Can financial education turn athletes into powerful investors?

In this episode of CPO PLAYBOOK, Danny Cortenraede shares his journey from entrepreneur to investor and mentor, helping athletes and early-stage startups build long-term wealth. Drawing from his background scaling multiple companies, Danny now leads initiatives that teach athletes how to make smart investment decisions, build their financial literacy, and take control of their legacy beyond the field.

We explore how his work at LEAD is shaping a new generation of athlete-entrepreneurs—through hands-on learning, mentorship, and real-world exposure to capital strategy.

You’ll learn:

• Why 80% of startups fail—and how to avoid it

• How athletes can transition from endorsements to equity

• What startup founders should know about scaling to Series A

• Why real estate is a powerful entry point for investing

• How LEAD is building an ecosystem of athlete-driven innovation

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Danny Cortenraede

01:16 Danny's Entrepreneurial Journey

04:28 Transitioning to Investment and Education

10:00 The Importance of Financial Literacy for Athletes

19:36 Building the Athlete Council and Educational Initiatives

26:51 Success Stories and Impact of Education

31:33 Changing Perspectives on Investment Among Athletes

34:14 Mindset for Lasting Legacy

Whether you’re a founder, investor, or someone looking to build lasting value, this episode is packed with strategy, insight, and inspiration.

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How do you take a healthcare innovation from lab to market—without losing your shot at impact?

In this episode of CPO PLAYBOOK, Sasha Schrode, CEO of FEMSelect, shares her founder journey from licensing IP out of the University of Pennsylvania to raising venture capital, securing FDA approval, and selling her first company. Now leading FEMSelect, Sasha reveals the hard-won lessons from navigating regulatory hurdles, reimbursement pathways, and clinical validation.

She also explains how a personal cancer diagnosis in her 30s reshaped her purpose—and why falling in love with the problem, not the solution, is what separates great CEOs from the rest.

You’ll learn:

• Why less than 1% of healthcare innovation reaches patients

• The 3 filters every founder must apply before building a company

• How to test product-market fit with real clinicians

• How to think like an investor—and what VCs get wrong

• Why the most successful CEOs start as learners

Chapters

00:00 The Journey from Diagnosis to Innovation

13:18 Understanding Market Viability and Clinical Need

22:43 The Iteration Process in Med Tech

24:20 Insights on Raising Capital and Exiting

27:24 Common Mistakes in Commercialization

32:00 First Steps for Aspiring Innovators

This is your masterclass on building medtech with purpose, discipline, and market-ready strategy.

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Subscribe to CPO PLAYBOOK for more conversations at the intersection of leadership, innovation, and capital strategy: https://www.cpoplaybook.com/newsletter

Need support scaling leadership or culture? Let’s talk: https://www.cpoplaybook.com/contact-us

What happens when you bet on people instead of acquisitions? In this insightful episode of CPO PLAYBOOK, Pia Ostos, EVP and Chief Performance Officer at Inmar Intelligence, shares how prioritizing leadership training fueled explosive business growth and transformed company culture.

By investing in leadership development and embedding clear leadership standards into performance reviews, she redefined HR from a cost center to a powerful business performance accelerator.

Through a culture of accountability and a commitment to experimentation, Pia’s approach drove sustained growth without relying on acquisitions. You’ll discover the six key leadership behaviors that inspire innovation and accountability, why leadership investment is critical to shifting culture from the top down, and how measurable leadership development strategies translate into real revenue impacts.

Tune in to gain a blueprint for transforming leadership and culture into your organization’s strongest competitive advantage, especially in fast-paced, high-stakes business environments.

Join the conversation to learn how leadership, culture, and performance intertwine to drive outstanding business results.

Chapters:

00:00 Transforming Leadership into a Growth Engine

06:31 Establishing Centers of Excellence

16:08 Innovating for Sustainable Growth

24:18 Building a Culture of Experimentation

26:02 Setting Core Leadership Standards

30:40 Measuring and Rewarding Leadership Behaviors

35:06 Leadership Development as a Growth Strategy

39:26 Advice for Building a High-Performing Culture

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Subscribe to CPO PLAYBOOK for more conversations at the intersection of leadership, innovation, and capital strategy: https://www.cpoplaybook.com/newsletter

Need support scaling leadership or culture? Let’s talk: https://www.cpoplaybook.com/contact-us

When private equity enters the picture, alignment becomes everything. But how do you keep employees motivated through uncertainty? Start with equity.

Former private equity backed CEO Adam Coffey explains how incentive equity—not just stock options—can drive performance, increase retention, and turn employees into value creators. Whether you’re leading through a merger, scaling a business, or navigating cultural change, equity can be your secret weapon—if you structure it right.

You’ll learn:

• Why equity is more powerful than bonuses

• How to design incentive plans that actually motivate

• The biggest mistakes leaders make when sharing equity

• What PE firms get right—and wrong—about employee alignment

• Why culture, transparency, and communication still matter most

This is your blueprint for using equity to fuel engagement, ownership, and long-term success—especially in high-stakes environments like private equity.

Chapters:

00:00 The Challenge of Alignment in Private Equity

11:24 Cultural Missteps and Leadership Alignment

18:52 Incentivizing Employees for Success

25:49 Navigating Challenges and Maintaining Alignment

31:28 The Role of Communication in Leadership

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Subscribe to CPO PLAYBOOK for more conversations at the intersection of leadership, innovation, and capital strategy: https://www.cpoplaybook.com/newsletter

Need support scaling leadership or culture? Let’s talk: https://www.cpoplaybook.com/contact-us

Join Tim Ringel, CEO of Meet, as he shares his unique experience of having 10 companies work together under one roof. In this insightful video, Tim reveals the challenges, benefits, and surprises that come with such an innovative setup. From collaboration and creativity to potential conflicts and logistical hurdles, Tim provides a candid look at what happens when multiple companies come together in a shared space.

