In this episode…
As data, globalization, and technology seep more and more into our lives, we seek greater transparency and authenticity from the brands we engage with. In this context, business leaders must invest in decentralized ecosystems that work collaboratively to earn trust from their consumers, partners, and employees.
This is not an easy ambition as it requires “undoing” systems and supply chains that have been designed for efficiency and control. Yet at Topl, Kim Raath, CEO of Topl, has made it her life’s mission to help organizations prove their ethical and sustainable practices. In this season 2 finale, she and Advantages CEO Fran Biderman- Gross explore Topl’s journey as well as how the company proves purpose and fuels profit.
“There is no profit without purpose.”
– Kim Raath
- Companies’ social reputations influence their customers’ purchasing decisions as consumers prefer to purchase from companies that are associated with their ideals.
- Brands create trust and connect with larger audiences when they back their claims with evidence.
- Authenticity adds value to products and services; sustainable and ethical practices justify premium prices.
- Advanced technology can only advance a company, when paired with a powerful purpose.
- The most profitable, forward thinking brands carefully balance the costs and benefits of innovation to generate revenue.
- Businesses don’t need to reinvent the wheel to reimagine the results. Leverage existing tools differently to create new efficiencies.
- When purposeful brands consider how to activate their purpose, they ought to consider the value, size, and efficiency of their impact. In other words “How can you achieve more with less?”
Kim’s Story
Growing up in South Africa during the 1990s, Kim witnessed much inequality and poverty. Then, while working with various NGO’s to rebuild communities, she visited 18 developing countries. As she backpacked through some of the most remote regions of the world, Kim saw the acute need for digital infrastructure in these emerging markets. As part of the Center for Computational Finance and Economic Systems (CoFES) and as a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow (NSF GRFP), Kim finished up an MA in Economics while also pursuing a Ph.D. in Statistics at Rice University. In this context, she conducted interdisciplinary research allowing her to contribute to large-scale economic issues that impact the availability of and accessibility to basic needs.
In 2017, Kim co-founded Topl. Its blockchain tracks all instances in a business’ supply chain in order to help companies prove claimed ESG certifications, enables unbanked producers to use their production histories as alternative sources of credit, and provides end-consumers transparency around where and how their products are produced. There are a lot of amazing people changing the world, and through Topl, Kim helps them prove it.
This episode is produced by…
This episode is produced by Advantages, an award-winning branding and marketing agency that turns buyers into believers. They have worked with companies as far reaching as the new terminal one at JFK airport, as well-known as Jay Z, and as fun as NFL football teams, along with some of the world’s most impactful nonprofits and aspirational mid-sized businesses.
Advantages uncovers the meaning within brands and infuses it into experiences—purposeful branding, engaging events, and strategic marketing.
Explore how this agency can help infuse purpose into your brand so that you connect with the audiences that matter most to you.
For more than three decades, Don Scales has run professional services firms and understands firsthand how to make them succeed. In his current role of global CEO of Investis Digital, he is executing on his vision to lead a company unlike anything else in the digital communications space. He’s put together a team with deep expertise in corporate communications and investor relations and united them with innovative performance marketing experts and world-class technology solutions to help companies connect with audiences across all digital touchpoints.
