Leading In Business Podcast

To help fund a life-saving vaccine or send aid in a natural disaster, all you have to do is buy wine. That’s the idea behind ONEHOPE, the California-based wine brand providing people the opportunity to do more good through everyday actions. Their wine, gourmet coffee, and gift sets each support a charitable cause — every case of pinot funds a pet adoption, while every bottle of sparkling helps fund two meals to help end childhood hunger. No one needed another excuse to pour themselves a glass of Merlot, but ONEHOPE makes it all the more appealing. Brandon Hall, the Co-Founder and Chief Brand Officer of ONEHOPE, joins The IVY Podcast to talk about how he and his friends built the socially-conscious brand from the ground up, and their mission of bringing people together to celebrate and serve the world.

Naveen Jain is driven to solve the world's biggest challenges through innovation. His space company, Moon Express, is the first private enterprise to receive formal government approval to land on the moon this Fall — beating Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk. Naveen has also founded the companies Viome, World Innovation Institute, TalentWise, and Infospace, among others. Those companies goals range from making humanity a multi-planetary society, to rethinking the entire healthcare system from an entrepreneur's perspective, to saving us from extinction — and that’s just scratching the surface. You could say Naveen knows how to dream big. Naveen joins The IVY Podcast to discuss how entrepreneurs can sink their teeth into today’s most complex problems in order to catalyze original thinking, pursue “Moonshot” initiatives, and create companies that make a true impact.

From the rise of subscription and streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music, to the surprising return of LPs, to the continuing decline in sales of CDs and digital tracks  — the multi-billion dollar music industry has undergone some massive transformations in the past five years.  In light of all this, one wonders: What will the future of music in the 21st century look like? If there’s one man who has an idea, it’s six-time Grammy-nominated DJ, singer, songwriter, and producer, Kaskade. The stage name of record producer and remixer Ryan Raddon, Kaskade has released nine studio albums since 2008, created remixes for everyone from Lady Gaga to Beyoncé, and performed hundreds of headlining shows a year for a decade running. His latest full-length album, Automatic, amassed over 50 million streams on Spotify in less than a year’s time. Kaskade joins The IVY Podcast to reflect on how he exactly he grew into an iconic music producer, speak to the the future of music industry, and give advice to aspiring mus

Brian Gallagher is the President & CEO of United Way Worldwide, the largest private sector nonprofit in the country, which raises approximately $4 billion dollars annually. It offers leadership support for millions of volunteers and donors and licenses nearly 1800 franchises in 41 countries. In this conversation, Brian describes the successes and struggles he has experienced during his tenure at United Way, explaining how the organization is adapting to engage the next generation of donors. He discusses the prominent role played by the numerous United Way chapters across the globe, describing how the organization's collective impact model engages various stakeholders in communities to solve some of the world's most pressing problems.   

What do you do when you’re stuck with a broken business model? You dig deep and reach into an inner reserve of resilience, grit, and perseverance to pioneer a new range of solutions to make your struggling business thrive. World-renowned fashion icon Tamara Mellon has become a paragon of such business tenacity and savvy. A co-founder of the luxury shoe brand Jimmy Choo back in 1996, Tamara left the company in 2011 with a reported $135 million payout. In 2013, she started her own self-named luxury label in New York, which sold through brick-and-mortar retailers like Neiman Marcus. After realizing that her new venture was using an outdated model of luxury, Tamara filed for bankruptcy and relaunched her eponymous brand in Los Angeles in 2016. The new chapter of Tamara Mellon brings the same top quality, Italian handcrafted shoes to women, but does so in a disruptive, direct-to-consumer model, selling only from her website for a fraction of the price of competing brands. Tamara joins The IVY Podcast to reflect

