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An investor, mentor, and advisor to the next generation of American food companies…
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Retail Food and the Experience of Connection
Retail Food and the Experience of Connection
Last week, Dan Barber and his team at Blue Hill, together with American Farmland Trust, hosted a dinner that brought…
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Walter Robb shared thisA memorable dinner last week reminded me that food is more than nourishment. It's a relationship. As retail evolves from stores to ecommerce and perhaps someday to AI-powered agentic commerce, the big question isn't whether buying food will become easier. It's whether we'll preserve the connection to the farmers, producers, and stories behind it. My latest thoughts on why human connection must remain at the center of the plate. #FoodRetail #Ecommerce #AI #Agriculture #FutureOfRetail #FoodSystems
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Walter Robb shared thisAgSocio represents a new conscious approach to and for farm workers.Walter Robb shared thisToday I want to recognize Goretti Calvo - an AgSocio leader, colleague, and friend whose impact has shaped this company from the beginning. When I started AgSocio, I knew that if we were going to build a better labor model, I needed a partner with deep agricultural HR experience—someone who understood the realities of ag labor: a world that is highly regulated, fast-moving, too often litigious, and still shaped by old-school informal practices. I wrote my dream version of a job posting, expecting I’d have to settle. Then Goretti Calvo reached out. She had helped build the HR and safety functions at a company that would become one of the Salinas Valley’s best-known farming operations. She then spent years as a consultant auditing HR and payroll systems for companies facing litigation, so she knew how strong programs are built—and she knew the typical weaknesses. And she wanted the chance to build something right from the ground up. I was sold after our first call. Goretti became my first hire—team member #2—and she has shaped AgSocio ever since. Seven years later, it’s hard to imagine AgSocio without her influence. She built our compliance systems, our HR and payroll teams, and many of our core processes. She has mentored all of us in one way or another. She’s a leader who holds high standards and earns deep trust at the same time. And she’s helped us build—and continually refine—a culture with equal parts heart and discipline, always working to find the right balance as we grow. In the past month, she has shared her experience with others at the California Farm Labor Contractor Association annual meeting (where she serves as Secretary of the Board), at the AGRICULTURAL PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION (APMA) retreat, and at the National Council of Agricultural Employers (NCAE) annual conference. AgSocio is stronger because of Goretti—and so is our industry. Thank you for all you do, Goretti! (Pic below is where Goretti truly shines: talking with AgSocio team members)
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Walter Robb shared thisWalter Robb shared thisSeth Goldman, co-founder of S2G's newest portfolio company, Eat the Change, is a seasoned leader in building mission-driven brands. Learn about the company's snack products - Mushroom Jerky, Cosmic Carrot Chews and Just Ice Tea - as well as where Seth and co-founder Spike Mendelsohn got the idea for Eat the Change. It all started on a visit to an organic mushroom farm... https://lnkd.in/gG3h7aqi Walter Robb Collaborative Fund #eaththechange #JustIceTea #CosmicCarrotChews #MushroomJerky #plantbasedfood #food #snackfood #CPG
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Walter Robb shared thisLong time friend , wfm Exec, and now with his very own record store in Boulder .. beautifully merchandised .. way to go Will !
