Wharton Launch Pad - podcast cover

Wharton Launch Pad

The Wharton School - Professor Karl Ulrich and Shasta Ventures - Rob Coneybeerktulrich.com
Meet entrepreneurs and learn the secrets to their startup success on Wharton Launch Pad, hosted by Karl Ulrich, co-founder of Wharton's Venture Lab and Rob Coneybeer, Co-founder of Shasta Ventures. Wharton LaunchPad was originally broadcast on SiriusXM Channel 132, Business Radio.

Episodes

Andy Dunn | Bonobos

Andy shares the remarkable story of Bonobos, along with revelations about the demons he faced along the way. Lots of lessons here for entrepreneurship and for life.

Jun 25, 202429 minSeason 2024Ep. 15

Sam D'Amico | Impulse Labs

What happens when a foodie hardware engineer takes on home appliances? The first product from Impulse Labs is an induction cook top that puts out more heat where you want it than pretty much any alternative. But, a cooktop is just the entry point to a revolution in distributed energy and electrification of the home.

Jun 18, 202429 minSeason 2024Ep. 14

Bill Shufelt | Athletic Brewing

Have you noticed a lot more booze-free beverage options recently? Bill Shufelt takes us through the journey of founding and growing Athletic Brewing, the maker of truly delicious non-alcoholic beers.

Jun 11, 202428 minSeason 2024Ep. 13

Julian Maha | KultureCity

Dr. Julian Maha co-founded KultureCity, the largest organization in the world focused on sensory accessibility and acceptance of those with invisible disabilities. Kulture City has partnered with more than 1800 venues to make them accessible for those with invisible disabilities, particular those managing Autism Spectrum Disorder. (Originally aired on Sirius XM Business 132.)

Apr 30, 202425 minSeason 2024Ep. 12

Anna Mowbray | Co-Founder Zuru Toys | Founder Zeil

Zuru Toys is the third largest privately held toy company in the world. Predictably it's based in southern China. Unpredictably, it was founded by a team of New Zealand siblings. This is a wild story. The second half of the show focuses on Anna's new venture Zeil (aka "Tinder for jobs"). This episode hosted by Rob. (Originally aired on SiriusXM Business Radio 132.)

Apr 23, 202453 minSeason 2024Ep. 11

Wouter Bruins | Co-Founder In Ovo

Here's a chicken or egg problem for you. How do you make the hens that lay eggs? Until recently the process involved "culling" billions of male baby chicks per year. As an undergraduate student, Wouter Bruins invented a solution and later founded In Ovo. This episode is a fascinating deep dive into the egg supply chain, and to In Ovo's approach to minimizing one of the more disturbing parts of the process.

Apr 09, 202428 minSeason 2024Ep. 10

Dan Miller | Steward & Fundrise

Dan Miller is a co-founder of Fundrise -- a hugely successful platform for funding non-traditional real estate development. His latest venture is Steward, which funds regenerative agriculture projects. Steward delivers attractive fixed income solutions to retail investors while financing agricultural projects that don't fit traditional lender's profiles. (Originally aired on SiriusXM Business Radio 132.)

Apr 02, 202426 minSeason 2024Ep. 9

Ariel Kaye | Parachute Home

Ariel Kaye takes us back to the beginning -- how she got started building a direct-to-consumer bedding brand. Bonus content: why you should ignore thread count. (Originally aired on SiriusXM Business Radio Channel 132.)

Mar 26, 202427 minSeason 2024Ep. 8

Ritu Narayan | Zum

Zum is hot off of a $140 mm Series E funding round. Hear how former eBay exec Ritu Narayan has led the reinvention of school student transportation. (Originally aired on SiriusXM Business Radio Channel 132.)

Mar 19, 202425 minSeason 2024Ep. 7

Shawn Nelson | Lovesac

Lovesac (NASDAQ: LOVE) started when founder Shawn Nelson was watching TV as a teenager and thought it would be cool to build a gigantic beanbag chair. Most important, he got off his butt and made a prototype. Listen to Shawn recount the twisty path from then to now. (Originally aired on Wharton Launch Pad - SiriusXM Business Radio Channel 132.)

Mar 12, 202428 minSeason 2024Ep. 6

Amanda DoAmaral | Fiveable

An educator builds a platform for test prep and other educational needs, putting students first. (Originally aired on Wharton Launch Pad - SiriusXM Business Radio Channel 132.)

Mar 05, 202426 minSeason 2024Ep. 5

Steve Salis | &Pizza

&Pizza delivers a pretty amazing custom-made pie in about 6 minutes while you watch. Hear Steve tell how he developed the concept and scaled the business. (Originally aired on Wharton Launch Pad - SiriusXM Business Radio Channel 132.)

Feb 27, 202429 minSeason 2024Ep. 3

Randy Goldberg | Bombas

So many gems shared by Randy Goldberg about bringing new energy to a sleepy category -- socks. Many great insights about creating a business with purpose. (Originally aired on SiriusXM Business Radio 132.)