Fashion, like any other artform, is constantly changing and evolving with the times. A reflection of society’s defining spirit or mood at any given moment, fashion provides a unique window through which to grasp larger cultural, political, and ideological forces at play in the world. Dr. Valerie Steele, the Director and Chief Curator of The Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology in NYC, has been an instrumental figure in creating and giving shape to our modern understanding of the cultural significance of fashion. In her two-decade career at The Museum at FIT, Dr. Steele has personally organized more than 20 exhibitions and authored or co-authored more than 20 books on the topic. Dr. Steele joined The IVY Podcast to talk about how the business of fashion is changing as the millennial generation grows into the industry’s target consumers, as well as the intersection and fashion and technology. If your wardrobe needs some further inspiration, Dr. Steele's got tips for how to develop your personal style

Trying to raise the serious capital needed to turn your idea into a global company? The process is daunting and complex, to say the least — from identifying sophisticated institutional investors actually willing to back your pitch, to the initial “seed capital” phase, all the way through series A, B, and C funding. Thankfully, Brian Hirsch is here to simplify your entrepreneurial endeavor. The Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Tribeca Venture Partners —  a venture capital firm focused almost exclusively on startups — Brian is an expert at raising early-stage funding for emerging businesses. In this conversation, Brian reveals practical tools gleaned from his years of experiences helping to build world-class companies. Brian’s insights are what any entrepreneur aiming to secure investments in the earliest stages of their business needs to know.

The global real estate investment market is a multi-trillion dollar industry — a massive investment vehicle that has made the fortunes of magnates across the globe. Yet this behemoth market has largely remained resistant to major technological change, maintaining antiquated processes for those trying to make money from tangible property. Ryan Williams, the Co-Founder & CEO of Cadre, is on a mission to shake up this lumbering industry. A Harvard grad who worked stints at The Blackstone Group and Goldman Sachs, the 29-year-old Williams has built Cadre into a next-generation platform that empowers people to buy and sell real estate more efficiently. Co-founded with Josh and Jared Kushner, Cadre has already closed hundreds of millions of dollars worth of deals on the platform. The New York-based company recently raised $65 million in a Series C funding round, drawing the attention of major real estate players in its plans for global expansion. Ryan Williams joins The IVY Podcast to discuss next steps for Ca

Successful entrepreneurs from Steve Jobs to Peter Thiel have obsessively turned to literature for ideas, unpacking canonical texts as "case studies" for effective leadership, concept generation, conflict resolution, and better understanding diverse cultures. Joseph Luzzi, the award-winning author and professor of Italian at Bard College, is a champion of this methodology. Luzzi’s perceptive work analyzes how history’s premier minds — from Dante and Machiavelli to Shakespeare, Tolstoy, and Nietzsche — can spark innovative entrepreneurial insights, even in our modern day. In this conversation, Luzzi delves into the ten timeless leadership lessons of classical literature, mining the time-tested geniuses of the written word for literary test cases geared towards the world of business. Please enjoy our conversation with Joesph Luzzi.

Picture this: lightning strikes your dreamscape one unexpected evening, stirring you from your slumber with the almighty power of a flawless idea — an idea that will improve people’s lives and solve society’s problems in previously unimagined ways. Bleary-eyed, you type out the concept on your phone and fall back asleep, grinning at your genius. Morning arrives, and with it a sudden, nagging sense of doubt. Though still confident in the life-altering potential of your idea, the reality of the situation is hitting home — how are you actually going to turn this idea into a reality? What form will your product take in the physical world? How will you convince users of its benefits? When can you launch? Enter Vanessa Larco. A Partner at the Silicon Valley-based investment firm New Enterprise Associates (NEA), Vanessa has a passion for helping founders bring their products to life. Her years of experience in product management — including overseeing web and mobile apps at Box, and contributing to the teams on Xb

Many young leaders today know what they want to accomplish — whether it’s creating a company, writing a bestseller, or inventing a new technology. The difficult question is how to accomplish these goals — how to overcome obstacles, strategize exactly what we need to do to accomplish our dreams, and turn that bestseller into a reality. Fortunately, there are people like Laurie Gerber who have dedicated their entire personal and professional lives to teaching people how to realize their dreams. Gerber is an Expert Coach at Handel Group, where she’s been coaching individuals and groups for over 15 years on how to harness their personal strengths and eliminate the excuses holding them back. In this conversation, Laurie’s reveals the key techniques needed to maximize your ability to thrive across all areas of life — from health, love, and career, to money, family, and everything in between. Please enjoy our conversation with Laurie Gerber.

