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Why Listen:

Erik is a man I tremendously respect. His background is unbelievably impressive. A few things that we talked about that stood out to me is, first of all, where we started the conversation, which is an alternate view on the veteran transition that I've never heard before; it puts veterans in a different light. And I think it's very thought-provoking. Second of all is Erik's work around Afghanistan, which he has done for the last ten years of helping people get out of Afghanistan and making sure that they're safe. Third of all, Erik has an amazing story of work in the food and agriculture space, and he talks about why that's so important to him. Fourth, it was remarkable to hear about the crazy journey that the quarantine put on his company, SafeTraces, and how they were able to pivot into something even bigger when most companies honestly would have gone out of business. Instead, they're thriving due to their adaptability. And he talks about how the military training was such an asset in that way. 

As always, at beyondtheuniform.org you'll find show notes with links to everything we discuss, as well as 409 other episodes just like this, all offered for free.

About Erik:

Erik Malmstrom is the CEO of SafeTraces, a biotechnology company that is harnessing the power of DNA. SafeTraces has developed groundbreaking solutions for food and drug traceability, sanitation verification, and safe airflow verification that address the fundamental human need for safety. Erik started out at the University of Pennsylvania, after which he served for nearly seven years in the Army, where he graduated from Army Ranger School and Airborne School and earned the Bronze Star Medal for his service as a rifle platoon leader during deployments to eastern Afghanistan. After his military service, he earned degrees at Harvard Business School and Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government. His career has included time at Cargill, working on food, agriculture, nutrition, and risk management, time as a White House Fellow, and time as General Manager of the Farmer's Business Network, a company that has now raised over $250 million in capital.

Selected Resources: 

• Erik’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erik-malmstrom-a64b9810a/  

• SafeTraces: https://www.safetraces.com/ 

Time Stamps:

• Erik’s background [2:57]

• Military communities can be a model for society [4:46]

• Veterans focus on uniting, not separating [7:55]

• Interpreters are part of the unit [14:51]

• Getting out of Afghanistan is only the first step[23:55]

• A passion for food security [26:57]

• Pandemic related challenges with DNA tagging technology [30:57]

• Fight the battle not the plan [40:27]

• Encouraging veteran led startups [45:21]