Best Microsoft Alumni Network Podcasts (2024)

1
#11 Nurturing Unicorns: How WHU Business School prepared the road for their six alumni-founded companies with $1bn+ valuations 28:47

3h ago28:47

28:47

A while back, WHU Business School earned recognition as one of Europe’s top "unicorn universities," a title that reflects its track record of producing successful entrepreneurs. With campuses in Vallendar and Düsseldorf, Germany, WHU boasts an impressive list of alumni, including founders of high-growth companies like Forto, FlixBus, and SumUp. In …

1
Liane Catalfo — President, Engineering Alumni Network and Senior Manager, Health and Life Sciences, Deloitte Canada 22:51

3h ago22:51

22:51

After earning her BASc and her MEng in the Department of Chemical Engineering & Applied Chemistry at U of T, Liane went on to apply her knowledge and skills as a senior manager in health and life sciences consulting at Deloitte. She has returned to U of T Engineering to serve as president of the Engineering Alumni Network, where she is working to h…

1
#10 From Data Scientist at Microsoft to Raising $19M with his Own Startup: Peter Fishman’s Journey with Mozart Data 43:36

6d ago43:36

43:36

In this episode, we sit down with Peter Fishman, a data scientist whose journey took him from prestigious roles at Microsoft and Walt Disney to launching his own startup. Peter is the founder behind Mozart Data, a startup that simplifies the data consolidation and analysis process, making it accessible to a wider audience. Having navigated Mozart D…

1
From techie to generalist with Kenneth Rivera 31:30

6d ago31:30

31:30

Becoming a Swiss Army Knife in his homeland of Costa Rica Microsoft alum Kenneth Rivera has been in love with computers since he was 10 years old. He is a Costa Rican native and worked in the Microsoft subsidiary in Costa Rica where he managed a group of Customer Success Account Managers. Kenneth is now the vice president of engineering at Growth A…

1
#9 Navigating the Skincare Revolution with Forbes 30 Under 30 and Clear's CEO Ahana Banerjee 1:14:23

13d ago1:14:23

1:14:23

In this episode, Ahana Banerjee, CEO of Clear, recounts her journey from a physics student at Imperial College London to founding a social commerce app for skincare. Her hard work on the project led her to Y Combinator, and a Forbes 30 under 30 award, despite all the struggles she had as a female founder who was, as she put it “often dismissed due …

1
#8 Scaling a Startup to $50M ARR: Timeless Wisdom From Diane Prince’s First Step in a 30-Year Entrepreneurial Journey 27:48

1M ago27:48

27:48

This episode shines a spotlight on Diane Prince, whose entrepreneurial career launched with a bang through her first venture, Onstaff, which quickly grew to a $50M ARR business. Diane's journey didn’t stop there; it was merely the beginning of a 30-year-long odyssey through the startup ecosystem, where she built multiple startups, achieving five su…

1
Durable happiness with Krishnan Iyer 29:03

2M ago29:03

29:03

Discovering gratitude, purpose, and a lasting sense of fulfillment After 15 years in various leadership roles at Microsoft, Krishnan Iyer is tapping into his passion of helping others. Specifically, Krishnan is focused on addressing homelessness, poverty and social inequity. He serves on the boards of organizations in the Seattle area that are dedi…

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#7 Pioneering Efficiency in AI and Raising $22M in the Process: Latent AI's Journey with Jags Kandasamy 48:56

1M ago48:56

48:56

In this episode, we're thrilled to welcome Jags Kandasamy, a visionary entrepreneur whose latest venture, Latent AI, is setting new standards in the artificial intelligence sector. Founded in 2018, Latent AI has quickly garnered success, securing over $22M in funding through its unique approach to AI development. Jags and his team are on a mission …

1
#6 Building the first African-focused FinTech company to list on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange with Louwrens Van Schalkwyk 54:47

1M ago54:47

54:47

Join us as we sit down with Louwrens Van Schalkwyk, a seasoned entrepreneur with a rich background in building and leading companies in the Fintech sector. Today, we're diving deep into one of his hallmark ventures, MyBucks. This Fintech giant has made headlines for its comprehensive range of financial solutions, from insurance to banking, marking …