Whether you're a business leader, entrepreneur, or simply curious about innovative work environments, this video is a must-watch. Discover the pros and cons of this unconventional approach and learn how it can impact productivity, innovation, and company culture. Tune in to find out what happens when 10 companies work under one roof and how it can inspire your own business strategies.

We explore:

• Why cultural integration is harder—and more important—than merging numbers

• How authentic leadership builds trust and alignment post-acquisition

• Why creatives need freedom to ideate and fail forward

• How diversity fuels creativity and innovation in merged companies

• The balance between economic reality and creative culture in M&A

• What leaders can do to sustain authenticity through uncertainty

Chapters

00:00 Navigating Cultural Clashes in Business

11:47 The Journey of Scaling Agencies

16:36 Merging Cultures vs. Numbers

24:25 Fostering Creativity in a Digital Age

36:19 The Importance of Authenticity and Trust

Whether you’re leading a merger, scaling a business, or reimagining culture after acquisition, Tim’s insights reveal what it takes to integrate not just companies—but people.

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Subscribe to CPO PLAYBOOK for more conversations at the intersection of leadership, innovation, and capital strategy: https://www.cpoplaybook.com/newsletter

Need support scaling leadership or culture? Let’s talk: https://www.cpoplaybook.com/contact-us

In this episode, Roman Axelrod, founder and CEO of Xpanceo, shares the bold vision behind raising capital - $290M to create smart contact lenses designed to expand human capability.

From building prototypes to leading a deep-tech team, Roman opens up about the real challenges of turning science fiction into science fact. He discusses the grit it takes to lead a company operating at the edge of innovation—and how clarity, communication, and conviction become non-negotiables in the process.

We explore:

• The role of storytelling in raising capital for moonshot ideas

• Why prototypes matter more than PowerPoints in deep tech

• How to attract world-class talent in a hyper-competitive market

• What makes co-founder relationships thrive under pressure

• How creativity and discipline coexist in breakthrough innovation

Whether you’re a founder, investor, or future-focused leader, Roman’s journey offers powerful lessons on building what doesn’t yet exist—and getting others to believe in it.

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Subscribe to CPO PLAYBOOK for more conversations at the intersection of leadership, innovation, and capital strategy.

Chapters

00:00 The Vision Behind Xpanceo

10:16 Challenges and Reactions to the Idea

14:14 Building a Deep Tech Company

17:22 Motivating a High-Stakes Team

21:47 The Importance of Prototypes

23:58 Recruiting Top Talent in Deep Tech

27:35 The Co-Founder Dynamic

31:14 Communication and Leadership in High-Stakes Environments

34:42 Cultivating Creativity and Vision

39:49 Looking Ahead: The Future of Xpanceo

Felicia Shakiba looks back at how far the podcast has come—and sets the stage for an even bolder season ahead. In this special episode, she teases the power-packed stories coming in Season 4, spotlights what leadership really means today, and unveils new tools designed to help leaders rise, adapt, and thrive.

In the Season 3 finale, Pluri CEO Yaky Yanay joins Felicia Shakiba for a powerful conversation on leading transformation through trust, transparency, and bold vision. He shares how he redefined Pluri’s identity—from pharma to cell-based tech innovator—while building a culture that puts people, purpose, and innovation first. A high-stakes, high-insight episode on what true leadership looks like in times of change.

Chapters

00:00 The Importance of Culture in Leadership

12:11 Navigating Organizational Transformation

17:53 Overcoming Resistance to Change

26:47 Building Trust Through Transparency

31:05 Expanding Vision Without Losing Focus

36:45 Advice for Leaders in Times of Change

Generative AI may be rewriting the rules, but Felicia Shakiba and Claurelle Rakipovic, Chief Product Officer at Pipe, break down what real product leadership looks like. From customer empathy to AI missteps, Claurelle shares sharp lessons on building products that can actually hold their ground.

Chapters

00:00 Building Defensible Products in the Age of AI

01:50 Understanding Defensibility Beyond Automation

04:30 Learning from AI Missteps

09:26 Internal Testing and AI Adoption

14:39 New Competencies for Product Leaders

19:47 The Importance of Unique Data

23:49 Empathy in AI Product Development

27:39 Auditing AI for Value Delivery

In the world of private equity and high-stakes M&A, financials are only half the story. The real differentiator? Leadership. This episode explores what leadership qualities truly drive success in mergers and acquisitions, why most private equity due diligence efforts fall short on the people's front, and how to assess leaders before the deal is signed. Our guest is Cameron Bishop Partner and Managing Director at Raincatcher Investment Bankers.

Chapters

00:00 The Importance of People in M&A Success

02:48 Cultural Missteps in Private Equity Acquisitions

05:44 Aligning Leadership Post-Acquisition

08:15 The Role of Communication in Corporate Culture

11:04 Integrating Multiple Cultures

13:37 Data-Driven Decision Making in M&A

16:06 Incentivizing Employees for Success

18:54 Identifying and Nurturing Talent

21:43 Achieving Alignment in Leadership

24:44 The Continuous Journey of Alignment