Rebroadcast: Expanding Access to Early Childhood Education With Technology
Release Date: 04/17/2019
Rebroadcast: Using Artificial Intelligence and Comedy To Open Hearts and Minds
Tech Forward
Hello listeners, and welcome to another exciting episode of Tech Forward! This week, we're rebroadcasting my covnersation with award-winning comedian . Over the last several years, she’s participated in numerous comedy competitions, and been featured in the NBC Showcase at the Women in Comedy Festival Boston 2018. She was also a recipient of Netflix's 2018 Diversity of Voices fellowship at the Banff World Media Festival. On her latest project, “,” Ana-Marija will be joined by a unique co-host: a functioning AI chatbot. Today, we’ll be talking about her plans for the show, what it’s...
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Rebroadcast: Building Tech Solutions for Social Impact Using Blockchain Technology
Tech Forward
Hello listeners, and welcome back to Tech Forward! This week, we're rebroadcasting my conversation with , Founder and CEO of . By using blockchain technology, Impact Chain Lab is focused on building equitable communities around the globe. Aishwarya became interested in the disruptive power of blockchain in her previous roles as a consultant and leader at Build Academy, and now identifies ways to apply this technology to create solutions in the global development landscape. On this episode, we discussed her entrepreneurial journey, and the various ways Impact Chain Lab uses blockchain...
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Rebroadcast: Using Technology to Mobilize Capital for a Diverse Group of Funds
Tech Forward
Welcome back to Tech Forward, listeners! For this week's rebroadcast, we're featuring my conversation with Leslie Jump, founder and CEO at DifferentFunds, which is the first platform designed and built for investing in venture funds. Leslie has spent the bulk of her career building, advising, and investing in new companies, both in the US and worldwide. Most recently, she served as a Partner in Sawari Ventures, LLC, a Cairo-based early stage venture capital firm that invests in entrepreneurs across the Middle East and North Africa. Today, Leslie will share her inspiration for launching...
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Rebroadcast: Providing Culturally Sensitive Teletherapy to Increase the Life Expectancy of Black Men
Tech Forward
Hello listeners! Welcome back to another episode of Tech Forward. This week, I hope you'll enjoy the rebroadcast of my conversation with , Founder and CEO of . Henry Health's mobile app provides self-care and mental health support through culturally sensitive teletherapy, serving the population with the lowest life expectancy in the U.S. — black men. Kevin is an experienced public health leader, and through Henry Health, he is committed to leveraging the power of technology to add 10 years to the life expectancy of black men in the next 25 years by focusing on their emotional and mental...
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Rebroadcast: Sparking Dialogue about Race and Racism Through Storytelling and Interaction
Tech Forward
Hello listeners, and welcome back to Tech Forward! This week, we're featuring a rebroadcast of my conversation with Catherine Wigginton Greene, Executive Director of content and engagement at . She directed the feature documentary (INRAI) which followed a diverse group of teens through a yearlong exploration of race and racism. From there, she led the development of Point Made’s newest offering – INRAI Digital – which uses the documentary as the foundation for a 3.5-hour online antiracism course. She also travels the U.S. leading workshops and facilitating dialogue about race and...
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Rebroadcast: Leveling the Playing Field for Female Entrepreneurs
Tech Forward
Welcome back to Tech Forward, listeners! For our rebroadcast this week, we're featuring my first double interview: and , co-founders of Chicago-based . InvestHER is an early stage investment firm that partners with and invests in female entrepreneurs. As a strong leader in philanthropy and civic engagement, Geri has a track record for empowering women and girls to reach their full potential. Her mission is to create funding opportunities for women who are focused on technology-enabled business services and data driven solutions for large markets. With her background in sales and a focus on...
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Rebroadcast: Creating a Platform for Music Discovery While Ridesharing
Tech Forward
Welcome back to Tech Forward, listeners! For this week’s rebroadcast, I’m excited to share my conversation with , Co-Founder and Director of Driver Engagement at . By combining the power of music streaming with the popularity of ridesharing, Steereo is a music discovery app that gives emerging artists exposure and valuable data, while compensating rideshare drivers. Sean is an award-winning entrepreneur and a 3-time founder with a strong background in brand strategy, consumer insights, and market forecasting. He also serves as an advisory council member at . Today on the show we’ll be...
