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For Lisa Curtis ’10, learning she’d been named to the National Peace Corps Association’s 2025 list was both surreal and satisfying. “It’s always fun to get an award,” says the Oakland, California-based social entrepreneur. “But because the Peace Corps led me to start Kuli Kuli, this was a special full circle moment.”

It all started when Curtis, a vegetarian, was seeking more nutrients in her diet while serving in the Peace Corps in a remote village in Niger. With few options beyond rice and pasta, she felt lethargic and asked the village women for help. They offered her kuli kuli, a traditional peanut snack, and mixed it with leaves of —a drought-resistant tree rich in vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.

When Curtis incorporated the snack into her diet, her energy returned—and the experience laid the groundwork for , the company Curtis founded after returning from the Peace Corps in 2011.

Kuli Kuli—known for its superfood-based powders, lattes and gummies—is now sold in 11,000 stores across the U.S., including Kroger, Whole Foods and Walmart. The company grew out of Curtis’ desire to bring Americans the health benefits of superfoods like moringa while empowering the communities who grow them. By sourcing traditional ingredients from small, rural family farms in India and seven different countries across Africa while prioritizing equity, collaboration, and sustainability, Kuli Kuli has generated over $40 million in revenue, planted millions of trees, and currently supports the livelihoods of more than 4,000 farmers. 

Wondering what it takes to create a business that drives both profit and social change? As she celebrated her 15th Reunion at Whitman College, we asked Curtis to share her best advice for Whitties who aspire to build successful social enterprises.

1. Dare Early

“Seize the opportunity to work in the social impact space while you’re young,” advises Curtis. While it can be tempting to go into a field like corporate finance with a plan to pivot later, Curtis is grateful she went straight into a mission-driven venture.

As a student in Associate Professor of Politics, Emeritus, Bruce Magnusson’s Politics of Africa class, she distinctly remembers Magnussen urging his students to see beyond the media headlines and instead experience the beauty and uniqueness of Africa’s 54 countries for themselves. “That idea just got stuck in my head and made me wonder how I could get there and support sustainable development on the ground,” says Curtis. 

Would she have eventually made it to Africa had she gone into a more lucrative career right out of college? While it’s impossible to say, she’s glad she didn’t miss the chance to go straight into the Peace Corps.

2. Leap Before You™re Ready

“Have the audacity to believe in yourself and your mission and not to feel like you need to do X, Y and Z before you pursue your passion,” says Curtis.

She’s often asked if she had experience working at a food company or if she’d earned an MBA prior to launching Kuli Kuli. The answer is no—but she had the boldness to try anyway. “I’ve been successful because I believe I can,” she says. “If you believe in yourself, you can figure out the rest along the way.”

Curtis credits Whitman with giving her opportunities to step beyond her comfort zone and learn on the fly. Experiences like writing for the student newspaper with no journalism background and expanding an internship at Walla Walla’s Juvenile Justice Center into advocacy work—liaising between an underserved neighborhood and local police—gave Curtis the confidence to forge her own path as a social entrepreneur.

3. Build Your Village

“Asking people for help is my superpower,” says Curtis, who feels that her ability to make clear, direct requests for exactly what she needs has been vital for networking and fundraising. 

Nervous to put yourself out there? Remember that most people will be flattered that you asked for their support and are excited for the chance to chip in. 

“People love to help,” Curtis reminds us. “And if you can actually use other people’s ideas and desire to support your organization in a way that moves you forward, it’s a very powerful thing.”

4. Persistence Pays Off

Between the loud voices on the internet and the many stories featured in traditional media, you might think entrepreneurs either fail or succeed immediately—but that’s a myth, according to Curtis, who believes grit is a major predictor of success.

“The ‘overnight successes’ are often 10 years in the making,” she says. Experience has shown Curtis that the saying is true: Startups don’t fail; founders quit. “I think that can be applied to starting a company, a new career or anything. Determination to keep going will take you farther than you might think.”