Startup Stories – 1906 CEO, Peter Barsoom

April 1, 2020

Peter Barsoom is CEO and co-founder of 1906, a consumer products company that focuses on the healing powers of plant-based medicine. 1906 has proprietary delivery systems that improve the bioavailability of plant medicines to make functional foods more predictable and have wider appeal.

Peter is the former chief operating officer of the Intercontinental Exchange (ICE), parent company of the New York Stock Exchange. He also served as president of ICE Swap Trade, the firm's swap execution facility.

Before joining ICE in 2010, Barsoom served as deputy chief operating officer at Blue Mountain Capital Management. Before that, he was executive director at Morgan Stanley from June 2006 – April 2008 and, from 2003-2006 he served as director of consumer banking at Merrill Lynch.

Barsoom was a PHD candidate in Politics at Princeton University from Sept. 1992 to May 1997. In 1992, he received a BA in International Relations from Colgate University.

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Overcast, Castbox, or your preferred podcast platform.

1:05 minute marker
on being on track to being a CEO of a major financial services institution and quitting life as a banker

3:28
horseback riding in the Botswana bush with a realization of how big world is how small his place was as a banker

8:59
cannabis as sleep aid

10:20
fault lines emerging with retrenchment in industry
those with real brands win

15:08
trusting the universe and positive impact on people’s lives

16:30
raising $20m and focusing on product and marketing in the most competitive and saturated market in the country

19:26
navigating the regulatory challenges
his training as a banker helped a lot
Massive inefficiencies

21:30
Cannabis industry as catalyst for social justice and social change
People coming out of government and public service see industry as catalyst for change

25:50
Importance of having former government leaders help you navigate and attract attention