Story in a Bottle

One of the ever-growing concerns as the digital world expands is what effect it will have on relationships; from business correspondence to social media to online dating, we're constantly changing the way we interact with one another. Leading the charge in research and expertise, Andrea Syrtash is constantly monitoring and navigating the myriad perspectives and implications on modern relationships...

If there's one constant in the startup world it's that no two companies can follow the same path to reach the same conclusions; LearnVest is no different. Over Ridge Three Valley Zinfandel, CFO and cofounder John Gardner recounts their very comprehensive story. As a hedge founder founder seeking an alternative path, he started the company from the ground up in a partnership between himself and his...

Some people have an entrepreneurial sense ingrained in their very persona, and Liz Wessel is a perfect embodiment of that. In fact, she has been systematically starting and pioneering companies and thought leadership in a real way since her days in college. Since then, after a stint at Google, she’s founded WayUp , a company that is revolutionizing how college students find their first real jobs p...

Dan Frommer, editor-in-chief of ReCode , has made a career at the crossroads of technology and journalism. Growing up as a tech enthusiast-turned-developer, on the surface it would seem surprising that he ended up in journalism. However, over a variety of hard ciders, he explains how this practical knowledge has served him well, both in creating efficiencies in content development, as well as info...

When it comes to content and the internet, Elizabeth Spiers is one of the most influential names in the business. Born and raised in rural Alabama, Elizabeth changed the face of writing for the web when she became Cofounding Editor of Gawker , establishing one of the best-known, snarky voices on the internet; then just a blog that she maintained exclusively for $1200 per month. Since, she’s taken...

As the startup world continues to expand, with it the myriad opportunities and options for success do as well; and no one process suits everyone. As a partner at preeminent VC firm Union Square Ventures , Albert Wenger navigates that everyday, and as a failed entrepreneur, it’s something he’s experienced even more personally. A self-described technology optimist, takes us through the approach he a...

As interconnectivity of the world increases, so does the call for authenticity and two-way, flexible, communication. Brands who once dominated the marketing conversations are now struggling to find meaningful ways to engage with their customers, companies large and small who once offered canned benefit packages are struggling to relate to and support their employees. Meghan Graham first became awa...

Tony Hendra is, without question, one of comedy’s living legends. Described by the Independent of London as “one of the most brilliant comic talents of the post-war period,” Tony boasts a career including being one of the original editors of the National Lampoon magazine, discovering some of the original members of Saturday Night Live, and as one of the stars of the rockumentary This Is Spinal Tap...

One of the paramount needs of an industry so dependent on innovation as tech is the ability to understand varied perspectives and experiences; and yet still, the issue of diversity, specifically gender representation, is longstanding. It’s an issue that, over the course of her career, Rachel Sklar has not been able to ignore. Starting off as a lawyer in New York City, it became clear to her that s...

With exponential growth in innovation and tech, the world around it has shifted, leaving opportunity for new jobs and new fields that never existed before; it’s a sector that was created by a generation of makers who saw the early days of the internet not for what they were, but what they could be. Avi Flombaum is one such maker. As a kid growing up in the early nineties in New York City, Avi was...

By her resume alone, it’s no surprise that Jessica Beck is a successful startup founder: from her roots at Harvard Business School and experience at McKinsey, she has been brought up with a sustainable business acumen. However, as she describes over a bevvy of micro IPAs, this sort of formal training can only take you so far. There was a lot she had to learn on the job  when creating her product,...

Online dating is a crowded space and becoming increasingly so across platforms. Seemingly a new phenomenon over the past few years, this extreme growth could be attributed to a time in 2011 when, within two weeks of each other, Tinder and Hinge launched and changed the game as we knew it. Hinge’s founder, Justin McLeod, had been working on the app for two years, pushing off a start date at McKinse...

One of the most important and valuable commodities in the digital world is data. However, accessing and harnessing this powerful resource can be intimidating; that’s where Hilary Mason and her team at Fast Forward Labs step in with their goal to demystify these complexities and instill confidence in their clients. As a computer scientist, Hilary has spent her career fascinated how by how she can u...