Craig Dubitsky is one of the most creative minds in consumer goods, with a proven track record for identifying and exploiting gaps in competitive markets. He is the "Friendly Founder" of Hello — the “naturally friendly” oral care company whose products are vegan, never tested on animals, and made in the USA. Prior to Hello, Craig cofounded Eos, a women’s personal care brand known for its ubiquitous lip balm. He also served as SVP of Venture Development at Simon Property Group, leading the initial investment in Method Products — a manufacturer of biodegradable natural cleaning supplies, which was named the 16th “most innovative company in the world” by Fast Company in 2008. Craig himself was named to Advertising Age's Creativity 50 as one of the “Most Influential and Innovative Creative Thinkers and Doers” in 2014. In this conversation, Craig shares the story of how he founded Hello, and offers advice from his transformative career. Please enjoy our conversation with Craig Dubitsky.

  Joseph N. Sanberg believes that everyone who works – and everyone who wants to but can’t – should be able to afford life’s basic needs and live with financial security. He founded the Golden State Opportunity Foundation to expand financial security to the millions of Californians who work hard yet experience constant financial stress. Joe has been the leading advocate for the state’s new Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) for low-income families. Joe not only lobbied California to pass the credit, but in 2015 when the state didn’t allocate enough money for outreach, Joe created CalEITC4Me. This community organizing program has connected working California families with $2 billion of state and federal Earned Income Tax Credits. This spring, CalEITC4Me led a grassroots organizing campaign that won a massive expansion of California’s EITC so that next year, 3x more working families – 1.7 million in total – will be able to earn the CalEITC. Please enjoy our conversation with Joseph Sanberg.

Ze Frank is the President of BuzzFeed Entertainment Group.  After graduating from Brown University in 1995 with a BS in Neuroscience, Frank became an unexpected internet pioneer, driving traffic to his own personal website via short films, animations and video games. Frank won a Webby in 2002 for Best Personal Website and was featured in Time Magazine’s “50 Coolest Websites” in 2005. From there, he launched his Youtube channel with the hugely popular ‘True Facts’ series along with other viral shows. Frank joined BuzzFeed in 2012 to grow and develop its video platform, and he currently oversees the creation of all BuzzFeed video and editorial entertainment content. Ze also built BuzzFeed Motion Pictures, the company’s pioneering and prolific moving image studio. In this thought-provoking discussion, Frank shares key insights and advice about how to pioneer innovation in the digital world and build a loyal audience. Please enjoy our conversation, with Ze Frank

Mike is a Founding Partner at Floodgate, a venture capital firm that invests in the extraordinary top ".1%" of companies earlier than anyone else, including Twitter, Lyft, Twitch.tv, and Sparefoot. After earning his MBA from Stanford, he went to Silicon Graphics where he was developing CGI that studios such as Industrial Light and Magic used in their feature films. He then joined his college roommate, Joe Liemandt, at Trilogy Software, which soon after went public and was acquired by IBM. In this compelling conversation, Mike revealed investment tips for entrepreneurs searching for success and shared how proactive businesses can become empires.  

