Davis Smith

How many people can say they have caught and eaten a crocodile, climbed the tallest mountains in South America, rowed from Cuba to Florida, and made their own raft to float down the Amazon River? Not many, that's for sure, but Davis Smith has. As the founder and CEO of Cotopaxi, an outdoor brand, adventure comes naturally to Smith. But Cotopaxi is much more than just your average outdoor brand. It centers around impact and reducing poverty. Listen to his entrepreneurship journey and passion for doing good for the world in this episode. 

Thank you Luke Vernon for the intro to our guest today Davis Smith, Founder & CEO of Cotopaxi. Cotopaxi builds gear that fuels both outdoor experiences and global change. We discuss: Why he founded digitally native businessesFounding businesses with his cousinThe mission behind CotopaxiHow he was able to raise capitalEarly approach to promotion for CotopaxiThe differences between Cotopaxi and PatagoniaHow he grew the brandWhy he shut down his store in San Francisco ***Sponsor***  Introducing aVenture - venture capital for everyone With aVenture everyone can now invest directly into venture capital funds through our platform while also benefiting from periodic liquidity options. If you agree, sign-up for their waitlist at aventure.vc. aVenture is a San Francisco, California-based financial technology company that permits users to launch, manage and invest in venture funds on its platform, http://aventure.vc. aVenture operates independently of any investment advisors on its platform. Certain funds listed on the aVenture platform are provided by independent fund managers and may be registered as investment advisors in the U.S., or qualify for exempt reporting status. Mike is a paid spokesperson for aVenture and is compensated $6,000. Want to keep up to date with The Consumer VC? Subscribe to my newsletter Here.

Davis Smith has made genorosity and philanthropy the foundation of a thriving business. He is the founder and CEO of Cotopaxi, a highly popular, carbon-neutral outdoor gear brand founded to create sustainably designed products that fight extreme poverty, inspire adventure, and move people to do good. In 2021 alone, Cotopaxi aided over 1 million people in extreme poverty through their non-profit partnerships and revenue sharing. Davis is also a member of the United Nations Foundation Leadership Council. Davis joined host Robert Glazer on the Elevate Podcast to talk about his entrepreneurial career, founding and building Cotopaxi, how Cotopaxi withstood the pandemic, and humanity in business. Show Notes

The outdoor brand Cotopaxi is known for colorful backpacks and athleticwear. But its founder and CEO Davis Smith explains that the origin and mission of the company is about much more. Davis had a unique childhood and a profound experience in South America that compelled him to start a company with social change in mind. But as you’ll hear, this was not an overnight success. In fact, it wasn’t his first business venture, and the road to where Cotopaxi sits today is about as rocky and steep as the volcano in Ecuador for which it’s named.

After launching two businesses and snagging his MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, Davis Smith was ready for something different. So why not change the world? Drawing from his childhood family adventures across Latin America, he launched Cotopaxi to eradicate poverty through unique, sustainably sourced outdoor gear. Don't miss this chance to hear the whole story as Enrique sits down with this fascinating world traveler and change maker.Additional Links & Resources:Learn more about Logistics with Purpose: https://supplychainnow.com/program/logistics-with-purposeLearn more about Vector Global Logistics: https://vectorgl.com/Subscribe to Logistics with Purpose: https://logistics-with-purpose.captivate.fm/listenThis episode was hosted by Enrique Alvarez. For additional information, please visit our dedicated show page at: https://supplychainnow.com/gearing-eradicate-poverty-trekking-toward-purpose-cotopaxi-lwp55

Davis Smith is an outdoor adventurer and mission-driven entrepreneur. That’s why he founded Cotopaxi in 2014. Best known for their bright colors, Cotopaxi doesn’t just make good gear, they make gear for good. The brand is committed to minimizing their impact on the planet, and maximizing the benefit for the people who live here. Davis spent a lot of his childhood in Latin America, and his parents were committed to serving others and getting outside, values that he still carries with him today. For him, Cotopaxi is a perfect way to honor his upbringing and the places that mean a lot to him.Episodes to listen to:Cotopaxi ambassador, Nicole Ver KuilenConnect with guests:WebsiteTwitterInstagram

This episode is all about leadership! David is joined by the founder and CEO of Cotopaxi, Davis Smith. David and Davis dive into what it takes to run a company and how to be a team and brand leader. They discuss what leaders can do to inspire and strengthen their teams as well as how employees can speak to their CEOs and get time on their calendars. David and Davis also outline how someone just starting out can successfully grow their career.  Cotopaxi is a leading name in the outdoor and apparel space. They create products and experiences to help alleviate poverty, get more people to do good, and inspire adventure.

