Building Human-First Systems in the Age of AI | Yousef Bin Ageil on StoreHouse & The Soil Institute
From NotableBIT (Notable & Black in Tech) by B Donald Harris
May 9, 2026 · 1h 56m · Season 2 · Episode 4
About this episode
Yousef Bin Ageil discusses his mission to create community-owned food systems through StoreHouse and The Soil Institute.
In this episode of the Notable & Black in Tech Podcast, B Donald Harris, Major Phillips, and Randall Phillips sit down with Yousef Bin Ageil, founder of The Soil Institute and creator of StoreHouse, a next-generation micro-grocery model designed to fight food deserts, support local farmers, and build community-owned food systems. Yousef shares the powerful story behind his mission, from being impacted as a child by the realities of hunger and human suffering, to building early businesses, traveling to Indonesia at 21, working around innovation and government leadership, and living among farmers across the region. Those experiences shaped his belief that essential systems like food, water, shelter, health, and belonging should serve people, protect dignity, and remain in the hands of communities. The conversation explores how broken systems often leave both farmers and communities without power, why middlemen can distort access and ownership, and how StoreHouse is being designed to connect farmers directly with communities that need fresh food. Yousef also discusses the launch of The Soil Institute, the evolution of StoreHouse, the importance of truth and ownership in…
People in this episode
Hosts: B Donald Harris, Major Phillips, Randall Phillips
Guest: Yousef Bin Ageil
Topics covered
- food justice
- community ownership
- human dignity
- technology
- sustainable systems
- innovation
Keywords
- food deserts
- local farmers
- human-centered innovation
- Year Zero
- documentary
- community
- AI
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: The Soil Institute, StoreHouse
Places: Indonesia
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