Fashion legend Marigay McKee has risen from “lipstick girl” at Harrod’s to a major leader of some of the biggest luxury brands in the world. After working as a retail clerk and teacher for many years, she was offered the opportunity to become an executive at Estee Lauder Europe, and from there, launched a twenty-year career in luxury retailing. She eventually rose to the pinnacle of London’s retail world when she rejoined Harrod’s, this time as a Senior Beauty Buyer, and over a fifteen year period at the helm of buying and product strategy, advanced to become the store's Chief Merchant. Through the implementation of Marigay’s strategic vision and her philosophy on exclusivity, Harrod’s attracted a greater share of high-end luxury clients than ever before. Marigay subsequently crossed the pond to become President of Saks Fifth Avenue in New York, where she evolved a new vision for the iconic brand’s luxury and positioning platform. She is also an advisor to several emerging fashion brands in the United Kingdo

 Marc Leder is the co-CEO of Sun Capital Partners Since co-founding his global private equity firm in 1995, Marc has helped oversee investment in more than 340 companies worldwide with revenues in excess of $45 billion. Prior to his work at Sun Capital, Marc served as a Senior Vice President of Lehman Brothers in New York. Marc gives insight into how we can each make a stellar career out of entrepreneurship and investing. He also shared how he worked his way up from an analyst at Lehman Brothers to a leading player in the private investment industry, engaged in leveraged buyouts, and business operations for more than two decades. Please enjoy our conversation, with Marc Leder.

Joe Lonsdale is one of the most successful venture capitalists in Silicon Valley, not to mention a veteran tech entrepreneur, investor, and philanthropist. In early 2016 he launched 8VC, a San Francisco-based venture capital firm that aims to fix core processes for some of the world's largest industries. Previously Joe was a founding partner of Formation 8, which manages over $2 billion across multiple funds. Prior to Formation 8, he founded Palantir, a multi-billion dollar global software company best known for its work in defense and finance. Lonsdale serves on the boards of several highly successful companies, including Addepar, OpenGov, insurance unicorn Oscar Health, Illumio, Radius, Hyperloop One and Wish, which has a valuation reportedly well above $3 billion as of additional funding in late 2016. In addition to his work in entrepreneurship & venture capital, Joe is also the Chairman of California Common Sense, a non-profit dedicated to opening government to the public & educating citizens abo

Ben is a serial entrepreneur with over 20 years of experience launching and building successful companies, including Rue La La, one of the earliest players in the digital private sale space, and SmartBargains.com, the off-price e-commerce marketplace. Ben founded his first venture, LIDS Corporation, in 1993 as a junior at Boston University. He eventually sold the company in 2001. Ben was also the first entrepreneur-in-residence at General Catalyst Partners, a premier venture capital firm that invests in innovative, technology-based companies. In this illuminating discussion, Ben reveals the entrepreneurial tools necessary to pioneer revolutionary concepts across diverse industries and build companies that change the way people shop, think, and live. Please enjoy our conversation, with Ben Fischman. -- This episode of the IVY Podcast is brought to you by Instasleep.  Attaining quality sleep is key to a healthy lifestyle and vital in achieving success. Plenty of research has shown the indisputable benefit

In 1976, Caitlyn Jenner broke the world decathlon record at the Olympic Games in Montreal, and earned the title of "World’s Greatest Athlete." Forty years later, she captured the world’s attention again when she revealed that she is a transgender woman during an ABC News special with Diane Sawyer. Caitlyn was named Barbara Walters’ Most Fascinating Person of the Year in 2015, runner-up for the 2015 Person of the Year, Out Magazine’s 2015 Newsmaker of the Year and one of Glamour Magazine’s Women of the Year. In April of 2017, Caitlyn shared her story in her memoir The Secrets of My Life, co-authored by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Buzz Bissinger. During an IVY Idea’s Night in Los Angeles, IVY’s Sarah Zapp sat down with Caitlyn to discuss her incredible journey and about life post-transition. Please enjoy our conversation, with Caitlyn Jenner.  -- This episode of the IVY Podcast is brought to you by Instasleep.  Attaining quality sleep is key to a healthy lifestyle and vital in achieving success. Ple