Meet William Vincent-Killian — Founder of Runarbo
William Vincent-Killian is the founder of Runarbo and the mind behind its mission to rethink how and why we consume.
With a background in forestry, horticulture, and climate tech, William has spent years studying how natural systems work—and how human systems often work against them. He’s co-founded startups focused on water quality and carbon removal, giving him hands-on experience with both the problems and the solutions tied to our planet’s health.
But over time, one question kept coming up for him:
Do we really need all this stuff?
That question led to Runarbo.
William started Runarbo not to help people buy more, but to help them buy less—and choose better when they do. He believes that true sustainability starts with clarity, honesty, and the courage to walk away from what doesn’t serve us.
As he puts it, “Consuming is not meaning.”
And Runarbo is here to help us live by that.
A Lifelong Curiosity for the Natural World
William’s journey started with a simple love for plants and ecosystems. He studied Horticultural Science (Plant Science) at Penn State University, where he learned how plants grow, how they interact with the environment, and how humans rely on them in everyday life.
That curiosity grew deeper as he earned his Master’s degree in Forestry from Lakehead University in Ontario Canada. There, he studied forests not just as trees, but as living systems that change slowly over decades—teaching him the value of patience, resilience, and long-term thinking.
Along the way, William was also influenced by the zero waste movement and ecological design principles. These ideas helped shape how he sees the world: that everything is connected, that waste is a design flaw, and that we need to rethink how we consume if we want to live in balance with the planet.
His education didn’t just teach him how nature works—it taught him how we can live differently. That mindset is at the core of everything Runarbo stands for.
Anura: Water Quality and Early Startup Lessons
Before Runarbo, William co-founded a company called Anura, which focused on helping people test and understand their water quality. From 2017 to 2019, Anura sold tools like pH meters, electroconductivity (EC) meters, and ORP testers—used to measure the health and safety of water.
William didn’t just sit behind a desk—he traveled internationally to meet with manufacturers, learned how to build an online store using Shopify, and ran ads on Amazon, Facebook, Google, and Reddit to reach customers around the world.
Through this experience, he discovered how important trust is when you’re selling something people depend on. He also saw how marketing can shape people’s decisions—and how easy it is to promote a product that doesn’t actually deliver.
These early lessons helped shape the foundation of Runarbo:
Don’t just sell. Serve with honesty.
Don’t just talk. Back it up with data.
That’s how trust is built—and how real change begins.
AirJar: Climate Tech Meets Carbon Removal
In 2021, William co-founded AirJar, a startup that entered the $100 million XPRIZE for Carbon Removal—a global competition funded by Elon Musk to find bold solutions for climate change.
AirJar’s focus was on agricultural biochar—a special type of charcoal made from plant waste that can be added to soil. Not only does it improve soil health, but it also locks carbon in the ground for hundreds of years, making it a powerful tool for fighting climate change.
As part of the project, William spoke with scientists, farmers, and industry experts, learning what real-world solutions needed to succeed. He worked on carbon accounting, looked into licensing pyrolysis technology, and even pitched the idea to climate-focused investors.
Through AirJar, he saw just how complex—and promising—the world of carbon removal and sustainability innovation could be. It gave him a deeper understanding of carbon markets, climate finance, and what it takes to turn an idea into a solution that matters.
That experience shaped his approach to Runarbo:
Real change needs real data, real trust, and real impact.
The Shift Toward Post-Consumption Thinking
After working with both consumer products and climate tech, William began to ask a bigger question:
What do we really need?
His experiences showed him both sides of the system—how products are made and sold, and how technology tries to fix the damage caused by overconsumption. But the more he learned, the clearer it became: consuming better isn’t enough. We need to consume less.
Inspired by the zero waste movement, degrowth ideas, and the philosophical text known as the Liber Primus, William began thinking differently—not just about products, but about our relationship with stuff.
That shift in mindset led him to create Runarbo—a platform that helps people make fewer, smarter choices, guided by transparency, durability, and real environmental data.
It’s not just about shopping sustainably. It’s about reshaping how we live—with less waste, more intention, and a deeper respect for what truly matters.
Philosophy in Practice
What makes William’s approach unique is how he blends the practical with the philosophical. With a background in sales, agriculture, and product research, he knows how the world of products and business really works. But at the same time, he brings a thoughtful, questioning mindset to everything he does.
He values clarity over hype, honesty over trends, and quiet innovation that lasts—rather than noise that fades.
One of his favorite quotes from the Liber Primus sums it up well:
“Most things are not worth consuming.”
To William, Runarbo isn’t just a review site. It’s an invitation to pause, reflect, and ask deeper questions about how we live—and what we really need. It’s about living with less, but living with meaning.
Conclusion
William Vincent-Killian brings together a rare mix of experience—from climate tech and sustainable agriculture to product design and philosophy. He’s worked in the field, studied natural systems, and built startups with a purpose.
At Runarbo, he continues that journey by helping people make better choices—not by buying more, but by finding value in simplicity, restraint, and conscious consumption. His mission is clear:
Help others live well with less, and remind the world that consuming is not meaning.
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