The VentureFuel Visionaries: Recent Episodes
VentureFuel
Visionaries are defined as having extraordinary foresight and imagination. Those who can see what isn't there. They can imagine the unimaginable and they have the grit to make it happen. Business Visionaries are the change-agents embracing new opportunities to drive outsized results. From the C-Suite to the up-and-coming disruptors, they are blazing new paths, discovering inventive solutions and powering the future. Join us each week as we speak with these Visionaries: the entrepreneurs, investors and corporate leaders driving transformative change across business and society.
Nearly every enterprise is experimenting with AI, yet few are turning pilots into measurable business outcomes. Why do so many organizations get stuck in "AI pilot purgatory"? Pritam Bhattarai, Vice President of Innovation & Partnerships at VentureFuel, shares a practical framework for moving AI from experimentation to commercialization. He explains why choosing the right business problem matters more than the technology itself, how to design pilots that drive adoption and impact, and why trust, governance, and organizational alignment are essential for scaling AI. Pritam also explores when to build versus partner with startups, the future of venture clienting, and how organizations can preserve the human element as AI becomes embedded across the enterprise. Whether you lead innovation, digital transformation, or AI strategy, this episode offers practical insights for building AI initiatives that create lasting business value.
What gives a global enterprise the radar to see what's coming next? Mike Smeed explains why corporate venture capital is far more than an investment vehicle—it's the translation layer between the gears of startups and large enterprises, helping organizations identify disruptive technologies, navigate internal complexity, and accelerate transformation. Drawing on his experience leading Jaguar Land Rover's InMotion Ventures, Mike explores why startups and corporations often struggle to connect, how CVC creates value beyond capital, and why reputation, governance, and timing matter as much as technology. If you're building innovation capabilities, investing in emerging technologies, or designing partnerships with startups, this episode offers practical lessons for enterprise leaders.
What if the smartest way for corporations to innovate isn't investing in startups, but becoming their customers? Wharton Professor Sergey Netessine argues that corporations create more strategic value by purchasing from startups than by investing in them. He explains why venture clienting is emerging as a more effective alternative to traditional corporate venture capital, how AI is making speed a competitive advantage, and why so many startup pilots fail to scale. Sergey also shares practical lessons on aligning procurement, business units, and executive leadership to turn startup partnerships into measurable business outcomes. This conversation is packed with actionable insights for corporate innovation, strategy, and transformation leaders looking to accelerate growth through startup collaboration.
How do you create the runway for innovation inside one of the world's largest airlines? Jorie Sax, Head of Airshop Innovation Lab at United Airlines, shares how her team explores emerging technologies years before they're ready for scale while balancing safety, trust, and operational excellence. From why the best innovations are often invisible to how AI can create more human experiences, and why startups win through relentless focus, Jorie offers a masterclass in moving bold ideas beyond the pilot phase and into enterprise impact. Whether you're leading innovation, transformation, or venture partnerships, this episode is full of practical lessons for scaling what matters.
What separates corporate-startup partnerships that transform industries from those that stall after a pilot? Geetha Dholakia shares how leading corporate venture teams create strategic value by connecting breakthrough startups with the right people, processes, and business priorities inside global enterprises. Drawing on her experience at NASA and TDK Ventures, she discusses the role of deep technical expertise, venture discipline, and organizational alignment in commercializing emerging technologies. Geetha also explores how AI is accelerating innovation across manufacturing, energy, robotics, and materials science and why successful partnerships require as much cultural alignment as technical fit. This episode is for corporate innovation, venture, and strategy leaders looking to turn emerging technologies into enterprise impact.
How do you transform a legacy industry without losing what made it successful in the first place? In this episode, Michelle Watson, Vice President of Research & Innovation at Midwest Dairy, shares how one of America's oldest industries is reinventing itself around changing consumer demands for protein, nutrition, convenience, and sustainability. She explains why dairy is experiencing renewed growth, how the Midwest Dairy Accelerator connects entrepreneurs with industry expertise, and why collaboration between startups, farmers, researchers, and established organizations is critical to meaningful innovation. Michelle also shares lessons on leading transformation, building bridges across ecosystems, and creating products that feel both familiar and fresh. A valuable conversation for innovation leaders, founders, and anyone modernizing established businesses.
What role should government play in driving innovation? In this episode of VF Visionaries, Kathleen Coviello, Chief Economic Transformation Officer at the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA), explains how New Jersey is positioning itself as a venture enabler—bringing together startups, investors, corporations, universities, and policymakers to accelerate innovation and economic growth. Kathleen shares how NJEDA is building the infrastructure behind entrepreneurship through venture funding programs, founder incentives, strategic innovation centers, and AI-focused initiatives. She discusses the importance of ecosystem design, public-private partnerships, and creating the conditions that help high-growth companies scale. For innovation leaders, venture builders, and enterprise executives, this episode offers a practical look at how institutions can catalyze entrepreneurship and strengthen regional competitiveness in the AI era.
What does it take to build startups with the speed of a founder and the scale of a global enterprise? Shilpa Prasad shares how LG Nova is rethinking venture creation by combining corporate resources with a venture studio model designed to launch AI-native businesses. The conversation explores how emerging AI opportunities are identified, why founder talent often matters more than the initial idea, and what separates ventures with billion-dollar potential from the rest. Shilpa also discusses the evolving relationship between startups and large corporations, how AI is changing the commercialization journey, and why access to strategic partnerships, capital, and industry networks can accelerate growth. Drawing on her experience leading AI incubation at LG Nova, she offers a behind-the-scenes look at how one of the world's largest technology companies is building the next generation of businesses. Whether you're a founder, investor, or corporate innovation leader, this episode provides valuable insights into the future of venture creation and AI-driven innovation.
Buildings are responsible for a significant share of global energy consumption, yet one of the biggest opportunities to improve efficiency and reduce emissions often goes unnoticed: the building envelope. In this episode, Peyvand Melati explores how AI, drones, and thermal imaging are helping property owners, infrastructure leaders, and municipalities uncover hidden energy waste, identify critical risks, and make smarter decisions about the built environment. Peyvand shares how building intelligence is transforming the way organizations inspect, maintain, and decarbonize their assets. The conversation examines how AI is turning infrastructure data into actionable insights, why preventative maintenance is replacing reactive approaches, and what it will take to build smarter, more connected cities. Whether you're responsible for sustainability, facilities, infrastructure, or innovation, this episode offers a practical look at how technology is reshaping the future of the built environment.
Dan DeMeyere, Chief Product & Technology Officer at ThredUp, has spent more than a decade helping scale one of the world’s largest online resale marketplaces, growing from one of the company’s earliest engineers into the leader of product and technology strategy today. Dan operates at the intersection of AI, ecommerce, and marketplace logistics, with a focus on how emerging technologies are reshaping the customer experience. We asked him to unpack one of the biggest shifts happening in commerce right now: the collapse of the traditional ecommerce funnel. Dan explains why the future of shopping may no longer revolve around static websites and linear customer journeys, but instead around AI agents acting on behalf of every consumer. He shares how dynamically generated experiences and agentic commerce are changing the way brands think about personalization, merchandising, and conversion. The conversation explores why companies need to rethink what’s possible with AI, empower engineers to experiment with the latest tools, and evolve from designing interfaces to designing intelligent systems. Why are so many organizations still underestimating this shift, and what will feel obvious five years from now that companies still miss today? Whether you’re leading transformation inside a large enterprise or building the next generation of AI-native commerce experiences, this episode offers a forward-looking perspective on how AI will redefine the future of shopping.
In this episode, Anish Patel, chief investment and operating officer at Yamaha Motor Ventures shares how Yamaha is rethinking corporate venture capital as a core driver of long-term growth and innovation. Rather than treating CVC as a standalone function, Yamaha is building a more integrated approach—connecting venture investing with strategic partnerships and internal business priorities.Recorded at the Global Corporate Venturing and Innovation (GCVI) Summit in March of this year, the conversation explores how Yamaha is evolving its model to move beyond traditional investing and toward deeper collaboration with startups. Anish discusses how this approach enables faster innovation cycles, stronger alignment with business units, and new opportunities across emerging technologies.He also shares insights on what it takes to build a successful corporate venture strategy, from balancing financial and strategic returns to creating meaningful partnerships that extend beyond capital.
A year ago, VentureFuel Founder & CEO Fred Schonenberg sat down with Kasey Cronquist, President of the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council and the North American Blueberry Council, to discuss the launch of the Blueberry Boost Accelerator — a first-of-its-kind program created in partnership with VentureFuel to spark innovation across the blueberry industry.We’re re-releasing this conversation to celebrate the return of the Blueberry Boost Accelerator for Year 2 following a successful inaugural cohort. Applications are now open for startups developing innovative blueberry-based products and solutions, with the program continuing to provide founders access to mentorship, commercialization support, industry leaders, and potential investment opportunities.In this episode, Kasey shares why the blueberry industry saw an opportunity to think beyond traditional consumer marketing to unlock growth through startups, emerging technologies, and product innovation. From functional foods and better-for-you snacks to ingredient innovation and new consumer experiences, he explains how the industry is creating more occasions, formats, and ways for consumers to engage with blueberries.Entrepreneurs interested in learning more can join the virtual information session on Thursday, May 14. Visit www.blueberryboostaccelerator.com to learn more.
Tinku Malayil Jose, Head of the Vertical Technology Office for HiTech at Quest Global, has more than 20 years of experience building complex products, from smart TVs and streaming platforms to automotive systems and IoT. Tinku operates at the intersection of silicon, software, and real-world application. We asked him to break down the shift from AI hype to reality, explaining why the future of AI isn’t just software, it’s embedded in physical products, devices, and systems. He shares what’s driving the rise of “AI appliances” and why purpose-built, domain-specific solutions are increasingly outperforming general-purpose approaches. The conversation explores what it truly takes to productize AI, from engineering challenges and organizational hurdles to the evolving role of the “engineer of the future.” Why do so many companies get stuck in pilots, what separates those that successfully scale AI, and how innovation changes when intelligence moves from the cloud to the edge. Whether you’re leading innovation inside a large enterprise or building the next generation of intelligent products, this episode offers a clear-eyed look at how AI is actually being deployed, and where the biggest opportunities lie as it moves into the physical world.
Jesse Draper is the Founding Partner of Halogen Ventures, a Los Angeles–based VC firm investing in early-stage consumer and B2B startups led by female and co-ed teams. A fourth-generation venture capitalist and the first solo female GP in LA, Jesse has backed more than 100 companies, 6 of which are now valued at over a billion (unicorns), while building a platform focused on uncovering overlooked opportunity. Drawing on her widely known perspective that “investing in women isn’t a f#king charity,” she explains how Jesse shares how backing female founders and investing in emerging ecosystems like Alabama, represent undervalued markets rich with untapped potential and why recognizing that gap is a competitive advantage. The conversation dives into how Jesse identifies signal in the noise when evaluating startups, what sets breakout founders apart, and why she sees opportunity in non-obvious places. She also breaks down her perspective on solo founders versus co-founding teams, the importance of solving real problems in differentiated ways, and how investors can better recognize value where others aren’t looking. Whether you're a corporate innovator, founder, or investor, this episode offers a fresh lens on how to uncover hidden opportunities and why the best investments are often the ones others overlook.
Charlie O’Donnell is one of the most influential figures in New York’s startup ecosystem. With more than two decades of experience spanning Union Square Ventures, First Round Capital, and then creating the first venture capital fund based in Brooklyn, Charlie has backed well-over 100 early-stage startups. In this all-Brooklyn episode, Charlie brings his uniquely candid and deeply informed perspective on how venture capital actually works and insights from his new book Founder Unfriendly where he unpacks common misconceptions about VC and how both founders and investors can build more transparent, productive relationships. We dive into the evolving venture landscape, the realities behind investor feedback, and how startups and large corporations can better collaborate for mutual success. We talk about why fundraising isn’t winning and how to sell tickets to the future. If you want a clearer, more honest understanding of how venture capital decisions get made—and how to navigate them—this episode is a must-listen.
Prabagar Sankar, Senior Engineer at Intuitive, a leader in robotic-assisted healthcare innovation, shares a front-line perspective on how healthcare innovation actually makes it from lab to patient. We explore the critical role of concurrent engineering and early stakeholder alignment in bridging the gap between technical breakthroughs and real-world, regulated deployment. With experience spanning wearable health technologies, medical device R&D, and clinical research across organizations like Sonova, Boston Scientific, and Drexel University, Prabagar dives into how clinician–engineer collaboration drives adoption, and why the future of healthcare lies at the intersection of sensors, data, AI, and robotics. He also unpacks the shift from reactive care to proactive and preventative medicine, powered by continuous monitoring and smarter systems. From wearable sensors to scalable medical devices, this conversation highlights what it takes to build technologies that are not only innovative—but safe, effective, and truly impactful for patients.
Katie Teuber, Director of Startup Engagement at Comcast NBCUniversal LIFT Labs, shares how to identify the right startup partners, pilot their innovative solutions, and most-importantly scale them across a large enterprise. From AI transformation to building true partnerships (not just vendor relationships), Katie shares how she bridges the gap between startup speed and enterprise complexity to commercialize innovation at scale. From mutual transformation, to top-down and bottom-up buy-in, to the value of patience and persistence, to why innovation fails in silence (the need for internal story telling) – Katie gives a roadmap for how to commercialize innovation at scale.
Raju Dandigam, Engineering Manager at Navan, the all-in-one travel, corporate card, and expense management platform built for modern enterprises shares what it takes to build high-impact products that scale. Raju has more than 14 years of experience spanning front-end engineering, full-stack development, DevOps, and team leadership. From leading the development of Navan’s rewards and personal travel experiences to implementing automation that dramatically reduced production bugs, Raju brings a pragmatic perspective on modern engineering execution. In this conversation, we explore how engineering leaders balance speed and quality, why analytics should guide product decisions, and how front-end architecture becomes critical as products grow in complexity. Raju also shares lessons from shipping AI-powered features that users actually rely on — and the pitfalls enterprises face when integrating AI into real workflows. His core takeaway: focus on solving meaningful problems, build what’s core to your advantage, and partner for everything else in a world moving faster than ever.
Corporate innovation programs often generate activity but struggle to produce measurable business impact. Ronja Stoffregen, Director of Corporate Venturing at REHAU New Ventures, shares how venture clienting can bridge that gap by turning startup partnerships into operational outcomes. Leading REHAU’s corporate venturing efforts across mobility, manufacturing, medtech, and the built environment, Ronja focuses on embedding emerging technologies—especially industrial AI, automation, and sustainability—directly into production environments and supply chains. In this conversation, Ronja breaks down what makes venture clienting fundamentally different from traditional corporate venture capital and how enterprises can structure programs that deliver both near-term operational wins and long-term strategic advantage. She shares the frameworks her team uses to move from pilot to production, why she measures pain points solved, how she launched six startup pilots in six months, and what it takes to build a venture client unit with limited budget and headcount.
Scaling innovation inside a global legacy brand isn’t about ideas — it’s about execution, alignment, and measurable impact. Manasa Nalla, Associate Director of Product Innovation & Strategy at The Duracell Company, explores how enterprise leaders can move from innovation activity to scaled business growth. With nine years at Duracell spanning engineering, R&D, and product strategy, Manasa shares how she builds consumer-centric roadmaps, aligns 100+ external partners, and translates technical differentiation into compelling customer ROI. We discuss: What “innovation impact” really means inside a Fortune 1000 company, How to prioritize what makes it into the product roadmap — and what doesn’t, The story behind Duracell’s ProCell Cost Savings Calculator and proving labor savings to unlock growth, How to scale new products without getting trapped by legacy systems or internal politics, and Emerging technologies enterprise leaders should be watching from CES and beyond. If you’re in corporate strategy, innovation, CVC, or R&D, this episode is a practical guide to scaling innovation inside complex organizations.
With a data engineer career spanning telecom (AT&T) and global banking (Barclays), Monika brings a pragmatic perspective on what it really takes to move from experimentation to production-grade AI at massive scale for large enterprises. From embedding governance and control by design, to having process clarity and investing in AI literacy; from the importance of unified data to humans-in-the-loop; from creating custom metrics to measure real business value to using Evals and third parties to validate and build confidence; from managing tradeoffs like speed vs. security, scale vs. risk and to treat AI as infrastructure vs. getting stuck in POC-Mode. This is a masterclass in scaling AI capabilities that are reliable, governed, and adopted by the business.
AI is no longer a future bet — it’s a board-level mandate. But for corporate innovation leaders, the real question isn’t whether to invest in AI… it’s how to turn AI from experimentation theater into measurable enterprise value. Taylor Black, Director of AI & Venture Ecosystems in Microsoft’s Office of the CTO, works at the intersection of AI strategy, venture ecosystems, and internal venture building. Taylor brings a rare dual perspective: enterprise AI leadership inside one of the world’s largest technology companies — combined with firsthand startup-building experience. We unpack how AI takes impossible problems and makes them merely difficult, how this growth mindset of hyper abundance is paired with the enterprise rigor and the internal velocity needed to scale.
In this special episode, we recap the Startup City Info Session held on February 18, 2026, spotlighting Tomorrow.City USA, the U.S. edition of a premier urban innovation conference connecting city leaders, investors, and industry partners. We break down what makes Tomorrow.City USA a must-attend event for urban tech startups and why it’s a powerful platform for driving real-world impact. Learn how Startup City on the conference floor gives founders the opportunity to showcase solutions directly to municipal and corporate decision-makers. We also dive into the Startup City Pitch Competition powered by VentureFuel, including how to apply, pitch live, and compete for funding, mentorship, press exposure, and curated connections. If you're building in AI, infrastructure, mobility, sustainability, public safety, sports, digital twins, or community wellbeing, this episode outlines how to get involved and position your startup at the center of urban transformation.
Innovation leader Mark Treiber breaks down how corporates can stay ahead of platform shifts—from mobile and OTT to the creator economy and AI—and why the biggest mistake companies make is not making enough bets. From his experience at Nokia and CBS Sports to Paris Hilton’s 11:11 Media, Mark unpacks the collision of sports, media, culture, and technology, and how leaders can turn emerging platforms into real business value. Mark shares his framework for spotting what’s next, allocating capital in slower-growth environments, and navigating exponential change through startup partnerships and exploration.
