Wharton Tech Toks

Join Spandana Bhattacharya and Javier Torres as they talk to Melissa Nguyen, the Regional Director for Vendor Performance Management for Google Customer Solutions Americas. Melissa has also held various positions in startups and private equity across East and Southeast Asia. By now I am sure you have, at some point, been surprised by how well targeted ads know you. Maybe you searched for a product once (or maybe just thought about it) and now that product is everywhere. Join us while we talk to Melissa about the nexus of merchant empowerment and consumer protection. Having worked for Google in Southeast Asia and the United States, Melissa also dives deep into the difference between mobile users and the rise of “shoppertainment.” Melissa also shares her advice to entrepreneurs and how to innovate within startups versus within large companies.

Join Spandana Bhattacharya and Emma Robinson as they talk to Sandeep Lodha, an entrepreneur and the current CEO of Gaana, India's largest commercial music streaming service. Sandeep shares more about his entrepreneurial journey starting and scaling Weddingz.in, and learnings he brought over to Gaana. Considering expanding your musical horizons? Tune in to learn about the unique aspects of the Indian market, and how Gaana successfully competes with global streaming giants, while balancing growth with profitability.

Professor Gad Allon, an operations management expert, discusses scaling start-ups in challenging macro environments, the future of robotics in industries, the impact of the gig economy on employment, and the benefits of tapping into global talent.

Join Spandana Bhattacharya and Javier Torres as they talk to Cem Kansu, Vice President of Product Management at Duolingo. Cem is a fellow Whartonite, graduating with an MBA in 2016 who worked at Google prior to school. We’re sure by now you’ve seen their funny, ubiquitous green owl mascot (if not, check out Duo on TikTok), but Duolingo’s mission to develop the best education in the world and make it universally available is no joke. Boasting over 100 courses in 40 distinct languages, including High Valyrian and Klingon, the leading global edtech platform has been downloaded more than 500 million times and is the world’s most popular way to learn languages. Duolingo uses a data-driven, mobile-first approach to help the ~1.8 billion people in the world learning a foreign language do so in a new, efficient and convenient way. In this episode, we talk to Cem about monetization, Duolingo’s approach to experimentation, and their diversification to math learning. During Cem’s time, Duolingo went from $0 to $300 million in revenue, and we delve into what went into the decision to launch the subscription model. We also talk about the >500 A/B tests that are run each quarter and how these are used to drive growth. Lastly, we dive into the exciting launches of Duolingo’s new math and literacy apps, a crucial part of the company’s strategy to diversify.

Join us as we talk to Chris Best, co-founder and CEO at Substack, a leading newsletter subscription platform. Five years ago, email newsletters sound downright archaic. Today, reading email newsletters is society’s coolest hobby. From Pulitzer-Prize-winning journalist Glenn Greenwald’s newest take on current events, to Yem’s newsletter that sends 2 hours of music everyday at 3am to kickstart your day, Substack is creating an alternate universe of trusted, high quality content shipped right to your inbox. In this episode, Chris discusses the transition from the attention economy to one where time and attention is a rare commodity. We talk about how Substack is enabling consumers to be more protective of their attention and helping writers do the work they believe in. Investments in growing quality content through Substack Grow and the newly launched mobile app have empowered people to turn their side passion in writing into a value-creating profession. In the final minutes of the episode, we wrap up with anecdotes of people who’ve done a great job at becoming creator entrepreneurs via Substack as well as Chris’ take on transformational trends for the next decade. What is quality content? As Chris describes it, you should have the power to decide. Though we can confidently say that this episode definitely exceeds the *quality* bar.

Join us as we talk to Trond Wuellner, Director of Product Management at YouTube, an investor in more than 25 early stage businesses as an active member of the Hustle Fund Angel Squad, and a board member of the Sustainable Ocean Alliance. In this podcast, we talk about the growing creator economy and Trond’s previous experience at Google and YouTube, from learning about managing people from Sheryl Sandberg to his advice for aspiring product managers. Growth in tooling and media platforms has created an explosion in content from the creator economy by enabling regular people to showcase their passions, whether it’s your friend’s Instagram of their meal at Zahav or Charli d’Amelio’s TikTok dances. While there was once an insurmountable editing barrier to creating professional content, creators can now use AI programs to remove pesky background noises; where it was once tough to monetize a growing channel, there are now programs to help convert virality into physical merchandise, vibrant fan communities, and other opportunities to earn. The next online sensation could easily be that podcast about cooking you’ve thought of starting! Trond is at the forefront of these developments with his work at YouTube. We talk about the megatrends in the creator economy that are enabling an emerging “middle class” of participants, and how the effectiveness of tools has shifted the focus of media back to the storyteller and as a result returned the emphasis to authenticity and transparency. People are creators by nature, eager to tell their own stories, and now the growing ecosystem is allowing this community to think of themselves as businesses. The ability to monetize and adapt content to a captive audience is creating a flywheel effect that powers continued growth in the industry. We also delve into Trond’s experience at Google and the most important lessons he got from Sheryl Sandberg about people management. We talk about the a-ha moments that led to his decision to lead projects on GoogleFi, reflections on his extensive experience in product management and most importantly, how to listen to your users. You won’t want to miss out on this episode! Read more about Trond here: LINK

