Launch Pad
182 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 2 years ago - ★★★★★ - 14 ratingsMeet entrepreneurs and learn the secrets to their startup success on Launch Pad, brought to you by Penn Wharton Entrepreneurship and hosted by Karl Ulrich, Vice Dean of Entrepreneurship & Innovation at the Wharton School, Rob Coneybeer, Co-founder & Managing Director of Shasta Ventures, and more. Launch Pad was originally broadcast on SiriusXM Channel 132, Business Radio Powered by The Wharton School. Launch Pad from The Wharton School is not associated with Blackstone LaunchPad.
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Episodes
On-Demand Alcohol Delivery
May 25, 2017 18:25 - 27 minutes - 37.9 MBYou’re sitting down to dinner and realize you’d like to have a glass of wine with your meal—but there’s no wine in the house. What do you do? In a few key cities, mainly in California, instead of having to run out to a liquor store, you can now pull out your smart phone, and that bottle of wine will magically appear at your door in about a half hour. Of course, it’s not magic. It’s Saucey, an on-demand alcohol delivery startup. Listen to Karl Ulrich and Chris talk about the pain of working...
Living Your Best Life, Through Great Content
May 22, 2017 15:35 - 22 minutes - 30.9 MBMindBodyGreen is the result of Jason Wachob almost getting back surgery. Jason started yoga instead, and “that led me down a rabbit hole. I started to look at things like sleep and stress and nutrition, the environment, and made a lot of changes in my life.” He changed how he ate. Ultimately, “over the course of six months I completely healed, and I think yoga played a large role in that healing process.” This was a life changing moment: “to me this idea of wellness was about living your...
Technology, Data, and People
May 12, 2017 18:17 - 51 minutes - 70.9 MB“Technology, data, people, you put those three together you can work magic.” George Karibian, WG’93, serial entrepreneur and founder of PaymentSense. As a member of Penn Wharton Entrepreneurship’s Advisory Board, George was on campus for the Startup Showcase, and he took a few minutes to talk with Karl Ulrich about his fascinating life story, and in particular his takeaways from a tumultuous career as a serial entrepreneur, and currently the Founder and Director of PaymentSense (which Georg...
Twine Elevator Pitch
May 08, 2017 19:14 - 4 minutes - 6.74 MBJoseph Quan WG'17 and Nikhil Srivastava WG'17 give Karl Ulrich their elevator pitch for Twine, "HR software specifically for internal hiring"--which just won the Perlman Grand Prize at the 2017 Penn Wharton Startup Showcase! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Startup Challenge Winners 2017
May 08, 2017 18:24 - 49 minutes - 67.6 MBWe’ve got a special edition of Launch Pad this week, featuring the top three winning teams from the Penn Wharton Startup Challenge! Karl Ulrich talks with: Perlman Grand Prize winners Joseph Quan, WG’17 and Nikhil Srivastava, WG’17, founders of Twine; Second Prize winner Thomas Uhler, C’19, W’19, founder of RightAir; Third Prize winners Mitch Gainer, WG’18 and Marc Giesener, WG’18, founders of CitySense. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
3D Printing To Make & Buy
April 24, 2017 18:26 - 28 minutes - 39.6 MB“If you can’t find it anywhere else, then why not make it?” asks Peter Weijmarshausen, Founder of Shapeways, a 3D printing company that lets you do exactly that. Peter explains: “Shapeways is a platform that is home to a vibrant community that enables them to make amazing products using 3D printing. So if you have a great idea, and you want it to turn in to something physical and a real product, you can go to Shapeways, upload your designs, and we make it for you.” If you’re not a maker,...
Fix Your Commute
April 17, 2017 14:36 - 22 minutes - 31.2 MBHate your commute? Scoop, founded by Rob Sadow W’08, has a solution for you: a “fully automated carpooling solution for commuters.” Scoop partners with enterprises, office parks, and cities to make it easier for coworkers and neighbors to share trips back and forth to the office. Here’s how it works: You book your carpool trips one way at a time, based on your needs. Why one way? Rob explains: “By unbundling it so that you can book one way at a time we make it possible so you can actually ...
