A Few Things with Jim Barrood

We discussed a number of things including:  1. The state of the cleantech and renewables sectors  2. The WeSolar story and outlook  3. Funding programs/resources available from the state and federal levels  4. Guidance for entrepreneurs and innovators in these challenging times  Judith is the Executive Director of the New Jersey Commission of Science, Innovation and Technology. The Commission's mi...

We discussed a number of things including:  1. Richard's background and his impact on population health worldwide  2. Progress on the COVID-19 response - vaccines and treatments  3. Concerns about inequity in relation to the pandemic  4. Programs that are addressing these challenges  Since the beginning of the AIDS epidemic, Richard Marlink, MD, has worked to establish HIV/AIDS research, training,...

We discussed: 1. How the entrepreneurial community is faring 2. Investment outlook in the short and medium term 3. Advice for entrepreneurs Lyneir is an entrepreneur working to empower urban entrepreneurs and strengthen economic conditions in ethnic and underserved areas across the US. He wears multiple hats, investing in commercial real estate, educating and advising urban entrepreneurs and MBA s...

We discussed:  1. How the local and national startup ecosystem is faring during this crisis  2. Investment outlook in short and medium term  3. Advice for entrepreneurs in these unprecedented and challenging times  4. Vroom IPO  Jay Bhatti is a founding venture partner with BrandProject Capital. Jay is also an active angel investor in New Jersey start-ups. Due to Jay’s work in the startup communit...

We'll discuss a number of things including:  1. Her entrepreneurial story  2. Her LinkedIn insights: how can leaders leverage the platform  3. How young and mature business professionals should utilize social media platforms to benefit their career  4. Clubhouse: what's all the hype about  Judi hit 3 million views in 2018 on LinkedIn and has been featured in INC.com, VidSummit, Social Media Week,...

We discussed a number of things including:  1. Martin's entrepreneurial story 2. His leadership insights - how can entrepreneurs become better leaders?  3. Insights about ecosystem development  4. What can cities, regions and countries learn from his experience  As founder and 20 year CEO of TriNet [NYSE: TNET], Martin was a beneficiary of Silicon Valley‘s entrepreneur supportive ecosystem in ways...

We discussed:  1. How global entrepreneurs are:  - Creators rather than disruptors  - Weave sustainability and resilience into the business model from the start  - Are Born Global and Distributed  2. Why their lessons are more valuable than ever  Alex Lazarow has spent his career working at the intersection of investing, innovation, and economic development in the private, public, and social secto...

We discussed a number of things including:  1. How small businesses are responding during crisis  2. What strategies can entrepreneurs implement now  3. What support programs can they take advantage of  Panelists:  Susan Scherreik, Founding Director, Center for Entrepreneurial Studies, Stillman School of Business, Seton Hall University  Susan joined Seton Hall University in 2003 as the Founding Di...

We discussed a number of things including:  1. Raising funds and managing staff/payroll during a downturn  2. Advice for entrepreneurs in these unprecedented and challenging times  3. Answers to questions  Mario is an entrepreneur and active angel investor. In 2007, he founded Casabona Ventures, investing in over 30 seed and early stage companies and Venture Funds. In 2011, he founded TechLaunch N...

We discussed a number of things including:  1. The battle against COVID and the progress on vaccines and treatments  2. The state of innovation in biotech and pharma industries  3. Forecasts for healthcare in 2021 and beyond  Fred is a Director with the private equity firm, Warburg Pincus. He is also a Board member of Amgen, Intrexon, Modernizing Medicine, Theramex and Vertice. Fred is the former...

We discussed a number of things including:  1. His experience transforming his March 21st Social Media into a successful virtual event  2. How to leverage social media platforms and digital tools to achieve mission  3. General advice for nonprofit leaders and organizations in these challenging times  4. Took answers to your questions  Sree is the inaugural Marshall Loeb Visiting Professor of Digit...

We discussed a number of things including:  1. His entrepreneurial journey  2. How the pandemic has affected ecommerce and his company  3. What he sees in the online shopping sector in the near and medium term  4. Advice for entrepreneurs during this downturn  Jeffrey Braverman received his BS from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. He worked as an analyst at the Blackstone Grou...