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Walter Robb shared thisNicely done overview Taryn and it an exciting new opportunity to help both farmers with a new revenue stream and take carbon out of the atmosphere.. you describe well the challenges .. how to measure it, how to ensure it stays captured, how is this affected by different soil types, etc. Still there is now a lot of momentum to move this forward. Thanks for posting this piece.Walter Robb shared thisCheck out our latest blog piece, "Addressing Climate Change through Soil Carbon: What is needed to align incentives?" by Cultivian Sandbox Ventures MD, Taryn Goodman Gallery, and VP, Alex Behar! #soilcarbon #climatechange
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Walter Robb shared thisHave a listen to one of the best farmers in the world, and the OTA farmer of the year in 2020, on our new podcast series #WhereWeGrowFromHere from S2G Ventures (Seed 2 Growth) @Jeff Huckaby Jessica Murphy
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Walter Robb liked thisWalter Robb liked thisI had the pleasure of interviewing Alan Tank and Grant Leslie about the recent report we published on American Agriculture. In this podcast, Al, Grant and I discuss why the current Farm Bill may provide farmers with needed short-term certainty without addressing the underlying structural problems, why agriculture belongs in the same national security conversation as semiconductors and critical minerals, and why innovation, capital, policy, and market demand have to move together. https://lnkd.in/gXQvUYPR
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Walter Robb liked thisWalter Robb liked thisAmerican agriculture has never been more productive. It has also never been more fragile. Farmers can produce extraordinary yields and still struggle to generate durable profits. Meanwhile rising costs, concentrated markets, dependence on government support, aging farm ownership, input vulnerabilities, and intensifying global competition expose structural weaknesses that higher yields alone cannot solve. That is the central argument of "Building the Missing Market: A National Strategy for American Agriculture," a new S2G report by Grant Leslie and Aaron R.. Instead of optimizing primarily for yield per acre, the report argues that the next era of American agriculture should focus on risk-adjusted profit per acre, or how much a farmer keeps from each acre and how reliably they keep it after accounting for costs and risk. But changing the measure is only the beginning. To discuss this topic further in today's #S2GPodcast episode, Aaron and Grant welcome Alan Tank, an Iowa farmer, entrepreneur, and agriculture and trade policy expert. They discuss why the current Farm Bill may provide farmers with needed short-term certainty without addressing the underlying structural problems, why agriculture belongs in the same national security conversation as semiconductors and critical minerals, and why innovation, capital, policy, and market demand have to move together. The goal is a system in which farmers have more viable choices about what to grow, clearer markets for what they produce, financing that reflects how agriculture actually works, and greater ability to capture the value created on their land. American agriculture has already proven it can produce. The challenge for the next decade is to improve the economics and market structure that determine whether that output translates into durable profitability for farmers. Listen to the episode: https://lnkd.in/gbVHwfBK Read the report: https://lnkd.in/gusW8--9 #farming #agriculture #profit #podcast
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Walter Robb liked thisWalter Robb liked thisIt was wonderful to see the recipients of the Organic Trade Association's 2026 Organic Leadership Awards being acknowledged for their dedication to organic. Kendra Klein, PhD we missed your presence, but your video was awesome. Mike Dill turned his win into a win for his whole team (loved the bling!). Katherine DiMatteo—if only we could all have your energy! Maria Rodale, we're looking forward to reading your next book on organic! This year's winners included: Organic Farmers of the Year: George and Dora McClelland, McClelland Dairy Farm Organic Environmental Leadership: Kendra Klein, PhD , Friends of the Earth U.S. Organic Trailblazer: Mike Dill, Organically Grown Company Organic Social Impact: Marlon Foster, Knowledge Quest The OTA also recognized 5 longtime leaders with Organic Lifetime Achievement Awards: Andrew Berliner and Rachel Berliner, Amy's Kitchen Katherine DiMatteo, DiMatteo Consulting Maria Rodale, Rodale Institute Walter Robb, Stonewall Robb Advisors Bill Wolf, Wolf & Associates, Inc. New Hope Network Amy Brown Victoria Camron #OrganicWeek2026
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Walter Robb liked thisWalter Robb liked thisIt’s been more than 20 years since Danny Meyer founded Shake Shack as a standalone kiosk in New York City’s Madison Square Park. Since then, the company has grown exponentially: The publicly traded burger chain now has 700-plus locations and generated more than $1.4 billion in revenue in 2025. Meyer’s role at Shake Shack—where he is now chairman of the board—has shifted a lot too, he tells Inc. for the magazine’s The Way I Work series about how founders and CEOs approach productivity. “I’m higher up in the trees and have a chance to see everything because I’m not the guy making the trains run on time anymore,” Meyer tells Inc. 🔗: https://lnkd.in/gJuPgGEy
