Owl Have You Know

Climate change is on the news and in our faces every day, from wildfires to record-breaking heat waves. And today, we are talking to a Rice grad who’s working to combat these developments, through clean energy, carbon management and venture capital investments. 

Phoebe Wang is a cleantech venture capitalist who serves as an investment partner at the Amazon Climate Pledge Fund. Previously, she was an investment director at Shell Ventures where she led investments in early- and late-stage startups working on technologies to accelerate the energy transition, including in the areas of hydrogen, carbon management, energy storage, mobility, and power. 

During her 10-year tenure as a venture capital investor, Phoebe has invested more than $150 million in frontier technology startups such as Antora, Celadyne, ZeroAvia, and many, many more.

In another episode from our 2023 Alumni Reunion series, host Maya Pomroy ’22 and Phoebe chat about her passion for fighting climate change for the future generations, her work with Amazon’s Climate Pledge Fund, and winning a C3E business award. 

Owl Have You Know is a production of Rice Business and is produced by University FM.

Episode Quotes:

Paving the way for a sustainable future in clean energy and climate control

11:33 [Maya]: So you were very optimistic about clean energy and climate control, so we can shift it back to having clean air for everyone. So, what progress do you hope to see over the next few years? What are you most excited about?

11:49 [Phoebe Wang]: So right now, whenever we are looking at technology, we have a lens of whether, when at the mature stage, the technology can sequest or can abate gigaton equivalent of CO2 because we need to have that level, so that we can move towards, a future that is livable for our next generations. So that's something not very easy to do. But fortunately, we have a ton of innovation, a ton of entrepreneurs, and a ton of venture capital coming into this industry.

Nurturing unicorns, jobs, and sustainability through strategic investments

04:13 - So far, I’ve invested in over 30 companies out of those, three are unicorns and have created tremendous job opportunities in local markets. And then also have had a big impact on the carbon markets. We're now looking at a lot of different areas with the CO2 lens. And, in addition to that, we’re looking at how to preserve biodiversity because we don't want to have unintended consequences if we only apply the carbon lens when we make investments.

On the roots of her interest in clean tech

01:35 - My interest in cleantech, or what we call climate tech, stems early on – like when I was very little. I grew up in Asia, and then, if you see over there, pollution is such an important issue. And it is actually a global issue now. So, back then, I almost did environmental engineering, but the job market was not very good that decade ago. So, I actually switched over to material science engineering. Now, it's kind of coming full circle that I'm looking at investments in climate tech.

Show Links:

• Transcript

Guest Profile:

• Phoebe Wang on LinkedIn
• Phoebe Wang - C3E

It’s not everyday you talk to a reporter with an MBA.

Kalyn Norwood is Hearst Television’s White House Correspondent. She joined the company’s Washington Bureau in July 2022, right after earning her MBA at Rice Business. An Emmy award-winning journalist, Kalyn landed in Washington D.C. after a stint in Albuquerque, where she worked as an anchor/reporter at KOAT, covering the state of New Mexico. She helped lead the station’s election coverage, as well as President Biden’s visit to the state. 

Host Maya Pomroy turns the tables on Kalyn and asks her a few questions about her unique and unconventional flight path from being in front of the camera to hitting the books at Rice. Kalyn shares a day in the life of a Washington D.C. correspondent and how her Rice education has strengthened her ability and understanding of her craft.

Owl Have You Know is a production of Rice Business and is produced by University FM.

Episode Quotes:

Despite being different, you must pursue your goals

23:32 - Don't be intimidated by how things are right now and close yourself off to a certain career path or position because you haven't seen anyone that looks like you doing the job. You could be that first. So prepare as if you're able to do the job, and hopefully, by the time you get there, you can be someone that other young girls look up to.

Navigating the role of journalism with the rise of social media

26:09 - The role of local journalists and those that air on local TV stations, like the work we do here at Hearst TV, is to provide that value and background. So we did the digging, we did the research. We talked to both sides, Republicans and Democrats, on this issue. You saw the headline, but here's the full story, as much as we can give. Like, here's the rest of the story. Here's what both of your interested lawmakers are saying on this. And if you continue to do a great job to provide value to people, they'll watch your stuff.

Diversity is an asset

22:22 - To me, diversity is only an asset. Not a liability because you're representing a community that's part of America's society. It should only be seen as an asset because there's more that connects us all.

Why do we have different views genetically modified food

27:50 - I'm so grateful that I decided to go back and get my MBA because I feel I have a better understanding of how the world works. I said at the beginning that everything's a business, but it is true. I think you'll understand your bosses better and the decisions that they make, and hopefully, you can provide value to whatever organization you're in a better way.

