From Founder to Educator: How Danielle Vogel Is Shaping the Next Generation of Builders

Описание: What if entrepreneurship were not only about starting companies, but about shaping how a generation thinks about impact, ownership, and responsibility?
In this episode of Startup Builders and Backers, I’m joined by Danielle Vogel, Assistant Director of the Veloric Center for Entrepreneurship at American University, where she works at the intersection of sustainability, entrepreneurship, and education. Danielle brings a rare perspective to the conversation, shaped by experience as a founder, an investor, and an educator supporting the next wave of builders long before they pitch a deck or incorporate a company.
Before stepping into academia, Danielle founded and operated Glen's Garden Market, a climate-motivated grocery store in Washington, DC, that became a launchpad for local food entrepreneurs. Through that venture, she helped support more than 90 local businesses, with a strong emphasis on women founders and founders of color. That lived experience informs how she now thinks about access, capital, and what it really takes to build something sustainable, both financially and socially.
We talk about her journey from founder to investor, including her direct investments, support for founders through the AccelerateHERdc grant program, and involvement with SoGal Ventures. Danielle shares how her approach to investing is shaped by values as much as returns, and why early belief, mentorship, and community can matter just as much as capital in the earliest stages of a startup’s life.
The conversation also dives into her work at the Veloric Center for Entrepreneurship, where she supports students across undergraduate and graduate programs, including sustainable entrepreneurship courses, incubators, competitions, and speaker series. We explore how young people are redefining what it means to be entrepreneurial today, and why the mindset itself is becoming just as important as founding a company.
This episode is not only about startups, funding, or accelerators. It is about expanding the definition of entrepreneurship, lowering the barriers to entry, and helping first-time builders take that initial step with clarity and confidence. As more young founders look for purpose alongside opportunity, how should we rethink what entrepreneurship really means, and who it is actually for?

Useful Links
The Veloric Center for Entrepreneurship's LinkedIn:Follow Danielle Vogel on LinkedIn: Follow the Kogod School of Business on LinkedInKogod School of Business entrepreneurship website
Thanks to our sponsors, Alcor, for supporting the show.