1
Carlos de Oliveira and Michael Gray — Co-founders, Cast Connex 21:29

2M ago21:29

21:29

Carlos de Oliveira and Michael Gray are co-founders of Cast Connex, an industry leader in the architectural and structural use of cast steel components in the design and construction of building and bridge structures. Cast Connex recently made their mark on the Las Vegas skyline by contributing to the development of Sphere at the Venetian, the worl…

1
#5 Building the 2nd Most Influential Fintech Brand in the World With Scripbox CEO & Co-Founder Atul Shinghal 34:28

2M ago34:28

34:28

A few years ago, Atul saw an inefficiency in the way insurance products were sold in India. Calling on his two decades of Fintech experience and expertise, he set out to solve it with his company, Scripbox. Atul had to take a lot of time and effort to educate the market that their money would be safe. As people at the time weren’t used to digital b…

1
#4 How to Network Your Way Into a Unicorn Startup With Varo Bank Co-Founder Roger Van Duinen 1:04:51

2M ago1:04:51

1:04:51

Today’s guest, Roger Van Duinen is the co-founder of Varo Money – an “entirely new kind of bank” that uses tech to bring financial inclusion and opportunity to all of its users. With 25 years of experience working as a C-level executive in the banking and financial services sector – he brought a lot of industry expertise to the table. In that time,…

1
#3 Raising $30M from a Dorm Room With Indico CTO & Co-Founder Slater Victoroff 41:48

2M ago41:48

41:48

Back in 2013, Slater and his co-founder had an idea in their dorm room – to revolutionise the data industry by creating a platform that takes raw data and structures it, enabling you to build innovative, mission-critical enterprise workflows. The idea quickly gained interest as they were accepted into Techstars Boston – and before long, Slater was …

1
Navigating startups with Dan Shapiro 40:44

3M ago40:44

40:44

The sometimes convoluted journey to success. Dan Shapiro is the CEO and co-founder of Glowforge, the iconic 3D laser printer. Following the biggest 30-day crowdfunding campaign in history almost nine years ago, hundreds of thousands of users are bringing their creations to life with a click of a button. Prior to Glowforge, Dan founded multiple othe…

1
#2 Solving One Problem: Taulia Co-Founder Maex Ament on Building an Industry-Leading Company with Over 1.8M Clients 48:07

2M ago48:07

48:07

Today’s guest, Markus (Maex) Ament, is the founder behind Taulia, a leading provider of working capital solutions with over 1.8 million companies using it across the globe – including Airbus, Nissan & the UK Government. And, like most successful companies, it began with a problem. In Taulia’s case, that problem was liquidity: “When a company invoic…

1
Raylene Mitchell — IBET Momentum Fellow 19:44

2M ago19:44

19:44

Raylene Mitchell is an IBET Momentum Fellow and a PhD student in the Department of Mechanical & Industrial Engineering. Under the supervision of Professor David Sinton (MIE) andMichael Ross (ElecE 0T8), the Industrial Research Chair in Northern Energy Innovation at Yukon University, she is researching energy storage solutions in Indigenous communit…

1
#1 From Humble Roots to Raising over $2.5B in funding With Kabbage Co-Founder Kathryn Petralia 36:51

2M ago36:51

36:51

Back in 2008, Kathryn Petralia and her founding team had a vision. To use technology to give small businesses the funding tools they need to grow and scale their companies. A few months later, Kabbage was born. The platform quickly evolved and grew to not just provide loans to SMEs, but a full suite of cash management solutions for founders and ent…

1
Rise of Vietnam with David Do 36:25

3M ago36:25

36:25

David Do is the founder of Vietnam Investments Group, a Vietnam and Vietnam-US focused private equity firm with more than $600 million under management. This Microsoft alum was born in Vietnam but raised in Australia, educated in the U.S., and worked in China before returning to Vietnam to help fuel growth of multiple economic sectors there. In thi…

1
Demystifying the First Lady with Joanne Harrell 41:53

4M ago41:53

41:53

Impact through influence and action Joanne Harrell has been an executive leader in the technology and nonprofit sectors most of her career. When she left Microsoft in 2021 after 20 years with the company, Joanne was leading initiatives related to AI, sustainability, and corporate citizenship. Soon thereafter, she became the First Lady of Seattle wh…

