Ever wondered how to build a financial model that not only supports sustainable agriculture but also stands resilient during market upheavals? Dan Miller, the visionary founder and CEO of Steward, shares his remarkable journey from co-founding Fundrise to pioneering a platform that empowers farmers with human-centric and flexible financing solutions. Tune in as he delves into the intricacies of Steward’s alternative credit model, which has shown exceptional resilience even amid industry shakeups like the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank.
This episode reveals the transformative power of regenerative agriculture and distributed food systems in a post-pandemic world. Through compelling stories, including the rise of a vertically integrated meat company, Dan illustrates how Steward identifies and nurtures impactful projects. He also candidly discusses the evolution of his decision-making skills and the essential role that trusting one’s instincts plays in leadership. As a remote-first company, Steward emphasizes flexibility and personal fulfillment, creating an environment where team members can seamlessly blend their passions with their work. Don’t miss this insightful conversation on building a values-driven financial legacy and supporting the future of sustainable food systems.
Episode Highlights
- Innovative Financing for Sustainable Agriculture:
Steward developed a unique credit model that provides loans to sustainable food systems and farmers. This model is designed to support non-traditional agricultural enterprises by offering more flexible and human-centric financing solutions.
- The Rise of Regenerative Agriculture:
The growing recognition and importance of regenerative agriculture, especially post-pandemic. This includes the challenges and successes faced by alternative agricultural enterprises and the increasing consumer and policy interest in more sustainable and distributed food systems.
- Values-Driven Company Culture:
Steward’s commitment to being a values-driven, remote-first company. This includes prioritizing flexibility and personal fulfillment for team members, fostering a supportive financial model for undervalued businesses, and emphasizing the importance of intuition and values in decision-making processes.
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Website: https://innovativewealth.com/
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Connect with Dan here:
Website: https://gosteward.com/
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About Dan Miller:
Dan Miller is the Founder and CEO of Steward, an online lending platform for regenerative agriculture. Steward combines Dan’s background in finance, real estate, and technology with his passion for agriculture, stemming from his maternal family, which has been farming on the Eastern Shore of Maryland since the 1880s. Through Steward, funders can earn a return while equipping farms and ranches with capital for land, equipment, or operations. Steward has successfully funded nearly 90 regenerative farms, totaling over $30 million in financing. Dan is also the cofounder and former president and director of Fundrise, the largest real estate crowdfunding platform in the U.S., which has raised over $4 billion from 400,000 investors since inception. Dan’s experience in real estate began with Western Development Corporation, his family’s real estate organization, which has developed more than 20 million square feet and secured over $3 billion of financing in its fifty-year history. He received a BS from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania in 2009, followed by an MBA in Finance at The Wharton School of Business in 2010. Dan was born and raised in Georgetown, Washington, DC and has lived in London, United Kingdom since 2017.
