“It’s alot of reacting to the situation, but we don’t run these companies. I think that as a minority investor you have to have the mentality that you backed a set of entrepreneurs to do it, and you have to coach them and support them as best as you can, but you can’t run the company.” In today’s episode, Cynthia and Zoë welcome Wharton alumni Charles Birnbaum to the podcast. After beginning his career on Wall Street, Charles moved into the venture capital space. As a partner at Bessemer Venture Partners, he invests in early stage fintech, consumer and education companies including Alloy and Brightwheel. Listen in to learn more about Charles’s experience breaking into venture capital, major industry trends, and advice for investor-founder relationship management.

“Space Traffic Management is not just about avoiding collisions, it’s about ensuring the sustainability of space for future generations.” In this podcast episode, Emma Robinson converses with Araz Feyzi, co-founder and CTO of Kahan Space. They discuss the critical issue of space traffic coordination, highlighting Kahan's pioneering Pathfinder platform for automated space traffic management. Feyzi delves into the challenges of avoiding orbital debris and satellite collisions, emphasizing the importance of data sharing and international cooperation in space sustainability. The episode also explores Feyzi's journey from a non-space background to a key player in the industry, offering insights into the broader potential and challenges of the rapidly evolving space sector.

"When you go out to raise...you have to think about if you have a story to tell...think like an investor. Why are you the best person to solve this?" Join Manasi Patwa and Cynthia Zhou as they chat with Vivien Ho, Partner at Pear VC (Wharton '21). Listen to dive into the world of early-stage investing, tips for founders and entrepreneurs, and insights on the tech sphere as it stands today.

Learn in this episode from Muhammad Shahzad, CFO of Relativity Space. With a valuation of over $4B, Relativity is one of the few companies positioned to challenge SpaceX. "Our long-term goal, and as audacious as those sounds, is to create humanity's industrial base on Mars." Emma Robinson and Shahzad delve into financial strategy and risk in a capital intensive industry with some of the longest time horizons, Relativity’s unique position, and his journey from Wharton to leading the financial helm of a groundbreaking space venture.

“We were the last ones in the market by years… and yet our investors have an unrealized IRR that is significantly better than anyone else’s” Join Emma Robinson as she dives into conversation with Gabe Dominocielo, co-founder and president of Umbra Space. Discover how Umbra's innovative technology is reshaping our view from space, offering unprecedented clarity and detail. Learn about their unique business strategy that prioritizes quality and affordability, setting a new standard in the industry and democratizing access to earth imagery.

"To be a great investor, you need to be deeply curious...you need to be great at operating in ambiguity. Show your ability to drive to an outcome. And it's very important to have that empathy or EQ." Join Manasi Patwa and Cynthia Zhou in a conversation with Meera Clark, Principal at Redpoint Ventures. Listen to learn about Meera's remarkable career journey in the investing world, her view on key drivers in the tech-enabled sustainability and wellness sectors, and advice to founders and investors hoping to make an impact.

“How do we use data more and more intelligently to be able to understand who do we market to, how do we market to them, [and] what’s the story that we tell each of them in a different way to be really relevant?” This week, Leon and Zoë are joined by Jessica Gilmartin, Wharton alum and Chief Marketing Officer at Calendly. With experience across large companies and startups, Jessica is an expert in her field. In this episode, she discusses the critical questions her team at Calendly is asking and how data informs their decision making. Listen in to learn more about finding a balance between creativity and analytics while developing marketing strategies.

Ever wondered about the science behind your favorite tunes or podcasts? John us as we talk to Marion Boeri, Associate Director, Thought Leadership Research at Spotify and Josh McDermott, Associate Professor at MIT Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences. Marion and Josh share insights on how audio shapes our experiences and emotions and how that relates to business strategy. Discover the intricate relationship between sound and human behavior in this compelling conversation.

“[Soon] we won't be talking about questions like, do you have to be an engineer or be super technically strong to have a meaningful impact in the space world?” Join us in talking to the new CEO of Space Tango, Sita Sonty, for the first official episode of our series on the space industry. This series is geared towards proving space is a diverse industry not only for those with technical backgrounds. Sita's leap from diplomat to space industry CEO exemplifies that space innovation isn't just for engineers. Tune in for an enriching dialogue on navigating life's transitions with audacity and professional courage. Plus, explore with us the exciting frontiers of on-orbit pharmaceuticals and the future of printing organs in zero-gravity. Listen in on this compelling conversation that's sure to elevate your view of what's possible in the final frontier.

"What I think is important in venture capital is to understand where the analogy is the same and where the analogy is different." "[There is this] opportunity to use technology to help people have more authentic human interactions online ... to create novel forms of human interaction that try to connect people more closely." Join ⁠Cynthia Zhou as she interviews Brett Martin, Managing Partner for Charge Ventures, a new york based pre-seed/seed stage venture fund. Brett is also a serial entrepreneur, having previously co-founded 2 startups and is now the co-founder and President of Kumospace, a startup focused on building the best virtual office and events software. Together they delve into the world of pre-seed investing and serial entrepreneurship, covering a wide range of topics like lessons in entrepreneurship, strategies for identifying genuine potential in early-stage businesses as a pre-seed investor, and the evolving landscape of remote work.