1
Eva Lau — Co-founder, Two Small Fish Ventures 29:12

4M ago29:12

29:12

U of T Engineering alumna Eva Lau is co-founder of Two Small Fish Ventures, an early-stage venture capital firm focused on the next evolution of computing and its applications. Today, she leverages her experience to help early-stage transformative tech companies achieve internet scale. Eva sat down with Dean Yip to discuss innovation, the importanc…

1
Turning the lights back on with Mteto Nyati 43:16

4M ago43:16

43:16

The impact of thoughtful leadership. Mteto Nyati is a successful business leader of change and opportunity. During his six-year tenure as CEO of Microsoft South Africa, he transformed the business which grew more than 60% under his leadership. His style embodies a focus on people, customers, and the importance of having an impact. In this Beyond th…

1
From ideas to startups with Prasanna (Sankar) Sankaranarayanan 38:16

5M ago38:16

38:16

Prasanna (Sankar) Sankaranarayanan, a former software engineer for Bing, is skilled at building, growing and scaling startups — mostly with success, and always with learning. In this episode of the Beyond the Blue Badge podcast, he talks with host T.A. McCann about his start up experience including his path to becoming co-founder of unicorn company…

1
Online safety with Julie Inman-Grant 35:02

5M ago35:02

35:02

Creating a more positive place with technology policy and ethics Julie Inman-Grant has over 30 years of experience in the corporate, government and non-profit sectors, working at the intersection of technology, public policy and online safety. She started her career as a legislative assistant in the US Congress, and later joined Microsoft in 1995 a…

1
Unlocking potential with Jan Muhlfeit 38:01

6M ago38:01

38:01

Making the most of markets, people and leadership Jan Muhlfeit joined Microsoft in 1993 after being with Software602 (then a startup), and he said it was one of the best decisions in his life. It’s been 10 years since Jan left his 22-year career at Microsoft, and he has carried forth the focus on unlocking potential. When Jan left the company, he w…

1
Data-driven outcomes with John Kahan 52:18

6M ago52:18

52:18

How data science and generative AI are changing the world — for good. In his last role at Microsoft, John Kahan headed up what would become Microsoft’s AI for Good efforts. To this day, John continues to use data and AI to help solve the world’s problems whether it’s via his work with Aaron Matthew SIDS Research Foundation at Seattle Children’s hos…

1
Intentional service with Steve Guggenheimer 42:26

10M ago42:26

42:26

The path to board service starts with planning, networking When Steve Guggenheimer left Microsoft as a corporate vice president in 2020 after a 27-year career, he had already been thinking about what he wanted his next career milestone to be — board service. He started laying the groundwork for that while still at the company, and now he is a non-e…

1
Corporate investing with Adam Coccari 37:11

11M ago37:11

37:11

Corporate investing with Adam Coccari Advice for startups eyeing corporate venture capital Adam Coccari leads Intuit Ventures. Before that, he was on the early Microsoft Ventures team, which became M12. Before that, he was a startup founder. Adam shares insights about differences between venture capital and corporate venture capital, or CVC, advice…

1
Global Opportunities with Eriko Asai 33:05

11M ago33:05

33:05

Embracing change leads to great growth, success In this episode of Beyond the Blue Badge, host Michael Rawding talks with Eriko Asai, co-founder of Trinity Indo-Pacific Partners. Before starting her strategic advisory firm, Eriko held notable positions that included director of policy outreach, legal and corporate affairs for Microsoft Japan and Pr…

1
Growth by Choice with Haresh Khoobchandani 36:33

12M ago36:33

36:33

Insights on embracing change in a dynamic world In this episode of Beyond the Blue Badge, host Michael Rawding interviews Haresh Khoobchandani, a former Microsoft leader who is now a vice president at Autodesk and the author of “Growth by Choice.” Haresh discusses his leadership philosophy, trends and opportunities in the Asia-Pacific region, and a…

1
Leadership Lessons with Jeff Raikes - Part 3 Philanthropy, Entrepreneurship and baseball 50:46

1y ago50:46

50:46

In this episode of Beyond the Blue Badge, host Rich Kaplan talks with former Microsoft executive Jeff Raikes, who shares his journey before, during and after working at Microsoft. In the final part of this three-part episode, Jeff talks about leading the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the work he and Tricia Raikes are doing with The Raikes Fou…