We discussed a number of things including:  1. State of Innovation in COVID-19 Era  2. Importance of innovation now and in the near term  3. How can we spot inflection points  Rita Gunther McGrath is a best-selling author, a sought-after speaker, and a longtime professor at Columbia Business School. She is widely recognized as a premier expert on leading innovation and growth during times of uncer...

At the inaugural Business Leaders Roundtable Discussion, we talked with Dr. Robert Hariri about:  1. His research into Natural Killer Cells to fight COVID-19  2. Where we are in the war against the virus  3. The strides Celularity is making toward increasing human longevity  This event has been organized by Frank D'Souza and James Barrood. Dr. Hariri is an accomplished surgeon, biomedical scientis...

We discussed a number of things including:  1. How to lead in a time of great uncertainty  2. Raising funds and managing teams during a downturn  3. What he's seeing in biotech and biopharma sectors  Francois Nader, MD, is a leading value builder in the biopharma industry. Dr. Nader currently serves as chairman of Acceleron Pharma (XLRN), Prevail Therapeutics (PRVL) and Talaris Therapeutics; and b...

We discussed a number of things including:  1. The story behind WHOOP's success  2. How wearables can improve health and athletic/business performance  3. State of the healthtech sector and how COVID has affected it  4. Advice for entrepreneurs and business leaders  As Vice President of Performance Science at WHOOP, Kristen Holmes drives thought leadership by engaging with industry leading researc...

We discussed a number of things including: 1. His entrepreneurial journey 2. How the pandemic has affected ecommerce and his company 3. What he sees in the online shopping sector in the near and medium term 4. Advice for entrepreneurs during this downturn Chieh is Co-Founder and CEO of Boxed.com, a company that is disrupting the wholesale shopping club experience by enabling you to shop for bulk-s...

We discussed a number of things including: 1. Her entrepreneurial journey 2. How the pandemic has affected the startup community 3. Why she started her new venture, AboveBoard 4. Advice for entrepreneurs during this downturn 5. Answers to your questions Lucinda is Founder/CEO of AboveBoard, an inclusive network for executive hiring. She also serves as a director at ThriveTRM, a SaaS platform for e...

We discussed:  1. How schools are managing remote learning during pandemic  2. The challenges ahead for teachers, parents and students if crisis persists  3. What innovations in educational technology he's excited about  4. Future education trends  As the Chief Education Evangelist at Google, Jaime evangelizes the potential of digitalization as an enabling capability in pursuit of promoting inquir...

We discussed a number of things including: 1. His entrepreneurial journey 2. Changes in the recycling industry and how company has pivoted 3. Loop and how it will impact our world 4. Advice for entrepreneurs during this downturn Tom is founder and CEO of TerraCycle, a global leader in the collection and repurposing of complex waste streams. TerraCycle operates in 21 countries, working with some of...

Secretary David Shulkin, the ninth Secretary of the US Department of Veterans Affairs, shares insights about his service to two very different Presidents and the current state of public service as he discusses his best selling book, It Shouldn’t Be This Hard To Serve Your Country. American veterans face a number of challenges in the country today - from chronic homelessness to mental health issues...

We discussed a few things including: 1. How SOSV's portfolio startups are responding to crisis and the new IndieBio Coronavirus Initiative which seeks up to 8 startups to receive a minimum of $250k each.   2. State of investing globally and how the coronavirus is affecting funding activity. 3. Advice for entrepreneurs in these unprecedented and challenging times. 4. SOSV's new IndieBio accelerator...

We discussed a number of things including:  1. Psychology and worldview of computer programmers  2. Beneficial ways technology has affected our cognition  3. How tech is helping and hurting society  4. Technology and the election  I'm a computer geek from way back. I got interested in them as a child in the early 80s in Toronto, when machines like the Commodore 64 arrived. My parents wouldn’t get...

We discussed Wendy Diamond's long and fascinating entrepreneurial journey with founding and growing impactful organizations and the lessons she has learned.   Wendy is an internationally renowned social impact entrepreneur, humanitarian, and best selling author. She was inspired to launch WED in 2013 after volunteering in Honduras with the Adelante Foundation, an organization that provides microcr...

We discussed a number of things including:  1. How the corporate venturing landscape has changed during this crisis  2. Investment outlook in short and medium term  3. Advice for entrepreneurs in these unprecedented and challenging times  4. Answers to your questions Luke is a former founder who launched and led the Tech Investment Fund at ZX Ventures, the VC and innovation arm of AB InBev. ZX bui...