Adèle Yaroulina, global co-innovation expert and author of the new book “Collaborate to Innovate: How Startups and Established Organizations Create Breakthrough Success Together,” joins Fred Schonenberg, Founder of VentureFuel, to unpack what it really takes for large organizations to turn startup partnerships into scalable growth engines. They challenge the myth that startup collaboration “isn’t worth the squeeze,” arguing instead that the real risk is chasing trends, FOMO-driven pilots, and innovation theater that never moves the business forward. Why successful innovation starts with a real problem worth solving, a clear business case, and disciplined design for scale from day one. The conversation explores the evolution of startup partnerships—from supplier to co-creator, trusted advisor, and eventually joint venture or acquisition—and why trust, ownership, and measurable outcomes are essential along the way. They tackle the realities of internal resistance, not-invented-here syndrome, and legacy thinking that can stall progress. If you’re serious about turning uncertainty into opportunity, thinking ahead so you don’t fall behind, and building partnerships that deliver real ROC, “Return on Collaboration”, this episode is a must-listen.
This episode decodes the real signals shaping the future of food and beverage innovation. Fresh from the Winter FancyFaire* Food Show, Alice Ponti, Senior Vice President of Innovation & Strategy at VentureFuel, shares firsthand insights into what is emerging as scalable, defensible, and strategically relevant for large enterprises. The conversation explores themes gaining traction across founders, retailers, and incumbents — including sense maxing, appetite resets, and flexible eating — and examines why there are more than 400 Japanese words for food textures. From freeze-dried yogurt to functional formats and next-generation ingredient innovation, the discussion highlights how technical differentiation across product design, processes, and formulation is becoming essential to stand out on an increasingly crowded shelf. The episode also addresses evolving consumer expectations, the shifting demands retailers are placing on brands, and where corporate innovators, R&D leaders, and strategics should focus their bets over the next 12 months.For leaders future-proofing portfolios or innovation pipelines, this episode provides a clear, on-the-ground perspective.
In this episode, Joe Rotondo, founder of Smearcase, shares how a post-marathon training run led to the creation of the FroCo category, a bold reimagining of frozen dessert made with cottage cheese, real protein, and clean ingredients. What began as a Brooklyn kitchen experiment has grown into a category-defying brand that's challenging expectations around what ice cream can be. Recorded at the 7th Real California Milk Accelerator in Napa, California, this conversation captures Smearcase at a pivotal moment—fresh off of being named the program’s Grand Prize Winner and unlocking an additional $100,000 of marketing support from the California Milk Advisory Board. Joe opens up about the realities of entrepreneurship, from introducing an unconventional product to scaling with intention and values. He also discusses the role of the California Milk Advisory Board in helping Smearcase elevate product quality, access world-class partners, and build a foundation for long-term, sustainable growth.
Jeff Barry is simplifying complexity inside one of the most operationally demanding supply chains in the country. As Head of Innovation at Dot Foods, the nation’s largest foodservice redistributor, Jeff shares how enterprise innovation moves faster and more accurately when it’s centralized, CEO-aligned, and always tied to real business outcomes. Jeff breaks down innovation as a four-lap relay race—where innovation runs the first laps through insight, experimentation, and guidance, then hands the baton to the business to deliver ROI. We explore why experiments beat pilots, how running 20–30 tests a year accelerates learning without heavy resource deployment, and why truly understanding a problem means living it—on the docks, in the trucks, and with customers. Jeff also explains why innovation can’t be done to or for the business, but only with it, how external perspectives unlock progress inside complex organizations, and why the real challenge isn’t technology—it’s learning faster than your environment is changing.
Rainer Struck is helping Mars see around corners, test the edges and create lasting value through mutuality. In this episode, Rainer shares frameworks and learnings from 6 years of studying and applying innovation at one of the world’s most iconic companies. He breaks down why legacy strengths become barriers, the need for adaptability and how leaders can shift from reducing risk to building evidence. We explore negotiating assumptions across horizons, creating mutuality, pains and gains, the reality of power-law portfolios and why you need to solve it better than what exists today.
Lou Shipley has led multiple startups to breakout growth ($100M+) and major acquisitions to companies like Citrix and Synopsys. He has taught some of the most in-demand sales and GTM courses at HBS and MIT. In this episode, we dig into the core traits behind Unlikely Entrepreneurs — the title of the new book he co-authored — and why unconventional founders so often win through curiosity, ambition, and determination. Lou breaks down “the problem with the problem,” why the sled only moves as fast as the lead dog, and the essential role founders play as keepers of culture. We explore the patterns he’s seen across high-growth companies, the misunderstood craft of sales, and what Fortune 500 innovators can learn from Unlikely Entrepreneurs.
Alastair Dorward, former CEO of Dropps and founding CEO of Method, joins us to explore sustainability, legacy brands, startups, and the future of CPG. He explains why leaders must get comfortable cannibalizing their own products before startups do, and why customer relevance is non‑negotiable. The conversation dives into corporate venture capital, startup partnerships, and how agentic search is leveling the playing field for sustainable, high‑performance brands. Alastair also shares four insurgent plays: uncover unmet needs, elevate the customer experience, find the riches in the niches, and prove there’s “no mission without margin.”
Steven Guo, Program Manager at Carnegie Mellon’s Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship, shares how he’s helping CMU founders scale through the VentureBridge accelerator (alumni have raise over $200M and are valued at over $500M) and a thriving alumni innovation network. With a systems-thinking approach to building startup ecosystems, Steven reveals how community, mentorship, and collaboration fuel lasting impact.
Alumni Ventures is one of the most active venture firms in the world and under Mike’s leadership has reimagined the venture capital model—connecting accredited investors with professionally managed portfolios through the power of alumni communities. With over $1.5 billion in assets under management and more than 1,400 portfolio companies, Mike’s mission to democratize access to venture investing is transforming how innovation gets funded. In this episode, we dive into the future of venture capital, how networks unlock opportunity at scale, and Mike’s hot take on the impact of AI to investment and the world
John has co-founded and scaled 3 startups in consumer goods, from pioneering & creating the fresh soup category at New Covent Garden Soup Company to launching the toddler food category with Little Dish, he has spent over 30 years turning ideas into category-leading brands. Today he mentors entrepreneurs, invests in startups and helps large and small companies work together through Mission Ventures. We talk about the future of FCMG, why we need to buck conventional wisdom and the importance of understanding of deeply understanding your consumers. We also cover innovation vs. renovation, price pressures, the say to do gap, and why premium is the new standard and the value of brand.
When Jim Weber took over Brooks Running, the company was weeks from missing payroll and $30 million in debt. Two decades later, he built a billion-dollar performance brand that outpaced giants like Nike and Adidas. As CEO and author of Running with Purpose, Jim shares how radical focus, scientific innovation, and an unshakable sense of purpose fueled Brooks’ transformation—from near-bankruptcy to Berkshire Hathaway. He breaks down how to bet big on conviction, lead through crisis, and build trust that powers long-term growth.
Alexa Ryan left a decade-long career at P&G to launch Bakr, a frozen cookie dough brand built on real butter, clean ingredients, and bakery-quality flavor. What began with Alexa and her husband’s hand-scooping dough for 14-hour shifts has grown into the Midwest’s #1 frozen cookie dough brand. In this interview - originally recorded at the 2025 Midwest Dairy Pitch Competition in September of this year, Alexa shares how winning the 2023 Midwest Dairy Pitch Contest jumpstarted Bakr’s journey and opened doors to major retail expansion. She also reveals the biggest challenges of scaling, the importance of partnerships, and her advice for fellow founders. Tune in to hear how grit, vision, and a love of baking turned one woman’s idea into thousands of store shelves nationwide.
This week's VentureFuel Visionary is Ben Colman, founder of Reality Defender. It is the leading deepfake detection platform helping enterprises flag fraudulent users and content. Additionally, its enterprise-grade API and web app detect dangerous AI-generated and manipulated content across audio, video, images, and text.In this episode, we dive deep into the world of AI, cybersecurity, and the innovative solutions being developed to protect our reality in an increasingly digital age. This is crucial in today’s landscape where cyber threats are evolving rapidly, posing risks to individuals, businesses, and society as a whole!
Untapped markets to rising tides, Ruchi Desai career has spanned law, craft beer, and now venture investing. As co-founder of EIGHT Brewing Co. with NFL legend Troy Aikman, Ruchi scaled one of Texas’s fastest-growing beer brands before launching Rising Tide Ventures, a fund dedicated to fueling untapped consumer markets with often overlooked founders. She shares lessons from navigating industry to her playbook for spotting disruptive opportunities to the trends shaping the future of consumer goods and venture capital.
This week, we’re using NotebookLM, Google’s AI-powered research tool, to share insights from Alice Ponti’s on-the-ground experience at Shoptalk Spring in March.This conversation is a comprehensive, insight-rich overview of the conference, organized around ten core themes transforming retail. From the rise of Agentic AI and multimodal search, to the fast-evolving world of retail media, this episode captures the pulse of where commerce is headed, and what brands need to do next.We're excited to share this POV on key trends spotted last spring, as Alice prepares to take the stage at Groceryshop next week, where she'll moderate a conversation on Embracing Agility and Innovation featuring Emily Xu, Chief Digital & Information Officer, Republic National Distributing Company, Alastair Dorward, CEO, Dropps and Harshad Agashe, VP Data Products, Albertsons. Visit Groceryshop.com to learn more. .
We go inside Northwestern Medicine’s Innovation Engine to see how they are solving healthcare’s biggest challenges with Kali Arduini Ihde, Director of Ventures and Innovation at Northwestern Medicine. Kali is at the forefront of bringing emerging technologies into one of the country’s top academic health systems to help shape the future of patient care through innovation. She leads the Northwestern Medicine Healthcare Accelerator, which partners with AI and digital health startups to solve real, high-impact challenges in healthcare. We discuss the value of creating organized programmatic innovation to solve important problems (prior authorization, physician burden, supply chain) in a safe space that allows for co-creation to accelerate scale.
In this episode, we bring you an exclusive recording from the Innov8rs LearningLab featuring Tito Obaisi, Senior Manager of Pipeline and Insights at Comcast NBCUniversal LIFT Labs, in conversation with our Founder and CEO Fred Schonenberg. Tito shares how his team captures and socializes insights from startup collaborations across Comcast, NBCUniversal, and Sky to inspire colleagues, educate teams, and uncover opportunities for transformation. Tune in for a behind-the-scenes look at how strategic partnerships with startups fuel enterprise-wide innovation and shape the next generation of products, technologies, and services.
Rohit Nuwal is a Partner at TELUS Global Ventures, Canada’s largest and most active corporate venture capital fund, with over 100 investments across transformative sectors such as HealthTech, AgTech, IoT, and AI. In this episode, we explore TELUS’ unique approach to commercialization beyond capital — and how they leverage deep insights from their global businesses to provide investment partners with a pathway to real-world traction and growth. Rohit shares how their Strategic Portfolio Development team, combined with a distinctive incentive structure within the core business, accelerates adoption — generating over $100M in P&L value.
Rikesh Shah is a visionary in public sector innovation and the driving force behind the Innovation Procurement Empowerment Centre at Connected Places Catapult. Rikesh shares how rethinking procurement can catalyze transformative solutions in the public sector, fostering environments where governments proactively solve pressing societal challenges. Drawing from his groundbreaking experience at Transport for London, Rikesh reveals how opening up city data empowered entrepreneurs to reshape mobility for millions, and how adopting a venture mindset in public procurement can deliver remarkable outcomes. Tune in to explore how procurement strategies can shift from cautious compliance to bold innovation, redefining what's possible for cities around the world.
Today’s guest is Alon Chen, Co-Founder and CEO of Tastewise, and former Google CMO — who just raised a $50M Series B to transform how the food and beverage industry leverages AI. We dive into why big companies shouldn’t build everything in-house, especially when AI is costly to develop and maintain, and why they should instead focus on their true edge. Alon shares how Tastewise predicted the rise of air-fried vegetables, leading to 3x profits for one client. We talk about the future of food and beverage, how AI enables companies to stay close to their customers. From trend forecasting to strategic innovation, this is a must-listen for anyone navigating the intersection of AI, technology, and taste.
On today’s show, I sit down with Flossie Hall, CEO of Stella Foundation, a powerhouse organization serving 10,000 women founders and investors worldwide. Flossie shares her journey from serial entrepreneur—having built and exited multiple seven-figure businesses—to leading a global movement that empowers women to launch, scale, and sustain their ventures. We will talk about how Stella’s initiatives, including the acclaimed Women’s Venture Summit, have facilitated over $200 million in fundraising for women-led companies. The conversation dives into the mission of Stella: to inspire, equip, and propel diverse female founders while cultivating a thriving network of investors to increase equality for women-led startups.
A CVC masterclass from Bill Taranto, Founder and President of Merck’s Global Health Innovation Fund, a $600M fund that is considered one of the most impactful corporate venture funds in the world. Bill has over 20 years of healthcare investing and is focused on digital health companies transforming the future of care. Bill was just named to the Global Corporate Venturing Power List for the 14th time. We talk about the dual mandate to predict and prepare as well as the unique structure he has created which includes multiple levers like accelerators, studios, the growth equity fund, and a private equity roll-up function. We talk about the right relationship with the corporate parent, flying too close to the sun in the strategic/financial balance and why communication is often what determines success and makes innovation tangible for large organizations.
On today’s show, we have Tito Obaisi, the Senior Manager of Pipeline and Insights for Comcast NBCUniversal LIFT Labs. Tito leads efforts to identify strategically relevant, enterprise ready AI startups that are at the cutting edge of new technology that not only deliver new capabilities but also shape insights from working with the world’s largest media and technology companies. Tito brings a unique perspective on how large organizations can drive innovation through collaboration – the value of an always learning mindset, grounding insights in tangible business needs, delivering insights at the speed of AI. We talk about the disruption of SaaS, Agentic Orchestration, Intelligence Allocation and how Enterprise-Ready startups are spinning up faster, with less people, and more impact for enterprise organizations.
Now in its seventh year, the Real California Milk Excelerator has become a powerhouse for commercializing breakthrough dairy innovations. With over 60 startups and 100+ mentors participating to date, the program continues to elevate the dairy category by fueling scalable, consumer-ready products. In this episode, Bob Carroll, CEO of the California Milk Advisory Board, shares what’s new in the program and why dairy is having a major moment. From wellness trends to sustainable innovation, Carroll reveals how legacy industries can stay ahead through bold thinking and fresh partnerships. If you're into food innovation, scaling startups, or future-proofing traditional sectors, you don't want to miss this conversation. For founders go to www.realcamilkexcelerator.com to apply by Aug 4, 2025.
Fatih Nayebi is the Vice President of Data & AI at ALDO Group where he leads AI initiatives that transform retail operations and customer experiences. He’s also a Faculty Lecturer at McGill University and the author of Foundations of Agentic AI for Retail, the first book on autonomous AI systems in retail. He demystifies agentic ai, federated learning and the promise of A2A (agents to agents) and while these advances will still need humans in the loop. Come learn how AI is reshaping retail and the opportunities of scaling these technologies.
Join our Founder & CEO, Fred Schonenberg, alongside Laura Plunkett, Vice President, Startup Engagement, Head of Comcast NBCUniversal LIFT Labs, and Marc Silberman, Partner at Comcast Ventures, for a fireside chat entitled From Pilots to Portfolios: Comcast’s Integrated Corporate Growth Startup Strategy recorded earlier this year during the Global Corporate Venturing & Innovation Summit 2025. The discussion delves into how LIFT Labs' strategic pilots with business units seamlessly complement Comcast Ventures' investment strategy in adjacent and emerging markets, with a particular focus on AI technologies. VentureFuel is proud to serve as the operating partner for the new accelerator—focused on identifying and supporting startups that align with Comcast’s strategic priorities.
Tahaji Felder, a seasoned social entrepreneur, corporate innovator and community leader. She has over a decade of experience supporting startups and founders to accelerate their emerging brands. Her TEDx on the power of embracing your unique voice is simply awesome. She has launched her own lifestyle brand, is a “Corporate Champion”, has mentored over 150 entrepreneurs, and is a champion of inclusive innovation through program leadership and social impact.
VentureFuel’s Visionary of the Year is an honor voted on by peers in corporate innovation for the change agent who seizes new opportunities that drive outsized results. This year’s winner, Charlotte Newman, is the former Global Head of Underrepresented Founder and Investor Startup Business Development at AWS, former founder, and a passionate advocate in the Senate and US House of Representatives for diversity, equity, and inclusion, driving initiatives that empower marginalized entrepreneurs worldwide. Join us to hear her inspiring journey and insights on transforming the innovation ecosystem through collaboration and access.
Valentina Assenova is the Edward B. and Shirley R. Shils Endowed Term Assistant Professor of Management at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. She is renowned for her insightful research on entrepreneurship and innovation, particularly in how cultural and societal factors influence entrepreneurial ecosystems around the world. She recently released a study “Exploring the relationship between accelerator program design and startup performance.” She has a Ph.D. from Yale University and an M.B.A. from the University of Cambridge and has collaborated with organizations like FINCA International and the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation to advance entrepreneurship globally. We discuss the dynamics of Capital and Ideas, and define what an accelerator is, why program design matters so much, and how corporates can receive and deliver the most value from their work with entrepreneurs.
On today’s show we’re excited to welcome Rick Peng, the Innovation Hub Manager and Digital Licensing Professional at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. We talk about how your organization can build an outside-in, external innovation program to deliver outsized results. Rick breaks down the secret sauce of the MSK Innovation Hub, an accelerator program designed to encourage collaborations between Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and digital health companies, focused on the diagnosis, treatment, and care of cancer patients. We discuss their new Innovation Hub Challenge focused on AI Drug Discovery – and why the access to data sets, is a key unlock for ai driven solutions.
Since 2019, Kasey has been the President of both the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council and the North American Blueberry Council where he is dedicated to making blueberries the world’s favorite fruit through strategic marketing, industry collaboration, and innovation. He has led initiatives like the "Grab a Boost of Blue" campaign and launched "The Business of Blueberries" podcast to connect and educate the industry. We discuss the new Blueberry Boost Accelerator and how innovation is a growth lever to move the industry “beyond the morning” by promoting the great taste, energy, fun and health halo to help find a “home for every berry” and grab their deserved “share of stomach.”
Ethan Austin is the Founding Partner of Outside VC, a pre-seed venture fund dedicated to backing “outsider” founders. He is a seasoned entrepreneur, venture capitalist, and advocate for financial inclusion. Before Outside VC, Ethan co-founded GiveForward, the world’s first medical crowdfunding platform, which raised over $200 million to help families cover medical expenses and was later acquired by GoFundMe. Today, Ethan shares insights on spotting Founders who think differently, that have asymmetric insights and the grit to deliver scaled solutions. Learn how he is moving outside founders to the inside track.