Scoop Elevator Pitch
April 17, 2017 14:24 - 4 minutes - 6.2 MBRob Sadow, W'08 gives Karl his elevator pitch for Scoop, "a community and a fully automated carpooling solution for commuters." Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Cleaners, Handymen, & Plumbers, Oh My!
April 10, 2017 18:27 - 50 minutes - 69.9 MBHere’s a fun statistic: about 1% of the working population of the United States have applied to join Handy as cleaners or handymen or plumbers. Now another stat that may show why this is: 80% of the people on Handy work 20 hours a week or less on the platform. 50% work ten hours a week or less. Why? As Oisin Hanrahan, Handy Founder, explains: “Not because there’s not more work there, but because that’s the amount of time they want to work.” “It’s really about flexibility.” Karl Ulrich an...
Teaching Teachers To Teach
April 03, 2017 17:02 - 26 minutes - 35.9 MBWhich is harder, being an algebra teacher or a startup CEO? According to Jeremy Rogoff—who has done both—algebra teacher is harder. No contest. Jeremy is the Founder and CEO of KickUp, which is, in his words, “focused on helping schools and K12 districts understand and improve the impact of their professional learning for teachers.” They use surveys and analytics to help schools understand which of the professional learning the teachers are doing are actually being useful—helping to make t...
3D Printing the Human Body
March 27, 2017 16:17 - 26 minutes - 36.1 MB“The promise of biology is to do incredible things. Like cure different diseases, eliminate the organ waiting list, push life to other planets, or even begin to remediate our own planet.” So says Danny Cabrera, ENG’14, Co-founder of BioBots, a 3D printing company unlike any other, because they print in “biocompatible materials.” Danny explains: “think of these as different colored cartridges on your inkjet printer, only these are for tissues instead of printing in colors.” That’s right, Bi...
Co-Living Arrangements
March 20, 2017 19:07 - 23 minutes - 32.7 MBYou’ve got a great new job, and you move to a new city—say, New York or San Francisco. You don’t know anyone. You don’t know the neighborhoods. You don’t have a community. Where do you live? The new answer is Common. Founded by Brad Hargreaves, former co-founder of General Assembly, Common is creating a new kind of residence: co-living. In Common’s co-living apartments you get your own bedroom, then you share the kitchen, living areas, and “a whole long of common space,” according to Brad—...
Cotopaxi Elevator Pitch
March 13, 2017 18:30 - 5 minutes - 6.91 MBDavis Smith gives Karl his elevator pitch for Cotopaxi, where he's selling "Gear for Good"--quality outdoor gear made with a social mission, and funding a social mission. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Social Impact Through Outdoor Gear
March 13, 2017 18:24 - 49 minutes - 68 MBWith Cotopaxi, founder Davis Smith G'11/WG'11 is "looking to build a world-class example of how to have social impact through a company." He and Karl Ulrich have a fascinating conversation about ventures that integrate social impact into their business models, as Cotopaxi does--a certified B Corp, Cotopaxi designates 2% of revenue "to help alleviate poverty around the world," (as the website explains). Want to know more? Hear Davis dig in to why the social impact piece is crucial to him as...
Scrubs That Flatter
March 07, 2017 13:42 - 27 minutes - 38 MBScrubs that fit well. Scrubs that flatter your body. Scrubs with antimicrobial fabric, to stop bacteria and infections from spreading. The medical apparel industry is a $10 billion industry in the US alone—so where have scrubs like these been? That’s what Trina Spear asked herself, and her answer was FIGS, which she calls the “highest quality medical apparel in the world.” FIGS has the potential to turn the medical apparel industry upside down. As she explains: “it’s a commoditized industr...