The world of venture capital in New York City tech has changed significantly in the past decade with access to investment for early stage companies becoming more and more challenging. Enter Notation Capital and it’s co-founder, Nick Chirls, who believes that there’s a gap for seed stage investments that he and his team intend to fill. And Nick knows the NY Tech scene. Over beers provided by Alphab...

As we’ve learned, there is no clear path to successful  entrepreneurship  and Alanna Gregory’s story is a shining example of that. With an engineering background and beginnings in the world of finance, she was unexpectedly struck with inspiration. Now, as the co-founder of  Vive , an on-demand blowout scheduling app for women in metropolitan areas, she’s had to continue to make a lot of risky deci...

Chris Messina says he has lived a life “peppered with serendipity.” A native New Englander, he’s also lived a life that truly embodies the spirit of the internet - a place where everyone has an equal voice, where democracy enables true societal progress. At least in theory. Over Failla Pinot Noir, Chris discusses his high school days in New Hampshire, battling his school to ensure the Gay/Straight...

There comes a time when a person struggles with the “What If” moment in their life and/or career. For Alexandra Cavoulacos, that fork in the road came when she had to decide between continuing down the stable and successful partner track as a consultant at McKinsey or to throw caution to the wind and create her own company,  The Muse , a startup she co-founded with Kathryn Minshew. Over glasses of...

The medical industry, while growing and innovating all the time, appears to be stuck in the past; often leaving patients needing something more user friendly. Jay Parkinson, MD, is trying to rethink that world, leveraging the benefits of technology and the emotionality of humanity. He founded Sherpaa in 2012 in order to make health, medicine, and insurance more accessible to everyone. And he’s jus...

Lindsey Green has a life checklist and she’s quickly making her way through it. Currently, as the VP of Corporate Communications at Bustle , she is embracing being a millennial - a point of personal pride - as she helps manage the most successful site for other women like her (and, at the time of recording, the 32nd most popular site on the Internet). But in true Millennial fashion, her checklist...

While he's probably best known from Gimlet Media 's StartUp podcast , Matt Lieber's relationship with the audio world harkens back to his undergraduate days, where he ran the radio station at his alma mater, Bowdoin College . As a teenager and into his early career, Matt knew that he wanted radio content to be a major part of his life, but what that actually meant wasn't apparent. Over glasses of...

As a second-time founder, Brooke Moreland has been through it all. She’s watched her former company, Fashism, skyrocket to the front page of the fashion section of the New York Times, receive endorsement and investment from celebrity investors like Ashton Kutcher, only to face the harsh reality of shutting down her dream. In her new startup, Jewelbots, she’s applying all the knowledge she learned...

“There are no shortcuts to enlightenment.” That quote by Mike Rothman sums up his approach to the impressive career and life that he has lead thus far. In this episode, Mike, the co-founder of Fatherly , a new parenting product  that takes a unique approach to content and commerce, talks about the entrepreneurial spirit drives him. Episode highlights include: The story behind the origins of Thrill...

Maya Baratz spent her childhood filling up dozens of notebooks passionately writing. At the time, she had no idea that what seemed to be a necessary reality for her own personal psyche could translate into a career. Her love of content, however, could only be equaled with her obsession with technology. Over prosecco generously provided by Alphabet City Wine Company , Maya discusses the challenges...

Over the past twenty years, journalism as an industry has evolved significantly. Erick Schonfeld has not only reported on tech throughout that process, but he’s been a major catalyst for innovation within the field as well. His experience follows the shift from print to digital as a priority at Forbes , to the professionalization of blogs at TechCrunch , up until now, as he is championing new tech...

It’s no secret that most successful products are born out of collaboration. Mari Sheibly has made a career of proving that time and time again as a designer for some of the internet’s best, including Foursquare , Rent the Runway , and now at budding Walker & Co . Early on Mari was dissuaded from the dream of being a professional artist while attending art school which lead to her focusing her sigh...