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Walter Robb liked thisWalter Robb liked thisThis deal marks the 4th exit in less than 2 years for The Angel Group. I’m pumped for Jen, the Goodles team, and all of our members who were part of the group and were able to invest when this deal came through. Each of these companies were doing less than a million in revenue. Two were pre revenue. Many view this hyper early stage as too risky. I have a different point of view (obviously) but the purpose of venture capital is to see the potential in a vision and a belief in the people who see it. To help bring something into existence before the banks can underwrite it. It’s not about who else has invested, or which celebrity endorsed. It’s a fundamental conviction around the value prop. That’s what I love most about investing at the earliest opportunity. Meeting founders who are putting everything they have on the line to make something happen. The ultimate sacrifice, and reward if successful. Engaging during this period of time is when the vision is most real and raw. I wake up every morning with a fire in my belly, knowing that I might meet someone new who makes me feel that deep conviction and sense of belief. It’s exhilarating, and fuels my own passion and purpose for building this platform and brand further. Bringing more people into the world of venture investing, and participating in a better future with companies that deserve to exist. There is a nice reward for early investors also. In CPG, it’s not likely you will see 1000x like tech. But these deals can get you 30x, 50x even 100x more consistently. Even 5-10k checks can achieve meaningful outcomes. I love to see our founders win. I love to see our members win. That is the ultimate motivator. We are just getting started. Adam Spriggs Maddie S. Alyssa Arnold, P.E. Lindsay Robb Jared Cohen Spencer Slaine Tara Burkley
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Walter Robb liked thisWalter Robb liked thisAmerican agriculture has never been more productive. It has also never been more fragile. S2G Investments’ new report examines why those two realities increasingly coexist and what it would take to improve the system's underlying economics. Building the Missing Market: A National Strategy for American Agriculture explores the structural forces behind that tension and proposes a different way to measure progress. Instead of optimizing primarily for yield per acre, the report argues that the next era of American agriculture should focus on risk-adjusted profit per acre, or how much a farmer keeps from each acre and how reliably they keep it after accounting for costs and risk. We’d warmly welcome reactions and ideas from others working across agriculture, policy, capital, food, and rural communities. Read the full report here: https://lnkd.in/ghk_-QakWhat It Will Take to Build a Stronger Market for American AgricultureWhat It Will Take to Build a Stronger Market for American Agriculture
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Walter Robb liked thisWalter Robb liked thisToday, GOODLES announced it has entered into an agreement to be acquired by Barilla Group, a 149-year-old family company and the world's largest pasta producer. At Springdale Ventures, we led the seed round before GOODLES had sold a single noodle, and before anyone else had written a check. Our first read of Founder Jen Zeszut's deck was a fast no, we don't do pre-revenue, but she insisted on a call anyway. Ten minutes in my co-founder and GP, Genevieve G. Gilbreath knew we were going to jump on board. She was the sharpest, most focused operator we'd talked to in years, and her co-founder Paul Earle's creative genius sealed the deal. What we backed wasn't a product, it was founders who understood something the incumbents didn't: mac and cheese hadn't changed in nearly 85 years, and there was room for a version that didn't ask anyone to trade taste for nutrition. This is our second exit this year. BeatBox was the first, sold to Anheuser-Busch. Two exits in a single calendar year, both to global strategics. I don't think that's an accident. Congratulations, GOODLES and Barilla Group. Gooder days ahead!! 🧀 Read more in the press release linked in comments.
Experience & Education
Honors & Awards
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World Retail Hall of Fame
World Retail Congress
Recognition of Retail Career at Whole Foods Market and contributions to the retail industry.
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Hall of Legends Member
New Hope Media and Natural Food Network
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Culinary Institute of America “Augie” Award for Sustainability and Food Ethics
Culinary Institute of America
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