Sustainability Entrepreneur
Kaitlin Mogentale is a sustainability entrepreneur and supply chain strategist focused on building a circular food economy. She is currently the business development manager for industrials at Divert, where she develops partnerships across California’s Central Valley to reducefood waste. The company converts surplus food into renewable energy using anaerobic digestion.
Mogentale is also the founder of Pulp Pantry, one of the first upcycled-certified snack brands. The company pioneered veggie chips made from overlooked produce, expanded to national retail distribution (including Target) and landed an investment deal on Shark Tank. She continues that work through Trashy, a snack brand that turns “misfit” vegetables into chips, and Scrapi, a platform that helps companies implement waste and recycling programs.
She credits USC Dornsife’s hands-on environmental programs and entrepreneurial community with shaping her path. She say a pivotal conversation with James Haw, professor emeritus of chemistry and environmental studies shifted her whole career focus. “At the time, I thought I was on track for a traditional science career, maybe in research or academia. But his advice to think about how I work best —collaboratively, dynamically, outside of a lab — completely shifted my path.”
Today, she balances corporate leadership with venture building, focused on scaling impact across the food and agriculture sectors.