Maija Palmer is the Editor-in-Chief of Global Corporate Venturing (GCV), a community and media platform that helps corporations drive innovation through strategic investments and partnerships with startups., Maija is one of the top leading voices in corporate venturing and we talk about the evolution of Corporate Venture Capital (CVC), how corporations best utilize Venture Clienting and the relationship between strategic and financial KPIs.
George Sauter is an accomplished healthcare executive with decades of experience driving innovation to transform legacy systems with meaningful results. As the former Chief Strategy Officer at John Muir Health, George has been at the forefront of integrating cutting-edge technologies through impactful partnerships to improve patient care and operational efficiency. His expertise spans clinical transformation, strategic planning, and leveraging artificial intelligence to enhance healthcare delivery. Today, we talk about everything from finding champions internally, to navigating highly regulated industries, to driving innovation in low-margin environments as well as new technologies like AI Scribes and MuscleMatrix (a hydrogel that regenerates muscle tissue).
In this episode, we dive into the breakthrough trends and innovations unveiled at Expo West 2025. Our very own Innovation team members, Katrina Zheleznyak and Beau Bergman break down the highlights from this massive event, which brought together over 65,000 industry professionals and more than 3,000 exhibitors. From game-changing products to sustainable solutions and cutting-edge technologies, they share key takeaways that showcase what’s shaping the future of food. Tune in now to discover what’s next in food innovation! Note: parts of this episode were produced using the Audio Overview feature from NotebookLM, a personalized AI research assistant.
From Clayton Christensen to Steve Wozniak to Mookie Wilson, we cover a lot of ground with Seth Adler who is the head of IMI Media at Informa and a driving force behind All Things Insights and All Things Innovation. Seth has spent his career bringing people together through dynamic content, including events, podcasts, and written works. He’s also played a pivotal role in shaping conversations at industry-leading events like FEI: Front End of Innovation, where he facilitates impactful discussions on topics such as AI trends, business transformation, and consumer insights. Today we talk about FEI 2025 which focused on the intersection of business strategy and innovation with its theme of “Harvesting Innovation: Sowing the Seeds of Future Growth."
Jim Lecinski, Clinical Professor of Marketing at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, has over 30 years of marketing experience, including a distinguished 12-year tenure as Vice President of Customer Solutions for the Americas at Google. He is a leading expert in marketing strategy and digital transformation, best known for pioneering the concept of the Zero Moment of Truth (ZMOT), which revolutionized how consumers research products online before buying, as detailed in his influential book Winning the Zero Moment of Truth. Jim’s latest work, The AI Marketing Canvas, offers a practical five-stage roadmap for integrating artificial intelligence into marketing strategies and is widely recognized as a top AI and business book. In this conversation, Jim shares insights from his career, discusses the evolving role of AI in marketing, and introduces a powerful 2x2 framework for corporate leaders to begin thinking strategically about AI adoption in their organizations. Tune in for expert guidance on winning in today’s digital and AI-driven marketing landscape.
Midwest Dairy represents over 4,000 dairy farms across a 10-state region, including Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Arkansas, and eastern Oklahoma. Their mission is to build dairy demand by inspiring consumer confidence in dairy products and production practices. Sidney Herr, the Research & Innovation Manager at Midwest Dairy, plays a pivotal role in advancing dairy innovation, particularly with the upcoming Midwest Dairy Accelerator (midwestdairyaccelerator.com) which supports and accelerates entrepreneurs with new dairy-based products. Applications open through May 11, 2025.
Dean Carignan and JoAnn Garbin, authors of The Insider's Guide to Innovation at Microsoft, delve into the strategies and practices that have driven Microsoft's most groundbreaking innovations over the past 50 years. From the Xbox revolution to the rise of Bing in AI, Dean and JoAnn share behind-the-scenes stories and insights into the company's approach to innovation. We discuss the risks of fast-following, how not to “get Googled,” the value of biomimicry and infinite innovation loops, the evolution from know-it-alls to learn-it-alls, how to transform a weaponized org chart to open-sourced, extreme collaborator. We talk about how entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs must be storytellers, boundary crossers (“habitual line-steppers”) and salespeople that always build coalitions. We also talk about creating a culture of trust where you can and must “Say It Ugly” to pretty it up later, together.
Hans Balmaekers is the Chief of Innov8rs, a global community dedicated to empowering corporate innovators. Hans has spent over a decade collaborating and learning about how to innovate within the world’s top organizations and shares some of his top tips with us, such as how the best corporate innovators have a day job (innovation, the work), a night job (gathering support and buy-in) and a weekend job (transforming ways of working). VentureFuel is a proud sponsor of Innov8rs and their upcoming conference, that isn’t really a conference in Phoenix this April where we will be hosting a workshop on how to tune your corporate innovation practice to deliver results today, while preparing your business for tomorrow.
In this episode of VentureFuel Visionaries, we explore how collaboration drives innovation with five visionary leaders. From AWS’s Charlotte Newman on global founder support to LG’s Marita McGinn on equity-free startup models, we dive into the power of partnerships. MassRobotics’ Sokwoo Rhee shares insights on public-private alliances, REI’s Dan Kihanya highlights community-driven growth, and ExxonMobil’s Kyle J. Basler-Reeder explains venture clienting. Tune in to discover how these leaders are reshaping innovation through strategic collaboration.
On today's show, we have Leslie Shannon, the Head of Trend and Innovation Scouting at Nokia, where she specializes in identifying disruptive technologies that are shaping the future of connectivity. She is an accomplished author of two influential books:"Interconnected Realities," which explores the Metaverse, and "Virtual Natives." We discuss everything from the timeline for GenAl adoption in Hollywood to Al Cat Doors and Autonomous Dishwashers at CES to Al-RAN tech that would place Nvidia GPUs in the radio access network. This would enable next-level edge computing that would have massive implications for telcos, their suppliers, consumers, and the enablement of future technologies like AR, VR, and the like.
Dive into the latest health trends and shifting consumer preferences in the dairy industry with a dynamic panel featuring John Crawford, SVP of Client Insights for the Dairy Category at Circana; Donna Berry, Editor & Consultant at Dairy & Food Communications Inc.; Patrycja Kotowska, Category Strategy Manager at Sprouts Farmers Market; and Fred Schonenberg, Founder & CEO of VentureFuel. Recorded live at the Real California Milk Excelerator’s Future of Dairy Expo in November 2024, this discussion covers everything from lactose-free products to sourcing transparency and the growing demand forproducts that align with consumer values.
In this thought-provoking episode, John Talbot, CEO of the California Milk Advisory Board and Fred Schonenberg, Founder & CEO of VentureFuel; sit down with Elizabeth Crawford, Senior Editor at FoodNavigator-USA, to discuss the balance between tradition and innovation in the dairy industry. Recorded at the Real California Milk Excelerator’s Future of DairyExpo in November 2024, the conversation highlights how the dairy industry has evolved, with modern innovations coexisting alongside traditional practices to meet the needs of today’s consumers.
Can lactose-free milk reclaim market share from plant-based beverages? This engaging panel discussion, captured live at the Real California Milk Excelerator’s Future of Dairy Expo, explores how lactose-free milk can win back thecoffee occasion with its functional benefits and versatility. Featuring Veronique Lagrange, Director ofthe California Dairy Innovation Center; Frank La, Founder of Be Bright Coffee; Meghan O’Leary, Vice President of Innovation & Partnerships at VentureFuel; and Bob Carroll, Vice President of Business Development at the California Milk Advisory Board, thepanel dives deep into the potential of lactose-free milk in today’s competitive market.
In this insightful keynote, media nutritionist and founder of Nutrition at Its Roots Lauren Twigge explores dairy's natural functional benefits and exciting potential for innovation in health and wellness. Delivered live at the Real California Milk Excelerator's Future of Dairy Expo in November 2024, Lauren discusses why dairy is uniquely positioned to meet the growing consumer demand for health-focused products.
In this special re-release timed for CES 2025, we revisit a powerful conversation with Sokwoo Rhee, EVP at LG Electronics, and the Head of LG's North America Innovation Center, LG NOVA. Sokwoo shares his expertise on how external innovation can drive significant internal value, offering a unique perspective on aligning cutting-edge technologies with the needs of internal stakeholders. Rediscover how LG is leveraging open innovation to create meaningful impact, the strategies for bridging the gap between external partnerships and internal goals, and what it takes to drive transformational change within a global organization. This episode is packed with actionable insights for innovators, corporate leaders, and anyone looking to make a lasting impact.
Reflections on the innovative transformations of 2024 and looking ahead to uncover What's Next for leaders, innovators, and changemakers. VentureFuel VP of Growth, Vanessa Rosado, dives in with CEO and Founder, Fred Schonenberg, on 2024’s top technologies and startups (from Gen AI to Frozen Cottage Cheese), to 2025 predictions of industries to thrive and technologies to flourish. Learn how your organization can seize what’s next, now.
What is your space strategy? Yes, space. As the cost to launch has plummeted and satellites have proliferated, we now interact with data from space every day, and as Alexander shared, “every company in the future will become a space company.” Alexander is the Managing Director of Seraphim Space Enterprise (SSE), the global insights and acceleration division of Seraphim Space, the world's leading specialist investor in SpaceTech with a portfolio of over 130 companies across 30 countries. They support businesses from inception to exit across their accelerator, venture fund, and listed growth fund. Their quarterly insights on SpaceTech innovation have become a must-read for corporations and governments to inform their space strategies. Today, we talk about magnetic levitation, how science fiction is now science fact, the similarities of gov tech to space tech, and what change agents in corporations can learn from these regulated industries.
What are VCs looking for? Is your startup fundable? What do you need to improve to get financing? On today’s show we have Amy Wood, the Program Manager for the "Most Fundable Companies" initiative at Pepperdine Graziadio Business School, a groundbreaking program that empowers early-stage startups by providing critical insights into their readiness for private investment. Launched in 2018, the MFC program democratizes access to funding, helping promising companies refine their financial projections, market opportunities, and team strengths.
On today’s show, we have Will Gaviria Rojas, co-founder of Coactive AI, a groundbreaking startup transforming how organizations interact with unstructured visual data. With a robust background in electrical engineering from MIT and a PhD in materials science from Northwestern University, Will and the Coactive AI leverage advanced artificial intelligence to enable users to search, analyze, and gain insights from images and videos without the cumbersome need for extensive metadata tagging. Did you know more than 80% of our data is in images and videos? Is this the next Snowflake or Databricks?
On today’s show, we have Chris Jones, who is the Senior Director at NASDA (National Association of State Departments of Agriculture), where he runs the Farm2Food Accelerator, a 15-week training program built to empower and educate small-scale farmers and food entrepreneurs to become more resilient through food production. The program helps take current agricultural production or locally sourced production to develop a packaged, value-added food or beverage product. We talk about the value of innovation and entrepreneurship, the future of food and agriculture, and how the program will launch the next generation of businesses right from the farm.
Started in a small kitchen in Ireland, Niall Harty wanted to see if he could create nutritious protein bars made from real food ingredients. We explore how Niall and Co-Founder Ross McDowell have grown the company since we first met him as a participant in Bord Bia’s innovation program with VentureFuel. Now in over 2,000 stores across Ireland and the US from Sprouts to Pressed Juices. Beyond their clean labels, nutritional content and fantastic taste they also have created unique compostable packaging as well as funded ocean cleanup initiatives that make a “Real Impact.” We talk about the evolution from Founder to CEO, scaling globally, the commitment to sustainability and the moment of your first sale to when you see your product on shelf across the pond.
In this special re-release of VentureFuel Visionaries, we’re excited to welcome Bob Carroll, Vice President of Business Development at the California Milk Advisory Board (CMAB). As we count down to the 6th year of the Real California Exceleator on November 14th, Bob shares insights on how CMAB—backed by California’s pioneering dairy farm families—leads the way in sustainable dairy farming practices.
Marlene Orozco, lead research analyst at the Stanford Latino Entrepreneurship Initiative, joins us to discuss the unique challenges faced by Hispanic entrepreneurs, particularly in accessing capital. With her background in sociology, Marlene highlights the initiative's role in advancing Latino entrepreneurship, shares key insights from impactful research projects, and emphasizes the importance of networks and collaborations for scaling businesses. Tune in to learn how her work informs policy and empowers underrepresented entrepreneurs in today’s landscape
In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, we are re-releasing this episodefeaturing Maria Rodriguez, Executive Director of the Valiente Fund, a collaborativefocused on increasing philanthropic investment in Latine leaders, organizations,and communities. Maria shares insights on the importance of innovation in criticalmoments, scaling bold solutions, and the power of microecosystems. We alsodiscuss the value of starting before you're ready and how collaboration can drivesystemic change.
Former NFL star (one of the top 50 wide receivers in NFL historyand the New Orleans Saints’ all-time leader in every major statistical category for hisposition) and entrepreneur Marques Colston joins us to discuss the future of sportsand the new value chain in sports. As the Founder of Champion Venture Partners,Marques has created a new investment model which unites everyone from casualfans to accredited investors into a single fund, unlocking secure wealth-buildingopportunities in alternative investment markets. We talk about the emergingopportunities in sports beyond the Big 5 leagues, why media rights and appointmentviewing will continue to expand and how technology is creating competitiveadvantage on a team and league level.
In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, we're re-releasing this insightful episode with Natalia Rodriguez-Hilt, Senior Director at Raza Development Fund (RDF). Natalia discusses how RDF unlocks the $2.1 trillion revenue potential of Latino-owned businesses through creative financing solutions, including equity-like revenue-based loans. She also highlights the crucial role of Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) and the importance of empowering under-resourced entrepreneurs to drive meaningful economic change.
What Needs to Be Done? Is Better Possible? Where do the seeds of change begin, and can entrepreneurs really solve society’s biggest challenges? Paolo Narciso is a Build Fellow at Stand Together Ventures Lab. STVL invests and builds to change society with founders and teams who are obsessed with showing that better is possible. Today, we talk about how he is re-imagining healthcare as well as his book “From Founder to CEO,” a transformative guide for entrepreneurs navigating the crucial transition from founding to leading.
“Further, Faster.” Rachel Shepphard, Director of Ventures for Mars Pet Care, shares how the Leap Venture Studio & Academy ignites impactful growth for pet care startups.7 out of 10 US households have a pet, with 97% considering the pet a part of the family - which explains the $320+ billion global pet care market (predicted to get to $500bn by 2030). In this episode, we discuss the future of pet care, exciting startups, and new technologies, as well as how to find adjacent and emerging opportunities and the value of holding frameworks lightly in the fast-moving world of innovation.
Dan Kihanya is the Director of REI’s Path Ahead Ventures, a $30 million fund aimed at supporting founders of color in the outdoor industry. Launched in 2021, this program focuses on providing resources, mentorship, and funding to help diverse entrepreneurs start and scale their businesses. They have multiple programs like Embark (for early-stage founders), Navigate (for enterprise-ready founders that could sell into REI) as well as the more traditional fund – all built to meet Founders where they are in the journey. In this episode we discuss how diversity drives innovation and how Path Ahead is closing the gap between the 1% of founders who identify as a person of color vs. the 30%+ of outdoor participants identifying as such.
Marcelo De Santis is a seasoned C-suite leader (former executive at Thoughtworks, Pirelli, and Mondelēz International), and his new book, Figure Eight, unlocks the secrets of leadership in our rapidly evolving world where technology and humanity converge. We talk about leadership in fast times, accelerating time to market, executive mountaineering through humility and empathy, and having more questions than answers. How far from the core should you explore, and what mental barriers you must overcome in order to drive transformation?
In this special re-release, we dive into the ever-evolving world of artificial intelligence with Rudina Seseri, Managing Partner at Glasswing Ventures, as she reflects on AI investment and innovation. Rudina provides an analysis of the AI industry, addressing pressing questions on the technology's evolution and her assessment of its long-term potential to impact the enterprise.
Natalia Rodriguez-Hilt is the Senior Director of UnidosUS Affiliate Development and Small Business Strategies at Raza Development Fund. Natalia is a seasoned expert in economic and community development, with a passion for driving economic opportunity for entrepreneurs in underrepresented communities. We discuss how RDF unleashes unleash the power, potential and promise of Latino and other under-resourced communities to accelerate the $2.1 Trillion Dollar incremental revenue potential of Latino-owned business. WE talk about the need for creative financing to enable that growth (such as Equity-Like revenue-based loans), the role of CDFIs and how to empower entrepreneurs to ignite change.
Elizabeth Bieniek, author of Cake on Tuesdays: 25 Lessons To Unlock Corporate Innovation, shares her blueprint for executing change within complex organizations. She co-founded Webex Hologram, the industry’s first holographic collaboration system, while at Cisco and here explores the intricacies of innovation and leadership, offering valuable insights for aspiring innovators inside and outside of large companies with gems like “find the angel in the marble,” “add oil and reduce friction,” “nobody cares until you make them” and the hilarious “don’t be a flat squirrel.”
We are thrilled to announce the re-release of one of our more popular podcast episodes, featuring a captivating conversation on collaboration and growth with industry leaders from PepsiCo and the California Milk Advisory Board. Hosted by Fred Schonenberg, founder and CEO of VentureFuel, this episode delves deep into innovative strategies and real-world examples of successful partnerships.
GlobalWafers is a global leader in semiconductor technology, providing innovative, advanced silicon wafer solutions to integrated chip manufacturers worldwide. Brent Omdahl, Executive Vice President for Government Affairs, has over 20 years of deep experience counseling U.S. firms on international market entry strategies and advising foreign firms on U.S. greenfield investment. We talk about Silicon Prairie, how to navigate international innovation (specifically Asian and African markets), the role of regulation, industrial policy, and the semiconductor industry's future. There will also be some fun innovation conversations around supply chain strategy, fixed-wing drones, microfinancing, nanometers, and advanced packaging.
In this episode, Vanessa Rosato sits down with Kylan Gibbs, CEO and Co-founder of Inworld AI. They delve into the groundbreaking work of Inworld AI, a platform that's transforming gaming and media by making virtual characters more lifelike and interactive. Kylan shares insights on the unique value proposition of Inworld, their innovative approach to AI in gaming, and what the future holds for the company. From the impact of interactive characters on storytelling to the social benefits of immersive AI, this conversation explores the cutting edge of technology and its potential to reshape our digital experiences.
