Launch Pad

Launch Pad

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Launch Pad episodes

  • Karl Ulrich talks with Oisin Hanrahan, Founder of Handy
    Here’s a fun statistic: about 1% of the working population of the United States have applied to join Handy as cleaners or handymen or plumbers.
    Now another stat that may show why this is: 80% of the people on Handy work 20 hours a week or less on the platform. 50% work ten hours a week or less. Why? As Oisin Hanrahan, Handy Founder, explains: “Not because there’s not more work there, but because that’s the amount of time they want to work.”
    “It’s really about flexibility.”
    Karl Ulrich and Oisin have a fascinating conversation about not just how Handy works, but how Oisin built the company, and why he was the right person to do it. As Karl says, “I think I probably had 20 Wharton MBA students with that idea in 2011.” So what made Handy succeed? Execution.
    Oisin says, “You've got to get the operations right. You've got to get the technology right. And then you've got to try to build a brand that people gravitate to when they want to solve a problem.”
    51 min
  • Teaching Teachers To Teach

    Which is harder, being an algebra teacher or a startup CEO? According to Jeremy Rogoff—who has done both—algebra teacher is harder. No contest.


    Jeremy is the Founder and CEO of KickUp, which is, in his words, “focused on helping schools and K12 districts understand and improve the impact of their professional learning for teachers.” They use surveys and analytics to help schools understand which of the professional learning the teachers are doing are actually being useful—helping to make the teachers better teachers, and improving student outcomes. Listen to Karl and Jeremy talk about a major pivot, and the important insight that “you have to figure out a) what problem you're solving, and b) does that problem fall into the 'urgent and important' category.”


    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    27 min
  • Karl Ulrich talks with Jeremy Rogoff, Founder of KickUp
    Which is harder, being an algebra teacher or a startup CEO?
    According to Jeremy Rogoff—who has done both—algebra teacher is harder. No contest.
    Jeremy is the Founder and CEO of KickUp, which is, in his words, “focused on helping schools and K12 districts understand and improve the impact of their professional learning for teachers.” They use surveys and analytics to help schools understand which of the professional learning the teachers are doing are actually being useful—helping to make the teachers better teachers, and improving student outcomes.
    Listen to Karl and Jeremy talk about a major pivot, and the important insight that “you have to figure out a) what problem you're solving, and b) does that problem fall into the 'urgent and important' category.”
    27 min
  • 3D Printing the Human Body

    “The promise of biology is to do incredible things. Like cure different diseases, eliminate the organ waiting list, push life to other planets, or even begin to remediate our own planet.” So says Danny Cabrera, ENG’14, Co-founder of BioBots, a 3D printing company unlike any other, because they print in “biocompatible materials.”


    Danny explains: “think of these as different colored cartridges on your inkjet printer, only these are for tissues instead of printing in colors.” That’s right, BioBots prints tissues that can mimic the human body, or pieces of it, and this is an incredibly powerful tool for researchers. “We’re seeing a lot of scientists who are using our devices to develop 3D tissue models for different disease models, or for different organ systems, things like liver, kidney, heart.”


    Listen to Danny talk to Karl Ulrich about how the BioBots printer works (Karl makes sure he gets it in terms for the intelligent layperson), the current and future applications of an amazing tool like this—and some of the business aspects, like what an MVP looks like for an entirely new thing like BioBots, and how Danny figured out how to price it.


    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    27 min
  • Karl Ulrich talks with Danny Cabrera ENG'14, Founder of BioBots
    “The promise of biology is to do incredible things. Like cure different diseases, eliminate the organ waiting list, push life to other planets, or even begin to remediate our own planet.”
    So says Danny Cabrera ENG’14, Co-founder of BioBots, a 3D printing company unlike any other, because they print in “biocompatible materials.” Danny explains: “think of these as different colored cartridges on your inkjet printer, only these are for tissues instead of printing in colors.” That’s right, BioBots prints tissues that can mimic the human body, or pieces of it, and this is an incredibly powerful tool for researchers. “We’re seeing a lot of scientists who are using our devices to develop 3D tissue models for different disease models, or for different organ systems, things like liver, kidney, heart.”
    Listen to Danny talk to Karl Ulrich about how the BioBots printer works (Karl makes sure he gets it in terms for the intelligent layperson), the current and future applications of an amazing tool like this—and some of the business aspects, like what an MVP looks like for an entirely new thing like BioBots, and how Danny figured out how to price it.
    27 min
  • Co-Living Arrangements

    You’ve got a great new job, and you move to a new city—say, New York or San Francisco. You don’t know anyone. You don’t know the neighborhoods. You don’t have a community. Where do you live? The new answer is Common.


    Founded by Brad Hargreaves, former co-founder of General Assembly, Common is creating a new kind of residence: co-living. In Common’s co-living apartments you get your own bedroom, then you share the kitchen, living areas, and “a whole long of common space,” according to Brad—all at a lower price point than a studio apartment. Plus cleaning of all common spaces, utilities, wifi, and furnishings are thrown in, making it a very good deal indeed. The intangible, of course, which also comes included with the rent, is the community. Basically, with Common, you get to “keep the fun things like having potluck dinners, hanging out with friends, meeting new people, but take away all of the annoyances.”


    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    24 min
  • Karl Ulrich talks with Brad Hargreaves, Founder of Common
    You’ve got a great new job, and you move to a new city—say, New York or San Francisco. You don’t know anyone. You don’t know the neighborhoods. You don’t have a community. Where do you live?
    The new answer is Common. Founded by Brad Hargreaves, former co-founder of General Assembly, Common is creating a new kind of residence: co-living.
    In Common’s co-living apartments you get your own bedroom, then you share the kitchen, living areas, and “a whole long of common space,” according to Brad—all at a lower price point than a studio apartment. Plus cleaning of all common spaces, utilities, wifi, and furnishings are thrown in, making it a very good deal indeed. The intangible, of course, which also comes included with the rent, is the community.
    Basically, with Common, you get to “keep the fun things like having potluck dinners, hanging out with friends, meeting new people, but take away all of the annoyances.”
    24 min
  • Cotopaxi Elevator Pitch
    Davis Smith gives Karl his elevator pitch for Cotopaxi, where he's selling "Gear for Good"--quality outdoor gear made with a social mission, and funding a social mission.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    6 min
  • Social Impact Through Outdoor Gear

    With Cotopaxi, founder Davis Smith G'11/WG'11 is "looking to build a world-class example of how to have social impact through a company."


    He and Karl Ulrich have a fascinating conversation about ventures that integrate social impact into their business models, as Cotopaxi does--a certified B Corp, Cotopaxi designates 2% of revenue "to help alleviate poverty around the world," (as the website explains). Want to know more? Hear Davis dig in to why the social impact piece is crucial to him as a founder, and the several ways he's tried out for implementing it.


    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    50 min
  • Karl Ulrich talks with Davis Smith G'11/WG'11, Founder of Cotopaxi
    With Cotopaxi, founder Davis Smith G'11/WG'11 is "looking to build a world-class example of how to have social impact through a company."
    He and Karl Ulrich have a fascinating conversation about ventures that integrate social impact into their business models, as Cotopaxi does--a certified B Corp, Cotopaxi designates 2% of revenue "to help alleviate poverty around the world," (as the website explains). Want to know more? Hear Davis dig in to why the social impact piece is crucial to him as a founder, and the several ways he's tried out for implementing it.
    50 min

About Launch Pad

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Meet entrepreneurs and learn the secrets to their startup success on Launch Pad, brought to you by Penn Wharton Entrepreneurship and hosted by Karl Ulrich, Vice Dean of Entrepreneurship &…