1
Leadership Lessons with Jeff Raikes — Part 2 Identifying and acting on opportunities 24:22

1y ago24:22

24:22

In this episode of Beyond the Blue Badge, host Rich Kaplan talks with former Microsoft executive Jeff Raikes, who shares his journey before, during and after working at Microsoft. In Part 3 of this three-part episode, Jeff talks about the opportunities to land business and key strategies he worked on at Microsoft that helped change the world and wh…

1
Leadership Lessons with Jeff Raikes — Part 1 Early learnings from early Microsoft 40:35

1y ago40:35

40:35

Early learnings from early Microsoft In this episode of Beyond the Blue Badge, host Rich Kaplan talks with former Microsoft executive Jeff Raikes, who shares his journey before, during and after working at Microsoft. In Part 1 of this three-part episode, Jeff talks about how he went from a farm in Nebraska to working in technology and how he got in…

1
Evangelizing technology with Robert Scoble 39:07

1y ago39:07

39:07

Providing unvarnished insights about innovation throughout history In this episode of Beyond the Blue Badge, host Dee Dee Walsh talks with Robert Scoble, a well-known technology evangelist, blogger and author who worked at Microsoft from 2003 to 2006. They discuss his experience of interviewing hundreds of Microsoft employees, from Bill Gates to th…

1
Not taking ‘No’ for an answer with Nicola Hodson 34:55

1y ago34:55

34:55

Following your passions and curiosity can lead you to the top In this episode of Beyond the Blue Badge, Peter Proud interviews Nicola Hodson, the chief executive of UK and Ireland for IBM, about her career journey and her passion for STEM. Nicola shares how she was inspired by her father, who worked in the chemical industry, and by the Concorde, th…

1
Hallucinating the future with Rahul Sood 35:39

1y ago35:39

35:39

Artificial intelligence and the art of the possible If you’re into AI and what’s possible, this latest episode of Beyond the Blue Badge will have you leaning in. Host T.A. McCann talks to Rahul Sood. Rahul is a serial entrepreneur who started the Bing Fund and eventually Microsoft Ventures while at the company. Founded and sold Unikrn, the world-cl…

1
Shrey Jain — Graduating EngSci Student and Applied Scientist at Microsoft Research 28:40

1+ y ago28:40

28:40

Shrey Jain just completed his Bachelor's of Engineering Science with a major in Machine Intelligence, and is among the more than 1,000 U of T Engineering undergraduate students who will walk across the stage at Convocation this month. Over the past few years, Shrey has worked on a number of high-profile projects relating to AI and its implications …

1
Transitioning from global to local with Rajiv Kaul 40:28

1+ y ago40:28

40:28

In the latest Beyond the Blue Badge, Michael Rawding hosts Rajiv Kaul, who was talking to us from Mumbai, India. Rajiv is currently the executive vice chair and CEO of CMS Infosystems, India’s largest physical payments company and the world’s largest ATM cash management company. Prior to joining CMS, He had a distinguished career at Microsoft India…

1
Nika Shakiba — Assistant Professor, School of Biomedical Engineering, UBC 25:26

1+ y ago25:26

25:26

Nika Shakiba completed her PhD in our Institute of Biomedical Engineering in 2017 and is now an Assistant Professor in the School of Biomedical Engineering at the University of British Columbia. Her research focuses on stem cells — using systems biology to understand how they work, and synthetic biology to engineer new therapies for regenerative me…

1
Putting people before tech with Julie Larson-Green 32:45

1+ y ago32:45

32:45

Julie Larson-Green is no stranger to the Seattle tech scene. She is well known for her work at Microsoft where she led teams of hundreds for Office and Windows. She spent 25 years at the company before making the leap to Qualtrics. Speaking of leaps, she is now CTO at Magic Leap. Host Dee Dee Walsh, developer marketing & business development at Gro…

1
Advice to entrepreneurs with Soma 36:17

1+ y ago36:17

36:17

Former executive Soma on how to unlearn your Microsoft ways Pioneer Square Labs managing director T.A. McCann sat down with former Microsoft executive S. “Soma” Somasegar to discuss his work as a partner at Madrona Venture Group. A 27-year veteran of Microsoft, Soma is a legend, especially amongst Microsoft developers. He became corporate vice pres…

