Wharton Tech Toks

In this episode, we sit down with Selina Tobaccowala, co-founder and CEO of HomeBoost, to discuss her journey as a serial entrepreneur and tech leader. From her early days at Evite to scaling SurveyMonkey, Selina shares key lessons on building and growing successful tech companies. We also explore how HomeBoost is using AI to revolutionize home energy efficiency. Don’t miss this insightful convers...

In this episode, we sit down with Wesley Tillu, a Wharton MBA graduate and partner at S32, to discuss the evolving landscape of AI and Deep Tech investing. Wesley shares insights on identifying lasting value in AI startups, where value will concentrate in the sector, and his journey into venture capital, including his time at In-Q-Tel, the CIA’s venture arm. Tune in for a compelling conversation w...

Please join us for this episode with Design Founder Jonathan Arena and Debbie Cheng (Wharton Class of 2026). Jonathan has held design leadership roles at Facebook, Cruise and Patreon, and has served as a Design Advisor to many early stage companies. In this episode, we discuss how studying at the Rhode Island School of Design impacted his choice to attend Harvard Business School and the different...

Please join us for this episode with Joseph Cohen, the CEO and Co-Founder of Infinite Machine. Joseph is a multitime founder whose last startup was a design software company called Universe. Frustrated by the state of urban transit in New York, Joseph and his brother decided to apply the same passion for design to creating a new electric scooter. In this episode we discuss the issues with the curr...

Please join us for this episode with Liam Collins, a Wharton MBA Class of 2025 member and the co-founder / CEO of Proxis, a Y Combinator backed startup. Liam and his co-founder created Proxis to help companies distill large language models into smaller, more useful and faster models for specific tasks. In this episode we dive into all things AI, the life of being a founder, what it is like being p...

Join us for this show with Anush Vinod and Meera Patel, two Wharton MBAs leading Aplos, a PE backed software company aiming to re-invent accounting software for non-profit organizations. In this episode we dive into what it is like working for a PE backed startup, the unique nature of selling to non-profit organizations, and the types of challenges Anush and Meera face on a daily basis. This is a...

Please join us for this episode with Yicheng 'YC' Sun, Senior Portfolio Director of Healthcare at IDEO, a globally acclaimed design and innovation firm. YC leads a multi-million dollar portfolio in healthcare and emerging technologies, such as AI, XR, and connected devices. He collaborates with startups and Fortune 500 companies to create human-centered products that empower personal wellbeing and...

Please join us for this episode with Anastasia Pavolvic, the CEO of Eion. Eion helps agriculture companies reduce their carbon emissions through enhanced rock weathering, a technique of natural carbon capture well suited for agriculture among other industries. In this episode, we dive into how this solution actually works, the benefits to both farmers and others who claim the carbon credits as wel...

Please join us for this episode with Darcy Frisch, a Managing Director at Hearst Ventures. In this episode we discuss how Hearst Ventures as a corporate venture capital vehicle fits into the overall strategy of Hearst Ventures, how the media and entertainment sector has changed in the last 10 years and how it will be impacted by AI going forward. Additionally, we discuss some of the mechanics of a...

In this episode of Wharton Tech Toks , host Tanika Mehra sits down with Ish Dugal , a seasoned venture capitalist, to explore the evolving landscape of AI, venture investing, and what it takes to back the next generation of groundbreaking startups. Ish shares insights on cultivating long-term relationships with founders, the key qualities of successful entrepreneurs, and the underestimated trends...

Please join us for this episode with Ali Javidan, Founder and CEO of Range Energy, a startup building an electrified truck trailer solution to help reduce carbon emissions and increase safety in heavy duty trucking. Ali started his career as a race engineer which eventually led him to be one of the first engineers at Tesla designing the roadster and sparking his interest in electric vehicles. This...

Please join us for this episode with Warren Hui, the co-founder of Soul Ventures and a General Partner at Type One Ventures. Warren started his career in investment banking but quickly became interested in all things technology especially AI which led him to working in venture. As an early investor in companies like Open AI, Warren has a nuanced and deep understanding of the AI space. As a result,...

