Exploring Fashion Supply Chains and Technology with Stephanie Benedetto, the "Queen of Raw”
- S1E31
- 09:36
- August 13th 2020
This is Part 1 of a 2 part lightning talk series. "Are you naked right now? You’re not…because you’re using fabric. It’s everywhere! It’s where it’s supposed to be, covering things like us, and where it’s not supposed to be.” This was the opening 10 seconds of Stephanie’s award-winning pitch to Ashton Kutcher, Sean “Diddy” Combs, & Gary Vaynerchuk in 60 seconds at the WeWork Creator Awards where she scored a grand prize of $360,000. Queen of Raw then closed a $1.5M priced seed round led by True Wealth Ventures with minority investor MIT Solve. You’ll hear it in this episode along with insights on how to get funding for your tech start up with a winning pitch.
Episode 31 is a 2-part lightning talk series exploring Stephanie Benedetto’s journey from corporate attorney, to sustainability tech entrepreneur. Her family has been in the fashion supply chain business for over 100 years! Benedetto saw the problem first hand and together they built the Queen of Raw solution: a B2B platform for businesses to recapture value from their wasted materials rather than burning them.
This episode provides: an overview of the fashion supply chain, its impact on the world we share and why textile production is the second biggest polluting industry in the world. Did you know that one tee shirt takes 700 gallons of water to produce? Bringing $120 billion worth of unused textiles back to life, the Queen of Raw has already saved over one billion gallons of water while saving businesses millions of dollars with supply chain efficiency. Why is an optimized supply chain the solution for people, for planet, and for profit? You’ll learn why sustainability and circularity are the answer in the future of fashion.
We also explore Stephanie’s journey including her advice to women-owned technology start-ups! Some of Stephanie’s awards include: Grand Prize WeWork Creator Awards, Cartier Women’s Initiative, Laureate MIT Solve Global Challenge Winner, LVMH Innovation Award, NASA/NIKE/IKEA/DELL Innovator Finalist, Google Women Who Tech Fashion Group International Rising Star, thredUP Circular Fashion Fund Recipient
Learn more about Stephanie here - http://www.queenofraw.com
Industry: SaaS Software, Supply Chain, Textiles, Blockchain, Machine Learning/AI, Marketplace Launched: Q3 2018
Find us, connect, and explore at https://www.supplychainrevolution.com/
Supply Chain Revolution
The Supply Chain Revolution Podcast is where global leaders in sustainability, AI, and supply chain reimagine the future of business. Hosted by Sheri Hinish, the Supply Chain Queen, this award-winning show explores bold ideas at the intersection of supply chain, circular economy, innovation, technology, ESG, and leadership.
Each episode features candid conversations with C-suite executives, investors, academics, policymakers, and entrepreneurs who are shaping how organizations create value in a rapidly changing world. From decarbonization and digital transformation to diversity, equity, and inclusion, we unpack strategies that accelerate progress and challenge the status quo.
Listeners gain:
- Actionable insights on AI, data, blockchain, robotics, and sustainable finance
- Big ideas in circularity, climate tech, and responsible compute
- Inspiration from stories of leaders driving transformation across industries
The Supply Chain Revolution podcast host has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, Forbes, The Economist, and ESG Today, and recognized as a Top 100 Leadership Podcast. It is the go-to resource for professionals and change makers looking to stay ahead of the curve, strengthen leadership, and shape a more sustainable future.
Sheri Hinish, known globally as the Supply Chain Queen, is an executive strategist, board advisor, and award-winning sustainability leader. She has been named among the Top 100 Women in Supply Chain, a multi-year “Pro to Know”, and one of the Top 250 Global Leaders in Sustainability.
Join the revolution—because supply chains can save the planet, save lives, and build a better world.
Learn more at www.supplychainqueen.com
Keywords: supply chain podcast, sustainability podcast, circular economy, climate tech, AI, ESG, innovation, leadership, digital transformation, diversity and inclusion
Learn more at supplychainqueen.com
My purpose is to make a meaningful impact for the clients, colleagues, partners, and communities I serve. I have spent my career at the intersection of supply chain, sustainability and innovation in large-scale transformation. I’d love to walk with you on your journey.
I'm the Founder and Host of the Supply Chain Revolution podcast. In my day role, I currently serve as the Global Consulting Sustainability Services, Technology + Ecosystems Leader at EY serving across sectors, alliances, sustainability solutions, and digital ventures. I formerly led Sustainability Services + Alliances at IBM with a passion for sustainable supply chain, circularity, and hardening emerging sustainability tech use cases.
Colleagues and clients affectionately call me the nickname “Supply Chain Queen.” I'm recognized as a trusted partner that F500 companies consistently leverage for connected transformation, end-to-end digital supply chain, purpose-driven leadership, and disruptive thinking in embedding sustainability and emerging innovation in transformations.
Recent awards include: Top 250 leaders in Sustainability (2025), Leaders in Excellence, Supply & Demand Chain Executive (2025), Top 100 Women in Sustainability and Supply Chain (2024), Top 50 influencer in Sustainability by Onalytica (2023), 100 Women in 2023 by March8 Magazine, the 2021 #1 Supply Chain Leader by Supply Chain Digital, a 2022, 2021, 2020 & 2019 Supply & Demand Chain Executive "Pro to Know," the "People's Choice 2020 Global Woman in Supply Chain Leader,” and a Corporate Vision Excellence award in 2020.
I’m a Rebel who loves creating, building, and bringing out the best in people, helping to grow high-performance teams. I've made a career in turn-around and scaling high growth opportunities (product, solutions, infrastructure for practice areas and alliances), simplifying the complex, rethinking paradigms for F500 clients, mainly in CPG, Financial Services, Retail, Advanced Manufacturing, Chemicals and Energy.
I am a graduate lecturer in Sustainability at the University of Arkansas and have a Masters from Harvard University with emphasis in Sustainability + Liberal Arts. I hold 2 credentials from Rutgers University with highest distinction (Beta Gamma Sigma), an MS in Supply Chain Management, and a Mini-MBA in Digital Supply Chain. I also have a BS in Business, Supply Chain Management (Summa Cum Laude) from the University of Maryland. I hold an IBM Industry Academy Expert designation (in Consumer), Project Management Professional (PMP), and Lean Six Sigma Greenbelt.
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