Julia Niiro

Here’s why you should know about Julia Niiro – this girl is the real deal in the startup world, especially when it comes to fixing our food system. She’s a YC S20 alum, but her story is way more than just another founder chasing VC money. It’s about passion, real change, and not taking bullshit for an answer.

So, Julia started her process in Portland, Oregon, where she became a small farmer herself. Yeah, she jumped into the dirt, got her hands dirty, and saw firsthand how tough it is for small farmers to survive in today’s industrial food supply chain. That shit’s broken, and she knew it. That’s when she decided to do something about it.

In 2018, she launched MilkRun. Think of it like the modern milkman, but way cooler and way more tech-savvy. She built a subscription-based online marketplace that connects small farms directly with consumers. The goal? Make the food supply chain more sustainable, more profitable for farmers, and way less bullshit. Basically, she wanted to cut out the middlemen, bring back the authentic farm-to-table vibe, but with the power of tech.

And man, did she crush it. MilkRun took off fast. She grew her customer base like crazy, and by 2020, she had already raised $10 million in VC funding after going through Y Combinator and Techstars. That’s not easy, especially in something as complex as food and agriculture. But Julia’s passion kept her pushing.

She’s also been involved with food ventures like Revel Meat Co and Let Um Eat, proving she’s got her hands in the game and cares about shaping the future of food. And she’s not just about making deals, she’s out here spreading the word. She even gave a TEDx talk about saving farmers from extinction, stressing how key direct farmer-consumer ties are for a sustainable future.

What I love about Julia is that she’s not just another entrepreneur chasing fame or dollars. She’s driven by real purpose. She saw a problem, jumped into the dirt herself, and then built a solution that’s changing lives. Her process shows that starting something meaningful isn’t about the quick win – it’s about passion, persistence, and giving a damn. She’s proof that with enough heart and hustle, you can reinvent entire industries and help the little guys survive in a world that’s often stacked against them.

Long story short? Julia Niiro is a force in the food space, a true innovator who’s rewriting how we think about farming, food, and sustainability. No Cap, she’s the kind of founder we all should be watching – because she’s not just building a company, she’s building a movement.