Founders in Full
Founders in Full is a podcast about what it really takes to build a business—especially in the world of FamTech.
Hosted by Dan Ritzke, a Fractional CMO with nearly 20 years of experience (danritzke.com) each episode features honest, behind‑the‑scenes conversations with founders building companies that help families thrive. You’ll hear how they’ve shaped their brands, reached their audiences, and figured out what actually drives growth.
While most episodes spotlight FamTech founders, you’ll also find a handful of earlier conversations (and the occasional new one) with founders outside the space—because great lessons can come from anywhere.
This isn’t theory or hype. It’s real founders making real decisions.
If you’re building something of your own—especially in FamTech—you’ll walk away with stories, strategies, and practical takeaways you can put to work right away.
Founders in Full
Chris Borek - Spira Farms
In this episode of Founders in Full, I talk with Chris Borek, co-founder of Spira Farms, a Chicago-area vertical farm growing nutrient-dense microgreens for restaurants, grocery stores, and health-conscious consumers.
Chris’s journey started in a condo during grad school, growing greens for his family while researching sustainability and nutrition. After his mother’s cancer diagnosis, what began as a personal health project quickly turned into a purpose-driven business rooted in freshness, local food systems, and the power of microgreens like broccoli, arugula, and mustard.
Today, Spira Farms has scaled from basement racks to a climate-controlled warehouse, supplying chefs, distributors, and stores with living trays of microgreens and experimenting with in-house tech solutions to run a modern farm efficiently.
We talk about:
✅ Why microgreens are nutritional powerhouses
✅ The hard lessons learned from direct-to-consumer delivery, and why Spira pivoted
✅ What it takes to build custom farm management software (as a non-technical founder)
✅ The difference between selling to chefs vs. grocery stores—and how to adapt your pitch
✅ How his family background shaped his scrappy, figure-it-out approach to entrepreneurship
If you're building a purpose-driven product—or just trying to get smarter about sustainability, local food, or farm-to-table business models—this episode is for you.
About Spira Farms:
Spira Farms is a vertical farming company based in the Chicago area that grows fresh, local microgreens year-round. With a focus on nutrition, sustainability, and freshness, they supply high-quality microgreens to restaurants, retailers, distributors, and local customers.
👉 Learn more at: https://www.spirafarms.com
Connect with me (Dan Ritzke):
I’m a Fractional CMO who helps FamTech companies position their brand, sharpen their messaging, create marketing strategies that drive growth, and oversee execution to make sure those plans turn into results.
👉 Visit my website: www.danritzke.com
👉 Connect with me on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ritzke
Apply to be on the podcast or nominate a founder:
👉 Visit my website: www.danritzke.com/podcast