Founded - An Entrepreneurship Podcast: Recent Episodes
UW Buerk Center for Entrepreneurship
Founded in 1991, the Buerk Center offers an exceptional curriculum, real-world experiences, and connections to the Seattle entrepreneurial community to inspire students from all majors and disciplines across campus to pursue their entrepreneurial passions.
While our core curriculum focuses on entrepreneurial strategy, finance, and marketing, our electives run the gamut from Venture Investing to Software Entrepreneurship, from Grand Challenges for Entrepreneurs to NeuroVentures. The Buerk Center focuses on the strengths of the University of Washington and Seattle, and creates new courses that capitalize on those strengths.
Seattle is also a magnet for entrepreneurs. It has an entrepreneurial culture, research powerhouses, support for early-stage entrepreneurs, sources of capital, a talented pool of workers, and a strong media to tell startup stories.
Episode 4 features entrepreneur, MBA, and co-founder of SuperCritical Technologies Max Effgen. SuperCritical—based in Bremerton, WA—is focused on using its PowerCube product to generate electricity using carbon dioxide to help “fix the world’s biggest machine.” SuperCritical CleanTech Grant (2:00), First Startup Experience (3:30), Disrupting the Power Cycle (5:15), SuperCritical Beginnings (6:45), Milestones and Mentors (08:30), Engineers and MBAs (10:15), The Northwest Advantage (13:00), A Power Plant in a Shipping Container (15:00), Fixing the World’s Biggest Machine (16:30), Powered by Carbon Dioxide (20:00), the History of Utility (23:00), Reinventing Yourself (26:00).
Episode 3 features interviews with entrepreneur and strategic advisor Amber Ratcliffe who found huge success with NanoString Technologies (and its $54 mil IPO) and the Decipher Group. We also talk with Jennifer Fan and student Jake Gober of the UW Entrepreneurial Law Clinic. NanoString Beginnings (2:00), Tough Choices (3:28), Human Genome Project (4:45), NanoString Partnership (7:20), Experience Yields Opportunity (13:00), Coaching CEOs (15:00), Entrepreneurial Law Clinic at UW (23:00), Working with Student Startups (27:30), Intimidation Factor (31:00), Patent Law (33:00), Saving Money Through Early Legal Advice (35:30).
Episode 2 features interviews with a partner at venture capital firm Ignition and the CTO of Membrion, a cleantech company that found a new way to filter molecules in an effort to disrupt the marketing for existing alternative energy products. Topics include: Adrian Smith Backgroung (1:00), Connecting to UW (2:28), 1988 Biz Competition (4:50), Wireless technology (7:20), investing in people (10:30), Venture Scale vs. Small biz (12:00), Greg Newbloom background (16:00), interning at NASA (19:30), changing company name (21:33), Engineers and MBAs (23:00), Recruiting a CEO (24:30), Life/Startup Balance (29:30), Cleantech in China (31:00), Lesson for new entrepreneurs (34:00).
The UW Foster School's Buerk Center for Entrepreneurship interviews Joe Chocolates co-founders Sam Tanner and Peter Keckemet, as well as Environmental Innovation Practicum instructor Deb Hagen-Lukens. Topics include: Joe Chocolates Beginnings(1:00), First Startup Experience (2:02), Learning from Failure (4:19), using lessons from childhood (8:08), Sam the singer (11:01), the Jones + Foster Accelerator (15:00), first customer order (18:30), partnering with Nordstrom (20:20), featured in Seattle Times (25:20), Deb Hagen-Lukens early career (31:00), marketing a company to Playboy (35:00), the forum for women entrepreneurs (37:00), social media branding (41:00), early-stage marketing balance (44:00), sustainable innovations (45:00), student success story (47:00), and how the environment is a great place for innovation because it holds great problems that need solving (51:00).