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Rebroadcast: Confronting Bias and Unequal Treatment From All Levels In the Workplace
Tech Forward
Hello, listeners! Welcome back to Tech Forward. For this week’s rebroadcast, we're featuring my conversation with , a marketing strategy and product launch expert who works as a consultant and advisor to multiple consumer brands and tech startups. She serves as a mentor to entrepreneurs through her roles with and . Previously, Wes was the founding Executive Director of Seth Godin's . Today on the show, we’ll be talking about the leadership lessons she’s learned during her career, and her advice to other managers on how to adequately encourage and support women in the workplace. After...
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Rebroadcast: Using Five Core Skills to Help Women Advance Their Careers
Tech Forward
Welcome back to Tech Forward, listeners! Continuing our summer rebroadcasts, we're featuring my conversation with , Founder and CEO of . The Forem is a professional training organization that develops the next generation of leaders while promoting gender equity. Through her work with The Forem, Alli focuses on helping women advance their careers and building healthy organizations as a key lever in driving innovation and revenue. Today, we’ll be talking about how she came to found the Forem, and the critical skills she believes all professionals — but especially women — need to...
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Rebroadcast: Helping Women of Color Identify Inclusive Work Environments in STEM
Tech Forward
Hello listeners, and welcome back to Tech Forward! Kicking off our summer rebroadcasts, we're featuring the second episode of our November 2018 job seeker series, when I spoke with , founder of . PositiveHire is a tech company engineered to bridge the gap between employers and women of color STEM professionals. Michele’s vision is to not only help experienced women of color find inclusive workplaces, but to help enterprises recruit them. PositiveHire does this via matching experienced women of color STEM professionals to relevant management positions within organizations. In this episode, we...
info_outlineHello listeners! Welcome back to another episode of Tech Forward. This week, we've resissued my conversation with Chris Bennett, co-founder and CEO of Wonderschool. Combining high quality educational standards with the warmth of in-home programs, Wonderschool is a network of boutique early childhood education programs. With the Wonderschool platform, it’s easy for teachers to start and operate these programs — and for families to find them. Chris and I discussed his journey as an entrepreneur, as well as his passion for providing families with more affordable, high-quality options for early childhood education.
Though some might hesitate to leave the stability of the financial sector for the unpredictable world of entrepreneurship, for Chris — who has many small business owners in his family — it was an easy decision. While attending the Wharton School of Business, he started his own business, but didn’t entertain the notion of continuing past graduation. After 2 years at a real estate private equity firm in Chicago, he felt the urge to return to the entrepreneurial realm. He moved to San Francisco where he met his co-founder, Arrel Gray, and they have been working together since 2011.
The impetus for Wonderschool came from Arrel’s difficulty finding high-quality childcare for his son. Chris and Arrel took inspiration from Orlando’s Tangelo Park Program, which offered free in-home childcare options for low income communities. Access to high-quality early childhood education has dramatic positive results: not only did the crime rate in Tangelo Park decrease by half, but high school graduation rates increased by 75%. Despite all the research highlighting the benefits of early childhood education, however, options remain limited. “A lot of people don’t start these out of their homes, and those who do tend to get overwhelmed quickly.” By creating a platform that makes starting, operating, and locating these programs as simple and intuitive as Airbnb, Wonderschool addresses some of the barriers preventing ECE programs from flourishing.
With upwards of 500 programs at various stages from inception to operation currently on the Wonderschool platform, the team is constantly building more tools for parents to navigate their relationship with their director. Through regular surveys of both parents and teachers, the team collects a wealth of data that enable them to provide a good experience for everyone, from teachers and directors to students and their parents.
As for advice to aspiring entrepreneurs, Chris emphasizes the importance of building relationships. “A lot of critical information is locked in people’s heads — not in books. I’m constantly learning from the community here. With constant learning over time, it becomes easier to know what it takes to be successful.”
Chris, thank you so much for joining me on the show. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for Wonderschool. Thank you also to all of you out there listening, reviewing, and sharing the show. See you next week with a brand new episode!
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