Jane Mosbacher Morris (SFS’08)
Founder and CEO
What inspired you to create TO THE MARKET?
My career began at the U.S. Department of State in national security. It became very clear that a lack of dignified jobs was a consistent challenge in the countries in which I was working. To learn more about what industries created and sustained jobs, I did an MBA to study developing world economies. I learned that supply chains, particularly the production of apparel, accessories, and home goods, is a multi-trillion dollar industry, where companies from the global north have factories in the global south produce their goods. I quickly learned that despite this being a multi-trillion dollar annual industry, it is incredibly broken --analog, opaque, environmentally destructive, and exploitative of humans. I knew there was a huge opportunity to reimagine the industry.
What is your day-to-day like as CEO?
As a leader, I try to balance empathy with a results-driven mindset, setting clear expectations for my team and helping them do their best while staying aligned around our mission. I also make sure to hold myself accountable by staying clear on what success looks like for me and for TO THE MARKET. Running a business can be full of distractions, so I try to avoid the trap of spinning my wheels on things that don’t really matter.
The impact of your work speaks for itself, and your various reports show the success you have achieved through the years. Were there any specific points when creating your company where you faced a significant challenge in building transparency and sustainable systems?
Absolutely. One of the biggest challenges we faced was helping clients overcome the perception that sustainability required a complete overhaul of their operations. Many companies felt paralyzed by the idea that every product needed to be made organic to make an impact. Our approach has always been about progress over perfection—starting small, taking meaningful steps, and building momentum over time.
We’ve found that focusing on digestible, actionable changes resonates with clients. By prioritizing realistic, achievable goals, we’ve shown that even incremental shifts toward sustainable practices can have a significant impact. We position ourselves as partners in this journey, providing the tools, insights, and support to guide brands as they evolve their supply chains to balance their values with their business goals.
Some of your goals for 2024 were to create larger diversity at every stage in the supply chain. How have you and your team’s diverse personal and professional backgrounds contributed to TO THE MARKET’s unique approach to sustainability and reducing inequality?
I really value diversity in thought, background, and skillset. We have teammates across the globe, which brings fresh perspectives given that our business is truly global. It’s also why we prioritize working with suppliers that reflect a range of geographies, cultures, and communities, creating opportunities where they are needed most.
What led you to GAIN? What has been the highlight of your experience working with GAIN investors? How has GAIN influenced your alumni experience?
Meeting value-aligned angels and funds that believe in both our business's ability to make money as well as its positive impact on the world.
Thinking back on your Georgetown experience, can you speak to how classes, friends, clubs, etc influenced your entrepreneurial journey?
Georgetown prepared me to work in different communities around the world. TO THE MARKET operates in over 60 countries, which would be far more difficult if I had not had the opportunity to study the regions in which we are working so closely.
What is your favorite memory from your time on the Hilltop?
I really loved how the SFS allowed me to get hyper-focused on issues of counterterrorism (the sector that I spent the first half of my career working in!). We had extraordinary adjunct professors that were practitioners in the field that could speak from experience, not just theory.
If you could give a piece of advice to a Hoyapreneur or aspiring Hoyapreneur, what would it be?
Anything worth doing is 1000 times harder than you think it will be. Those that “win” are those that just keep going