If you’ve traveled, you’ve seen the destructive nature of capitalism. But can we lean into it and still make an impact? Better yet, can we use it as the very instrument for change?  Davis Smith joins us today to share his story and emphasize the possibility of building a thriving business with a focus on social impact. Davis is the Founder and CEO of Cotopaxi, an outdoor gear brand with a humanitarian mission.  In this episode, he breaks down the methodology behind a purpose-driven business and the potential it has to effect change. Growing up in South America and being exposed to extreme poverty really informed Davis’ passion for impact, and he shares his fascinating path to linking social impact with business.  Davis illustrates what the world would look like if more businesses operated according to the Cotopaxi framework, and illuminates how, from his experience of sourcing investments, it seems to be women who have a greater understanding of impact and the future of business.  We also discuss the responsibility of the consumer to make a change, along with the nuances of where businesses are failing and how they can shift gears to move from destruction and extraction to meaningful impact! -- -- 💌 BETTER WORLD WEEKLY NEWSLETTER: The Better World Weekly is a weekly newsletter written and published by Grow Ensemble Founder and Podcast Host, Cory Ames. For the latest insights, analysis, and inspiration for building a better world, join the 1000s of changemakers and social entrepreneurs from all sectors all over the globe who get this email in their inbox every Monday. Subscribe >>> https://growensemble.com/newsletter/ -- -- 📄 Full Show Notes - Links, Transcript, & More     📣 SUPPORT THE PODCAST: Leave a Review (on Apple Podcasts!)  Subscribe to the Newsletter Share the Podcast on Twitter or LinkedIn   GROW ENSEMBLE: YouTube Twitter LinkedIn   ABOUT CORY AMES: Newsletter Twitter LinkedIn Website   FOR SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURS:  Get the courses, coaching, and services to help grow your business and expand your impact with our Better World Business Growth programs.  Our newest course, SEO Traffic + Impact will help you use search engine optimization (SEO) to build an audience around your better-for-the-world business and mission.

Davis Smith is a serial e-commerce entrepreneur and the founder and CEO of Cotopaxi, a b corporation changing the outdoor gear industry for the better. He offers advice on risk-taking, building a brand, prioritizing people, and finding purpose. Davis is an inspirational leader who uses entrepreneurship as a force for good, and there is a lot to be learned from his story.  You can find the accompanying article here. https://medium.com/@emma_casey/dcc1ef13cec0

Our topic is “Brand Building and Entrepreneurship” and our guest is Davis Smith,  Founder and CEO of Cotopaxi, an outdoor gear and active lifestyle brand with a social mission at its core.Cotopaxi creates innovative products and experiences that fund sustainable poverty alleviation and is among the first companies to incorporate from inception as a B-Corp and raise venture capital.Prior to Cotopaxi Davis was the Founder and Co-CEO o fBaby.com.br and Dinda.com.br, Brazil’s Startup of the Year in 2012. In 2004, Davis founded, and later sold, PoolTables.com, America’s largest pool table retailer. Davis holds an MBA from the Wharton School and an MA in International Studies from the University of Pennsylvania. He is a Fellow of the Joseph H. Lauder Institute of Management and International Studies and an alumnus of the Spanish international program. He also holds a BA in International Studies from Brigham Young University.The portfolio companies identified and described herein do not represent all of the portfolio companies purchased, sold, or recommended for funds advised by Peterson Partners. The reader should not assume that an investment in the portfolio companies identified was or will be profitable. Any opinions, projections, forecasts, and estimates contained in this production are necessarily speculative in nature, are based upon certain assumptions, and subject to change without notice. It can be expected that some or all of such assumptions will not materialize or will vary significantly from actual results. This production is not an offer to buy or sell any investments. Past performance is not indicative of future results.