When Your Business is Poop

This week, Tim Ryan and Zack Miller sit down with Rachel Willinger, Chief Operating Officer at Pancopia, Inc. Pancopia is an environmental engineering firm specializing in research, development, and commercialization of water and wastewater treatment technologies. The NASA-inspired technology, which recycles wastewater into drinking water for astronauts, has been brought down to earth. Watch this week's episode to hear about Rachel's journey, recycling waste, innovation, and much more!     Show notes:   (0:00) Introducing Rachel Willinger   (4:48) What is Pancopia + problem it solves?   (10:15) Waste treatment process   (13:48) Breaking down + knowing your audience   (26:54) Understanding a Customer +  funding a solution   (36:48) Providing the solution   (44:54) Receiving funding + finding opportunities    (53:15) Marketing poop   (57:00) Ending up in Poop   (1:00:13) Conclusion     About Rachel Willinger & Pancopia, Inc.:   Rachel Willinger is the Chief Operating Officer at Pancopia, Inc. She with a B.S. in marketing and environmental studies from Christpoher Newport University. In May of 2016 Rachel took a last-minute internship with a one-person startup in Bill Cumbie and Pancopia. Since then Rachel and Bill have grown Pancopia, Inc. into what it is today and Rachel holds the title COO.    Pancopia is an environmental technology development firm dedicated to the profitable recovery of currently wasted resources in a way that helps people, the planet, and profits. The innovative technologies we are pioneering span research and development of new cutting-edge biological urine recycling systems for NASA to recycle urine to drinking water in space, to innovative nutrient management systems for swine production that remove excess nutrients and pay for themselves by increased profits to farmers due to healthier, higher-weight pigs.    Pancopia's mission is to identify, grow, and commercialize high-impact environmental technologies, taking them from the laboratory to the marketplace where they can make a meaningful difference. We harness the SBIR program to fund early-stage development of potential technologies, vet them, prototype, and usher them towards commercialization. Our goal is to create products for industries and fields underserved by innovation where the right technology applied in the right way can have an outsized impact.   Learn more: https://www.pancopia.com/about/   About the hosts:   Tim Ryan is an angel investor and the Executive Director of Innovate Hampton Roads, an organization dedicated to connecting entrepreneurs with resources in Hampton Roads, Virginia. Tim also serves as the Director of REaKTOR, a space for technology-based startups to start and grow.    Zack Miller is a serial entrepreneur and author of Anomaly, a guide on differentiating yourself and your business from the crowd.   Enjoy the show? Watch the Fervent Four Show LIVE every Thursday at 11 AM.   Live: https://www.startwheel.org/live/ Watch past episodes: https://www.startwheel.org/fervent-four-show/ Listen to past episodes: https://fathom.fm/podcast/fervent-four       The Fervent Four Show:   Did you know that only 4% of businesses hit $1M in revenue? Tim Ryan and Zack Miller are the creators of The Fervent Four Show, designed to help you get there. Check them out Live every Thursday at 11 AM.   Social Media:   Rachel Willinger https://www.pancopia.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/pancopia & https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachel-willinger-616242116/   Tim Ryan https://www.startwheel.org   X (personal): @ryantnt (https://twitter.com/ryantnt)   X: @Innovate757 (https://twitter.com/Innovate757)   Instagram: @InnovateHamptonRoads: https://www.instagram.com/innovatehamptonroads/   LinkedIn (personal): https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryantnt/   LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/innovate757/   Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Innovate757   Zack Miller https://www.zackmillersays.com   X: @zackmillersays (https://twitter.com/zackmillersays)   Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/zackmillersays   Thanks to our Sponsors:   StartWheel – https://www.startwheel.org   Companies Mentioned: Pancopia, Inc.: https://www.pancopia.com/ NASA: https://www.nasa.gov/ REaKTOR: https://reaktor757.org/ Steve Jobs: https://www.forbes.com/profile/steve-jobs/?sh=6606df2c2808 Apple: https://www.apple.com/ Super size Me 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSyicDf9UvI Netflix: https://www.netflix.com/ Max: https://www.max.com/ How the Universe Works: https://www.max.com/shows/how-the-universe-works/307750ba-6145-4d36-959e-43b52942e365 Shark Tank: https://abc.com/shows/shark-tank Christopher Newport University: https://cnu.edu/ Dirty Jobs: https://go.discovery.com/show/dirty-jobs-discovery-atve-us