Please join us for this episode with Christophe Defert and Mike D’Aurizio from HSBC Climate Growth Partners to discuss how their investments in climate startups are pushing the fight against climate change forward. In this episode we discuss how Christophe and Mike ended up in climate investing, the different types of capital needed for different types and stages of startups, and the role software...

Join Manasi Patwa (Wharton '25) in her conversation with Shaq Vayda, Principal at Lux Capital. Lux is a leading venture capital firm investing in companies positioned at the cutting edge of advanced technology and has $5B+ in assets under management. In this discussion, Manasi and Shaq dive into key growth vectors within AI-driven biotech, recent developments in drug discovery technology, and shif...

Join us for this episode with Shawn Xu, a partner at Lowercarbon Capital which is a leading venture fund investing in Climate Tech. In this episode we dive into the differences between investing in both hardware and software startups, what the capital stack for more capital intensive startups should be, and how Shawn broke into the VC industry. Being on the founding team of a YC startup and a Whar...

Join us for this episode with Andrea Hippeau, a partner at Lerer Hippeau to hear about her story as a generalist investor at a leading early stage fund. In this episode we speak about why it is advantageous to be a generalist investor vs a specialist investor, sectors that she has recently been excited about, lessons from her board experience, and advice on finding good founders. Let us know what...

Please join us for this episode where we speak with Victoria Beasley, a partner at Gigascale Capital, a leading climate tech venture fund. In this episode we dive into the differences of investing in both hardware and software startups, how to identify good climate tech founders, and what qualifies as a climate tech investment. This is a fascinating episode with a great investor so please give it...

Join us for an engaging conversation with Tanika Mehra and Jacqueline Cheong, Co-Founder & CEO of Artie (YC S23) 🚀. Jacqueline shares her inspiring journey from finance to entrepreneurship and how Artie is revolutionizing data streaming and replication in the tech world.

Join us for this episode with Tobias Citron, a principal at Primary Venture Partners focused on data / developer tools, AI, and cybersecurity. In this episode we discuss where Tobias thinks value will accrue in the AI space, how AI impacts cybersecurity and how he broke into the VC space. This is an amazing episode if you are interested in deep tech and investing so be sure to give it a listen.

Join us for this episode with Ben Veres, CEO and Co-Founder of Kateri Carbon to understand how Kateri is turning ranchland into a carbon sink. Leveraging smart fencing and carbon measuring tools, Kateri is able to help farmers move their livestock around ranchland to avoid killing grass and turn the ranchland into a carbon sink. In return, Kateri is able to help generate carbon credits generating...

Tune into the latest episode of the Wharton Tech Toks podcast! Zoe Barnswell and Tanika Mehra sit down with Jeffrey Burrell, Head of Social Impact and Sustainability at Riot Games, to discuss how gaming can drive global change. With 20+ years of experience spanning consulting, non-profits, and tech, Jeffrey shares insights on in-game fundraisers, engaging 180 million players in social impact initi...

Join Saanya Ojha, Partner at Bain Capital Ventures, and Tanika Mehra, Wharton MBA Class of 2025, as they explore the future of cloud infrastructure, cybersecurity, and developer ecosystems in the tech industry. With a decade of experience in venture capital and growth equity, Saanya shares her journey from starting as a hedge fund analyst at Goldman Sachs to leading growth-stage investments at Bai...

Join MP Eisen (VP of Partnerships at Glean) and Manasi Patwa (Wharton MBA '25) as they dive into Glean's GTM and Partnerships Strategy.  Glean is the leading Work AI platform that connects and understands all of your company’s data, enabling everyone to find answers, generate content, and automate work with AI. Glean last raised a $260MM Series E in fall 2024 at a $4.6B valuation. In this episode,...

Join us for this episode with Peter Cohen, Senior Director of Business Development at Terawatt. In this show we dive into how Terawatt is building commercial scale charging facilities to help facilitate fleets transition to EVs. Terawatt is rapidly growing so give the episode a listen to learn more about them.

Join Atin Sanyal, Co-founder and CTO of Galileo, and Tanika Mehra, Wharton MBA Class of 2025, as they delve into the future of AI-driven platforms and the challenges of building trustworthy generative AI applications. Atin shares his journey from working on natural language systems at Apple to leading Uber’s end-to-end AI platform, where he handled critical models for predicting ETAs, food recomme...