Chief of Staff at Intersection Capital
Intersection Capital is a boutique investment bank based out of San Diego California. It is run by Oren Klaff, the author of the bestselling book, Pitch Anything and Flip the Script. In this position, I was able to fully develop narrative arcs for companies across industries. The narratives we created drove marketing, sales, and capital raising.
I wanted to tap into my intellectual, social, and creative capabilities.
Time and time again, I continued to feel like I wasn't tapping into my true potential. I hit a massive wall while working with Tony where my values shifted from success to happiness. I hit walls working at Intersection Capital because I didn't feel that the world needed another investment banker. I was determined to find a career that allowed me to tap into my superpowers.
And started asking myself what I really cared about
The one theme that kept popping up was sustainability. If I want a planet that future generations can thrive on, focusing on sustainable solutions seemed like a good use of time.
Focusing on Cool Technology That Was More Sustainable
In 2019, I moved to Phoenix to start working with my business partner, Tim Almond, on supply chain technology commercialization. We would take military technologies that came off ITAR restricted lists and find high-value commercial uses for them. Some of the military technologies we were working with in the early days included data compression and sensor packages.
Commercializing Lab Testing Equipment
In 2019, we were working with a sensor package that was used in the Iraq war. Our team was using this sensor package for agriculture uses. This was a more sustainable way to detect molds, pesticides, and other toxic materials found on crops.
The trillion dollar opportunity laying dormant for 80 years
Through our work in lab testing equipment, Tim and I were exposed to the world of hemp. While most people who focused on hemp went toward the CBD industry, we focused on the industrial uses of hemp fiber.
When you try to be everything to everyone, you become nothing to no one.
Since hemp is known to be used for 50,000+ things, we knew that we couldn't get distracted. We had to solve a specific problem for a specific type of customer. We tested building materials, textiles, animal bedding, bioplastics, and other markets.
Sustainable Material Innovation Through Additives
Heartland is a material science company that engineers hemp fibers as carbon-negative additives that can be used in plastic, paper, concrete, and other raw materials. We work with brands and suppliers to help them reduce the cost, weight, and carbon footprint of the materials they use every day.
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