Beyond the Launch

Sam Jadallah, head of home services at Apple and a Case Western Reserve University alum, joined us last April to discuss success and failure as an entrepreneur and how he’s brought his experience with entrepreneurship to Apple.

In 2013, Jadallah founded Otto, a consumer hardware and services connected home device, where he was CEO for four years. Previously, he spent 12 years at Microsoft and was a venture capitalist. He joined Apple in February of 2019. Jadallah graduated from CWRU in 1986 and is a member of the board of trustees.

This conversation was facilitated by Raghav Rao (CWR ‘18, ‘21), who is pursuing his MS in computer engineering.

Halle Tecco, founder CEO of Natalist and a Case Western Reserve University alum, joined us last February to discuss healthcare innovation, going from being a startup investor to being a startup founder and her experience as a female CEO.

Tecco founded Natalist, a fertility and women’s health product startup, in 2018. Previously, she was a founder at Rock Health, a seed venture capital fund focused on healthcare technology, and an adjunct professor at Columbia Business School. Tecco started her career working in finance and business development roles at Intel and Apple. She graduated from CWRU in 2006.

This conversation was facilitated by Sonia Velu (CWR ‘22), who is pursuing her BS in biomedical engineering.

This past August, Chris Young, executive VP of business development at Microsoft and the former CEO of McAfee, joined us to discuss how to keep an entrepreneurial spirit in well-established companies and his advice to young professionals.

Young joined Microsoft as executive VP of business development in November 2020. He is a member of the Board of Directors for American Express and Snapchat, Inc. Young served as the CEO of McAfee, a global computer security software company, from 2017 to 2020. Earlier in his career, he co-founded Cyveillance, which he helped to build to over 100 employees and several million in revenue in three years.

This conversation was facilitated by Case Western Reserve University Alum Nsisong Udosen (CWR '20), account manager in large customer sales at Google.

This past July, Robbie Bach, former president of entertainment & devices at Microsoft, joined us to discuss the strategy that he used to launch Xbox, why businesses should do social good and what it means to be a “civic engineer.”

Bach was at Microsoft for 22 years where he led the creation and development of the Xbox business from its startup phase to the launch of the Xbox 360 console and online gaming service Xbox Live. During his career at Microsoft, he also was a marketing leader in the launch and expansion of the Microsoft Office business and as the President of Entertainment & Devices, he was responsible for Microsoft's gaming, music, video, phone, and retail sales businesses. Today, Bach is a "Civic Engineer" and acts as a strategy consultant to organizations that drive positive change.

This conversation will be facilitated by Case Western Reserve University student Mohamed Mahmoud (CWR’ '22), who is pursuing a BS in Computer Science.

This past August, Amy Nelson, CEO of Venture for America (VFA), joined us to discuss her experience in developing young entrepreneurs at VFA.

While obtaining her MBA at the Stern School of Business, Nelson helped B Lab launch B Analytics, a leading data platform for impact investors. In 2013, she joined Venture for America and became its CEO in 2017. VFA is a two-year fellowship program for recent college graduates to learn entrepreneurship skills and work full-time at a startup.

This conversation was facilitated by Case Western Reserve University student Megan Nellis (CWR '22), who is pursuing a BS in Chemical Engineering.

This past May, Hallie Kogelschatz, CEO of shark&minnow, joined us to discuss running her own consultancy, how to graduate during a recession and her advice to women entrepreneurs.

In 2013, Kogelschatz and her husband, Eric Kogelschatz, founded shark&minnow, a strategy and design consultancy based in Cleveland, Ohio. She has worked on global, domestic and local marketing campaigns for clients such as Napster, Cadillac, Stop Handgun Violence, Progressive Insurance, Cleveland Clinic and KeyBank.

The conversation was facilitated by Case Western Reserve University student Queenie Tang (CWR ‘21) who is pursuing her BS in Marketing & International Business.

Last March, we were joined by John McMicken, CEO of Evergreen Cooperatives, for a discussion on cooperative and employee-owned business models, social entrepreneurship and his work at Evergreen Cooperatives.

McMicken has been CEO of Evergreen Cooperatives since 2013. He has successfully launched a variety of technology startups. In 2009, he founded a Cleveland consulting firm called Virtical Technologies, LLC. McMicken has 20 years of experience in technology services and has held senior-level positions in business development and operations management.

The conversation was facilitated by Katie VanDusen (MGT ‘21), who is pursuing her MBA concentrating in Finance & Entrepreneurship with a Community Development focus.

This event was hosted with the Fowler Center for Business as an Agent of World Benefit.

Last January, Mike Fisher, Chief Technology Officer of Etsy and a Case Western Reserve University alum, joined us for a discussion about two-sided marketplaces, technology management, and ethical leadership.

Before joining Etsy, Fisher was the co-founder and managing partner of AKF Partners, a consulting firm. He has also been VP of Engineering & Architecture for Paypal and the CTO of Quigo. Fisher is a veteran, who served as a Captain and pilot in the US Army. He joined Etsy as CTO in 2017.

This conversation was facilitated by CWRU Alum Nsisong Udosen (CWR '20), account manager in large customer sales at Google.

This past May, the founders of Workday Strategic Sourcing (Stan Garber, Alex Yakubovich and Andrew Durlak) joined us to discuss their experience in building a cloud-based tech startup as Case Western Reserve University graduates.

Workday Strategic Sourcing is a leading cloud-based platform for strategic sourcing and supplier engagement. Formerly ScoutRFP at the time of recording, it was acquired by Workday in November 2019 for $540 million.

This conversation was facilitated by CWRU alum Igor Tutelman (MGT ‘20), co-founder of the startup Pastry Now.

This past July, Justin Bibb, Chief Strategy Officer at Urbanova, joined us for a discussion about how technology and entrepreneurship can be a tool to build stronger and more equitable midsize cities.

A Cleveland native and Case Western Reserve University alum, Bibb became the Chief Strategy Officer at Urbanova, a public-private partnership for smarter, healthier cities, in May 2020. Prior to that, he was the Vice President of Corporate Strategy at KeyBank and Senior Consultant and Head of Global Cities Practice at Gallup, an analytics and advisory company. Bibb also serves on the boards of Destination Cleveland, Teach for America Greater Cleveland, LAND Studio, Inc., and the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority.

This conversation was facilitated by CWRU student Darrell Butler (CWR '20), who is pursuing his BA in History.