The Roberts Innovation Fund was launched in 2022 to provide funding, mentoring, and strategic support for Yale faculty-led projects to assist in the commercialization of breakthrough inventions that solve real-world problems. New methods to purify our water, advance quantum computing, democratize artificial intelligence, and deliver life-saving drugs are just some of the projects funded by the 2024 Roberts Innovation Fund Awards, providing $1 million in accelerator funding to support 10 new inventions led by faculty from Yale’s School of Engineering & Applied Science. Director Claudia Reuter shares her insights on how to commercialize emerging technologies, how to innovation within a large organization.
Corporate Venture Capital to Corporate Venture Partnerships, we examine the evolving role of CVC, why it matters for startups and investors + trade secrets on sourcing and vetting the best startup investment opportunities. Featuring: Elias Chavarria of TDK Ventures, Min Park of J.P. Morgan Sustainable Growth Equity, and Joshua Di Frances of LG Electronics
Mike Jackson, Managing Partner of Earthshot Ventures. Earthshot Ventures invests in entrepreneurs making a dent in climate change. Collectively, their team has invested in 200+ startups over the last fourteen years and Mike’s investments have collectively raised over $1.1 billion in follow-on funding from Sequoia Capital, Benchmark, BlackRock, Microsoft, Google, Patagonia, and the like. We talk about the business models and playbooks that work, “what can go right” thinking, specific areas of climate tech that are most interesting, the future of sustainable entrepreneurship and the role of large corporations in the clean tech.
Ben Colman is the founder of Reality Defender, the leading deepfake detection platform helping enterprises flag fraudulent users and content. In this episode, join us as we dive deep into the world of AI, cybersecurity, and the innovative solutions being developed to protect our reality in an increasingly digital age.
Originally recorded at our 2024 Rogue Women event earlier this spring, Fred Schonenberg, VentureFuel’s Founder and CEO dived into the heart of Gotham FC’s remarkable comeback story with Yael Averbuch West, the General Manager and Head of Soccer Operations; and Nan Vogel, Senior Vice President of Partnerships and Game Day at Gotham FC. Hear how a mix of resilience, strategic foresight, and unwavering determination helped them pivot from enduring one of the league's toughest seasons to securing their inaugural NWSL championship.
At our 2024 Rogue Women event earlier this spring, Yao Huang, founder of The Hatchery, moderated a panel discussion with venture capitalists. The panel included Caroline Lewis, Managing Partner of Rogue Women's Fund; Sydney Paige Thomas, Founder and General Partner of Symphonic Capital; and McKeever "Mac" Conwell II, Managing Partner of RareBreed Ventures. Understand the strategies that enabled these venture capitalists to invest in the overlooked and the results they've realized: a thriving portfolio.
Thoughts: 5 years from now, grocery stores will be half the size and entirely stocked with fresh products served by subject matter experts (the baker, the monger, the butcher). The back half of the store will be mini-fulfillment centers with autonomous robots packing personalized orders of your non-emotional staples and customizing your outputs based on Gen AI and personalized dietary preferences. In a way, future technology and innovations will allow you to return to the grocery store your grandparents enjoyed. How else will Silicon Valley Culture Disrupt the Food Business? Tune in to this special interview with the Supermarket Guru Phil Lempert in the latest installment of The VentureFuel Visionaries podcast.
At our 2024 Rogue Women event earlier this spring, Danielle Cohn, Founding Partner and CEO of The Wave Ventures, hosted a panel discussion with executives from corporate companies. The panel included Limor Schafman, Director of Operations and Programs at LG NOVA, a division of LG Electronics that collaborates with startups to develop businesses; Lizzie Naylor, Global Platform Manager for Start Path, Mastercard's acclaimed startup engagement program; and our own Shira Averbuch, Vice President of Innovation and Partnerships at VentureFuel.Find out how these executives are partnering enterprise organizations with startups to drive growth and create new markets, together.
Last week, we had an 'Ask Me Anything' session with Danielle Cohn, CEO and Founding Partner of Wave Ventures, on Building an Innovation Ecosystem for Enterprise Organizations. The discussion centers on Danielle’s leadership in a top Fortune 30 innovation function. Danielle shared insights on founding an award-winning startup platform and emphasized creating innovation spaces in large organizations and nurturing startup engagement.
A fireside chat originally recorded at our 2024 Rogue Women event earlier this spring, The theme Advocacy Access and Acceleration features a wonderful discussion with Charlotte Newman, Global Head of underrepresented founder and investor startup business development. Charlotte is a global business development leader for Amazon Web Services, and a former entrepreneur who leads the AWS startup strategy to engage and accelerate underrepresented founders and investors. During this conversation, moderated by rogue women fellow, Aina Fadina, they talk about how AWS is reshaping the innovation ecosystem by providing founders with the resources and networks needed to succeed.
Avra van der Zee is the COO of Elemental Excelerator, a global climate technology accelerator started in Honolulu with over 150 portfolio companies that have received over $8B in follow-on funding. We talk about using entrepreneurship for social change, catalytic capital, how to scale new technologies and the role of corporates in solving the climate challenge and the economic benefit of societal impact – including great case studies of United Airlines and Amazon.
Philipp has over two decades of expertise catalyzing the evolution of Fortune 500s, like Deloitte and Vontier, to drive transformative impact. We discuss Corporate Venturing and its various iterations, from Accelerators to Venture Studios to Pilots to Partnerships to Hackathons, and why insights from this work not only inform strategic decisions but can make future growth like “selling ice cream on the beach.”
Originally recorded at our 2024 Rogue Women event earlier this spring, Kathleen Carbone, Principal, Director of Advisory, and a Senior Family Advisor at Parcion Private Wealth, led a panel discussion featuring founders from three startup companies.On the panel were Jamie Norwood & Cynthia Plotch, the dynamic duo behind FemTech startup Stix, Isoken Igbinedion, Founder and CEO of Parfait, an AI-powered startup disrupting the $13 billion custom wig industry, and Kathryn Harrison, Founder and CEO of Magpie, the world's first AI powered inventory and sales management system for collectible sellers.Hear how these founders went from overlooked during the hype to steady and soaring during a downturn.
Originally recorded at our 2024 Rogue Women event earlier this spring, La Keisha Landrum Pierre, General Partner & Co-Founder of Emmeline Ventures shares insights from her journey in venture capital, featured in the documentary "Show Her the Money." She talks about how the film is helping to rewrite the narrative on women and fundraising.Before starting at Emmeline Ventures, La Keisha was the MD at NLA Ventures. Prior to that, she was the CEO at Sahara Reporters and co-Founder of Sahara Reporters’ Civic Media Lab, in partnership with MacArthur Foundation and Omidyar Network and others.
On today’s show we have Kyle Basler-Reeder, who designed and leads ExxonMobil’s corporate-wide Open Innovation program. We discuss how the exponential growth of PHDs and startups enables Exxon to tap into external resources for Exploration, Acceleration and to solve stubborn problems. We talk about the importance of problem definition, declaring your “Innovation Ambition” and how to create organizational ambidexterity. How “Venture Clienting” attracts the best startups and new solutions by becoming a first-client and scaling what works.
To celebrate our 200th episode, we put host Fred Schonenberg in the guest chair to find out what his biggest unlock, the best corporate innovation models, his favorite episodes, the best startups on the show and how the guests have evolved his thinking around innovation. From Venture Studios to Venture Capital to Venture Partners. From Sonic Branding to Darth Vadar. From Voice Cloning to Generative AI. From Mastercard to TDK Ventures to Pepsi to Comcast. Shira Averbuch, VP of Innovation, who produced the first several episode of the show moderates this fun retrospective.
Catherine Gray is a Producer, Keynote Speaker, Author, and the Founder of She Angel Investors. She's dedicated her career to empowering female entrepreneurs and addressing the underfunding of women in venture capital. We discuss her documentary "Show Her the Money," her TED Talk "Fund Women, Save the World," and her vision for the future of gender diversity and inclusion in the venture capital landscape. With women receiving less than 2% of venture capital the opportunity is immense for both impact and returns.
Ken Evans is the Managing Director of the Accelerator Program for Emerging Tech Startups at Tampa Bay Innovation Center. With a background in venture-backed startups and Fortune 50 companies, Ken is key player in Tampa Bay's tech ecosystem, co-founding the region's first full-time coworking space and leading initiatives to support local startups. Our conversation centers around their new Climate Tech Accelerator and the importance of Revenue First Innovation, taking a “Moneyball approach” vs. the Power Law Unicorn Hunters, why we need to evolve from petri dish science experiments to solving real world problems, and why most accelerators are promotional lipstick vs. creating true product-market-fit with tangible outcomes.
Maria Rodriguez is the Executive Director of the Valiente Fund, a donor and funder collaborative addressing the lack of investment of philanthropic funds for Latine leaders, organizations, and communities. They just launched the Valiente Accelerator to support emerging Latine groups with grants and operational capacity to accelerate their growth. We discuss why critical moments demand innovation, the need to scale bold solutions, the power of microecosystems, the value of starting before you are ready and how to change systems through collaboration.
Join us as we honor the 2023 Visionary and Venture of the Year. Nominated and voted on by their peers, these are the change agents embracing new opportunities to drive outsized results. They are intent on blazing new paths, discovering inventive solutions, and powering the future.Visionary of the Year: Marty Guay, Vice President of Business Development, Stanley Black & DeckerWith over three decades experience as a corporate innovator, Marty Guay has spent the past six years working with startups, academia, venture capital and global corporations to create business value opportunities for Stanley Black & Decker, a worldwide leader in Tools and Outdoor.At Stanley Black & Decker, Guay is responsible for the inception of the company’s accelerator program where he successfully connects startups with technological and commercial relationships inside the organization and throughout global ecosystems. Guay sits on the advisory boards of multiple startups and serves as a board member of the state of Connecticut Governor’s Workforce Council and as a liaison to the Business Roundtable. In addition to these roles, Guay also oversees the company’s global philanthropy program that is focused on closing the skilled trades gap through its Grow the Trades program.Venture of the Year: Inworld AI, represented by Co-founder, Kylan GibbsInworld AI, led by a team of conversational AI pioneers and experts, uses advanced AI to build interactive characters whose personalities, thoughts, memories, and behaviors are designed to emulate social human interaction. Founded in 2021, Inworld is a recent graduate of the Comcast NBCUniversal LIFT Labs Generative AI Accelerator run in partnership with VentureFuel. Last month, Inworld announced a multi-year partnership with Microsoft to develop AI toolsets to assist and empower creators in dialogue, story, and quest design.Kylan Gibbs has a background in turning advanced AI into products that naturally interact with humans. He came from DeepMind, where he led products for Conversational AI and Generative Models. Prior, Kylan worked on enterprise Machine Learning projects at Bain & Company. Kylan studied at the University of Cambridge and McGill University.
Disruptor, Founder, Envisioneer Mike Pell leads The Microsoft Garage in NYC, the company’s worldwide innovation program. Mike Invented PDF and Acrobat at Adobe and has been granted over 20 US Patents. We talk about why going fast is the only way to protect your business, the evolution of ai Co-Pilots, the art of hacking, the ROI of Innovation, why you can’t sit on the sideline as the pace of business accelerates, the Microsoft Garage Growth Framework and Mike’s new book Visualizing Business.
Sokwoo Rhee is the EVP at LG Electronics and the Head of LG's North America Innovation Center, LG Nova. From serving as a Presidential Innovation Fellow at the Whitehouse to leading groundbreaking IoT and smart city initiatives, Sokwoo brings a wealth of experience driving innovation forward. Today, we discuss why external innovation is important for a $60B+ revenue company, how to justify external innovation to internal stakeholders, and why growth and disruption insurance go hand in hand. We also dive into the LG Nova Commercial Accelerator Program.
MassRobotics is the largest independent robotics hub that accelerates robotics innovation and adoption, and they are launching their first Accelerator program, led by Director Marita McGinn. The unique, equity-free program combines funding, mentorship, and a collaborative community. We talk about the future of robotics, from Cobots to Ag Tech, as well as how equity-free accelerators enable a wider breadth of solutions to commercialize.
On today’s show, I am honored to have Pedro Antonio Guerrero, CEO of Guerrero - an executive advancement company at the intersection of media, professional networks, and executive search. Pedro specializes in executive advancement and corporate diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives – utilizing Guerrero Search and Guerrero Media to deliver on his mission. We talk about the intersection of diversity and innovation, why diverse perspective drives growth, and how to create pipelines through networks unfamiliar to your own.
This is quite simply a master class in collaborative innovation to solve meaningful challenges. Dr. Simon is a practicing cardiologist, the President of Academic & External Affairs and Chief Scientific Officer for the University Hospitals Health System (UH). We discuss the unique non-profit, for-profit model of The Oxford-Harrington Rare Disease Centre’s Therapeutics Accelerator. The Accelerator is a first-of-its-kind, transatlantic initiative to identify, fund and advance breakthrough academic discoveries to deliver new treatments for the 400 million people worldwide who suffer from rare diseases.
On today’s show we have Andrew Merinoff. Andrew is the founder of Dispact Ventures, which is disrupting industries with impact investing. What started off as a small fund to assist his close friends and confidants eventually grew into a 16-venture portfolio. Andrew is also a seasoned entrepreneur and the Co-founder and CEO of Chinola Liqueur. With a passion for building companies, particularly in the Wine & Spirits space, Andrew has made a mark through innovation. We talk about SPVs, impact investing, the future of wine & spirits and innovating in traditional, established industries.
How can you create a system of innovation, that becomes a membrane to attract the best transformational technologies to collaborate with your organization? Markus Bohl, the Managing Director of Intel® Ignite, which is Intel Corporation’s global startup accelerator program for early-stage deep tech startups shares his insights. Markus has a phenomenal track record as an entrepreneur, corporate innovator and Ignite just launched their sixth cohort in Europe. We talk about the value of corporate-startup collaboration, equity vs. non-dilutive partnerships, how to build a startup ecosystem and how to avoid putting on an “innovation fig leaf.”
Does innovation drive market value, and do investors pay more for innovation? Brenda O’Connor Juanas is a Senior Vice President and Financial Advisor at UBS International and is an industry thought leader on financial markets, frequently speaking across CNBC, Bloomberg, and Fox Business, to name a few. We talk about R&D to Sales Ratios, the delta in valuations from innovators like Tesla and Airbnb to their legacy competitors, and how companies like Visa elevate beyond their competitors through innovation. We discuss how the market impacts VCs and Founders – and why now is the time for commercial partnerships between startups and large organizations.
Jeff Allyn is the CEO of StudioX, a first-of-its-kind open innovation studio powered by Shell that brings a collaborative approach to reimagine energy exploration and break down the silos of traditional R&D - they call it “open exploration.” We talk about their new model and how it is accelerating the pace of innovation in climate tech and the energy industry's transformation.
What is the future of product development in an increasingly complex and fast-paced world? How can organizations keep up with rising consumer expectations, accelerating timelines for new features and products, while also increasing the amount of personalization and the fit to emerging market needs without skipping a beat? Who will help enterprises better leverage the vast and disparate unstructured data sets that they’re sitting on quickly, accurately & in a simple and intuitive way? Enter Venture to Watch: Monterey AI, a graduate of the Comcast NBCUniversal LIFT Labs Accelerator: Generative AI ’23 & YC S’22. Monterey AI is your Copilot for product insights. The platform accelerates product development by synthesizing and analyzing unstructured data from multiple sources, including user feedback, support tickets, social media mentions, and call logs, enriched by business and behavioral metrics. In this episode, we sit down with Chun Jiang, their founder & CEO, to talk all things data, AI & product development. Chun previously led products and design at companies like Unfolded (acquired by Foursquare), Scale AI, and Uber. She graduated from Cornell in 2018 and has been obsessed with building the most ambitious and delightful Data and AI products in productivity, developer tooling, and autonomous vehicles. In this conversation, we talk about Monterey AI’s unique value proposition in the marketplace, the opportunity for more insightful & data-driven product development, and what lies ahead for AI.
What is the future of celebration? How can the industry-leading global spirits company co-develop the next generation of digital products to elevate consumer experiences? Sallie Jian is the Director and head of Ventures North America at Diageo, where she oversees Diageo’s venture capital activities, including minority investments (lead, co-invest, partnerships, JVs) and Distill Ventures in North America. We talk about Fusion by Diageo, a new partnership lab to identify and build with the world’s most pioneering startups, as well as the role of corporate entrepreneurship and how startups help corporations through unique value, speed, and customized solutions.
This is a masterclass in why large corporations invest in startups. The value, the challenges. Why the core must focus on exploiting competitive advantages of today, while the corporate venture capital (CVC) arm must focus on exploring the future. The balance of exploitation and exploration, of strategic and financial opportunities, why the power law means you need to unlearn the distribution law, and how many times do you need to fold a piece of paper to reach the moon. Nicolas Sauvage is the President of TDK Ventures, the Corporate VC arm of TDK, a Japanese multinational electronics corporation. He oversees fundraising, portfolio investment strategy, and portfolio development for TDK Ventures and ranked #17 out of over 4,000 heads of corporate venturing units in the Global Corporate Venturing Powerlist 2022.
Angela Lee is an award-winning professor and former Chief Innovation Officer at Columbia Business School, where she teaches venture capital and leadership courses. Angela started her career in product management and then moved to McKinsey. She has started 4 startups and is also the founder of 37 Angels, an investing network that has evaluated over 20000 startups, invested in 100, and activated new investors through a startup investment bootcamp. She also serves as a venture partner at Fresco Capital, has been recognized by Inc. Crains and Entrepreneur, and has spoken at NASA and the White House. We talk about vetting startups, the value of corporate-startup collaboration, and why saying no is the secret to driving results.
Blooming Health announced on Sep 6, 2023, they raised an over-subscribed $4.2M seed fund to enable service providers to engage older adults and their family members. This episode was recorded almost a year before the raise, on Sep 9, 2022, and is a conversation with AARP Foundation and Blooming Health in which we walk through the innovation program's success between the two firms. It's the perfect example of tangible innovation leading to growth for all involved.
UWM is the #1 overall mortgage and purchase lender in the nation, where Lee Jelenic leads Client Experience, Innovation, Government Affairs, and Investor Relations. From Professional Hockey to Wall Street, from Ford to UWM, Lee has led tangible growth by embracing innovation. Today, we talk about being Productively Uncomfortable, the value of entering the “Uncomfort Zone,” challenging the why, measuring the success of innovation, and why success can be a headwind to new growth. We also discuss UWM’s CEO Mat Ishbia, his story from benchwarmer to billionaire, and how it inspires UWM to seize the moment.
