Season 8 recap with Sabine Morlock After eight seasons of producing the Beyond the Blue Badge podcast, common themes emerged during our conversations with dozens of Microsoft alumni. In this final episode of Season 8, host Sabine Morlock revisits some of the more poignant conversations and reflects on the lessons learned from this year’s guests. Enjoy!

David Risher, CEO of Lyft and co-founder of Worldreader, shares insights on innovation in ridesharing and philanthropy. He discusses the integration of autonomous vehicles and Lyft's focus on its core business. Risher's passion for global literacy is evident as he details Worldreader’s efforts to provide e-readers to underserved children. Additionally, he highlights #HalfMyDAF, an initiative that encourages effective giving from donor-advised funds, resulting in $55 million donated to nonprofits. His dedication to community engagement shines throughout the conversation.

A ride through technology, leadership and philanthropy  In part one of this engaging Beyond the Blue Badge episode with David Risher, CEO of Lyft, talks with host Rich Kaplan about his journey from launching Microsoft Access early in his career, to shaping Amazon’s retail success, to his current mission at Lyft to “get people out of their houses and bring them together.”

How Microsoft alumni can provide rocket fuel for the startup ecosystem Ken Horenstein cut his investing teeth at what is now Microsoft’s M12. He leaned into the “learn-it-all culture” to soak up the ins and outs of venture capital before leaving to start his own venture fund. In this episode of Beyond the Blue Badge, host T.A. McCann talks with Ken about his Microsoft journey, lessons learned while going it on his own, his current firm Pack Ventures and the xMSFT Syndicate, and the power that networks — specifically the Microsoft Alumni Network — can have to supercharge the startup ecosystem.

The intertwining of experiences, values and purpose Following an impressive career as a technology executive, including 14 years at Microsoft, Kevin Ackurst transitioned from leading organizations to advising them. As the founder of Gentle Giant, he now focuses on helping leaders navigate challenges and discover their purpose using perspectives influenced by his own journey. In this episode of Beyond the Blue Badge, Kevin joins host Michael Rawding to discuss how growing up in Apartheid-era South Africa shaped his values and how those early experiences continue to guide his approach to both business and life today.

Insights from a founder and startup leader Some may know of Tom Button as a leader in Microsoft’s developer division and “Mr. Visual Basic.” Others know him from his role as Corporate Vice President of Windows Product Management. After nearly two decades of shaping products at Microsoft from the late ‘80s to 2007, Tom went on to found Mobilize.Net in 2012, taking the role of CEO and later chairman before the company was acquired in 2023. In this episode of Beyond the Blue Badge, host Dee Dee Walsh talks with Tom about the lessons he carried forward from Microsoft and his insights for future startup leaders.

World Vision Singapore CEO shares lessons from the journey Benjamin Tan is the CEO of World Vision Singapore. However, before landing at the international relief organization that works with children, families and communities to tackle the causes of poverty and injustice, Ben’s career took an unlikely path from the tech industry — including two stints at Microsoft — to the airline industry to the nonprofit sector. In this episode of Beyond the Blue Badge, host Michael Rawding talks with Ben about his career path, what he’s doing now at World Vision, and how the lessons he learned during his decade at Microsoft have served him well.

Leading with a customer-first mindset After 12 years in leadership positions at Microsoft, Melissa Mulholland joined Crayon where she now leads the company as its CEO. Crayon, based on Oslo, Norway, is a global leader in IT optimization and innovation guiding businesses toward impactful technological advancements for the greater good. In this Beyond the Blue Badge episode with host Sabine Morlock, Melissa shares her growth-mindset approach to life, strategies that have differentiated Crayon, and insights about owning your career journey.

The journey from tech leader to venture capitalist In this Beyond the Blue Badge episode, Sriram Krishnan joins host T.A. McCann and talks about his journey in tech from product and business leader to investor and podcast co-host. The pivotal points in Sriram’s career include leaving Microsoft in Redmond to pursue tech in the Silicon Valley, and later shifting from being an executive at X to becoming an investor. Today, he is a partner at Andreessen Horowitz, one of the premier venture capital firms in the world. In this podcast, Sriram talks about relationships, taking risks, the mindset of being an investor, and tips for founders.

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 Acceleration Partners (GAP). He joins host Dee Dee Walsh in this episode of Beyond the Blue Badge and shares his experience working in a subsidiary, how he built his skills to become a generalist in a leadership position, the importance of networking and the value of the Microsoft connections. You’ll also learn a bit about the Costa Rican culture - have a listen!