Feb 20, 202426 minSeason 2024Ep. 5

Seth Goldman | JUST Ice Tea

Seth Goldman and Barry Nalebuff could hardly have been more successful in founding Honest Tea which became a significant business for Coca Cola. Seth tells the riveting story of what he did when a Coke executive reached out to say it would shut down Honest. (Originally aired on SiriusXM Business Radio.)

Feb 13, 202426 minSeason 2022Ep. 1107

Karl Ulrich | The Wharton School

I'm on the other side of the mic this time telling my own story on the Metacast Podcast, including the twisty path from a PhD at the MIT AI Lab to being a professor of innovation, entrepreneurship, and design at Wharton. I'm interviewed by Ilya Bezdelev and Arnab Deka, co-founders of the Metacast Podcast and the Metacast App ....

Feb 06, 20241 hr 12 minSeason 2023Ep. 1004

John Geary | Abodu

The ADU (aka Granny Flat) market has exploded. How has Abodu tackled demand? (Originally aired on Wharton Launch Pad - SiriusXM Business Radio Channel 132.)

Jan 30, 202427 minSeason 2024Ep. 4

Kathryn Minshew | The Muse

Hear Kathryn explain how she built The Muse -- to help people "find work that's worth it." (Originally aired on Sirius XM Business Radio 132 on June 19, 2023.)

Jan 23, 202425 minSeason 2024Ep. 6

Nick Green | Thrive Market

On-line grocery retailing is pretty tough. So, how did Thrive Market break out? Listen as Nick Green tells the origin story and the key ingredients to Thrive Market's success. (Originally aired on Wharton Launch Pad - SiriusXM Business Radio Channel 132.)

Jan 16, 202427 minSeason 2024Ep. 2

Aaron Levie | Box

Rob goes deep on the origin stories and growth journey of enterprise cloud company Box with Aaron Levie. (re-broadcast of 2021 interview originally aired on Sirius XM Business Radio).

Jan 10, 202422 minSeason 2021Ep. 821

Steve Galanis | Cameo

When Steve co-founded Cameo, people told him star athletes would demand USD 10,000 to make a short personalized video. The actual market-clearing price is about USD 100. That shocking difference between perceived value and actual cost has driven huge demand for Cameo. Hear Steve talk about the origin story and the challenges of growth. (Originally aired on Wharton Launch Pad - SiriusXM Business Radio Channel 132.)

Jan 09, 202426 minSeason 2024Ep. 1

Josh Tetrick | Eat JUST

Chicken or egg? Eat JUST shows we can have egg without the chicken at all. (Originally aired on Wharton Launch Pad - SiriusXM Business Radio Channel 132.)

Jan 08, 202427 minSeason 2023Ep. 313

Immad Akhund | Mercury

How might a new venture address the specific banking needs of start-ups? (Originally aired on Wharton Launch Pad - SiriusXM Business Radio Channel 132.)

Jan 08, 202428 minSeason 2022Ep. 516

Uma Valeti | Upside Foods (formerly Memphis Meats)

A cardiologist takes on the challenge of growing real meat without the animal. (Originally aired on Wharton Launch Pad - SiriusXM Business Radio Channel 132.)

Jan 08, 202428 minSeason 2017Ep. 125

Mary Biggins | Mealpal

Lunch for under $10? How Mealpal delivers. (Originally aired on Wharton Launch Pad - SiriusXM Business Radio Channel 132.)

Jan 08, 202426 minSeason 2017Ep. 1011

Will Ahmed | Whoop

How can a lab full biometric devices be put on your wrist? (Originally aired on Wharton Launch Pad - SiriusXM Business Radio Channel 132.)

Jan 08, 202427 min

Tammy Sun | Carrot Fertility

What if fertility services were an easily administered benefit for your workforce? (Originally aired on Wharton Launch Pad - SiriusXM Business Radio Channel 132.)

Jan 08, 202428 minSeason 2017Ep. 1011

Stephen Lease | Goodr

Can sunglasses (and other active accessories) be high performance, affordable, and fun? (Originally aired on Wharton Launch Pad - SiriusXM Business Radio Channel 132.)

Jan 08, 202426 minSeason 2022Ep. 207

Gabi Lewis | Magic Spoon

Everyone loves breakfast cereal? Can it be a healthy meal choice for adults? (Originally aired on Wharton Launch Pad - SiriusXM Business Radio Channel 132.)

Jan 08, 202426 minSeason 2022Ep. 808

Alex French | Bizzy Coffee

All you ever wanted to know about cold brew coffee and breaking into the refrigerated aisle of the grocery channel. (Originally aired on Wharton Launch Pad - SiriusXM Business Radio Channel 132.)

Jan 08, 202425 minSeason 2022Ep. 321

Mike Webber + Vedant Saboo | Frutero Ice Cream

Ice cream in grocery is a very competitive category. What does it take for a start-up to take on the big brands? (Originally aired on Wharton Launch Pad - SiriusXM Business Radio Channel 132.)

Jan 08, 202428 minSeason 2022Ep. 1128