Rudina Seseri is one of the top VCs in the world. She is the Founder and Managing Partner of Glasswing Ventures, an early-stage venture capital firm investing in the next generation of AI and frontier technology startups that are enabling the rise of the intelligent enterprise. She is Startup Boston’s 2022 Investor of the Year, Business Insider’s Most Important VC in Boston and Top VC investing in AI and Machine Learning. We talk about jumping the curve to a new paradigm, the mass consumerization of AI, vertical applications, tourist and hype investing, the role of open source, wrappers vs. native and why empires die slowly.
Eze Vidra is a co-founder and Managing Partner at Remagine Ventures and a former GP at Google Ventures, Alphabet’s venture capital arm. We talk about Gen AI from the hype cycle to incumbents vs upstarts to barriers to corporate adoption to the opportunities for strategic partnerships. Why the best large companies from Health to Finance to Tech aren’t sitting on the sidelines and are being rewarded in this transformational moment.
Why do corporations work with startups? What is a venture studio? How can startups build faster by leveraging the studio model? Can consumer technologies make our lives better? Kristen Gendron is the COO and Principal at Wildwood Ventures, a new pre-seed venture studio and connected seed fund at the intersection of the outdoor and wellness economies. Kristen’s career includes building venture funds at VF Corp, Nike, and the US Agency for International Development; investing in and advising startups across ten sectors and twenty countries; and rolling up her sleeves as a co-CEO and fractional cofounder in early-stage businesses. Build within a box. Idea meets execution. Rigor + Art + Science and what founders would you get into a bar fight, for.
Why the #1 player in their industry, over 100 years old, with a $15 B market cap, partners with startups to see what the world is working on. How they are capitalizing on the 99.9% of innovation taking place outside of their four walls to solve for use cases. We discuss how to scale simplicity, the value of innovation, and the challenges of solving for synchronization and legacy. Marty is on my Mt. Rushmore of Corporate Innovators and is hilarious: "The only person who likes change is a wet baby."
David Radlo is an internationally recognized sustainable leadership, growth, and innovation expert. An accomplished CEO that has led a six-fold EBITDA increase and a 30-fold increase in enterprise value, a 10x Entrepreneur, a 2x best-selling author, a founding partner, and has served on 15 boards. We discuss his billion-dollar success disrupting the egg industry as the founder of “Eggland’s Best,” bringing corporate America back to Cuba after negotiating with Fidel Castro and his “Cartel Leadership Rules.”
The Health Equity Accelerator at Boston Medical Center is an ambitious and aggressive approach to eliminating the race-based health equity gap that exists throughout the healthcare industry in the U.S. Sheila Phicil leads the program and shares with us how innovation is at the heart of serving vulnerable and marginalized populations. We talk about identifying gaps in data, co-designing solutions with patients and partners with lived experience, and why new solutions are needed for our biggest challenges.
10% of America is hungry, and 37% of Food made ends up as waste, equal to 140 billion meals of Food. Upcycled foods use ingredients that otherwise would not have gone to human consumption, are procured and produced using verifiable supply chains, and positively impact the environment. We discuss renovation vs. disruptive innovation, radical collaboration, and turning pineapples into Nikes.
Bob shares how to unleash innovation in a successful, established industry. From close-in innovations to category-changing, game-changing, consumer behavior-changing transformations. Bob shares some of the successes as well as announces the return of the 5th year of the largest dairy innovation competition, The Real California Milk Excelerator, Powered by VentureFuel.
How do you scan for future growth? Is now the time to build? Where is VentureCapital heading (based on their Q1 2023 VC Benchmark report) and what does that mean for founders and corporations partnering with startups? We ask Laura who is the Founder & CEO of The Venture City and is also the General Partner of their Fund with over $145M under management. They have invested in over 100 seed to Series A startups across 14 countries. Her team is made up of founders who have been in the trenches and now not only deploy capital but help their startups build by focusing on data and execution. Laura was the first employee of Facebook in Spain and later led the Growth, Mobile & Partnerships team in Latin America for 9 years. Before Facebook she held management roles at eBay, Siemens and Ogilvy Group as well as being a founder herself.
How can corporates and startups collaborate? Is it possible for Enterprises and Entrepreneurs to drive mutual growth? Originally recorded live in Silicon Valley as part of the Angeles Investors’ Q2 Pitch Night, during this episode, we host Daniel Grubbs, Chief Venturing & Investment Officer at PepsiCo, and Bob Carroll, the VP of Business Development at the California Milk Advisory Board, to discuss startup and corporate partnerships, the different on-ramps for collaboration and the benefits to each – from expertise to insight – that make these partnerships not just viable, but critical to each for future growth.
Founder Stories from three high-growth entrepreneurs whose unique perspectives and experiences help them rethink status quo solutions to some of industry & society's most pressing challenges. Featuring Nicole Schmidt, CEO of Source; Chekesha Kidd, Founder & CEO of Kinumi; and Tara Fung, Co-Founder and CEO of Co:Create. Moderated by Shira Averbuch, VP of Innovation at VentureFuel.
Discover how investors are rethinking traditional strategies and structures to build new onramps to funding. Featuring Allison Goldberg, SVP & Managing Partner at Comcast Ventures; Shila Nieves Burney, Founding and Managing Partner at Zane Venture Fund; and Jenny Fielding, Co-Founder & Managing Partner at The Fund; with Rogue Women's Fund Managing Partner, Caroline Lewis.
Clair Casey is the new President of AARP Foundation, the charitable affiliate of AARP focused on a future without senior poverty. She shares how the Foundation’s approach to innovation: leveraging empathy and experimentation to understand people's needs and find new, scalable solutions to complex issues.
Authentic innovation, seizing the right opportunities, and understanding when to strategically go Rogue – featuring Lesley Folensbee, Director of Marketing, Neuropsychiatry Franchise at Biogen; Joan Ondala, Director of Business Development and Corporate Strategy at Winnebago Industries; and Kristen Gendron, Director of VF Venture Foundry. Hear personal stories of triumph and challenges faced from these trail blazers guiding enterprise transformation at their organizations.
The evolution the premier global corporate startup partnership program, the Comcast NBCUniversal’s LIFT Labs Accelerator. Laura Plunkett and Luke Butler, executive directors of Startup Engagement for Comcast NBCUniversal share why they now offer multiple programs throughout the year, open to various stages of startups and all aligned to strategic areas of interest for the core business. We go deep on the value to startup founders, the value to Comcast and what other corporates can learn from the opportunity.
110 years of progress and counting, the General Manager of L’Oréal Paris shares how the company has embraced everything from AR to Sustainability to the Empowerment of Women. From Skin Genius to Virtual Hair Color Try-Ons to pioneering science in products, innovation is in the DNA of the organization. Eli shares her 20 years of experience leading multinational consumer goods companies from AB InBev to Mars to Pedigree in the US and Europe and why L’oreal Paris continues to evolve to better serve their customers.
Today’s episode features Sallie Krawcheck the Co-founder and CEO of Ellevest, a financial company built by women, for women to reach their financial goals. Sallie is one of the highest ranked women ever to have worked on Wall Street, having held posts such as CEO of Smith Barney, CEO of Merrill Lynch Wealth Management, and CFO of Citigroup. She is one of the most-read “Influencers” on LinkedIn and has been profiled as one of Fast Company’s “Most Creative People” in business, as well as in The Wall Street Journal, Fortune, Forbes, and more. Ellevest has a community of more than 3 million, raised a $53 million Series B funding round and has $1.5 billion in assets under management. Learn why “nothing bad happens when women have more money.”
Fiercely female, always rogue. Why investing in women is good business and how innovation can change the world. This is a rebroadcast of our conversation with Caroline Lewis, Managing Partner Rogue Women’s Fund from 2020 as she was launching the Rogue Women’s Fund and we were beginning our Rogue Women Event Series together. This also serves as a preview for our 2023 Rogue Women VI event on Mar 9 2023 in NYC.
On Wednesday, February 1st, we honored the 2022 Visionary and Venture of the Year: Antonia Dean of Comcast NBCUniversal LIFT Labs & Curio Digital Therapeutics’ Shaila Dixit. Join us for a conversation with them about the state of innovation today, the opportunity for entrepreneurs to reshape the industry, and the power to drive positive societal change through collaboration. Learn more about Comcast NBCUniversal LIFT Labs' work with startups and entrepreneurs and Curio’s efforts to transform women’s mental healthcare.
On Wednesday, December 7th we sat down with leaders driving transformation within their organizations and reshaping industry in the process.They shared their take on the role of Innovation in 2022, learnings and lessons; plus made some predictions for 2023: what’s coming on the horizon in terms of consumer trends, customer needs, and business transformation. Featuring: Christina DeJesus, Chief Innovation Officer, InHouse Physicians, Jelena Joffe Weil, Worldwide Venture Innovation Lead at Amazon Web Services & Dion Lisle, Director of Corporate Ventures at Huntington National Bank. Moderated by Vanessa Rosado, Head of Brand Strategy, VentureFuel
Why CVC? Why accelerators? Why startup collaboration in any form when you are a $79Bn a year company ahead of the pack? Daniel Grubbs breaks down the piece of the puzzle that corporate venturing plays in keeping your business ahead of the core, beyond the bottle, closer to consumers, and ahead of trends. We talk about the balance of strategic and financial goals, the value of tip-of-the-spear insights, and how unlocking growth can also fuel employee engagement.
David Olivencia gives us an inside preview into his upcoming book NetWORKING Excellence with an actionable framework for the most important skill for career acceleration, community building and accomplishing goals. David is the CEO of Angeles Investors, has held executive roles at Verizon, Oracle, Ford, and Accenture; is an active Board Member of Chicago PBS, the National Museum of Mexican Art and has invested in over 70 startups, including 2 unicorns and 10 companies with valuations over $100M. We talk about how to network to meet investors, to improve deal flow of the right startups and how to jump up the corporate ladder to the future you envision.
“Games will become the creations of their players.” Chris shares how his company has built the business engine for creators to accelerate video game commerce globally. What can large organizations learn from gaming as they think about the metaverse and web 3? How to embrace emerging technologies like distributed development and Generative AI and how the continued improvement in tools and automation will forever change how content is created, enjoyed and monetized.
What does the world’s largest aerospace company and leading provider of commercial airplanes, defense, space and security systems, and global services think about innovation? Bobby Niehaus is on the Applied Innovation team, which is the corporate ventures group that brings outside innovation into Boeing, essentially the bridge between Boeing's internal technology strategy and external innovation partners. We talk about outside-in innovation, the value of Corporate Venture Capital, the dual mandates of corporate venturing, overcoming NIH (Not Invented Here) Bias and portfolio development to trigger strategic transitions.
How do you innovate on one of the world’s largest and most iconic consumer brand portfolios? We ask Anton Vincent, President of Mars Wrigley - North America, which is the largest subsidiary of Mars Inc. which is one of the world’s largest privately held companies. We talk about fostering growth in various macro-economic situations, how to set the table for tomorrow and why the most difficult challenges are often the ones that demand the most innovation. Of course, we also talk about M&Ms and candy.
From Light Fields to 10G how will we connect together in the future? The confluence and convergence of multiple technologies will change how we consumer media – by applying the art of the possible with limitless thinking Anju Ahuja and CableLabs are helping the cable industry go from vision to implementation. We discuss Co-Innovation, extended realities, the venture capital view of market creation and the need for always developing the business case for what’s next.
Abhijit Ganguly is the Managing Director of Goodyear Ventures, the corporate venture capital arm of The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company. We talk about going beyond the tire and the evolution from traditional R&D and M&A to inside-out + outside-in innovation. We talk about the balance between strategic and financial and the importance of continuous innovation, especially at an iconic 125-year-old company that is intent on accelerating the future of mobility. From electrification, to autonomy, from delivery robots to airplanes we explore how Goodyear will thrive at the intersection of convenient, accessible, sustainable, efficient, and safe.
Everyone loves transformation but hates change. How do we walk from the future back into today’s challenges and build a sustainable innovation strategy? Tove Chevalley leads an international team that challenges conventional thinking around the way we cook and eat, care for our clothes and the wellbeing of our homes, all for a better and more sustainable future. She is responsible for Electrolux’s future outlook, innovation strategy and incubation of new products, services and business model. Electrolux is a leading global appliance company with brands, like Electrolux, AEG and Frigidaire, they sell approximately 60 million household products in approximately 120 markets every year with sales 116 billion and employ 48,000 people around the world. We dive into the specifics of Gro – Electrolux’s big initiative around redesigning the concept of what a kitchen is and how it can become an enabler of a more sustainable food ecosystem.
Steven Wolfe Pereira, the CEO and Co-Founder of Encantos, and award-winning bi-lingual edtech company (which I invested in). Encantos is rethinking education through a mix of physical and digital tools grounded in play. Steven is one of the top rated voices on LinkedIn, named by Adweek as one of the "50 Most Indispensable Executives in Marketing, Media and Tech". He has served as the Chief Marketing Officer of Datalogix (acquired by Oracle), Neustar (acquired by Golden Gate Capital) and Quantcast. We talk about storyteaching, inclusion, innovation as well as how to unscale and subscribe.
Meet the 2022 New York MilkLaunch Champion: SPYLT, a high-protein, low-sugar, creamy, dairy-based chocolate "Energy Drink" loaded naturally with essential nutrients like calcium, B vitamins, potassium, vitamin D, and protein. SPYLT is not only focused on high-quality ingredients but is obsessed with the environment and that is why it comes in an aluminum 12 oz. can because of its environmental benefits over plastic. Join us as we sit down with SPYLT’s Founder & Chief Brand Officer, Josh Mendenhall to talk about why he founded SPYLT, the opportunity for dairy based drinks in the $61.2B global energy drink market & what this year’s accelerator means to him and his company as they seek to keep Gen Z consumers connected to the dairy category.
This week we sit down with Silvia Santiago, Senior Vice President of Manufacturing and Maestra Ronera, Master Blender at Destilería Serrallés. Besides being responsible for the entire manufacturing process, starting with purchasing sugarcane molasses up to bottling the finished product, blending, and tasting distillates and aged products is part of Silvia’s daily work. Destilería Serrallés is a rum producer located in Ponce, Puerto Rico, and is best known for its Don Q rum brand. Serrallés is Puerto Rico's oldest family-owned company. We speak with Silvia about her career and how she became the first female Master Blender in Puerto Rico – anchored by a lifelong curiosity and love of learning; how to preserve time honored tradition while ‘shaking the tree,’ to drive change and the human side of innovation; finally, we discuss sustainability: Don Q is one of the most environmentally sustainable distilleries in the region – if not the world; Silvia shares with us why sustainability matters to the manufacturing process, the company and the people at Serrallés.
Can startups help to end senior poverty and enable dignified aging in place? Paolo Narciso, VP of Product and Program Development and Optimization at AARP Foundation and Nima Roohi Co-Founder and CEO of Blooming Health share their collaboration reduced friction, overcame barriers and drove impressive results such as a 500% increase in enrollment, 82,000 engagements and staff time reduction from 57 days to 30 days. All as part of the AARP Foundation Innovation Program.
IWSR Drinks Market Analysis is the leading source of global beverage alcohol data and trends across 157 countries. Chief Strategy Officer, Brandy Rand, shares what’s next in the drinks space from substituters to blenders, shared occasions to consumer evolutions, from new behaviors to sub-channels and walks us through the Metaverse, Low/No Alcohol, Cannabis and Sustainability. She is a featured speaker at industry events from BevNet and Tales of the Cocktail and provides regular commentary on the beverage alcohol industry for the WSJ, Bloomberg and CNN.
Join us this week as we sit down to discuss the upcoming NY MilkLaunch Food & Beverage Product Innovation Accelerator Final Pitch Event, scheduled to take place on Thursday, August 25 from 5 to 7 p.m. ET. Fred Schonenberg, our Founder, CEO & Host has the tables turned on him, as he is interviewed by Vanessa Rosado, our Head of Brand Strategy about this year’s innovation program. NY MilkLaunch is accelerating 6 dairy-based startups and is part of New York State Dairy Promotion Orders’ initiatives to transform the dairy aisle with products that are designed to appeal to the next generation of milk consumers. Visit: NYMilkLaunch.com to learn more.
Recorded at our most recent Event, What’s Next Now: Beer, Wine & Spirits, we sit down with Gene Song, Chief Revenue Officer, Amass; and Jen & Manuel Aczualdez, Founders & Owners, Drink Good Spirits to get their take on what consumers are looking for, how entrepreneurs can breakthrough the clutter and why differentiation + fundamentals will be key to their continued success.
Recorded at our most recent event: What’s Next Now: Beer, Wine & Spirits, Fred and Vanessa walk us through how the team at VentureFuel evaluates startups; and they share a short list of ventures they’re watching in the alcoholic beverages space.
Recorded at our most recent event, What’s Next Now: Beer, Wine & Spirits, we sit down with Alice Ponti, Senior Director, Front End Innovation, Anheuser-Busch; Seth Yassky, Director of Strategic Alliances and Education, Proximo Spirits; & Ryan Malkin, Malkin LAW P.A. to discuss the areas ripe for innovation and how to overcome industry challenges to driving change.
Natache Volpini is the global head of digital consumer innovation for Heineken, where the team was recently celebrated with a bevy of Cannes Lines for their Metaverse launch of Heineken Silver. She has spent 20 years driving innovation, marketing and digital at multinational companies like Warner Media, Mondelez, Viacom and Ambev. We chat about connecting with new consumers, web3, crypto and the future of beverages. Cheers!
Rachel Weiss is VP of BOLD Ventures, the venture capital fund of L’Oréal, where she invests in new and disruptive business models in BeautyTech. Rachel lives and breathes convergence, embracing all things pop culture, beauty, and technology. Part technologist, part futurist, part investor, part maker and operator she has long been at the forefront of innovation and an early adopter on the value of startup and corporate collaboration. We talk about the value of working with startups from a corporate perspective, how VCs balance strategic and financial imperatives as well as the future of beauty and what role web3 will play in our lives.
Ilana Grossman, Co-Founder & CMO of Pinktada and Steve Shpilsky, Co-Founder & CEO of STAY OPEN and StayDAO discuss how innovation will reshape hospitality and the role technology plays in addressing legacy challenges. This transformation is being fueled by Web3, NFTs, tokenization, blockchain and DAOs which are creating new products, services and business models to meet the needs of the next generation of travelers.