Meat Grown In the Laboratory
February 28, 2017 14:56 - 25 minutes - 34.6 MBMeat grown directly from animal cells. It sounds like science fiction, but like so much else in this age of marvels, this hopeful fiction is turning into actual science, at Memphis Meats. A former cardiologist, founder Uma Valeti was part of a study that was trying to inject cells into patients’ hearts to regrow heart muscle, and he took that idea of growing muscle cells… and ran with it. Meat grown in a laboratory, rather than raised as livestock, addresses the environmental, ethical, and...
Curing Cancer With Big Data
February 21, 2017 15:41 - 24 minutes - 33.2 MBWhat's a guy supposed to do when he sells his first startup to Google for over $80 million, just 2 years after graduation? Found another company, Flatiron Health (which has so far raised $228 million from, among others, Google Ventures) that is working to cure cancer using big data. This is the life story, so far, of Nat Turner W'08. Listen to hear him talk with Karl Ulrich about choosing your funding strategically ("taking investment is much more than just capital"), the benefits of being...
New York To London In 3 Hours
February 14, 2017 14:40 - 28 minutes - 38.8 MBKarl is terrifically excited about Blake Scholl's startup, Boom, which is building a new generation of supersonic airplaines that are significantly more efficient and affordable than Concord ever was. Boom promises New York to London in just over three hours, instead of the seven hours the trip takes now--but for the same price you pay now for a business class ticket. Listen to hear Blake explain how he's making this possible. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Boom Elevator Pitch
February 14, 2017 14:35 - 4 minutes - 6.67 MBBlake Scholl gives Karl his elevator pitch for Boom, where he's building a supersonic aircraft that could travel from New York to London on three hours and 15 minutes instead of seven hours--but for the same price you now pay for a business class ticket. This is dramatically affordable high-speed travel. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Running a Beverage Company Like a Software Company
February 07, 2017 14:39 - 47 minutes - 43.7 MBNeel Premkumar built his startups "more like a software company, less like a packaged goods company." And that's the secret to his success--instead of years spent perfecting a product, he got an MVP in the hands of consumers, and then tweaked until he got it right. Listen to Neel and Karl talk about how Stur kept Neel's wife hydrated during her pregnancy--and how Forto keeps them both caffeinated now that the twins are born. As well as how to bring packaged foods to market, a must-listen f...
Bringing Fast Fashion to Jewelry
January 31, 2017 14:55 - 22 minutes - 31.5 MBWho shops at Stone and Strand? Founder Nadine McCarthy Kahane, WG’12 describes their customer: “The urban woman who buys jewelry for herself and cares about fashion. So she wants jewelry that fits into her wardrobe and looks beautiful.” It’s an interesting spot in the market, and a relatively new one: “We're doing is, in a sense, bringing fast fashion to fine jewelry while keeping the quality that people expect from a higher end purchase.” Listen to Karl Ulrich and Nadine McCarthy Kahane d...
Indiegogo Elevator Pitch
January 17, 2017 15:35 - 14 minutes - 19.9 MBSlava Rubin W'00 gives Karl his elevator pitch for Indiegogo--and goes into a deep dive on equity crowdfunding, how Indiegogo is implementing it, and where he thinks companies will meet with the greatest success using it--in this excerpt from Launch Pad. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Equity Crowdfunding On Indiegogo
January 17, 2017 15:29 - 49 minutes - 67.5 MBBack in 2006, Slava Rubin and his Indiegogo cofounders asked a very interesting question: “Why not just maybe use that ultimate democratization tool, which is the internet, to create a marketplace?” Unfortunately, the Securities Act of 1933 made that impossible--then. So they found another path forward, and kicked off the crowdfunding industry (Kickstarter, in case you were wondering, launched in April 2009). A decade later, the rules have changed, and Indiegogo is finally doing what Sla...
