Episode 350 – Building a $5B Counter-Trafficking Industry | Tim Tebow & Wes Lyons
Podcast episode
Episode 350 – Building a $5B Counter-Trafficking Industry | Tim Tebow & Wes Lyons
Join host Justin Forman in Boulder, Colorado, for a powerful conversation with Tim Tebow and Wes Lyons at the Clapham gathering—where 150 entrepreneurs are uniting to disrupt one of the world’s darkest evils: human trafficking. This episode explores how for-profit ventures, nonprofit organizations, and churches can collaborate to create an unprecedented counter-trafficking industry worth billions.
EPISODE NOTES
Tim Tebow’s journey into anti-trafficking work began with a phone call from his father, who had just purchased the freedom of four girls at an underground pastor’s conference. That moment ignited a calling that has grown into a movement—one that now includes 150 entrepreneurs gathered in Boulder, Colorado, united by a single mission: disrupt human trafficking through innovative business solutions.
Alongside Wes Lyons of Eagle Venture Fund, Tim reveals how the for-profit sector is no longer sitting on the sidelines. Inspired by the Clapham network that helped William Wilberforce end the slave trade, today’s entrepreneurs are building a counter-trafficking industry projected to reach $5 billion by 2030. From training healthcare workers who encounter 90% of trafficking victims to creating digital safety tools for children, these ventures prove that mission-driven businesses can generate both impact and returns.
This conversation challenges every assumption about “balanced living,” reveals why apathy—not evil—is often the real enemy, and explains what it truly means to be made in God’s image. Tim unpacks insights from his book “Look Again,” showing how recognizing worth transforms how we see the vulnerable. Most powerfully, you’ll discover why looking away isn’t neutral—it creates the very invisibility that traffickers exploit.
Chapters:
00:00 Introduction: Once rescued, join the rescue squad
01:12 Welcome to Boulder and the Clapham gathering
02:08 What is Clapham? 150 entrepreneurs fighting trafficking
02:57 Why a dense network matters for complex problems
04:26 For-profit DNA: Abundance vs. scarcity mindset
04:57 Big God mindset over limited mindset
05:56 The history of Clapham and William Wilberforce
06:54 Introducing people to the issue: Accessibility beyond complexity
07:43 Human trafficking vs. sexual exploitation: Understanding motives
08:11 The villain behind the villain: What brought Tim to this fight
08:35 Tim’s origin story: His father rescues four girls
10:00 The pastors who did nothing and the power of excuses
11:20 Meeting the girl whose mother boiled out her eye
13:12 The book “Look Again” and choosing to see
14:08 Why it hurts to draw near to people’s pain
15:13 The root issue: Value and worth
15:14 Nazi Germany and “life unworthy of life”
17:54 What does “made in God’s image” really mean?
19:34 From image bearer to image being
20:43 [Faith Driven Entrepreneur for Teens ad]
21:46 Transforming heart, mind, and eyes through looking again
22:18 When we don’t see people, darkness targets them
23:40 The villain’s coordination vs. the church’s response
24:32 Against living a balanced life
25:08 Why do we need balance?
26:17 I don’t want to arrive in heaven well-rested
27:16 How do you make money fighting trafficking?
28:24 For-profit, for purpose, and for people
29:49 [Church partnership network ad]
30:36 The size of the army needed for this fight
31:47 Ashley Chapman: Training healthcare workers to identify trafficking
32:53 Trafficking victims at your child’s school
33:30 The counter-trafficking industry: $500M to $5B by 2030
34:43 Compounding impact vs. compounding interest
36:13 Making money matter
37:47 Matt Hasselbeck: Giving beats throwing touchdowns
38:46 How to get in this fight
39:39 Outro and community invitation
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