Teaser: Dare to Disrupt
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Podcast: Dare to Disrupt
This podcast is about Penn State alumni who are innovators, entrepreneurs, and leaders, and the stories behind their success.
Increasing Access to Substance Use Disorder Treatment with Doug Leech
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Doug Leech is the Founder and CEO of Ascension Recovery Services. Through his own struggles with addiction and subsequent recovery, Doug developed a passion for helping those suffering from the disease of addiction and set out to increase access to Substance Use Disorder (SUD) treatment across the country. The mission of Ascension RS is to expand access to care by opening fully integrated, comprehensive and person-centered SUD and co-occurring mental health disorder treatment centers across the country providing for all who need treatment, regardless of insurance type or ability to pay, advancing Behavioral Health Equity. Ascension RS has been recognized as one of the fastest growing healthcare companies in the country and is a leader in developing and managing behavioral health treatment centers. Doug graduated from Penn State with a degree in accounting.
Inventing Dazzle Dry Nail Polish with VB Cosmetics Founder Vivian Valenty
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Vivian is founder and president of VB Cosmetics, a fully integrated manufacturing company with global brands of clean, nature- and science-based, functional and proprietary beauty products. Its transformational product, Dazzle Dry, a quick-dry nail polish system, is revolutionizing the nail industry. After 17 years on the market, Dazzle Dry now still has no equal in performance.
In this episode, Vivian shares stories about her upbringing in the Philippines, overcoming discrimination and harassment in the workplace, acquiring nine patents as an accomplished bio-organic chemist and inventor, and inventing the foundation for what would become Dazzle Dry.
Episode Chapters
0:00 – 5:24 Growing up in a one-room hut in the Philippines
5:24 – 6:27 Studying chemistry at the MIT of the Philippines
6:27 – 9:18 Acquiring a travel grant to get to Penn State
9:18 –11:22 studying enzymes at Penn State
11:22 – 14:49 Overcoming discrimination and harassment in the workplace
14:49– 16:32 Discovering a replacement for phosphates when no one else could
16:32 – 20:05 300 formulations to innovate the nail polish industry
20:05 – 21:22 Creating the final formulation on a deadline
21:22 – 22:46 Pivoting away from UVA when newly deemed carcinogenic
22:46 – 24:24 10 years of inventions and patents
24:24 – 25:14 Why she doesn’t believe patents are for small businesses
25:14 – 27:15 Inventing the foundation of Dazzle Dry
27:15– 30:33 Overcoming the recession and building a business plan
30:33– 32:08 Leaving a legacy of helping others, preserving the planet
32:08 – 41:50 Student section
32:08 – 33:48 Securing funding
33:48 – 36:31 Building a team of experts
36:31– 38:30 Continuing to innovate based on customer feedback
38:30 –41:22 The complexities of scaling up for manufacturers
Riding the Founder’s Wave with Matt Brezina
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Matt Brezina, a 2003 Schreyer and College of Engineering grad, shares the stories behind starting software company Xobni and greeting card company Sincerely.
From Wall Street Trader to Facial Authentication Innovator with Ryan Owen
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Ryan Owen is the co-founder and president of Wicket, as well as the co-founder and Chief Strategy Officer of Cast Iron Media. In this episode, Ryan shares his experiences as a Wall Street trader, the unique internship opportunities Penn State connected him to as a student, as well as his experience being in the World Trade Center on 9/11. He then shares the twists and turns that led him to founding his two current startups: Wicket, a software company that specializes in facial authentication solutions for venue operators and facility managers, and Cast Iron Media, a premier sports and entertainment streaming solutions company.
Ryan has a Bachelor of Science degree in Information Systems from Penn State and an MBA in Entrepreneurship and Innovation from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.
Developing the Future of AI with poolside Co-founder Jason Warner
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Jason Warner is co-founder and CEO of poolside, a generative AI company building the world’s most capable AI for software development & the applications to unlock the potential of developers. Prior to founding poolside, Jason was the Managing Director at Redpoint Ventures. He also served as the CTO at GitHub, where he was responsible for bringing products like GitHub Actions, Packages, Advanced Security, Connect, and Codespaces to market.
In this episode, Jason discusses the business challenges and successes he experienced as GitHub’s CTO and delves into the unique hurdles faced by a generative AI company. He also shares his philosophy on the future of AI and its potential impact on various aspects of our lives.
Episode Chapters
0:00 – 8:34 Penn State experience, learning coding
8:34 – 16:03 Experience as CTO of GitHub
16:03 – 30:18 poolside, how AI is going to transform the world
30:18 – 42:17 Student section
A Pioneer in Tech: Building the Interviewing Cloud with Mo Bhende
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Inspired by his love of hiring, Mo Bhende built Karat to unlock opportunities and transform the interviewing process by conducting highly predictive technical interviews for clients. In this episode, Bhende talks about his international travels, how he took advantage of Penn State resources, lessons learned while working for Microsoft Xbox, and how all those experiences led him to creating a business that would turn the agonizing interview process into an enjoyable one.
At the end of this episode, Bubune Owusu, a senior in the College of Engineering and founder of Be Your Best Clothing, a clothing brand made to inspire others to look within themselves and to make use of their maximum potential, joins us to talk to Bhende about how to lead with both courage and confidence while also managing your priorities as a founder.
About Mo Bhende
Mo Bhende graduated from Penn State with honors in 2001 with degrees in math and economics.
Cheering On Women Warriors with Haley McClain Hill
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Haley McClain Hill is the CEO and Founder of TORCH Warriorwear, a subscription, direct to consumer military apparel and lifestyle brand that celebrates, empowers, and serves current and future women warriors. Her passion for dance, travel, and empowering women and teams has allowed her to travel and experience the world, including cheering in front of 107,000 fans at Penn State, as well as professionally dancing in the drop-top stadium for the Atlanta Falcons and the 49ers Gold Rush. She graduated from Penn State in 2018 with a degree in math.
Transforming the Real Estate Landscape with Peter Cocoziello
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Peter Cocoziello is chairman, founder, and CEO of Advance Realty Investors, a company specializing in real estate development, construction, and property management. Over decades of fluctuating market cycles, Peter led Advance Realty to service major corporations with build-to-suit developments, including G.H. Bass, Phillips Van Heusen, Allied Beverage, FedEx, Bayer, and United National Bank.
In this episode, Peter shares how he launched Advance with only $5,000, and then both entered and eventually dominated various real estate verticals in the northeast. He also discusses how the Penn State Cocoziello Institute of Real Estate Innovation is supporting cross-disciplinary collaboration, and what technological innovations mean for the future of the real estate industry.
Episode Chapters
1:53 – 3:32 From humble beginnings in the small town of Fairchance
3:32 – 8:12 The business of a paper route
8:12 – 9:41 From failing exams to becoming an honors finance student
9:41 – 12:37 The banking world as a foray into real estate
12:37 – 17:39 Launching Advance Realty with $5,000
17:39 – 19:42 Entering various real estate verticals
19:42 – 21:27 Taking advantage of the market environment
21:27 – 25:32 Build to suit and buy to suit real estate market
25:32 – 27:25 Launching the Penn State Cocoziello Institute of Real Estate Innovation
27:25 – 30:58 Technology’s role in shaping the real estate industry
30:58 – 36:08 Student section