Turning Art Into Stuffies
January 10, 2017 14:05 - 25 minutes - 35.5 MBYour kid draws a picture (or you do). Or you take a picture of, say, a half eaten breakfast sandwich. You send that picture in to Budsies, and in just two weeks you get back a stuffed animal of the picture. You can imagine how adorable this gets. And if you can’t, check out Budsies.com, and you can see how awesome it truly is. Listen to Alex Furmansky and his former Wharton prof, Karl Ulrich, talk about where the idea for Budsies came from, how he tested it—and what happened when, a month ...
Making Pictures Shop-able
January 03, 2017 14:55 - 24 minutes - 22.5 MBWhat does Curalate do? It makes pictures shop-able. Why is this awesome? Because unfortunately, as Curalate founder Apu Gupta, WG’05 says, “The pictures are not aware of the products that are inside of them.” This means that when you see a picture of a great microphone or a cute sweater online, you may have to do some serious sleuthing to find out exactly which microphone or sweater it is—let alone how to buy it. Curalate solves this problem. With Curalate, you can hover over the coveted i...
Adventures That Come In The Mail
December 21, 2016 15:35 - 23 minutes - 21.7 MB“We hear from parents that their kids are literally putting down their iPads and running to the mailbox to get their package. They are incredibly engaged.” That’s how children respond when their monthly Little Passports envelope arrives, says Co-founder and Co-CEO Amy Norman. Hear Karl and Amy talk about the growth spurt Little Passports has had over the past couple years--and how they're working to keep the company culture trust-based and family-friendly. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/...
A Chubby Brain for Big Data
December 19, 2016 17:54 - 28 minutes - 26.2 MBWhat CB insights does sounds daunting: a software and data company, they mine immense amounts of unstructured data, like patents, venture capital financing, news media, or government grants, to try to predict technology trends. Hear Karl talk with Anand about why computers are so much better than humans at doing these kinds of analyses. And why the original company name, Chubby Brain, didn't last. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Xpand Elevator Pitch
December 13, 2016 15:40 - 6 minutes - 6 MBDeb Bardhan WG'11, Founder of Xpand, gives his elevator pitch to Karl Ulrich in this excerpt from Launch Pad. Want to listen to the full interview? Find it on Soundcloud, iTunes, or Google play. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Expediting Employee Onboarding
December 13, 2016 15:38 - 22 minutes - 20.6 MBWhat's the fastest way to get new employees up to speed? Deb Bardhan got the idea for Xpand through his own work experiences, and seeing how long it took for companies to get employees--including him--through the onboarding process. Xpand is an employee onboarding and readiness solution targeted for large enterprises that are hiring at scale. Hear Karl Ulrich talk to Bardhan about what Xpand does, how he created it, and how it's changing HR as we know it. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/p...
Making Social Media Ads Just For You
December 06, 2016 14:22 - 26 minutes - 24.1 MBEver wonder where the ads in your Facebook and Twitter feeds come from? Karl Ulrich interviews Jesse Pujji C'06/W'06 about his company, Ampush, a marketing solutions provider that powers customer acquisitions for some of the world's most disruptive brands and companies. And yes--makes those ads that show up in your social media feeds, and tailors them just for you. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The Largest Social Network for Teens
November 28, 2016 16:48 - 23 minutes - 21.2 MBKarl Ulrich interviews Cory Levy about his startup, After School, the largest social network for teens. After School is a place for teens who want to be themselves, make new connections, and participate in positive activities--both online and offline. It's a private social network that allows American high school students to share and connect with fellow students at their same school. And millions of students, in more than 80% of U.S. high schools, use After School. Listen to hear how Cory...
Building Brands for Fitness Instructors
November 03, 2016 14:28 - 52 minutes - 47.9 MBKarl Ulrich interviews Holly Shelton about her startup, Movewith, which helps fitness instructors build personal brands and thriving careers both in the studio and beyond. Bonus: As a former Apple employee, Holly’s in a position to answer a question that’s been bothering Karl for years: does Apple really not talk to customers? You have to listen to find out. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.