1
Jenna Usprech — Assistant Professor of Teaching, School of Biomedical Engineering, UBC 28:36

1+ y ago28:36

28:36

Jenna Usprech completed her PhD at U of T's Institute of Biomedical Engineering in 2018, specializing in tissue engineering. Today, she is an Assistant Professor of Teaching in the School of Biomedical Engineering at the University of British Columbia. She spoke to Dean Yip about student wellness, science communication, and classroom strategies tha…

1
Lessons in leadership with Steve Vamos 35:21

1+ y ago35:21

35:21

Putting humanity at the heart of every decision Steve Vamos’ impressive 40-year resume includes leadership positions at Apple, IBM, Microsoft and most recently five years as CEO of New Zealand-based Xero — a cloud-based accounting platform for small and medium businesses. In this installment of Beyond the Blue Badge with host Michael Rawding, Steve…

1
Be bold with Nickie Smith 28:14

1+ y ago28:14

28:14

Lifting others through events, coaching, partnerships After 25 years at Microsoft, most recently as the Global Learning and Experience Director, Nickie Smith is going it on her own as the founder of not-for-profit People for Change, to expand Be Bold for Change internationally, and help lift others through her executive coaching company, Bold Leade…

1
Marta Ecsedi and Aidan Grenville — Past and current EngSoc presidents 29:20

1+ y ago29:20

29:20

In celebration of the 150th anniversary of our Faculty, Dean Yip is joined by two guests who can offer some perspective on the past, present and future of Skule. Marta Ecsedi (CivMin 7T6) was the first woman president of the U of T Engineering Society, also known as EngSoc. She has gone on to champion a more inclusive engineering profession through…

1
Herman Colquhoun — Design Principal, IBM 33:13

1+ y ago33:13

33:13

Herman Colquhoun completed his master’s degree in Human Factors at U of T Engineering, and eventually went on to spend more than a decade at IBM, where he is a design principal leading the design of the IBM Quantum Premium Partner Experience. He is also a member of the leadership team for the Racial Equity in Design initiative at the company, the c…

1
Marissa Wu — Manager, Essential Medicines, Clinton Health Access Initiative, Inc. 30:37

1+ y ago30:37

30:37

Alumnus Marissa Wu's fascinating career lies at the intersection between healthcare, technology and entrepreneurship. She is the founder of two startups, Onyx Motion and Rhythm, and she has acted as mentor to other founders through our Entrepreneurship Hatchery. She joined us from London, UK, where she serves as Manager, Essential Medicines for the…

1
Don Scott — Director Of Engineering, Submergence Group and CTO of Marine Ai 29:20

2y ago29:20

29:20

Over the past few decades, EngSci alumnus Don Scott has made a name for himself in the field of marine technology, designing systems for all kinds of ocean-going vessels. Most recently, he’s been exploring the application of artificial intelligence to unpiloted underwater vehicles, creating marine analogues of the more familiar airborne drones we a…

1
Chasing innovation with Francis deSouza 31:15

2y ago31:15

31:15

Investing in world-changing ideas Francis deSouza is CEO of Illumina, a biotech company working to improve health by unlocking the power of the genome. The Microsoft alumnus is well-versed in the startup world and chases innovation. He joined Microsoft when it acquired his startup and then left the company to start another tech company before movin…

1
Joelle Javier — Elevating and Amusement Devices Safety Engineer 24:37

2y ago24:37

24:37

Materials Science & Engineering graduate Joelle Javier is an Elevating and Amusement Devices Safety Engineer at Technical Standards and Safety Authority. This means she is in charge of making sure that roller coasters deliver a memorable thrill without compromising the safety of their riders. Through this and other activities, she aims to inspire t…

1
Saving the ocean with Kimberly Mathisen 37:58

2y ago37:58

37:58

Collaboration and unlocking the power of data Kimberly Mathisen was recently the GM of Microsoft Norway. Today, she’s following her passion as the CEO of HUB Ocean, a nonprofit foundation that is developing a groundbreaking data platform and tools to “change the fate of the ocean by unleashing the power of data, technology and collaboration.” In th…

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