Recorded at our most recent event, What’s Next Now: Travel, Tourism, and Hospitality, we sit down with Kevin Kleist, Emerging Trends Advisor, Southwest Airlines to talk about the trends shaping travel tech, the role of collaboration in their commercialization and the future of flight. As part of the Emerging Trends Team, Kevin explores and brings to life unconventional ideas to encourage change and identify new opportunities for the airline. With more than 16 years of experience with Southwest Airlines, Kevin is collaborating with innovation-driven companies and startups to study, design, develop, and test emerging technologies and complex solutions in real-world environments.
What is corporate upskilling was binge worthy? Circus Street is an on-line school that teaches companies and their employees to do business in our modernizing world. How do you make learning approachable in a world of continues change. Since 2011 Circus Street has upskilled over 600,000 enterprise employees (like Coca-Cola, Lego, Kraft Heinz) in over 150 Countries. purely for enterprise clients like Coca-Cola, Lego and Kraft Heinz. Learn why technology is like water, why upskilling is table stakes and the role of innovation as we improve ourselves.
During this conversation, recorded at our latest event, What's Next Now: Health & Wellness we speak with three Healthcare Startup Founders about the challenges, opportunities and innovations reshaping the future of Health Tech. Hear from: Philip Fung, Founder & CEO of Kit.com, at-home medical exams, delivered; Shailja Dixit, CEO of Curio Digital Therapeutics, tailor-made cognitive behavioral therapy programs for women across the cycle of life; and Vasu Nadella, Co-Founder & CEO at Vital Bio, an ecosystem of devices, software & people designed to help all of us live healthier.
During this conversation, recorded at our latest event, What’s Next Now: Health & Wellness we sit down with Dov Shamir, PhD, Head of Elementa Labs, Mount Sinai Innovation Partners & Tracy Dooley, MD, Partner at Avestria VC to discuss the role of collaboration in the commercialization of health & bio tech innovation. Dov leads the Mount Sinai Health Systems newly established Elementa Labs, an incubator program powered by the health systems commercialization office, Mount Sinai Innovation Partners. The incubator helps strategically position external healthcare and biotechnology startup companies for the next stage in their development. Tracy Dooley is a Partner at Avestria Ventures where she invests in early stage medtech, healthtech, and life science companies with female founders and focused on women’s health. Prior to joining Avestria, Tracy was a digital health & innovation consultant for clients including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Novartis, and early-stage startups. Before that she served as Head of Global Operations at Novartis Diagnostics/Grifols.
Ted Graham is a Principal with GM Ventures (the venture arm of General Motors) and the Head of Open Innovation. He partners with startups, incubators/accelerators, VCs and academia to accomplish GM’s vision of zero crashes, zero emissions, and zero congestion. GM Ventures is focused on key technologies that can be implemented in GM’s vehicles, manufacturing facilities and operating businesses. They have made 54 investments with 22 exits and 24 still active startups – those are stats any VC would drool over. He is also the author of The Uber Of Everything and a frequent speaker about disruptive innovation and the power of partnering between large and small companies. We talk about open innovation, the power of collaboration between industry leaders and startups and the path to electrification and autonomy.
Sharon Leite, CEO of The Vitamin Shoppe, talks health & wellness trends, the evolution of retail and the role of innovation in the transformation of the company which is the leading specialty health-and-wellness retailer. The Vitamin Shoppe offers the largest assortment of vitamin, supplement, and sports nutrition products at retail in the U.S.Prior to joining The Vitamin Shoppe, Sharon was the North American President of Godiva Chocolatier, President of Sally Beauty, U.S. and Canada, and EVP of Pier 1. Sharon has been voted one of the Top Women in Retail, serves on the Board of the National Retail Federation, and earlier this year starred in the most recent season of CBS’s hit reality show Undercover Boss.
For this episode of the podcast, we feature a panel discussion with AB InBev's Global VP of Sustainability Andre Fourie & LanzaTech's Chief Sustainability Officer Freya Burton about how companies and industry leaders can collaborate to push climate-positive actions; and the role of innovation in solving recurring sustainability issues. AB InBev's portfolio comprises over 500 beer brands and includes global brands Budweiser, Corona, Stella Artois, and numerous multi-country brands. LanzaTech is a market-leading innovator in carbon capture & transformation. They have invented a technology that turns pollution into valuable raw material commodities, recycling a "liability" into practical and sustainable new products. This conversation took place at our most recent event, What's Next Now: Sustainability – An Innovator's Guide to Climate Action.
Hannah Jones the CEO of The Earthshot Prize, a prize and a platform founded by Prince William and the Royal Foundation in 2020 to search, spotlight and scale solutions that can help repair and regenerate the planet in this decade. Five, one million-pound prizes will be awarded each year for ten years, providing at least 50 solutions to the world’s greatest environmental problems by 2030. Previously Hannah was Nike’s first Chief Sustainability Officer, was founder of Nike Valiant Labs, on the founding team of Microsoft’s philanthropy program in EMEA and twice named to Fast Company’s top 100 Creative People list. We talk about “urgent optimism”, eco-innovators and storytelling what is possible to build scalable solutions.
Thursday April 28 we sat down for a Fireside Chat with Tom Mastrobuoni, Chief Investment Officer of Big Idea Ventures and former Founding Partner & Chief Financial Officer at Tyson Ventures, the corporate venture capital arm of Tyson Foods. At Tyson, Tom led investments in Beyond Meat, Clear Labs and Tavola, to name a few. Big Idea Ventures is solving the world’s biggest challenges by supporting the world’s best entrepreneurs in the new food space. We speak with him about the opportunity for sustainability across the global food ecosystem; the challenges for industry leaders to innovate and the opportunity for collaboration to unlock new solutions to feed - and save - the planet. This Fireside Chat took place at our most recent event: What’s Next Now Sustainability – An Innovator’s Guide to Climate Action, where we brought together investors, entrepreneurs and executives to discuss the role of innovation in disrupting climate change.
On today’s show we have the exciting team driving retail innovation at Dick’s Sporting Goods. For anyone that doesn’t know, Dick’s is a fortune 500 company, America’s largest sports retailer and has over 50 thousand employees. Scott Casciato - VP Omni Channel Fulfillment & Athlete Service, Morris Liao – VP of eCommerce, Supply Chain & Marketing Finance, and Miche (pronounced Mike) Dwenger – VP of eCommerce Experience drive retail experience for customers or as DSG calls them, “athletes”. They have held a wide range of roles from omnichannel fulfillment, retail marketing, supply chain, eCommerce experience and merchandising. They’re here today to talk about a new Retail Innovation Program they just launched, that will give 6 startups and emerging technologies the opportunity to pitch pilot programs with DSG. They seek to find the best of what’s next to give these up-and-comers the opportunity to work with DSG and continue to deliver for the athletes that turn to DSG to up their game.
We will cover what innovation means to DGS, learn more about the program and maybe even share a few tips for how you can take your game to the next level. Lace em up as its time to learn from one of the leading omni-channel retailers in the world…
A fireside chat moderated by Caroline Lewis, Managing Partner, Rogue Women's Fund and featuring: Sallie Krawcheck, CEO & Co-Founder, Ellevest
How do you bring the entrepreneurial mindset to a large organization to drive change and unlock growth from within? Meet Elizabeth Bienieki, who pioneers internal startups for Cisco's multibillion-dollar Collaboration & Security business. Her expertise lies in building empowered teams that effectively navigate internal corporate workings to operate like a startup and deliver bleeding edge products and solutions inside of the parent company. Her most recent venture is as Co-Founder of Webex Hologram, the industry’s first holographic collaboration system enabling a feeling of co-presence by delivering photorealistic holograms in real-time. Today we will talk about challenging conventional thinking, inspiring teams and driving unprecedented results from within.
Phil Graves expertise and entrepreneurial spirt have helped Patagonia and Bass Pro Shops drive positive environmental and social impact that’s inseparable from their profit. HE was the Founding & Managing Partner of Tin Shed Ventures which is the most respected Impact CVC in the world. We talk about Vulture Capital vs. Venture Capital, how good for the earth can propel profits and the opportunity for corporations to lead change while cementing their competitive advantage. “We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors – we borrow it from our children,” Chief Seattle.
An all-star panel comprised of corporate visionaries, startups and investors discuss going Rogue. Featuring Marie D. Quintero-Johnson, Vice President and Global Head of Corporate Development, The Coca-Cola Company; Jenny Barba, Founder of Features Capital; Sandhya Padmanabhan, Chief Marketing Officer, Little Otter; Bec Jones, CEO, Clutch Wallet
Recorded live at Rogue Women 5 this conversation on the future of work is led by Laura Plunkett, Executive Director of Startup Engagement at Comcast NBCUniversal LIFT Labs and features Christina Choi, SVP of Gin, Rum & Tequila for Diageo NA; Gale Wilkinson, Founder & Managing Partner at Vitalize Venture Capital; Dara Meath, Divisional CIO, Conair LLC; and Shea Cole, VP Marketing Fullscript. A great discussion on the role and impact of innovation on creating a more inclusive Future of Work.
Diana Taylor, former First Lady of New York City and Chairperson of Hot Bread Kitchen’s Board, and Leslie Abbey, CEO of Hot Bread Kitchen discuss how female entrepreneurs can forge new paths and make the impossible, possible. HBK creates economic opportunity for immigrant women and women of color through food entrepreneurship programs, job skills training, and an ecosystem of support in New York City.They envision an equitable world where all people have the opportunity and support to pursue personal, professional, and economic growth. The organization's unique model helps break through barriers and moves the food industry toward greater equity and sustainability.
Making wellness simpler and more accessible for everyone, Heywell is a line of delicious function-forward sparkling waters. Flavors like Blackberry Ginger and Sparkling Lime made with adaptogens, antioxidants and organic caffeine to help you meet the demands of modern life. Co-Founders Britt Dougherty and Ashley Selman left SVP jobs at Miller Coors to launch the company and their new flavor is a finalist for BEST NEW BEVERAGE of 2022 at Expo West.
Can you be a cool swashbuckling mom and a visionary CEO? Once you meet Kristen Cavallo you will know it is possible. Kristen is the CEO of The Martin Agency (2 years in a row named Adweek’s US Agency of the Year) where she helps create impactful ideas for clients like GEICO, Oreo, UPS, Old Navy and Doordash. She is on a mission to fight invisibility - with breakthrough work, inclusive culture and by eradicating the wage gap by race and gender. We discuss leveling the playing field for women in leadership and tying diversity to business goals.
How can brands win in the ever-evolving omni-channel evolution? We ask Sarah Hofstetter the President of Profitero, the leading, global ecommerce intelligence platform. Previously Sarah spent 13 years at award-winning advertising agency 360i, most recently as Chairwoman and CEO, growing the agency from $5MM to $180MM by continuously pivoting company offerings to be aligned with changes in consumer behavior. She currently serves of the Board of Directors of Campbell Soup Company and is the host of the Brave Commerce podcast. We discuss “achievement over activity,” the intersection of customer behavior and brand readiness and taking a zero-based budgeting approach to decision. Be quick, but don’t hurry.
The pace of change has never been faster than it is today and that is especially true for the world of Financial Services. Disruption is coming from all sides whether it is the advent of blockchain and impact of cryptocurrencies, to the evolution of consumer expectations from their banks. Mobile, on-demand, transparent and purposeful, the next generation of banked consumers will demand more from their financial institutions than ever before. In this episode of the podcast, we sit down with Kristin Smith, the Executive Director of the Blockchain Association; Nisha Desai, the CEO and Founding Managing Partner of Andav Capital and Dax Grant, CEO of Global Transform during our most recent event in our What’s Next Now series. We discuss the transformation of finance through technology; the role of fintech in unlocking access to capital for the underbanked; and the impact of innovation on industry leaders to open new markets and address emerging consumer segments.
During COVID small businesses were hit hard and those owned by women, Black, Hispanic and Indigenous people even more so. In 2020 41% of Black businesses, 32% of Latino businesses, and 30% of women-owned businesses closed and of those that survived, 80% are now experiencing financial challenges. Amid financial instability and lack of cash flow, operating expenses have become the top financial challenge for small business and also for the people within underserved communities. Comcast NBCUniversal sought to find new solutions to this systemic challenge with their Financial Impact Challenge that identified and invested in HoneyComb Credit and SoLo Funds to provide lending alternatives that are equitable, empowering, and community-driven. Featuring: Antonia Dean, Rodney Williams and George Cook.
Few innovations have disrupted retail more than subscription, but what comes next? Bespoke Post is known for their themed subscription boxes of AWESOME but continues to innovate, announcing a $40 Million Series B raise intended to help us discover emerging brands. Chief Merchandising Officer Michelle Evans shares her future of subscription, the importance of personalization and storytelling and how new technologies will help the brand continue to unlock what’s next.
Kiel Berry is an Investor, Sustainability & Climate Tech Advocate, 2x TEDx Speaker and Vegan Triathlete. He is the Founder & Managing Partner of Mission One Capital, an early-stage venture capital firm focused on Sustainability & Climate Tech startups. Previously Kiel built the venture arm for Grammy-award winning rock band Linkin Park, leading investments in companies such as Lyft, Robinhood, Impossible Foods, and others. We talk about why now is the moment to invest in Climate Tech for the potential financial returns as well as the necessity of our survival and the role corporations will play in the acceleration of new solutions.
What’s the metaverse & why should you care? How are consumers expressing themselves digitally today? And what will that look like tomorrow? Where do brands have permission to participate? And how can they authentically engage in the absence of advertising? We speak with this year's Visionary of the Year: the Godmother of the Metaverse, Cathy Hackl, Chief Metaverse Officer at Futures Intelligence Group; and Travis Montaque, Founder & CEO of this year's Venture of the year: Holler; a Forbes 30 Under 30 and Entrepreneur Magazine’s “Most Daring” media leader of one of Fast Company's 2020 World's Most Innovative Companies. We discuss the future of media, the formation of culture and the do’s and don’ts for brands navigating the balance between purpose & commerce.
Why are NFTs valuable and how can your business take advantage of them? Are NFTs the gateway to the metaverse and the future of e-commerce? What does it mean to have utility, tokenization and be a holder? Shouldn’t your avatar be a super model? What is the long term value of membership and community in this space. We talk to Marissa Skolnick, the first VentureFuel Visionary, and now co-founder of women-led NFT company Fierce Studios.
Beam Me Up, Scotty. Call it telepresence, or even holoportation, but it’s real right now as PORTL allows you to beam yourself in 4K life-sized holographic display to connect with friends, family, or potential customers. We talk about the future of work, the window to the metaverse, sustainability and nft displays.
This week we speak with VentureFuel’s Founder & CEO, Fred Schonenberg. Normally, the host of our show, we put him in the hot seat to share his take on the 2022 Consumer Electronics Show. We’ll discuss everything from Autonomous Vehicles to Microplastics and Sustainability. Consider this episode your cheat sheet for the biggest highlights coming out of the annual Tech conference, and a go to reference for the trends, technologies & ventures you should be watching this year.
What’s next? We answer that question every day for our clients, so wanted to share some of the top trends and emerging technologies that will break out in 2022 as well as pop-the-bubble on some of the over-hyped items that will be exposed in 2022. Featuring: Tulsi Patel, Shira Averbuch, Karen Gilsdorf and Vanessa Rosado.
This month we are recognizing the short-listed nominees for Visionary of the Year by revisiting our inspirational conversations with them abou ttheir work, their careers and how they are driving transformative change within their organizations and society.
From the C-Suite to the up-and-coming disruptors, these are the leaders intent on blazing new paths, discovering inventive solutions and powering the future. Enjoy these highlights from our conversation with them through the year. Visit www.venturefuel.net to learn more.
This month we are recognizing the short-listed nominees for Visionary of the year by revisiting our inspirational conversations with them about their work, their careers and how they are driving transformative change within their organizations and society. Nominated and voted on by their peers – the Visionaries is the Hall of Fame for Innovators. The change-agents embracing new opportunities to drive outsized results.
From CMOs to the up-and-coming disruptors, these are the leaders intent on blazing new paths, discovering inventive solutions and powering the future. Enjoy these highlights from our conversations with them throughout the year and make sure that you visitwww.venturefuel.net to learn more and vote for Visionary of the Year. Voting closes December 15th!
The creative transformation of by-products and waste materials into new products is one of the key emerging trends in eliminating food waste. Liz Dunn is the Category Manager of Personal Care, Apparel & lifestyle at MOM's Organic Market and Turner Wyatt is the CEO of the Upcycled Food Association, they join us to discuss their collaboration in featuring upcycled products at all MOM’s locations and why companies big and small are flocking to create products from what was once considered useless. We touch on food-waste, chocolate chip cookies good for the planet and why upcycled is the new organic.
Can dessert be good for you? Can you reduce sugar, without sacrificing taster and texture. Can better for you actually taste better also? Meet 2 of the 4 finalists in the Real California Milk Exclerator, featuring: George Haymaker, Founder of ReThink Ice Cream a low sugar, stomach and diabetic-friendly ice cream unfused with fiber and sourced from lactose-free A2 dairy and Candace Wu and Jonathan Weinstein Founders of Wonder Monday who make the best cheesecake you have ever had – minus the sugar. Tune in Nov 18th for the finals: www.realcamilkexcelerator.com
Can food be medicine? Can our snacks help us live a healthier and happier life? Meet 2 of the 4 finalists in the Real California Milk Exclerator, featuring: Sean Folkson, Founder of Nightfood a delicious sleep friendly ice cream and Ehime Eigbe-Akindele founder of Sweetkiwi a low-calorie, high nutrition whipped Greek yogurt. Tune in Nov 18th for the finals: www.realcamilkexcelerator.com
Kate Denton of the Indiana Pacers and Megan Cantwell of the Chicago Fire dive into what future innovations mean for individual sports teams. What will it be like to be a fan in 2030? How do teams innovate to capture the next generation of fans? This was recorded live as part of VentureFuel’s Whats Next Now series.
What will it be like to be a fan in 2030? How do teams, leagues and sponsors need to innovate in order to capture the a new generation of fans while maintaining their existing super fans? This live conversation (part of our What’s Next Now series) begins with startups and new technologies we are most excited about, then goes into an amazing conversation with Lauren Fritts of The Chicago Cubs, Rob Schneider of Learfield IMG College and Dr. Brandon Brown of NYU’s School of Professional Studies.
As a startup, how do you generate $1m in new revenue within the next 12 months? Can values actually create value? Jonathan Weston leads Salesforce’s Business Builder Program which is building the next revolution of entrepreneurs. We talk about how innovation can benefit larger companies, humanity and why if we all become “borgs” it maybe humanizing.
