Welcome to Circular Unicorn
Dispatches from the messy middle of building a circular business (and a more sustainable future)
Hey, I’m Heather—and if you’re here, you’re probably curious.
About entrepreneurship.
About the circular economy.
About how to build something that gives back to people, to the planet, and maybe even to your own sanity.
Circular Unicorn is my behind-the-scenes log of building a climate-focused startup from the ground up. I’m not an expert teaching business school from a pedestal. I’m an entrepreneur still in the thick of it—raising funding, writing grant applications, having wins, hitting walls, and figuring it out one step at a time.
How did I get started here? Maybe you can relate, because I thought about writing for a long time, maybe years. And with procrastination mastery, imposter syndrome, and writer’s block, I always had some ailment keeping me from publishing. I started following Wendy Mac (phenomenal art teacher) and fell in love with Substack, where I was referred to Ship 30 for 30, a writing course and accountability group. I joined their challenge, and finally hit publish on April 1, 2025. I highly recommend the course if you’ve ever considered becoming a writer. Invest in yourself, and do it today!
This is a space for:
Curious minds who want to understand what circularity actually means (beyond just recycling),
Early-stage founders navigating the ups and downs of launching something new,
And anyone who wants to live and build more sustainably—with heart, scrappiness, and a little bit of systems thinking.
I’ll share what I’m learning—from pitching investors to creating product stewardship plans, to weird tech tools I’ve hacked together to stay organized. Some posts are short “aha” moments. Others dig deep into policy, infrastructure, or the economics of waste.
Sometimes, I’ll just tell you what’s going on. The real stuff.
Because let’s be honest: this path isn’t always inspiring.
Sometimes it’s lonely.
But we’re not alone.
Why “Circular Unicorn”?
A while back, I pitched an investor who told me, flat out:
"VCs are only looking for unicorns. If you're not one, maybe try a nonprofit.”
At that moment, I decided: I am a unicorn. Maybe not the kind they’re used to.
Maybe not yet. But I believe in what I’m building—and I know I’m not the only one chasing a dream that doesn’t fit the mold.
So this space is for the circular unicorns.
The underestimated ones. The early-stage ideas that don’t have glossy traction slides yet. The ones making change from the ground up.
What You’ll Find Here:
Stories from the field of building Electra, my solar recycling startup
Mini deep-dives on circular economy topics (like EPR (I’ll tell you what that means and why you should care about it), product design, and waste infrastructure)
Tips and tools that have helped me organize, pitch, and keep going
Real talk about the hard parts—and how to keep moving anyway
Whether you’re dreaming of a side gig, knee-deep in your first startup, or just here to learn about what’s possible in the world of circularity—welcome. I’m glad you’re here.
This is for all of us figuring it out in real time.
—Heather
P.S. If you know someone who’s curious about circularity, sustainability, or climate innovation—send them this link.
Word of mouth is how we grow. 💚
