S5E65: Helping Indoor Farms Grow More Sustainably, My Startup Journey, and the Joys of Entrepreneurship with VegBed's Albert Lin

Episode Summary

Founder and CEO of VegBed, Albert Lin joins the show today to share the work he’s doing to create a better and easier way to use growing medium for the hydroponic community. Albert speaks to his experience as an early stage startup operations expert, the entrepreneurial mindset he has cultivated and the biggest piece of advice he would give to founders.

Thanks to Our Sponsors

Bio520

AgTech Weekly Review

Key Takeaways

07:13 – Harry welcomes back Founder of Vegbed, Albert Lin, to share his vertical farming origin story

14:40 – A values-based founder and why Agriculture is such a passion for Albert

18:38 – Going All-In: Albert’s entrepreneurial mindset

23:17 – The biggest piece of advice Albert would give to founders

26:37 – The origin story of VegBed, the connection to rockwool, and what consumers VegBed targets

33:32 – Other areas of vertical farming Albert is looking to expand VegBed and the biggest opportunity Albert sees

38:34 – Mentors who have been critical to Albert’s success

39:57 – A tough question Albert has had to ask himself recently

43:13 – An ask Albert has for the audience

43:56 – Harry thanks Albert for joining the show and let’s listeners know where they can follow VegBed

Tweetable Quotes

“A lot of the issues I think we’re having with health in the U.S. and society and global warming can be addressed in a multifaceted way through Agriculture.” (15:03) (Albert)

“For me, I felt like it would be a disservice to [my parents], who came to this country for a better life for my sister and myself, just to do a nine-to-five job.” (19:27) (Albert)

“One of the failures that happens I think with most entrepreneurs is they think if they build it people will come. And that’s the number one mistake. They spend all this time and money. They build this thing; they create this product. And then nobody wants it, or downloads it, or buys it.” (23:41) (Albert)

“So bamboo itself, when you look at the growth chart, it grows exponentially faster as time grows on. I think within the first month it grows six to twelve inches a day and then after one month it starts growing more than a foot a day.” (32:27) (Albert)

“Ninety-eight percent of the lettuce that’s grown in the U.S. is grown in California or Arizona. And, when you think of it, does it really have to be that way?” (42:28) (Albert)