What will it be like to watch your favorite team in 2030? How will technology enable us to enjoy the sports we love. Vince Gennaro shares his vision of the pervasiveness of block chain, how 5G and VR will globalize and democratize sport and the role data will play in sport decision making. We also talk about the importance of learning agility – continuously seeking new levels of knowledge – and why our half-life of tangible skills is getting shorter and demanding more frequent upskilling. A must episode for sports fans and anyone involved in the business of sport.
In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, we welcome Adela Cepeda Chair of Angeles Investors who mission is "To find, fund and grow the most promising Hispanic and Latinx ventures." We talk about the hottest emerging ventures, the importance of diversifying board representation and how you can get involved in angel investing to make a difference, while making a return.
Tiger Teams. Fail Fast and Cheaply. The secrets of Four In A Box. What does shopping look like in 2030? Vinod Suresh shares how he and the team at Walmart+ are driving growth through game changing, innovative products that provide quick, fun and engaging multi-channel customer experience. The new membership program brings together in-store and online benefits like no other retailer can.
Dominic Venturo, the Chief Digital Officer at US Bank, has worked on the product innovation side of banking for more than 20 years and is one of the leading champions of corporate innovation. We talk about nimble processes to seize on seismic shifts, the importance of patience when moving fast, the potential for universal digital IDs and the future of banking and payments. How you will begin to pay and bank automagically.
How do you have a meaningful relationship with Darth Vader? What if you could step inside of Star Wars to find out? Vicki Dobbs Beck has credits on over 24 films, has a special Oscar “in recognition of a visionary and powerful experience in storytelling” and been named by Variety as “Digital Innovator to Watch”. She is the VP of Immersive Content Innovation for ILMxLab (Lucas Films) and is focused on moving the industry from story-telling to story-living. If you like Indiana Jones or Star Wars or are interested in the future of entertainment – this is your episode.
How do you copyright a dance? In doing so, can you blaze a new path for Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) to own and monetize their creations? Does this recognition, representation and resources accelerate the creators and disruptors reinventing music? Learn from Logitech For Creators CMO Erin Chin on how the company is investing in what’s next by empowering the future with programs like Songbreakers and #Creators4BIPOC.
Bord Bia executives Henry Horkan, the Director of North America and Mossie Power, the VP of Grocery, share their mission of bringing Ireland’s outstanding food, drink and horticulture produce to the world as well as details on Origin Green the world’s only national food and drink sustainability program. We hear individual pitches from 8 Irish companies breaking into the US market. From pure Irish honey to the market leading Oatmeal to the future of plant based protein.
If NBA superstar Kawhi Leonard, Giants Running Back Saquon Barkley, Super Bowl Champion Lavonte David of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Top Peloton Instructor Kendall Toole and professional athletes on over 25 pro teams across the NBA, NFL, MLB and NHL were using clean ingredient products to increase their energy and endurance – wouldn’t you want to try it? Mark French is the CEO of X2 Performance which is disrupting the energy drink and supplement space. He shares how they have been able to scale across CVS, Subway and GNC and why knowing “the answers to the test” is a great way to build innovative partnerships.
Grocery faces unprecedented pressure to accelerate its digital transformation as consumers leapfrog traditional adoption curves to satisfy unmet needs. Everything from e-Commerce, to digital merchandizing and supply chain optimization; to check-out free stores, courier services and facial recognition payments. Hear from top VCs at Silverton Partners and Branch Venture Group plus the Founders of Vori and Clerk.
Steve is the Program Manager for the Center of Excellence for Collaborative Innovation at NASA where he leads the use of collaborative innovation platforms (crowd-based communities, challenges/prizes) for supporting development projects across the U.S. government. From Space Station Operations to shifting from Mission Control to Mission Connect, Steve has spent 32 Years at NASA and shares his philosophy on success in exponentially advancing world in which we live.
Lindsey McInerney, the Global Head of Technology & Innovation at Anheuser Busch InBev and Roman Tirone, the Global Head of Partnerships at Virtually Human Studios discuss their first-to-market collaboration on Zed.Run - a virtual horse racing platform which is the talk of the crypto world where steeds are fetching 6 figure sums. The partnership brings the iconic Stella brand front and center in the virtual economy and places them atop of the NFT mania. It’s a masterclass in embracing what’s next now and combines the best of crypto, NFTs, esports, streaming and brand sponsorship.
VentureFuel shares notes from their internal innovation meeting, covering the startups and emerging technologies they are most excited about from over 500+ investors, university labs, and venture capitalists. This rapid fire session gives you a glimpse into data privacy, instant shopping, NFTs, microbial probiotics, personalized parallel realities, biometric authentication, holographic co-worker interactions, noninvasive neuroscience and Lamelo Ball.
We talk about Christian Ponce’s path from auditor to innovator, and how he leverages design thinking and lean startup principles to LOVE problems and finding solutions to users' pains. How do you balance Horizon 3 Innovations with tangential and tangible innovations that work for public companies? What disruptive strategies build the capabilities for breakthrough innovations? Should you take Moonshots or Jump Shots?
What we eat and drink impacts our digestion, sleep, rejuvenation, gut health, focus, energy, immunity, and strength. Our diet plays a major role in both our performance and our recovery. Hear from industry experts on what’s next now for functional foods including leaders from FoodNavigator, IRI, CMAB, DMI, DairyBusiness News, and Berry on Derry.
Can we inspire the future through innovation? Can each of us choose to be unicorns? Can we put aside the hunt for certainty to seize upon potential? With his design team, Mauro Porcini has won more than 1,100 Design and Innovation awards and has been recognized personally with Fortune’s 40 under 40, Fast Company 50 Most Influential Designers, Most Creative People in Business, GQ 30 Best Dressed Men and with Knighthood by the President of the Italian Republic. He infuses design and innovation into PepsiCo’s culture to keep the $70bn-a-year company and its 300,000 employees creating within the magic and energy of the unexpected.
What’s Next Now within data innovation? Can the always-on stream of consumer behavior, market trends and micro insights lead to macro results? Are there startups that can help you make sense of these opportunities for actionable solutions? Learn from Marty Siewert, Insights at Instacart; Cristina Chiesa, US Insights & Analytics Director at Mondelēz International and Dennis Roche, Co-Founder of Burbio.
How do you take a legacy business, known for giant yellow boxes with compact discs, transform it to a mobile-first Pokemon Go of Immersive Language? You turn to Public Company Change Agent Matt Hulett. We talk about how to begin a flywheel of net new thinking, how to motivate big changes, and how to create an API translation from corporate governance to/from innovation. Matt also shares his framework for success T3PM to help you unlock growth for your business.
BMW i Ventures is one of the most successful Corporate Venture Capital groups in the world with over $600m invested across 2 funds, with 12 exits already to date. Principal Samantha Huang focuses on investments across AI, big data, autonomous driving, Industry 4.0, and sustainability. We talk about the role of external innovation for corporations, the future of the auto industry and the impact of digitization and automation on the world.
Goldman Sachs announced their 2021 Entrepreneur Cohort for Launch with GS, a $1 billion investment strategy grounded in their data-driven thesis that diverse teams drive strong returns. These innovative entrepreneurs are building fast-growing companies at the forefront of technology and 2 of the 15 selections are past guests of the VF podcast. So we wanted to showcase highlights from our conversations with Stephen Wolfe Pereira of Encantos who asks us to rethink education with “Storyteching” and Travis Montaque, the founder of Holler, who teaches us about the future of chat.
How startups and industry leaders can drive meaningful impact to the planet and the bottom line. How Starbucks, Patagonia and Comcast are tackling water management, circularity and plastic free initiatives. How Diageo made paper spirits bottles and Adidas is helping us run on recycled materials. Then we dive deep with Ralph Lauren and NFW on the innovations to be showcase at the upcoming Olympic Games.
In the 60s, the first Riverkeeper patrol boat was launched by military veterans and fishermen who mobilized to challenge polluters on the Hudson River. This inspired nearly 200 autonomous “Waterkeeper” organizations across the world. David Whiteside founded the Tennessee Riverkeeper in 2009 after being introduced to the Waterkeeper Alliance by his Godfather, Robert F Kennedy Jr. Their mission to protect and preserve our local water sources is something we can all support. Learn how corporations can be the solution, not the problem, and how you can make a difference in your community.
Is brushing our teeth killing the planet? Plastics toothbrushes, floss, plastic paste tubes discarded on the regular. Why is every toothbrush advertisement of perfect people, with perfect smiles filled with perfect teeth? What about the quirks, flaws and originality? What about diversity? Shouldn’t every smile be celebrated and shouldn’t caring for that smile be less harmful to the planet? Christina Ramirez began thinking about fixing these dual issues in college – then set out on a journey to learn the industry – from being a cashier at Whole Foods to consulting on syndicated shopper data – she put in the time while perfecting her products with dentists. Now Plus Ultra is an inclusive and eco-conscious line of oral care products making everyone smile.
We all swarmed to remote work and virtual meetings over the past 15 months and now are experiencing “Zoom fatigue” from the debilitating sameness of each meeting. We toggle between so many tools from slack to PowerPoint to calendars and are struggling to authentically collaborate. Meet the Bee Keeper, Filo CMO Jeff Rohrs, who is helping our virtual hives flow. Filo reduces the friction in remote collaboration, enabling distributed teams to work better, together. Born from a Sprint Week at Venture Studio High Alpha.
The collaboration of David and Goliath. How upstart disruptors can collaborate with large corporations to drive mutual benefit. Pedro Earp is the Global Chief Marketing Officer for Anheuser-Busch InBev, the largest beer company in the world: $55bn in sales, 170,000 employees in 50 countries, 7 of the top 10 beer brands. Additionally, Pedro is head of ZX Ventures, the brewer's global innovation unit that oversees investments, acquisitions, partnerships, and creation of new brands. We discuss how to unleash the innovators, how beer civilized the world and why entrepreneurship and Venture Capital are forms of management of top line growth/creation and how big companies can adapt to this new world.
Ronan Dunne leads the teams responsible for providing wireline voice, data and TV products and services with wireless connected experiences to more than 100 million consumers every day. In addition, his teams are building the first 5G technology network that will redefine how customers live, work and play. We talk about Verizon’s multiple touchpoints for startup/corporate collaboration, the opportunity of 5G and the canvas it creates for innovators. Find out why Ronan believes Edge Computing will be the most transformational advancement of the next 10 years.
The Rogue Women conference brings together the next generation of female leaders, celebrating the trailblazing women who have forged new paths, to make the impossible, possible. It is produced in partnership with the Rogue Ventures Women's Fund and features execs from SeeHer, Comcast LIFT Labs, Estee Lauder Companies, Soul Cycle, Whole 30, the W Fund, 5th Century Partners and much more.
In celebration of our Rogue Women on March 25th @ 12 EST we want to go back to the origin, to where the Rogue Women event series started to Caroline Lewis – Partner at Rogue Ventures, Managing Partner of Rogue Women's Fund, and Kauffman Fellow. We talk about being fiercely female and always rogue. Caroline shares why investing in women is good business and how we can build our innovation muscles to change the world. Please enjoy.
As part of our celebration of Women’s History Month this episode takes insightful clips from the visionary women that have appeared on the podcast over the last few months. From VC Samara Hernandez talking about diverse portfolios and what she looks for in founders, to CEO Whisperer and Sunday Dinner Founder Lindsey Slaby discussing self-worth and ROI. Futurist Cathy Hackl does a speed round on new technology giving you a glimpse into what’s next and 3 female founders shaking up the food & beverage industry share their founder stories: Peekaboo Ice Cream, Snack Riot and Superfrau. #WomenInTech #FemaleFounders #RogueWomen.
LG invested nearly $80 million dollars into TV data and measurement company Alphonso in January 2021. The plan is to leverage Alphonso’s software, data analytics, and media activation capabilities across LG’s home entertainment products, mainly smart TVs. Raghu Kodige, the Co-Founder of Alphonso, shares his thoughts on corporate/startup collaborations, the journey from garages and mattresses to building the future of Connected Television. This episode is a masterclass in how to launch a successful startup and the value of big company and startup partnerships.
How will retail evolve? We asked Ross Neumann, Head of Partnerships for Lowe’s Innovation Labs; David Matthews, Managing Director at RevTech Ventures; Richard Schwartz, President and CEO of Pensa Systems, a leading innovator in autonomous perception for retail inventory; and Ben Conway, Co-Founder and COO of VNTANA, the world’s first 3D Collaboration Platform. This is a live recording from our What’s Next, Now event series and we discuss 3D models, spatial computing, the harmonization of on-line and off-line and the digitization of on-shelf.
The potential symbiotic relationship between big and small companies + the opportunity that collaboration between emerging startups and established multi-nationals holds. Brigette Wolf, The Global Head of Snackfutures at Mondelez shares the details of their new startup engagement platform for early-stage, well-being snack brands…COLAB. We discuss how getting this collaboration right can push the boundaries of what’s possible for founders and for Fortune 500 companies – all in service of providing what consumers want and improving our well-being.
I started VentureFuel 7 years ago to shake up the status quo with new solutions fueled by diversified thoughts and perspectives of visionary leaders. This episode celebrates a few of those visionaries that have appeared on the podcast over the last few months. From Adrian Parker, Global Vice President of Patron, to Erika Parkins, (formerly) Head of Strategic Partnerships at The Estee Lauder Companies, to Modi Oyewole, Sr. Director of Marketing at Capital Records, to Travis Montaque, Founder of Holler and James Chapman, Founder of Plain Sight. They share their insights on innovation, collaboration, expression, access and serendipity.
Two trends accelerating at the same time – LIVE + GAMING – intersect at OS Studios. As the world went remote, esports and gaming had to migrate their large-scale tournaments to virtual, talk shows and events had to be shot from distributed locations and the fanciest of studios gave way to live streams from couches. OS Studios Co-Founder, Ian Packard, shares how emerging technology is enabling next-gen event production, what the future holds as in-person re-emerges and how your business can take advantage of these opportunities.
Visionary Investor of the Year Mel Strong, Brand Visionary of the Year Jackson Jeyanayagam and Venture of the Year Xiaoyin Qu of Run The World come together to share their secrets on Revolutionizing How We Connect. This recoding of the live event on 1/28/21 covers D2C (direct-to-consumer), hyper personalization, human optimization, virtual serendipity and cutting the innovation cycle to keep up with accelerating change.
One of the most influential futurists on the planet, Cathy Hackl specializes in how emerging technologies like AI, AR and 5G will impact our lives. We talk about Direct2Avatar, the Metaverse, Cybercrimes, EX, startups and Air Jordans + The Future of Cereal. Cathy has worked at Magic Leap, HTV Vive and has been named a Top 10 most influential women in tech, she is a 2x LinkedIn top Technology Voice globally and she was just named to Thinkers 50 Radar (the Oscars of Management Thinking) where she was described as “the CEOs private guide to the Metaverse.”
Chingona translates to a woman who is intelligent, fearless, and can get things done. Founding Partner of Chingona Ventures, Samara Hernandez is as Chingona as it gets. Samara launched the Chicago based early stage VC fund in 2019 and has made 18 investments and received part of a $50m investment from PayPal Ventures. She is focused on investing in overlooked, massive and growing markets. We talk about spotting opportunities, diversity as an accelerant to outsized returns and why cultivating different networks improves your chances of success.
Company history, the founding story, and the why of your organization can anchor your decisions and make clear where to innovate. Often you need to go back before you go forward. Chris Cummings, CEO & Founder of Pass it Down, helps institutions transform their archives and history into interactive digital storytelling experiences. We chat about the importance of history, the future of museums and why the future often begins in the past.
The Internet of Things (IoT) industry has quickly transformed from a futuristic idea to the next massive evolution (McKinsey predicts IoT will deliver $6 trillion in economic impact by 2025). Greg Kahn is the President and CEO of the Internet of Things Consortium, a trade association focused on frontier technologies across IoT including home automation, smart cities, connected healthcare/wellness, connected cars and connected retail. Greg is also the CEO of GK Digital Ventures, which provides investor strategies, marketplace development and executive experiences, and data & technology support. He has been awarded the Business Role Model of the Year in 2020 by CEO World. Named one of the Top IoT influencers by Huffington Post, Inc. Magazine, Hewlett Packard Enterprise and The Internet of Business. We talk about the future of IoT, its impact on startups and corporations and why the future is not in some Jetsonian future but is the Now Normal.
Steven Wolfe Pereira, the CEO and Co-Founder of Encantos, and award-winning bi-lingual edtech company (which I invested in). Encantos is rethinking education through a mix of physical and digital tools grounded in play. Steven is one of the top rated voices on LinkedIn, named by Adweek as one of the "50 Most Indispensable Executives in Marketing, Media and Tech". He has served as the Chief Marketing Officer of Datalogix (acquired by Oracle), Neustar (acquired by Golden Gate Capital) and Quantcast. We talk about storyteaching, inclusion, innovation as well as how to unscale and subscribe.
Mayur Gupta, Chief Marketing and Strategy Officer for Gannett, has an incredibly strong track record as a growth and content marketer at big CPGs like Kimberly Clark, as well as disruptive start-ups like Spotify and Freshly that re-shaped their categories. 40 under 40, Forbes’ Top 50 CMO, profiled in Harvard Business Review and the Economist, Mayur is the real deal. We talk about comfort in chaos, day 1 thinking, marketing’s marketing problem, innovation in legacy companies and his 3 flywheels of growth.
2 of the 4 finalists for the upcoming NY MilkLaunch share their origin stories and how they have accelerated their breakthrough products. Meet Pursue Happiness Cold Brew Cowffee an innovative dairy-based, shelf-stable coffee drink with high protein, low sugar and added CLA Plus for increased health benefits. Meet Karviva Gold Sage: Inspired by ancient wisdom, backed by modern science, this wellness beverage infuses functional ingredients like turmeric and other minerals into NY milk to deliver a full range of health benefits.
Meet Superfrau - An alpine-inspired electrolyte elixir made of upcycling surplus whey and infusing it with unique flavors like cucumber lime, lemon elderflower and peach mango. A hydrating, protein and nutrient-packed recovery drink that promotes sustainability in the dairy industry. Meet Slate Milk - a low sugar, higher protein line of lactose free vanilla and chocolate milks for everyone, not just children. These are 2 of the 4 finalists for the upcoming NY MilkLaunch competition.
Commercializing Serendipity. As we work remotely and major conferences and networking events have morphed to digital, the biggest complaint is lack of serendipity. That moment where the ultimate connection is right next to you, hiding in Plain Sight, and you strike up a conversation. That’s why James Chapman created Plain Sight, a localized, social networking platform that connects you with the type of people you’re looking for both online and in physical spaces. We talk about the future of networking, commercializing serendipity and creating your own powerful community. Find Your Tribe.
