Aakash Shah is the founder and CEO of Wyndly, a company focused on fixing allergies with personalized oral drops that train your immune system to beat your allergy triggers. Wyndly is a Y Combinator Winter 2021 company. Aakash is a 2016 UVA graduate.

We spoke with Aakash about:

Merritt Lane III is the CEO of Canal Barge Company,  Founded in 1933, Canal Barge Company, Inc. is a family-owned, independent marine transportation company headquartered in New Orleans, Louisiana. Today we are one of the most diverse marine transportation companies in the country, moving highly valuable cargo to virtually every part of the world. Enjoys relationships with several Fortune 500 chemical and oil companies, as well as refineries, construction companies, fabricators, public utilities, engineering companies, and the United States Government. Merritt is a 1983 UVA McIntire School of Commerce graduate.

We spoke with Merritt about:

Meg Pryde is the founder of Brandefy, a beauty product discovery platform using data & insights to launch our own line of affordable quality skincare. She started Brandefy to bring manufacturer products directly to the consumer, after spending 4 years working for a consumer packaging company. Meg is a 2012 University of Virginia McIntire School of Commerce graduate, and a 2018 UVA Darden School of Business graduate. 

***Brandefy is kindly sponsoring this episode of Learning Out Loud. Make sure to check out their website!***

We spoke with Meg about:

Chase Minnifield is the founder and CEO of EZOS, a revolutionary property management software designed to simplify and streamline operations across a diverse range of property types. Chase is a 2011 UVA graduate and played football both at UVA and in the NFL for the Washington Commanders, and was named to Forbes 30 Under 30 in 2019. 

We spoke with Chase about:

Maxine Clifford is the owner of two Purvelo indoor cycle locations - one in Charlottesville, Virginia, and one in Athens, Georgia.  Maxine began working for Purvelo as a second year undergraduate, and after graduating UVA in 2019 managed the Athens location before buying it and the Charlottesville studio. 

Use our code: LEARNING20 for 20% off your first month on ALL Purvelo memberships (pur & simple, pur premium, ultimate pur and Student 3 month)!

We spoke with Maxine about:

Rachel Edwards is the Vice President of Digital Private Markets and heads the development of internal startup, Capital Connect. Capital Connect brings together entrepreneurs, VCs, and LPs to help them find new opportunities and get deals done. Rachel is a graduate of the University of Maryland and a 2022 UVA Darden School of Business graduate. She founded several fashion companies before her time at JPMorgan.

We spoke with Rachel about:

*Note: this episode was recorded at one of Thompson's restaurants, The Ridley in Charlottesville.*

Warren Thomspon is the founder of Thompson Hospitality, the largest minority-owned food service, and one of the largest retail food and facilities management companies, in the country. 

The company serves diverse clients, including Fortune 100 companies, universities, medical centers, and school districts, with a portfolio of well-known brands.

Warren graduated from UVA Darden in 1983 and then spent 9 years with Marriott Corporation as an Assistant Manager at a Roy Rogers unit, before founding Thompson Hospitality in 1992.

We spoke with Warren about:

Justin, Marlee, and Chapin discuss the lessons they learned from each of the guests in Season 2 (episodes 12-21) in this quick season recap.

Rooney Lee is the founder of NewSublease,  the largest housing network for MBA/Law/Med students, focused on a hassle-free and affordable option for graduate students to rent a property or become a host with full confidence. Rooney is a former Product Strategy & Operations MBA Intern at Google, and also served as Product Manager and Analytics Lead, among other roles, at Cummins, Inc. Rooney also served for two years in the South Korean army. He graduated from the UVA Darden School of Business in 2023. 

We spoke with Rooney about:

Caitlin Anderson (UVA ‘12) speaks with Justin, Marlee, and Chapin about Co-Founding Thinkly Solutions, a consulting company focused on reducing wasted time in meetings, and why she decided to make the leap from the corporate world to tackling one of its largest issues.

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