Join us as we talk to Joseph Cohen, Founder and CEO at Univer.se. Ever wanted a website to launch and grow your business or side-hustle? Or perhaps you wanted a place to showcase your creativity online? Even if you have no idea where to start and are a non-coder, Univer.se has got you covered. Univer.se is a mobile drag and drop website builder that makes creating a personal portfolio to an ecommerce shop as easy as editing a photo on Instagram and as fun as playing with Legos. Part of the no-code movement, Univer.se is meant to increase flexibility and creativity in website building by making it “hands on.” As of Spring 2022, when this episode was recorded, Univer.se had 500k monthly creators and small businesses users and the team had recently raised a Series B round at $30M. In this episode, Joseph talks about the inspiration for Univer.se and how Univer.se fits into the hype behind Web3 and NFTs. We also explore how the team incrementally built up the platform by focusing on user needs and by bringing on independent and creative hires. We then talk about the future of Univer.se as the company looks to expand while staying true to their mission and values. Finally, Joseph talks about his own journey from Wharton undergraduate drop-out to successful founder and entrepreneur.

Join us as we talk to Stacy Brown-Philpot, Founding member of SoftBank’s Opportunity Fund, Board Member of HP Inc., Nordstrom, Noom, StockX, Black Girls Code, the Urban Institute, and former CEO of TaskRabbit. We chat about launching new markets, scaling culture, leading authentically, and investing in founders of the future. How does the small size of apartments in Wembley, England and Ikea Pax wardrobes lead to improvements in TaskRabbit’s app? What does the NYC metro and grid lock traffic in LA mean for expansion in quirky markets? I couldn’t have asked better questions myself, you’ll have to check out the podcast to find out :) Let’s talk about culture. We all know culture is crucial when leading a company, but how do you scale it? How do you avoid the many stories of culture gone wrong? Stacy shares her insights on creating an environment where the flowers can bloom, where there isn’t one single great culture, but a melange of unique cultures in every office. Leading authentically is certainly a buzzy phrase right now, but what does it mean to actually create a space where people can bring their full selves? It’s not simple, but it starts with building an organization that is representative of the folks you’re serving, searching for people that are already living your organization’s values, and creating systems that promote and reward teams. It’s not a “pipeline problem”, there's a lack of capital focused on investing in founders of color. We talk about how SoftBank’s Opportunity Fund is intentional about its focus on diversity, creating opportunities, building community, and mentorship. Enough teasers check out the podcast!

Join us as we talk to Sean Brecker, CFO and Board Member at Headspace Health, one of the first meditation apps and a leader in whole body wellness space! Let’s face it, this pandemic has shot up our cortisol levels to the moon! And there seems to be a never-ending torrent of things to worry about from elections to whether we’ll be able to see our families. So, what do we do about this constant feeling of existential crises? Well, here’s where Headspace and whole body wellness come in! Not only is Headspace a one stop shop for meditation, sleep, fitness, mental health, and more, it was created by a Buddhist monk trained in the Himalayas! Can you say zen master? Sean chats about how Headspace has evolved from meditation to a total health and wellness app. Headspace addresses anxiety, sleep, and mindful movement all with a focus on science and results. We also explore Headspace’s mission to improve health and happiness and how they are approaching that through their content partnerships with companies like Netflix and Sesame Street. Stressed over Squid Game? Put Headspace on and get some peace and clarity. And we all know that if there’s anyone that could use some help with impulse control, it’s the Cookie Monster. Big News: Headspace recently merged with Ginger (not the root) to form a health and wellness powerhouse, Headspace Health. Headspace Health will democratize mental healthcare to provide the full spectrum of affordable and comprehensive support for everyone. Read more about Sean here: LINK

Join us as we talk to Jessica Lachs, VP, Analytics and Data Science at DoorDash, everyone's favorite food delivery app. In this episode, we dive into how data and technology are transforming the food delivery and restaurant industry, the role of data in solving optimization problems that arise from three-sided marketplaces, the steps involved in scaling operations at a startup, data-driven decision making, data analytics, data science, how to switch careers or enter a new industry and more! DoorDash was founded in 2013 by Tony Xu, Andy Fang, Stanley Tang and Evan Moore with a simple mission: to enable every merchant to deliver. The group of Stanford grads emerged triumphant from an industry that continues to become more competitive with a successful IPO last year. So, to what do they owe their success? Was it an industry analysis of the century using Porter’s Five Forces or an exquisite blue ocean strategy? But seriously...what are they teaching over there? Asking for a friend *cough, Wharton, cough*. While there’s no sole answer as to why companies succeed or fail, could the key to DoorDash’s success be data? DoorDash’s three-sided marketplace brings consumers, restaurants and dashers together on one platform to gather enough data to make Zuckerberg reel with excitement and jealousy at the same time. But when you’re knee deep in data, how do you interpret it, action it and use it to help differentiate from the competition? Well, that’s where data experts like Jessica come in! So come join the data revolution and tune in to learn more about what it really means to have a data-driven mindset. Read more about Jessica here: https://whartontechtoks.medium.com/