$605bn – that’s how big snacking is globally. What if you could tap into that with a combination of emerging entrepreneurs, industry mentors and one of the ultimate super foods? The Real California Milk Snackcelerator does just that, and their finals air live on YouTube on Nov. 19th @ 5 PM PST. Here is a sneak peek of the experience from the 3 architects of the program: John Talbot CEO of CMAB, Bob Carroll VP of Business Development CMAB and Fred Schonenberg, Founder of VentureFuel. CMAB is one of the largest agricultural marketing boards in the US.
Decadent French chocolate mousse? Organic flavored paneer. Meet 2 of the 4 finalists for the upcoming Real California Milk Snackcelerator as they introduce you to their products and the mentors helping them accelerate their businesses.
2 of the 4 finalists for the upcoming Real California Milk Snackcelerator introduce you to their products. Learn how an accelerator can actually grow your business, why California Dairy is different and meet delicious premium cheese made easy and decadent ice cream filled with hidden veggies.
“Building Better Marketers” that’s the north star for Lindsey Slaby, Founder of Sunday Dinner, who is often called the CMO Whisperer. Lindsey is part orchestrator, master networker, creative power-house. That helps marketers rethink strategy and deliver by orchestrating new approaches to organizational design and external partner relationships. Lindsey was just named to AdAge’s 40 under 40 list for all the work she does for clients like Target, Microsoft, Stitch Fix, MassMutual. We chat about the disruptive new model that is Sunday Dinner, how to work with external partners and how to inject fresh thinking to drive growth.
DTC is one of the all-time great disruptions, but was seemingly impossible for the alcohol industry due to the prohibition laws in the US, until. Speakeasy Co. They enable craft brands nationwide to sell directly to consumers from their websites without disrupting the three tier system; giving brands the opportunity to fuel their own growth through lean DTC practices embraced by startups across every other food and bev category. We talk with Josh about the power of data, how to launch a spirits brand and the future of alcohol purchases.
Can you eat water lilies? Are brussels sprouts the next pop chip? Want to discover what’s next in snacking and surprise and delight your family? Erica Wagner, the Chief Snack Officer, and Arielle Diskin, The Chief Social Snacker, are the Co-Founders of SnackRiot. SnackRiot is a monthly snack subscription service that introduces busy families to new brands, ingredients and flavors with the goal of expanding their snack cabinet options. We discuss why people love new snacks, new food trends and what large companies can learn from their efforts. PS – there is a discount code hidden within the episode.
Russell Barnett is a master marketer of category-creating food and beverage items. Mike’s Hard Lemonade – inception to $150m. Gardein - $30m to $90m before purchase by Pinnacle Foods. Kevita –sold to Pepsi. PopChips – created the entire “popped” category. Now he is the CMO at My/Mo Mochi Ice Cream and recently named to Forbes’ CMO Next List of Game-Changing Marketing Leaders. Russell shares how to be “thumb stopping”, the importance of conflict, why weird is good, why he values bravery over risk and why he rejects the concept of a challenger brand. No one in the world is better at creative partnerships and we also get after how Russell makes those happen.
Almost 50% of all K-12 public school students are "attending" schools that only offer virtual learning, which is changing consumer spending, family life and work for tens of millions of Americans. Burbio, a data service that measures community life, has built a School Opening Tracker providing daily updates across all 3,000 U.S. counties by school district learning plans: virtual, hybrid, and traditional in-person. The service also projects future changes and offers insights into marketing to families during Covid. Co- Founder Dennis Roche shares why this data can give competitive advantages to anyone looking to reach moms and families.
How Chobani has remained a “Spiritual Startup” with Peter McGuinness, the President and Chief Operating Officer at Chobani. Chobani is America’s #1-selling Yogurt brand with eyes on becoming “tomorrow’s food company” by providing better food for more people. Peter shares how they have broken down silos to shift towards a nimbler, team-centric way of organizing; why they embrace a “Warrior Shepherd” mentality, the value of innovating as a category leader, and why Peter is excited to judge VentureFuel’s upcoming NY MilkLaunch competition.
As a fan, when you interact with tech at a stadium you expect it to be intelligent and responsive to who you are. Realife Tech creates personalized fan experiences at live events. They sit atop of all of the data sources at a live venue (ticketing, wifi) to create a unified view of customers for clients like AEG, O2, Live Nation. Today Adam Goodyer, the founder and CEO of Realife Tech, talks about getting fans back to live events via their Covid Safety Hub, how personalized fan experiences lead to increased opportunities for brands, team and event operators and the “Bubbling Cauldron of Entrepreneurship” created by volatility.
Ila Byrne, Principal at Ila Byrne Consulting, led innovation and ideation for Diageo North America. She is an intrapreneur, a proven creator of multi-million dollar breakthrough ideas and Forbes named her one of the “women running the liquor world.” She is the architect of the innovation strategy which led to the most successful new innovation in Vodka in the US (Ketel One Botanicals) and her innovations have been directly credited with growing Diageo’s share price - think Baileys Strawberries & Cream to Crown Royal Flavored Whiskies. We talk about inspiration from startups, how she provokes and protects brands, as well as the future of drinking: no-alc, low-alc, botanicals, nootropics, functional, new occasions, hard seltzers, CBD, THC and holistic.
George began his career as a project manager for Google before cofounding the first on-demand mobile transportation booking technology, Taxi Magic (now known as Curb), two years before Uber was even created. His new company, Shift, is an online marketplace disrupting the car industry and going public via a SPAC. We talk about the journey of this $100M Founder from Immigrant to Entrepreneur, what a SPAC is and how is scaling from an idea to a multi-million-dollar business. We also have a fascinating chat on how large companies can avoid disruption, but often do not.
Wilson founded and leads Cyber NYC, an initiative by the New York City Economic Development Corporation, to strengthen the cyber-security innovation + investment ecosystem in New York. We talk about leveraging the intersection of startups, government, VCs, and academia to create thousands of jobs and why that strong “New Yorker” personality is perfect for a founder (resiliency to meet any challenge). Fuhgeddaboudit!
We have taken insights from past guests to help you understand how and why to build an innovation mindset at your company. Featuring Comcast NBC Universal, Mondelez, Patron, AFVentures, NBA2k, Rogue Women’s Fund and Twitch.
We have taken insights from past guests to answer why established business and large industries should partner with startups. Featuring Mastercard, The Clorox Company, CMAB, Microsoft, Paramount Pictures, Learfield IMG College, Next Ventures, and The Estee Lauder Companies.
Popspots operates Grocery TV, The largest digital advertising network in U.S. grocery. Their tech delivers AI enabled in-store advertising, out-of-stock management, and planogram compliance. What’s unique about Popspots is their use of AI to measure their audience and the value they add to the physical grocery stores, and grocery stores are not only an essential service but the center of our communities.
Jason Rathje, Major in the Air Force, aeronautical engineer and Director of AFVentures spent 3 years researching the intersection of entrepreneurship, innovation, and national security at Stanford. Now he is part of the team that implements novel initiatives to accelerate product-market fit between companies passionate about national security and Air Force users who need their revolutionary technologies. We talk disruption insurance, how to make it easier for startups to interact with the government and the benefits of open platforms.
Holler is on a mission to make your texts, posts, and DMs more expressive by creating original content meant for messaging (think GIFs/fun animated stickers in places like LinkedIn and Venmo) and then recommending the most relevant ones at just the right moment. 2020 Most Innovative Company (Fast Co), Entrepreneur Magazine’s Most Daring Entrepreneur, Forbes 30 Under 30 -- Founder & CEO Travis Montaque.
Ted Schilowitz is the Futurist in Residence at Paramount Pictures/Viacom CBS, where he works with studio leadership and tech teams exploring new and emerging technologies. We explore XR, the acceleration caused by the pandemic and why large companies need to get curious about tomorrow. How do we consume content in 2030? Take a listen...
Amper is an artificial intelligence composer that allows you to create your own unique music instantly, tailored to any content, without any musical experience required. In fact, I used it to create our new podcast music. CEO Drew Silverstein and I talk about the fusion of music theory and AI. We discuss how you can unlock emotional intent through sonic branding and how to find your sound whether it be Orchestral Hip-Hop, How To Train Your Dragon or Jackson Browne. www.ampermusic.com
How can the tech tools of the most elite athletes help us perform better in our daily lives? Why should large companies partner with startups? Can sports transform culture? Mel Strong is the Managing Partner at Next Ventures, a VC fund investing in human performance via innovative health, sports and wellness companies. Mel began her investing career after 17 years at Nike where she held senior roles on NikeID, Women’s Training, Skateboarding and more, and is now an advisor to Nike’s Valiant Labs as well as on the board of Women in SportsTech.
Normal Ain’t Working. CFO – Chief Failure Officer. Unrealistic Leaders Move Irreversibly. Storytelling Through Technology. These were just a few of the titles we considered after talking with Adrian Parker – Global VP of Patron, where he oversees all things marketing across 100 countries for the company Bacardi bought for $5b. Learn how Adrian leads and makes decision amidst ambiguity and an ever-changing environment.
When an Olympic Gold Medalist + Former UNICEF Chairman + Pediatric Nutritionist + VC with 3 Stanford Degrees get together to create a delicious kids nutritional shake. Winner of the Real California Milk Accelerator, Bears Nutrition, is supercharged milk to provide essential nutrients to help active kids grow. We welcome Adam Kreek: Olympic Gold Medalist and member of the Canadian Hall of Fame; Kevin Yeung: former UNICEF Chairman, and David Sheu: Co-Founder of Bears Nutrition to talk about accelerating growth for both startups and children.
Why did Amazon buy Twitch for $970M in 2014, and why are the NFL, the Premier League and the biggest stars in music flocking to the platform today? Walker Jacobs, Chief Revenue Office of Twitch, tells us about the passion economy and why live, interactive and community-based content is the future. We also chat about selling new and different, why gaming is no longer niche, brand love, embracing innovation and why he may start to live-stream his bbq.
What’s next in food, grocery and beverages? Who are the next wave of makers and how Mark Johnson is building a community to give them the insights and services they need to thrive. Foodboro’s passionate micro-community of food and beverage innovators are connecting with each other to overcome challenges of scaling up and looking to disrupt yesterday’s CPG giants.
From immersive ocean worlds for adidas in Paris, to AR Home Shopping Experiences with LG in Korea, to slime dripping from YOUR ceiling during a Nickelodeon broadcast - Eyecandylab is augmenting our experiences for the better, and doing it in a way that is both accessible and scalable with our current devices. We talk about the metaverse, why we can’t Shazam our way to the second screen and what’s next for television and sports.
How do you launch 4 startups, amidst a global pandemic? How can a $26B business innovate, disrupt and find new ways to serve their consumers? Brigette Wolf, the Global Head of SnackFutures at Mondelez, talks with us about finding your pivot, doubling down on the distinct customer need that you want to fight for and how to cut through processes and layers with small experiments.
If you open your fridge, chances are you’ve Got Milk. No other product has the same level of mass acceptance - yet, there is a need to innovate to stay close with the ever-changing consumer. CMAB is one of the largest agricultural marketing boards in the US and we chat about their new startup competition The Real California Milk Snackcelerator and the value of new ideas, outside perspectives and the future of dairy.
Erika has 10+ years of experience working in entrepreneurial new business and corporate innovation divisions for leading global media, beauty and CPG firms. As the Head of Strategic Partnerships for the Digital Technology and Innovation Group at Estee Lauder Companies Online, she fosters collaboration between emerging enterprises and large corporations, matching startup agility with corporate ability and expertise. We talk about clarity, non-linear ideation and open innovation.
The storage industry was a real estate game, slicing up units like apartments and renting them – that is, until MakeSpace disrupted it with a customer-first convenience strategy. Now, after raising $150m and expanding to 31 markets, Co-Founder Rahul Gandhi is still flexing his innovation mindset to ensure they are the disruptors. We talk about risk-taking, the importance of convenience and re-imaging customer-centric strategies.
How do you evolve your mindset from fear to growth? Can you become the change you want to see in the world, and if you want to change the narrative, shouldn’t you change the outcome? Fiercely female, always rogue. Caroline shares why investing in women is good business and how we can build our innovation muscles to change the world.
AllVoices gives companies the tools to listen at scale by allowing employees to anonymously send feedback to company leaders about workplace issues like bias and harassment. This gives everyone a voice and gives employers the opportunity to proactively improve diversity, equity and inclusion.
Learfield IMG College is a $2 billion company that has the multimedia rights to 54 of the top 65 universities including sponsorship for nearly 130 collegiate institutions, conferences and arenas. Rob Schneider is leading innovation at a unique time in the history of live sports and we talk about everything from data, to startups to creative problem solving.
Corporate innovators from AB InBev, Comcast and Supergoop! discuss going rogue in their careers and how Covid as the great accelerator is shaping the future of entertainment, retail and social connections.
Combining hip-hop, electronic, R&B and indie rock was the signature of the Trillectro Music Festival lauded for showcasing up-and-coming musicians on the eve of their big break. But for founder Modi Oyewole, this mashup of various cultures and passions is the secret sauce of innovation. Join us as Modi takes us from Nike to Jay Z, from Red Bull to Kendrick Lamar to how he connects brands with the culture of tomorrow and merges nostalgia with cutting edge.
The social media boycott and impending cookie-apocalypse mean that brands and viewers are demanding a “better, high-quality, safe and appropriate” video experience. Enter IRIS.TV, a privacy-first video intelligence platform using machine learning to automate personalized video content based on audience preference with top premium publishers. Happier viewers, higher performing ads – all safely delivered at scale.
Learn how Mara Abrams is creating and deploying open innovation strategies (prize competitions and accelerators) to solve the key challenges of increasing participation in the 2020 Census and showing the critical importance of Census and other federal data. Mara is a Senior Advisor for the Open Innovation Program at the U.S. Census Bureau and Co-Founder and Director of the Census Open Innovation Labs.
Custom computer-generated voice for business. Resemble Co-Founder Saqib Muhammad discusses his solution for creating and updating audio content outside the studio, enabling creators to be more dynamic and flexible in this growing age of voice assistants and audio-driven media.
Embrace curiosity and overcome risk with Mike Pell, a one-man creative agency for designing, coding and shipping breakthrough software. Mike leads Design for The Microsoft Garage, the company’s worldwide program for experimental projects and curiosity-fueled explorations. He is the co-inventor of Adobe Acrobat, has been awarded several U.S. patents for work at Microsoft and designed and developed MenuFonts (for the original Macintosh in 1984).
A broadcast-quality studio created remotely in a matter of days, capable of streaming live content across TV, mobile, AR, VR with almost zero latency. The future of content, education, podcasting and professionalizing your business content.
Generating wins for your core business through multi-touchpoint startup engagement with 2020 VentureFuel Visionary Danielle Cohn, VP of Startup Engagement and Head of LIFT Labs for Comcast NBCUniversal. Uncover challenges worth solving and enable your business to adapt to an uncertain future.
On this special LIVE recording we talk about virtual events with a16z and Run The World, a virtual event platform focused on enabling meaningful social connection. They just raised $11M and have been described as a hybrid of Zoom video, Eventbrite ticketing, Twitch interactivity, and LinkedIn networking.
Can large companies and traditional industries go Direct-to-Consumers (DTC)? Learn from the best as 2020 VentureFuel Visionary Jackson Jeyanayagam, VP/GM of DTC at The Clorox Company, shares his recipe for innovating within large companies. He describes how he created a playbook for how to modernize brands and to scale them across traditional organizations.
As a leader in the zero-waste revolution, Package Free founder, Lauren Singer, shares her commitment to reducing trash and making the sustainable lifestyle accessible and affordable for every consumer.
"Advertising is dead," so says 2020 VentureFuel Visionary Raja Rajamannar, the Chief Marketing & Communications Officer and President of Healthcare Business for Mastercard. He shares why the greatest advancements in his 35-year career are from collaborations with startups and how you can build an innovation culture.
With billions of views and millions of image downloads a month, Unsplash has become a force in the creative ecosystem. Co-Founder Mikael Cho discusses the value to image producers, users and brands, and how they can authentically embed themselves into Unsplash's community.
2020 VentureFuel Visionary, Matt Arden shares how his team launched the NBA 2K League season remotely for broadcast on ESPN and Twitch in a matter of weeks, and how corporate innovators can take pandemic pivots to inform future processes.
Co-Founder, Fiona Lee, shares the story of how distribution challenges for her cookie company led to the launch of Pod Foods, a next gen food distribution platform bringing emerging food/beverage brands to retailers.
In this special episode, we feature a panel from our Rogue Women event in May, 2020, with three executives from the sports industry discussing the future of the fan experience, live sports, storytelling and more.
Jack Shannon, Co-Founder of event sponsorship platform, Recess, shares his founder story and recent pivot into the virtual event landscape.
Chief Revenue Office of Ryff, Shini Wark, discusses the technology making post-production product placement come to life, enabling brands to connect with audiences in authentic, timely and relevant ways, and providing content owners with new revenue opportunities.
CEO Gideon Stein shares the story of how an online community of comedians transformed into the data-driven, on-demand creative service that is Write Label, and how brands can outsource creativity for fast and effective results.
Voice app and machine teaching engine founder Pat Higbie shares why voice is a growing category for business and brands, and how his AI makes it all possible.
Nadia Masri, founder of real-time consumer insights platform Perksy, shares her pursuits as a serial entrepreneur, Perksy's mobile-first mentality, and key insights into consumer behavior during the covid pandemic.
Connecting brands and athletes in an open marketplace, founder Ishveen Anand shares her vision for OpenSponsorship and how it can help brands be more authentic and athletes gain valuable traction in their communities.
In our conversation with Inuru founder Marcin Ratajczak, we discuss printed light for packaging and its marketing, supply chain and environmental impacts.
Former rock n' roll DJ and marketing queen Kate Bradley Chernis discusses her AI-powered social media solution and how it can help brands maximize their content.
A conversation with Tribute founder Andrew Horn on his founding story, how he measures success in "tears of joy/" and all the ways corporations and individuals are using his platform.
VentureFuel's Fred Schonenberg interviews Kara founder Marie Berry on her automated marketing production platform, how it works, what companies should be using it and how it can save precious time and resources.
VentureFuel founder Fred Schonenberg chats with Messy.fm CEO Molly Beck about her podcasting platform, enterprise use cases and the growth of audio.