Akhil Iyengar ’26 dropped out of Cornell, to go through YC, and start a Startup!! we talked about:
- how his startup helps retailers and PE portcos with pricing/promotion strategies
- the YC accelerator, how it made them more ambitious and think bigger
- what it was like dropping out of Cornell in his junior year
Startup: https://www.operand.com/
(0:00) What is his startup? What is pricing strategy? (8:28) How clients use their AI software (11:17) How the AI creates value (14:03) How to become the best in pricing strategy (18:10) Private equity firms are the ideal customers (20:57) Pricing for their own product (22:49) Journey from being a Cornell Junior to being a startup founder (26:02) Applying to Y Combinator (33:20) Startup fundraising process (35:17) Closing question

Prashanth Chandrasekar, MEM ’03, is CEO of Stack Overflow, the top software developer community!! we talked about:
- transforming the company from a B2C to a B2B strategy
- how to keep a pulse on new AI trends, and adapt to them
- how Cornell prepares us well to become CEOs
Stack Overflow Internal: https://stackoverflow.co/teams/
(0:00) What is Stack Overflow (8:14) Private Stack Overflow internally for Companies (15:44) How to use Stack Overflow Internal (22:35) Transformation from a B2C to B2B company (25:30) Strategy for the Stack Overflow public community (32:09) How to keep a pulse on new AI trends, and experimenting new features (36:35) Financing for the company (39:57) How to become a great CEO (43:47) Closing question

Kim Bixler ’91 is making a new musical, featuring Brazilian body percussion!! we talked about:
- what is Barba the Musical? how did you make the musical?
- how did you navigate career changes? (going back to grad school at 52 years old!)
- what is the networking and business side of musicals?
Barba Musical: https://barbamusical.com/
(0:00) What is Barba the Musical? (6:08) How does a musical make it onto Broadway (12:09) How to collaborate with people on creating a musical (23:03) History of the Barbatuques (31:25) What are the financing options for musicals (39:11) Switching careers over the decades (45:10) Closing question

Robyn Carter ’96 is a marketing trends and innovation expert, she helps the biggest brands understand their customers!! we talked about:
- what are marketing trends, and how trends are manifested
- how companies make new products, and adapt to new trends
- how to start a consulting firm, and grow it over the decades
(0:00) What is marketing trends and innovation? (5:33) Consumer insights departments and workflows (7:33) Examples of trends (15:48) How to figure out new trends, and How to apply that to brands (26:10) Starting her own firm, entrepreneurship!! (32:16) Scaling up the firm (38:22) Closing question

Hao Shi, PhD ’20, is founder of a Series A startup, Kanvas makes cancer therapy more effective, by improving the gut microbiome, we talked about:
- the importance of the gut microbiome, the effectiveness of cancer immunotherapy
- scaling up the startup, from 2 cofounders to 30 employees, with clinical trials on the way
- his personal journey from starting his PhD at Cornell and commercializing his research
(00:00) What is the gut microbiome, and what is cancer immunotherapy (05:00) Gut microbiome is dynamic, important to have a stable therapeutic (07:50) How the pill affects the gut microbiome (10:00) Importance of the imaging platform (13:07) First clinical trial (18:56) Commercializing his PhD research (22:18) How he chose his PhD thesis (27:02) Growing the startup team (33:00) Closing question

Charles Stuppard ’82 is a Leader, in the military and in the Cornell community, we talked about:
- building leadership skillsets, how anyone can become a leader!!
- his personal journey to leadership, from Haiti to Cornell to the Navy and beyond!
- how Cornell became the #1 university for veterans! the Cornell Military Network!
- case studies on leadership, from Abraham Lincoln to leading 25 Cornell volunteers
his new book "Sea Dog: A Seafaring Captain's Lessons in Leadership" is at https://www.amazon.com/Sea-Dog-Seafaring-Captains-Leadership/dp/1394248245
(00:00) What is leadership, how to become a leader (07:44) How to find a good fit between leader and organization (14:18) What makes Abraham Lincoln a good leader (18:25) Charles talks about his personal journey (25:46) How the military teaches leadership (34:41) Career paths in the military (38:23) Cornell is the #1 university for veterans (45:59) Leadership in Cornell volunteering (60:29) Closing question

Laura Schoenle ’06 helps Cornell undergrads do research, we talked about:
- the skillsets developed through undergraduate research!!
- how her undergrad research experience influenced her career path, from high school teacher to PhD and beyond!!
- how undergrads at Cornell can find research opportunities!!

Alex Martin ’89 is a biotech CEO, on a mission to cure a rare disease, we talked about:
- building a biotech company, building the team (20 to 50 people!), fundraising (over $350 million!)
- executive coaching, being a good sounding board, remove obstacles faced by team members
- career path, from a government major at Cornell to a biotech CEO, 1st job, MBA, and more!

Debra Stern ’87 is the founder and executive director of Amani Public Charter School, a K-8 school in Mount Vernon, NY, we talked about:
- importance of education, for equity and opportunities, and for bringing together the community
- how her student leadership at Cornell led to a career in education administration
- leadership opportunities as Cornell alumni, and service on the Cornell University Council!

Maria Fernandez, JD ’92, is New York State's Deputy Secretary for Education!! we talked about:
- the importance of education and public service
- benefits of going to law school, the skillset and the network
- volunteering for Cornell (President's Council of Cornell Women!!)