Recognizing her contributions in social impact, public health, sustainable development, responsible entrepreneurship, and women empowerment in STEM and the life sciences, Brightseed Co-founder and COO Sofia Elizondo has been named a Young Global Leader (YGL) by the World Economic Forum.

The Forum of YGLs is an independent, non-profit foundation that brings together diverse and dynamic leaders addressing the world's most pressing problems. The Forum of YGLs works with the World Economic Forum to nurture leadership and foster interactions with stakeholders across the globe to create real-world change for the benefit of all.

Elizondo joins nearly 100 of the most promising leaders under the age of 40 who have demonstrated their commitment to serving society and are launching ground-breaking initiatives to inspire new ways of driving social change.

Brightseed is a pioneer in biosciences and artificial intelligence (AI). Its AI-driven computational platform, Forager, accelerates bioactive discovery, biological validation, and ingredient formulation.

With the help of Forager, Brightseed developed a proprietary process to transform hemp hulls into a dietary fiber ingredient—Brightseed Bio 01—with high concentration of two bioactive compounds that offer gut health benefits: N-trans-caffeoyl tyramine (NCT) and N-trans-feruloyl tyramine (NFT).

“On behalf of Brightseed, we are proud to have Sofia represent us as a YGL to build new bridges with like-minded leaders, and advance the global perspective on more cost-effective and equitable solutions to restoring human health,” Brightseed’s CEO Jim Flatt said from the World Economic Forum Global Innovators meeting in Geneva. “Sofia is one of those extraordinary leaders with a rare, blended skillset to drive innovation as a force for good.”

Building Business for Positive Impact 

Elizondo’s career has been focused on unlocking technology to enable longer and healthier lives. Prior to Brightseed, she was a founding member of the Boston Consulting Group’s Henderson Institute, the consulting firm’s think tank on the future of business innovation.

She also served as a Special Advisor to the United Nations, working with the UN Global Compact to develop global corporate sustainability standards released at the 2011 World Economic Forum in Davos. Last fall, Elizondo participated in the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition and Health to discuss how bioactive compound discovery can accelerate an evidence-based approach to food as medicine, nutrition supplementation, and help inform dietary guidelines around bioactives in the future.

“I’m honored and humbled to join the Forum of Young Global Leaders and expand the ways in which I can give back to the global community at scale,” Elizondo said in a press release. “When Jim Flatt, Lee Chae and I started Brightseed, we did so with the explicit objective of building a company that would have a positive impact on social and planetary health. I’m eager to learn from my YGL peers and uncover new opportunities to shift the healthcare model away from disease treatment and towards the promotion of natural resilience.”

Elizondo holds a BA in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business. She has recently been named one of Entrepreneur's 100 Women of Influence, Inc. Magazine’s Top 100 Female Founders, and an Extraordinary leader in Health by Newsweek en Español.