Hey friends,
As we move deeper into the fall season, I’ve been thinking a lot about how innovation and purpose intersect in unexpected ways. This week’s stories show that impact can live in the smallest routines, the biggest technological shifts, and everything in between.
Take Better & Better, for example, a company turning something as ordinary as brushing your teeth into an act of wellness and sustainability.
Their approach to oral care, infusing daily toothpaste with essential vitamins, is such a simple yet powerful reminder that positive change often starts with what’s already in our hands.
Then there’s the AI for Humanity Report from Fast Forward, which highlights nonprofits using artificial intelligence to solve pressing global issues. These organizations are proving that AI isn’t just for big tech, it can also be a force for good when guided by human values and purpose.
And in our latest Beyond Meat case study, we explore the full arc of a movement: how one company’s early success helped define a new food category, and how recent struggles reveal the challenges of staying mission-driven in a volatile market.
From mental health and carbon removal to regenerative ice cream and people-centered AI, this week’s lineup captures the resilience and creativity driving the future of impact.
Let’s get into it.
— Grant
Featured Interview - Better & Better Is Redefining Oral Care With Vitamin-Infused Toothpaste
When most people think about brushing their teeth, they rarely think about nutrition. For Vladimir Vukicevic, it became the foundation for a new way of thinking about health and habit.
As the Co-founder and CEO of Better & Better, Vladimir is reimagining what daily wellness can look like, starting with something as simple and universal as toothpaste.
Born in Belgrade, Serbia, Vladimir’s story is one of resilience and reinvention.
After surviving a childhood cancer diagnosis and enduring long-term side effects from chemotherapy, he faced a new challenge: managing his health through daily supplements that were difficult, costly, and easy to forget.
That frustration sparked an idea that would eventually lead to Better & Better, a wellness company built on the belief that health should be effortless, integrated, and sustainable.
Better & Better’s breakthrough product is a 2-in-1 vitamin-infused toothpaste that delivers essential nutrients through one of the body’s most absorbent pathways—the mouth.
With every brush, users not only clean their teeth but also nourish their bodies with vitamins like D3, B12, and Zinc, without the need to swallow another pill.
Under Vladimir’s leadership, the company has become a pioneer in what he calls “habit-based health,” creating products that transform daily routines into opportunities for better living.
Beyond innovation in wellness, Better & Better is deeply committed to environmental responsibility, using recyclable, sugarcane-based packaging, bamboo toothbrushes, and naturally derived ingredients that are better for both people and the planet.
In this interview, Vladimir shares his personal journey from patient to founder, how Better & Better is redefining the wellness industry, and why embedding health into everyday habits could be the key to a healthier, more sustainable future.
🎧 Featured Podcast
Fast Forward’s AI for Humanity Report - How Nonprofits Are Building the Future with AI
In this episode of the Disruptors for GOOD podcast, we speak with Fast Forward’s co-founder about the organization’s 2025 AI for Humanity Report and what it reveals about the growing wave of AI-powered nonprofits.
From healthcare and education to climate and human rights, discover how mission-driven organizations are using artificial intelligence responsibly to drive meaningful change.
Case Study: Beyond Meat
Our latest Causeartist case study unpacks Beyond Meat’s groundbreaking path from startup success to market struggle.
Once the face of the plant-based revolution, the company helped redefine the global food industry, but its recent challenges highlight the volatility of mission-driven markets. Explore the full story of innovation, impact, and lessons learned from one of sustainability’s boldest brands.
📰 News & Funding Rounds
Humanity AI Commits $500M to Build a People-Centered Future for AI
Funding: $500 million
Goal: Develop safe, inclusive, and transparent AI systems
Impact: Ensuring artificial intelligence serves human values and societal well-being globally
Backed by: Doris Duke Foundation, Ford Foundation, Lumina Foundation, Kapor Foundation, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Mozilla Foundation, Omidyar Network, David and Lucile Packard Foundation, and Siegal Family Endowment
Marble Raises $15.5M to Expand Youth Mental Health Access in Schools
Funding: $15.5 million
Goal: Deliver early mental health interventions for youth through school-based care
Impact: Expanding access to equitable, evidence-based mental health support for students nationwide
Asia’s First Climate Philanthropy Advisory Launches to Accelerate Regional Giving
Goal: Mobilize catalytic philanthropic capital for Asia’s $815 billion climate finance gap
Impact: Strengthening collaboration and regional insight to unlock large-scale climate solutions across Asia
Deep Sky to Build One of the World’s Largest Carbon Removal Facilities
Funding: $500 million project investment
Goal: Develop a 500,000-tonne carbon removal facility in Manitoba, Canada
Impact: Accelerating large-scale carbon capture to help reach global net-zero targets
Alec’s Ice Cream Secures $11M to Scale Regenerative Organic Dairy Nationwide
Funding: $11 million
Goal: Expand distribution and regenerative sourcing across the United States
Impact: Bringing climate-smart, organic dairy to conscious consumers while rethinking indulgence and sustainability
Causeartist
Circular Economy Leader NORNORM Secures €50M to Scale Furniture Subscription Model
Funding: €50 million
Goal: Expand its circular office furniture platform across Europe
Impact: Reducing furniture waste and promoting sustainable consumption through reuse and design innovation
ACHP Receives $4.2M Grant from the Helmsley Charitable Trust to Improve Diabetes Care
Funding: $4.2 million
Goal: Expand access to continuous glucose monitoring and innovative diabetes care models
Impact: Improving outcomes for millions living with insulin-requiring diabetes through better access, data, and technology
🔗 Learn more about ACHP →
🔗 Learn more about Helmsley →
Grant Trahant
Founder | Causeartist + Causeartist BackOffice
Host | Disruptors for Good + Investing in Impact
Venture Partner | Pay it Forward Ventures
Connect: LinkedIn | X
