UKTN | The Podcast

Emilie Vanpoperinghe is our guest this week, co-founder and CEO of Oddbox, a sustainable fruit and veg box that rescues fresh produce - deemed too ugly, too odd or too wrong - from going to waste. Vanpoperinghe talks about bootstrapping her business and crowdfunding over £529k as well as the two rounds of funding that brought in £19m from VCs. She unreservedly discusses how they didn’t really see the value in marketing and branding until Covid hit - when they ended up taking down their website for two months to deal in the surge of growth.

Since Oddbox’s inception in 2016, the business has distributed over 4 million boxes, with it’s community rescuing a combined 25,000 tones of fresh fruit and veg.

Show Notes

Emilie Vanpoperinghe speaks candidly on marketing and branding as well as the growth of Oddbox pre Covid and during Covid. From a point of not seeing the desired growth she wanted, to having a surge of subscriptions that resulted in Vanpoperinghe having to take down the company website for two months during the pandemic. Oddbox has become a staple name in a climate where sustainability is at the forefront and Vanpoperinghe talks about how their learnings in marketing, branding and growth led them to where they are. 

Vanpoperinghe has over 15 years' project and team management experience in Fortune 500 companies (3M and BT) across the globe. She was previously Director of Finance & Operations for an international NGO set up by the Nike Foundation and working in developing countries to empower adolescent girls to reach their potential. Before that, she worked close to 10 years in finance in the corporate sector in France, India and the UK. 

Vanpoperinghe is originally from northern France and has been in the UK for the past 10 years. Her grandparents were potato farmers and so she knows what it takes to grow fresh produce. 

What is UKTN | The Podcast?

Each week, Jane Wakefield sits down with some of the key movers and shakers from the UK tech ecosystem for the UKTN Podcast. Learn growth strategies from both seasoned and up-and-coming founders, hear market sentiments from investors, and understand the tech policy affecting businesses across the country.

The UKTN Podcast provides insight into the most influential people in the UK’s innovation economy, exploring their personal and professional journeys and hearing their views on the hottest tech topics of the day.