Episode #5: Career pivot with Mathew Howe - the banker who became an urban farmer

In this Episode #5, my guest is Mathew Howe.  

He is the founder of Grobrix, a company focusing on sustainability, food security, physical health, and mental wellbeing. Grobrix is on a mission to make urban communities leaner, greener, happier, and healthier, focusing on bringing the farm and the farmer's market right to their doorstep. Before that, he spent 15 years in financial markets spanning various sales and trading roles both in London and Singapore. Mathew graduated from Imperial College, London, in Mechanical Engineering.

Mathew shared with me that it all started with pesto! Green pasta was on the lunch menu for his children nearly every day, and there were times when the supermarket simply could not fulfill the household basil needs. So, he started growing it. And this is how Grobrix was born - the world’s first modular edible hydroponic green wall.  Designed in Singapore. Developed in Singapore. Made in Singapore.

Tune in to learn about the journey from the trading floor to urban farming. It is one of the most unusual career changes I have seen. 

Here are his key learnings:

- You cannot be a part-time entrepreneur. You have to go all-in.

- Do something you are passionate about and leverage the skills that you've  got

- The fear of never knowing will become bigger than the fear of failure.

As Mathew says - " When all is said and done, I wanted to look back in 20 years and know that I tried, even if I failed. I'd rather have tried and failed than to have never known."