In this episode of Coffee and Career Chats: Startup Edition, host Adel Hameed sits down with Jenny Du, SVP of Operations at Apeel Sciences, to explore what it really takes to build a startup from the ground up, starting in a garage and scaling to a global operation.

Jenny shares her journey from chemistry research to startup leadership, offering a rare inside look at the early days of Apeel and the operational pivots that made scale possible. From pioneering food-safe innovation to navigating complex global supply chains, Jenny brings clarity to the messy, non-linear path of startup growth.

They unpack how Apeel’s mission to reduce food waste evolved into a purpose-driven company with a distinctive culture, and how values-based leadership can shape everything from hiring practices to international expansion.

Tune in to learn:

• How to grow into a role you didn’t plan for, and thrive

• The power of defining your company values early and living them daily

• Why solving hard problems requires personal humility and operational grit

Whether you’re building a product, a team, or a mission-driven brand, this episode offers both inspiration and practical insight for navigating the uncertainty of startup life.

Jenny Du’s Linkedin Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenny-du-09616914/

Apeel’s company website: https://www.apeel.com/

Articles:

“Sustainability as a Business-Model Transformation” by ⁠Ivanka Visnjic⁠, ⁠Felipe Monteiro⁠ and ⁠Michael L. Tushman⁠: ⁠https://hbr.org/2025/05/sustainability-as-a-business-model-transformation⁠

“Building food and agriculture businesses for a green future” by Tom Brennan, Shane Bryan, Summit Byrne, and Chris Rogers https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/agriculture/our-insights/building-food-and-agriculture-businesses-for-a-green-future