Podcast: Dare to Disrupt

This podcast is about Penn State alumni who are innovators, entrepreneurs, and leaders, and the stories behind their success.

Bringing Research Lab Innovations to Your Toilet: The Story of spotLESS Materials



Dare to Disrupt
Dare to Disrupt
Bringing Research Lab Innovations to Your Toilet: The Story of spotLESS Materials
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Birgitt Boschitsch is the co-founder and CEO of spotLESS Materials, an advanced materials company and Penn State spinoff commercializing highly repellent anti-fouling coatings. 

In this episode, Birgitt shares how her passion for helping others through research led to her co-founding spotLESS Materials. She discusses her formative experiences, academic challenges, and the pivotal moments that shaped her career path, including her time at Princeton and her decision to pursue graduate studies at Penn State. 

She discusses the original inspiration behind the idea for a toilet coating that repels sticky waste, as well as the challenges of transitioning from lab work to startup life. She shares the importance of community support and the impact of media exposure on sales.

Towards the end of the episode, Viswanathan Ganesh, a current Ph.D. candidate in the department of architectural engineering at Penn State, joins the conversation. He is the entrepreneurial lead for NexDCCool, a Penn State research-based startup that aims to revolutionize data center efficiency with AI-driven solutions that optimize IT expansion, enhance thermal management, and reduce energy consumption. The startup team recently participated in both the Invent Penn State regional NSF I-Corps short course and the NSF I-Corps National Teams program. Viswanathan and Birgitt reflect on the customer discovery process, and Birgitt offers advice for aspiring entrepreneurs.

This episode is brought to you by Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Central & Northern PA.

Episode Chapters

00:00 – 6:07 An early interest in science, math, and making a difference

6:07 – 8:46 Being challenged at Princeton

8:46 – 11:38 Choosing Penn State because of now co-founder’s pitch

11:38 – 14:55 Creating a material to repel sticky substances like poop

14:55 – 19:22 Navigating the pathway from lab to startup

19:22 – 23:00 The right timing to launch a consumer product

23:00 – 26:04 Keeping up with demand after NYT Wirecutter feature

26:04 -27:41 Future applications of the spotLESS Materials technology

27:41 – 29:37 Benefits of being based out of State College

29:37 – 36:27 Student section

30:12 – 33:37 Overcoming challenges presented by NSF I-Corps program

33:37 – 36:27 Advice for aspiring entrepreneurs

About Birgitt Boschitsch

Birgitt is the CEO and co-founder of spotLESS Materials. She graduated from Princeton University with a BSE mechanical and aerospace engineering. She received her Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from Penn State.




Gaming your Health with Litesprite Founder Swatee Surve



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Dare to Disrupt
Gaming your Health with Litesprite Founder Swatee Surve
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In 2013, Swatee launched Litesprite, a health tech startup developing award-winning digital therapeutic purpose-driven games for chronic conditions. Litesprite has the mission of destigmatizing mental health issues and removing barriers to the tools people need.

She received her MSME in Control Systems and Biomechanics from Penn State.




Putting the ‘Care’ in Home Care with Norm Potter



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Dare to Disrupt
Putting the 'Care' in Home Care with Norm Potter
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Norm Potter is the co-founder and co-owner of Allegiance Transportation, as well as the owner and Executive Director of the Winston Salem branch of Griswold Home Care. Allegiance Transportation is a non-emergency medical transportation provider, specializing in wheelchair and ambulatory transport services. Griswold Home Care provides non-medical home care to elderly adults by referring professional caregivers for personal care, homemaking, and companionship services.

In this episode, Norm talks about why he decided to make a career switch from banking to higher education to now running two businesses in the non-medical home care and transportation industries. He also shares his journey battling cancer and how it has changed his outlook on life.

At the end of the episode, biomedical engineering doctoral candidate Josh Reynolds joins the conversation. His startup, Atlas Biotech, is striving to overcome drug resistance and accelerate drug discovery efforts in the fight against cancer. He recently participated in the Penn State NSF I-Corps short course program and the Happy Valley LaunchBox powered by PNC Bank FastTrack Accelerator. 

Norm graduated from Penn State with a degree in finance and economics.  




LIVE from the Venture & IP Conference: Innovating the Future of EV Infrastructure



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Dare to Disrupt
LIVE from the Venture & IP Conference: Innovating the Future of EV Infrastructure
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Dare to Disrupt LIVE: Innovating the Future of EV Infrastructure brought together three Penn State alumni at the forefront of the electric vehicle revolution to explore the challenges and opportunities shaping the industry’s future. This live episode features an engaging discussion with Benjamin Birnbaum (Keyframe, Terawatt), Zander Isaacson (Xeal), and Diallo Powell (Stak Mobility) as they share insights on EV infrastructure, charging technology, and the role of innovation in accelerating adoption. Whether you’re an entrepreneur, investor, or EV enthusiast, this conversation offers a rare opportunity to hear directly from industry leaders driving the future of electric transportation.

Benjamin Birnbaum is co-founder and partner at Keyframe, a New York City-based investment firm focused on the energy transition’s impact on industry. Prior to Keyframe, he founded Terawatt, an infrastructure developer, owner, and operator for large-scale EV charging. Terawatt has raised over $1 billion and provides fleet charging for companies like Pepsi and Waymo. Ben is a graduate of the Penn State Smeal College of Business.

Diallo Powell is co-founder and CEO of Stak Mobility, which addresses urban mobility challenges with an automated vertical carousel system for vehicle storage and EV charging—combining smart software with space-saving infrastructure. Diallo graduated from the Penn State College of the Liberal Arts.

Zander Isaacson is co-founder and CEO of Xeal, a technology-first EV charging company at the intersection of proptech, energy, and the Internet of Things. Xeal partners with more than 70 of the largest real estate companies nationwide. Zander, a Penn State Smeal College of Business graduate, is also our first-ever repeat guest on Dare to Disrupt.

