In this episode, Michael Oved sits down with Sam Yagan, the founder of Sparknotes (the famed online study guide service), founder of OkCupid (the internationally renowned data site), and the former CEO of Match Group (the $10 billion holding company that owns Tinder, Match.com, OkCupid, Hinge, Plenty of Fish, and OurTime). Sam discusses the importance of taking risks, surrounding youself with driven people, and the steps he took to succeed in his entrepreneurial endeavors.
May 13, 2024
41 min
Michael Oved sits down with Steve Kaufer, co-founder and former CEO of TripAdvisor (the $3 billion public travel research platform that aggregates reviews about destinations, accommodations, hotels, and activities). He tells us about the successes and failures he's had on his road to founding the company, what he's learned from them, and what aspiring entrepreneurs can do now to best prepare themselves for the tumultuous journey that is entrepreneurship.
Apr 29, 2024
55 min
Michael Oved and Terrence Gabel sit down with Deval Patrick, the 71st Governor of Massachusetts. He tells us how he overcame the challenges of the socio-economic conditions of his youth; he discusses the difficulties inherent to governing the state with one of the highest per-capita income in the U.S.; and he speaks about the most important elements a leader must possess and develop.
Apr 15, 2024
30 min
In this episode, Michael Oved sits down with Stephen Goldsmith, the former mayor of Indianapolis, the eighth most populated city in the United States. Stephen discusses what he did in his youth to prepare him for taking leadership roles, how he paved the way for his numerous election wins, how he dealt with failure, and the importance of hard work and passion.
Apr 1, 2024
27 min
Michael Oved sits down with Wendy Kopp, co-founder of Teach for All and Teach For America (non-profits that seek to expand educational opportunity for all, which have generated over $300 million in annual revenue and includes over 50,000 corps members and alumni, who have collectively taught more than 5 million students across the nation). She tells us about her journey to pursue social good as a career, how she founded one of the most successful non-profit organizations in the world, and what she did to spread her message and bring others to believe in it too.
Mar 18, 2024
43 min
Michael Oved sits down with Richard Coraine, co-founder of Union Square Hospitality Group, which is a hospitality organization that has created and operated some of the most acclaimed restaurants and brands in NYC and beyond, including Shake Shack (the fast-food restaurant chain that has grown into a $3 billion publicly traded company), Eleven Madison Park, Blue Smoke, Maialino, and The Modern at MoMA. Richard shares his personal and professional insights in being Danny Meyer's Partner for 30 years, the journey of scaling their shared vision of "enlightened hospitality" into a world class brand, how they created one of America's most notable burger companies, and the lessons learned along the way.
Mar 4, 2024
53 min
Michael Oved sits down with Abby Taylor, the founder of Playa Bowls, the acai bowl franchise that has grown into 200+ stores nationwide. She tells us how she founded Playa Bowls, what she did to grow the company from its humble beginnings as an umbrella stand in New Jersey to the fruitbowl empire it is todat, and the art of creating an aesthetically pleasing product.
Feb 19, 2024
28 min
Michael Oved sits down with Bob Cecere, the former CFO and COO of Barings North America (currently a $347 billion global investment firm). Bob shares how to climb the corporate ladder, how to continuously get promoted within an organization, and how to be a value-add to a firm
Feb 5, 2024
36 min
In this episode, Michael Oved sits down with Philip Inghelbrecht, the cofounder of Shazam (the application that can identify music based on a short sample played using the microphone on the device, which was later acquired by Apple for $400 million). Philip discusses what he did in his youth to prepare him for entrepreneurship, how he founded Shazam, where the name came from, the first song he Shazamed, and his advice to the next generation.
Jan 21, 2024
35 min
Michael Oved and Terrence Gabel sit down with serial entrepreneur Mike Cassidy, the founder of over five successfully acquired companies: Apollo Fusion, Ruba, Xfire, Direct Hit, and Stylus Innovation (all sold for a combined value of over $800 million). Mike discusses the importance of education, the cruciality of following your passion, and how to bounce back in the face of adversity
Jan 4, 2024
31 min
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