Interview: Prime Time Finalist - Meghan Hendley Lopez - Houston, Texas

The Founders Live Prime Time 2022 pitch competitions highlight twenty founders from our global ecosystem who have achieved various levels of success in previous Founders Live city pitch events.

We bring you additional coverage of these finalists through a series of posts in which we ask some questions about their entrepreneurial journey, as well as what they are building and why.

Please introduce yourself with a short bio

A combination of creative and cause related initiatives, Meghan Hendley Lopez of SUNN: Sustainability United for Nurturing Nature is a classical musician who has turned her talent towards the world of non-profit administration/management, grant writing, public relations, business development, journalism, digital services all centered in creative solutions for cause based initiatives. Meghan is also the Director of Corporate Engagement for TekRevol, assisting in the disruptive technology revolution. Over 17 years of experience centers the balance of presentation and preservation of the arts, agriculture, and ambition. Partnering with her husband Felipe Lopez their four children, and their DAO Delegates, Lopez looks to assist a changing world pioneering with technology while honoring the natural world through initiative based solutions with thought and care for the essence of humanity through the launch of their sustainable DAO entitled SUNN: Sustainability United for Nurturing Nature.

How did you discover Founders Live?

I was introduced to Founder's Live during Tech Rodeo at The Ion Houston in March 2022, right as we launched SUNN publicly. The inspirational energy that occurred during the event, hosted by Oleg Lysiak, was something that a startup founder like myself and my husband needed to see. It was a motivational tool for us to continue assembling our DAO delegates, focusing our mission, and strategizing our own pitch for how we are going to make our mark as a humanitarian project.

Why do you feel others will benefit from Founders Live as well?

Founders Live is a chance for community near and far to be engaged with startups that look to make a difference in our ever changing world. Specifically for SUNN, it has helped us connect to the individuals and resources assisting us to succeed while giving us an opportunity to share our high impact model that will transform our ecosystem with giving resilient stability and community owned resources, paving the way for ultimate human innovation.

As an entrepreneur, why did you choose this path of creating your own company?

One of my biggest professional challenges was the ability to create and engage change within our local community. Through community engagement, arts and agricultural instruction, and non-profit building, my husband and I felt like I was still missing out on making a bigger ripple of change.

When I turned my knowledge of crypto currency, nfts, creative problem solving, agriculture, and community building into the SUNN project, everything started falling into place. From excellent team members, to solid partnerships with Tekrevol and BlastTech, to community support, to pilot programs looking to adopt our concept and technology, we have been very blessed to have the opportunities ahead to change generations to come. The biggest asset is knowing we can peacefully and productively disrupt broken systems to pave the way for the bountiful future of resources or our four children, their generation, and generations to come.

You've made it to Founders Live Prime Time! What do you want to get out of this experience?

I'm thrilled to be offered a global stage to broadcast the revolution of resiliency that is at our fingertips: demystifying the narrative of food shortages, energy crisis, and lack of access to information from connectivity to wifi. Each and every human has a right to basic resources that also offer a way for education and employment to lead this revolution.

As a member of SUNN, I look to connect with like minded individuals, offer them a way to participate in the activation of our mission by attending our NFT to HOU Conference in February 2023, showcase our roadmap for resiliency, and build collaborations with like minded organizations to help us carry out our global gateway to bountiful beauty that lies in blockchain led tech and resources.

Please describe the company or project are you currently building? Why are you building it?

SUNN: Sustainability United for Nurturing Nature provides resilient resources along with educational services in sustainability and circular economy living. SUNN activates the decentralization of: food, energy, water, and wifi through aligning of ESG initiatives to build microgrids with SUNN sites as a way to light the future for all. SUNN will help reduce 3 out of 4 of the top global greenhouse gas emissions through our innovative initiatives, fueled by partnerships and environmentally social governed NFTs.

Within the change towards smart cities, the goal is to integrate a system with the assistance of partnerships with waste management companies that benefits the schools (education), the community (including jobs/employment), sustainability (including food and energy). Growth and expansion will happen starting in the largest energy and agricultural state: Texas. This project’s goal is to expand this idea across the country and the world, allowing SUNN to eclipse the traditional models of agriculture and energy supported by regenerative methods and technology.

What is your vision? Go out 5 years, what does the world look like with your product or service in it?

In the next five years, we will be on the trajectory to expand SUNN and its mission within the Houston area, nationally, and internationally with opportunities in India, Africa, and South America. We look to work with developers to create more sustainable neighborhoods, collaborate with organizations and city officials to give low income areas the foundation of resiliency, and to expand our mission to regions of the world looking to build reliable infrastructure allowing for true peace and prosperity to flourish. Through the strength in strategy, the ability of our team, and the partnerships we have already formed, these future accomplishments are a firm reality.

What ONE thing do you need help with the most, and what do you want to ask from the Founders Live community?

As for our needs, we are actively selling tickets and sponsorships to NFT to HOU conference happening at The Ion in Houston February 3-5, 2023. This conference ushers in a new type of web3 event, showcasing innovation and blockchain focused technology in education, agriculture, energy, finance, real estate, and smart city developments.

Another key component of our conference is the k-12 education where we will offer children and families a chance to interact with new ideas and tech including STEAM on Demand, Conscious Capitalism, NFT/Blockchain workshops, and more. For the university level, we are organizing a universal blockchain hackathon to help further the advancements of this technology with real world applications.

The crowning achievement of this conference include a Bionaut digital collectible/NFT by the artist Syneverse with each ticket along with special NFT sponsorship packages all powered by our tech partner TekRevol. By attending, supporting, and sponsoring our conference, the proceeds will help us build two pilot programs in the greater Houston area along with establishing our educational component with local schools. All details can be found at www.sunnnfts.com.

Identify 3 qualities that when combined make a great founder. Expand a few descriptive sentences on each.

➤ ​ Emotional intelligence is the capacity to know and understand your own emotions as well as the emotions of others or even how a room feels, and to use that information to make conscious choices. This underrated intelligence allows you to be a pillar of support and understanding for your team along with delivering a powerful connection to your community, understanding how your project can meet its true purpose. ​

➤ Conscious decisions lead to increased empathy, improved relationships, more successful outcomes, and even enhanced well-being. ​

➤ Mindfulness based practices develop self-awareness, a key aspect of emotional intelligence. It's a brain thing, neuroscience says so. Mindful leaders shift the energy of the room, or hold space by being present.

Advice - If you could go back to the beginning and talk to your “rookie founder” self, what would say?

My advice would be to trust your intuition, align yourself with team members and individuals that are more than just a knowledge base but also extended family members, and to allow those positive influences to consistently help shape the future for your ideas. The hive mind and talent magnet that is a DAO structure will allow for the greatness to be in the group behind the movement.

Learn more about SUNN: Sustainability United for Nurturing Nature

Hear Meghan pitch during Founders Live Prime Time North America on Thursday, Nov 14th, 2022.