Together, Ben, Diallo, and Zander discuss the broader trends and challenges shaping the EV landscape, how their companies are uniquely tackling these issues, strategies for scaling and financing capital-intensive projects, and their predictions for the future of the industry.

Episode Chapters

0:00 – 7:09 The EV industry landscape at large, building infrastructure

7:09 – 16:35 Fleet vs. consumer charging, offline charging, and urban charging

16:35 – 27:10 Scaling capital-intensive companies

27:10 – 36:38 The future of the EV industry

36:38 – 45:19 Advice for entrepreneurs entering this industry

45:19 – 50:33 Audience questions

Dare to Disrupt is made possible by the generous support of the Penn State Smeal College of Business.




On the Forefront of Digital Advertising with Infolinks Media CEO Robert Regular



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Dare to Disrupt
On the Forefront of Digital Advertising with Infolinks Media CEO Robert Regular
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Robert is a serial technology and media entrepreneur with 25 years of experience in digital media and marketing. He has founded, grown and exited four digital media technology companies with teams and locations around the world. Robert’s current company, Infolinks Media, is an exclusive ad marketplace helping emerging publishers grow and succeed.

Robert received his bachelor’s degree in communications and business from Penn State. 




Winter Break Message II and January Episode Preview – West Shore Home



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Dare to Disrupt
Winter Break Message II and January Episode Preview - West Shore Home
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We are taking a break this December, but we’ll be back in late January with an episode featuring B.J. Werzyn, the founder and CEO of West Shore Home, one of the largest direct-to-consumer home remodelers in the nation. Listen to this episode for a quick preview of the interview. Happy holidays!




Tapping into Niche Media Markets with Industry Dive Co-founders



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Dare to Disrupt
Tapping into Niche Media Markets with Industry Dive Co-founders
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Sean Griffey and Ryan Willumson are the co-founders of Industry Dive, a digital media company delivering business news and original analysis through targeted newsletters. Covering sectors like healthcare, energy, transportation, retail, and more, Industry Dive serves over 14 million North American users and partners with major clients including Amazon, Salesforce, Uber, IBM, and American Express. The company is known for producing some of the most respected journalism in the business world.

In this episode, Sean and Ryan discuss how they met while working at FierceMarkets, a B2B e-media startup, and what inspired them to launch Industry Dive. They share how they bootstrapped the company, built a loyal audience, and grew the business to $100 million in revenue before its acquisition by Informa in September 2022.

Later in the episode, Lucy Bickel—an incoming senior majoring in advertising with minors in entrepreneurship & innovation: new ventures and digital media trends & analytics—joins the conversation. Together, they explore how Industry Dive developed its code of ethics, its approach to advertising, and the secret behind Sean and Ryan’s enduring co-founder relationship.

The Dare to Disrupt podcast is made possible by the generous support of the Penn State Smeal College of Business.

Episode Chapters

0:00 – 9:54 Finding their way at Penn State

9:54 – 12:01 Leaving consulting to get MBA to maximize impact
12:01 – 14:21 Ryan joins startup world

14:21 – 20:44 Adjusting to the scrappy startup environment

20:44 – 24:16 Selling Fierce Markets

24:16 – 27:53 Sean and Ryan partner up to launch Industry Dive

27:53 – 31:33 Going deep into niche markets rather than wide

31:33 – 36:17 Not taking on VC funding, impact on culture

36:17 – 40:48 Deciding to take in private equity capital

40:48 – 48:31 Student section

40:48 – 42:41 Establishing ethical journalism practices

42:41 – 45:16 Working with advertising partners

45:16 – 48:31 Secrets to a successful business partnership

About Sean Griffey

Sean Griffey is co-founder and former CEO of Industry Dive. He graduated from Penn State University’s Smeal College of Business with a BS in economics and received an MBA from Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management. 

About Ryan Willumson

Ryan Willumson is co-founder and former CRO of Industry Dive. He graduated from Penn State University’s Smeal College of Business with a BS in finance and international business. 




Innovating the Environmental Insurance Business with David Rosenberg



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Dare to Disrupt
Innovating the Environmental Insurance Business with David Rosenberg
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David Rosenberg is the former Executive Vice President and Principal at Environmental Compliance Services (ECS). David and his two partners grew ECS from a small 12 person, $5 million in annual written premium agency to a 500 person, $200 million in annual written premium agency and a leader in the environmental insurance business.  ECS was sold to XL Capital Inc., a publicly held company in 1999.

David received his bachelor’s degree in individual and family studies from Penn State.




Scaling a Stress-free Home Remodeling Business with West Shore Home Founder B.J. Werzyn



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Dare to Disrupt
Scaling a Stress-free Home Remodeling Business with West Shore Home Founder B.J. Werzyn
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B.J. Werzyn is the founder and CEO of West Shore Home, one of the largest direct to consumer home remodelers in the nation. Through a combination of acquisitions and new office openings, West Shore Home has over 38 locations in 18 states with over $750 million in revenue.

In this episode, B.J. talks about how he is revolutionizing a traditionally fragmented and tech averse industry. He talks through how West Shore Home mapped out the 67 processes of home remodeling, removed inefficiencies, and implemented streamlined processes empowered by technology to ultimately make the easiest, quickest, most stress-free customer experience.

At the end of the episode, current Penn State student Jennifer Natale joins the conversation. Jennifer is a senior at Penn State majoring in finance with a minor in Corporate Innovation and Entrepreneurship. She is the president of the Corporate Innovation and Entrepreneurship Society at Penn State. She talks to B.J. about overcoming initial entrepreneurial obstacles. B.J. graduated from Penn State in 1999.




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