Meet Anya Ranganathan, Founder of Bad Apple Produce

Meet Anya Ranganathan, the found of Bad Apple Produce.

What messages have you had to confront (internally or externally) to pursue your personal & professional path?

I'm a statistical improbability. Less than 2% of VC dollars went to female founders last year, and it's especially hard to pitch a for-impact business to investors when they're primarily concerned with rapid growth. Compounded with the fact that I'm a young person of color, I don't belong to the traditional social networks that provide access to funding and large scale marketing platforms. 

At least once a week, I get feedback from self-proclaimed business experts (many of which have never started businesses) that my company @badappleproduce will never succeed, in spite of the fact that we've gotten traction in the marketplace. There's an old saying that men are judged based on their potential, while women are judged on what they've actually achieved. While this practice traditionally works against women, I use this fact to motivate myself. I remind myself every day that I have done and will continue to do significant things: I've started two businesses before turning 25, led boards that engage communities of over 15,000, and fought through adversity after experiencing sexual harassment in the workplace. My track record speaks for itself, and I don't need validation from others to know that I'm on the right professional path.

Check out Bad Apple Produce and follow Anya on Instagram and Facebook.

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