Thought Leadership & the Start-up
Harvard Alumni Entrepreneurs Invites
IN THIS EPISODE: In this episode, host Denise Silber sits down with Michaela Horvathova, co-founder of Beyond Education and alumna of Harvard's Graduate School of Education, to explore how building an innovative company demands more than a great product — it requires becoming a thought leader. Michaela’s journey is as global as it is inspiring. Despite not fitting into the traditional school system in Slovakia, Michaela earned a tennis scholarship to the U.S., graduated from Harvard, advised the Prime Minister of Slovakia, and co-founded a bold edtech startup helping schools adapt to...
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From Founder to Leader: Mastering the Scaleup Journey
Harvard Alumni Entrepreneurs Invites
IN THIS EPISODE: Scaling a startup brings exciting opportunities—but also the challenge of increased complexity, slower decision-making, and the creeping risk of bureaucracy. In this episode, Artus de Longuemar joins host Philip Guarino to reveal how founders can delegate with confidence, maintain agility, and empower teams without losing control. They explore the psychological barriers to delegation, the shift from hands-on execution to strategic leadership, and how clear autonomy frameworks can drive success. Artus also highlights the power of inspiring content creation for platforms like...
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Digital Health: ROI is King
Harvard Alumni Entrepreneurs Invites
IN THIS EPISODE: In a change of pace, host Denise Silber delves into her professional field, digital health, as she invites fellow Harvard alumna Dr. Ariel Dora Stern. Together they explore Dr. Stern's extensive and unique, research-based findings on what drives successful business models in healthtech. Dr. Stern combines her Harvard PhD, insights from her decade on the HBS faculty, and her prestigious position as Alexander von Humboldt Professor at Germany’s Hasso Plattner Institute to provide listeners with unparalleled expertise in the digital health business across the...
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Dancing with Robots : A New Entrepreneurial Frontier
Harvard Alumni Entrepreneurs Invites
IN THIS EPISODE: Host Denise Silber sits down with Harvard alumna Dr. Merritt Moore, who is a quantum physicist, ballet dancer, educator and entrepreneur all at once! They explore her unique multi-disciplinary journey at the intersection of dance and robotics. Dr Moore reveals the challenges and triumphs of merging her two passions, and how her work offers deeper insights into human-machine interaction. Dr. Moore shares how she is creating a new industry by coding robots and performing as a professional ballet dancer on global stages. Dr Moore’s innovative teaching approach in...
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Empowering Success for Early-stage Ventures
Harvard Alumni Entrepreneurs Invites
IN THIS EPISODE: In this episode of the Harvard Alumni Entrepreneurs podcast, host Philip Guarino speaks with Bede Moore, an HBS alumnus and the Chief Commercial Officer at Antler, a global leader in pre-seed venture investment. Moore shares his entrepreneurial journey, from his successful e-commerce venture to his current role at Antler, where he leads a team operating in 27 cities worldwide. The conversation explores Antler's mission to empower aspiring founders at the earliest stages of company formation. Key topics include the challenges of scaling, the importance of community and...
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Investing in LatAm with VC Trailblazer Christine Kenna
Harvard Alumni Entrepreneurs Invites
IN THIS EPISODE: In this unique episode taking us to Latin America, Denise Silber interviews HBS alumna Christine Kenna, Partner at a leading early-stage VC fund in Mexico, in order to explore and amplify the often overlooked opportunities for venture capital investment in the region. Drawing from her experience as a former Silicon Valley executive, operational manager in LatAm, and board member, Christine Kenna shares insights on identifying innovative business models and supporting entrepreneurs in this emerging market. Listeners will gain valuable takeaways on the region’s...
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Top AI Use Cases in Business
Harvard Alumni Entrepreneurs Invites
IN THIS EPISODE: This exciting episode features Jon Down, HBS MBA, professor at the University of Portland and AI entrepreneur who founded two AI companies. He is interviewed by host Denise Silber about the top AI business use cases supported by emerging research, best practices for implementing AI and the key ethical considerations raised by business’s use of AI. The conversation also covers how AI can improve productivity, how companies can navigate the challenges of AI adoption, why you might need to spend more time with AI, the need for responsible AI use, and the...
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Deep Tech: Money Matters
Harvard Alumni Entrepreneurs Invites
IN THIS EPISODE: In this podcast episode, host Philip Guarino speaks with Andrew Lo, a distinguished professor at MIT and an entrepreneur with a focus on healthcare and deep tech ventures. Andrew shares his journey from academia to entrepreneurship, detailing his transition from economics to founding a quantitative investment firm and later exploring the financial challenges of drug development. He discusses the fundraising challenges for deep tech entrepreneurs, how investors’ risk calculation differs for more complex ventures and how this requires continuous investor communication and...
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Crypto Explained
Harvard Alumni Entrepreneurs Invites
IN THIS EPISODE: In this episode, our host Denise Silber welcomes recent HBS MBA, Kai-Tai Chang, General Partner at a quantitative crypto fund. Kai-Tai Chang explains, step by step, how cryptocurrency works and presents the key components and stakeholders in a session sure to interest crypto beginners and enthusiasts alike. Specialized in Alpha research, or detecting opportunities that offer returns above the market average, Kai-Tai Chang shares his journey from engineering to the world of cryptocurrencies, highlighting technology’s potential to redefine financial systems....
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From Startup to Fortune 100 Executive
Harvard Alumni Entrepreneurs Invites
IN THIS EPISODE: In this podcast episode, Anthony Soohoo, an entrepreneur with experience in both startups and Fortune 100 companies, shares his insights on the value of corporate skills for entrepreneurs and vice versa. He discusses the differences between startup and corporate work environments, emphasizing the importance of an entrepreneurial mindset in large organizations for innovation and nimbleness. Anthony also reflects on his board experiences and the role of entrepreneurs in governance. Anthony Soohoo discusses how corporate skills can benefit entrepreneurs, touching on empathy and...
info_outlineIN THIS EPISODE:
In this episode our host, Philip Guarino, is joined by Jahn Karsybaev, a Managing Partner at Big Sky Capital, a VC for B2B enterprises in emerging markets. Together they discuss Jahn’s journey as an immigrant from entrepreneur to venture capitalist, his firm’s unique focus on emerging markets and how founders can best navigate the challenging funding environment.
In this installment, Jahn sheds light on what he looks for in founders and how the right venture capital firm, board and advisors can play a crucial role in accelerating growth. Jahn discusses the importance of a right product-market fit and go-to-market strategy, the value of networking and how entrepreneurs can best future-proof their operations to propel long-term success.
GUEST BIO:
Jahn Karsybaev is a Managing Partner at Big Sky Capital, an early-stage fund investing enterprise SaaS companies. He is a former Technology Executive for Fortune 100 companies and a serial entrepreneur with multiple exits. Jahn is an alumnus of Harvard Business School, University of Montana and NSU. He holds multiple Board positions at various companies like mgBasePay, Cerebra AI, HBS Alumni Angels, Tarlan Payments and many more. Jahn is also a founder and executive host on Ivy Podcast: Interviewing Top Global Executives. Jahn Is a published author and his most recent book “The PM Imperative: Guide for Leading and Managing Projects & Delivering Value” is on Top 50 Amazon's Global Business Books. He is originally from Kazakhstan and currently resides in South Florida with his wife and three children.