Show Links:

• Transcript

Guest Profile:

• Kalyn Norwood | LinkedIn
• Kalyn Norwood on Twitter
• Kalyn Norwood on Instagram

We’re so excited to bring you another conversation from this year’s alumni reunion! 

Tracy Dennis `00 and John Dennis `93 met the first week of freshman year as undergrads at Harvard and have been together ever since, even both eventually coming to Rice Business for their MBAs! 

Tracy is a lecturer of management at Rice Business, teaching Principles of Survey Design. She started two research and insight agencies and is currently a lead UX researcher for Globalization Partners. John has been a principal, managing director, and managing partner of WoodRock & Co. since he founded the firm in 1998. 

Tracy and John join host Maya Pomroy '22 to talk about their lives together, what brought them to Houston and to Rice, post-Partio Lamaze classes, and why they continue to give back to the Rice community.

Owl Have You Know is a production of Rice Business and is produced by University FM.

Episode Quotes:

How an MBA transforms lives and inspires people to give back

8:54: [Tracy Dennis] I see the benefits of my MBA in everything that I do every single day. I see it at work, I see it at home, I see it with our daughters, who are in their early careers. You know, I feel like I have benefited immensely from my MBA, and I'm grateful. I really want to give back because of it, and I want to just continue to be a part of it just because it played such a big role in my life, and it's an exciting place to be right now. There's lots of great things going on.

On giving back to the Rice community

14:00: [Tracy Dennis] I don't think of what I do with Rice Business as volunteering. I do it because I feel strongly about Rice Business, and I personally get so much out of it, and I want to give back to the school because it's given me so much.

On what made John choose Houston

04:47: [John Dennis] While I enjoyed growing up here, I never thought I would come back. But I think seeing Houston through Tracy's eyes gave me the opportunity to kind of look at it with an open mind, and it's been very, very good to us.

Learning more through business school

02:13: [Tracy Dennis] I had a short career as a bond trader but had always wanted to go to business school to connect a bunch of dots. You know, there were a lot of things that I was exposed to that I wanted to learn more about but just never had the time to do. And so, for me, business school was the opportunity to do that.

Show Links: 

• Globalization Partners
• WoodRock & Co.
• Transcript
  
  

Guest Profile:

• Tracy Dennis | LinkedIn 
• John Dennis | LinkedIn

Turner Hoff grew up in a family of real estate entrepreneurs. When he was young, his goal was to work in construction like his father. After undergrad, he spent two years working with his father, redeveloping and flipping single-family homes in Houston, and joined Rice Business’ Full-Time MBA program in 2011, seeking a deeper understanding of real estate finance and professional experience in the field. 

Shortly after leaving Rice and moving to D.C., Turner met Ariane Valle – his girlfriend and the co-founder of their food delivery service Vegetable and Butcher. They shared an interest in health and wellness, and a “food as medicine” philosophy. Vegetable and Butcher is celebrating their sixth year anniversary this year. 

Turner joins host Maya Pomroy to talk about creating a company to solve his own frustrations in the food delivery space, vertical integration, and how the food tech space has developed over the years and through the pandemic.

Owl Have You Know is a production of Rice Business and is produced by University FM.

Episode Quotes:

Connecting and immersing yourself in community 

25:32 - If you have some idea for the industry you want to be involved in, do everything you can to immerse yourself in that community. I've found that people are generally open to and genuinely enjoy being helpful to others. So just finding opportunities to connect and immerse yourself in a particular community. Rice and the business school do a great job teaching you what it means to network and different ways to go about it.

Being able to grow efficiently as a company

16:33 - The efficiency component came from raising very little capital, and it's forced us to be a very resourceful, scrappy team. And there are advantages and disadvantages to that. But it put us in a position of strength ultimately in the end because we've had to be exceptionally resourceful to get to where we are today.

Putting heavy emphasis on the product and experience

05:55 - In this market, it's not about being first to market but about getting the product and experience right, which is why we've placed such a heavy emphasis on it.

Show Links:

• Transcript

Guest Profile:

• Turner Hoff LinkedIn
• Vegetable & Butcher
• Vegetable & Butcher Instagram
• Netcito
• Lilie Lab | Rice University

During this year's alumni reunion Partio, we caught up with some alums right on campus. One of those alumni was Daniel Barvin ‘18.

Daniel has held many different roles, in both financial advising and oil and gas sectors, and eventually earned an MBA from Rice Business in 2018. But in December of that same year that he tested positive for the C9orf72 gene expansion, which means may develop ALS later in life. Daniel’s father, aunt, and uncle all have ALS. 

In 2020, he began volunteering at I AM ALS, and also joined Coya Therapeutics, a clinical-stage cell therapy platform company developing first-in-class therapeutics for ALS and other neurodegenerative diseases, where he is currently VP of operations and patient advocacy.

In this episode recorded in the Rice Alliance space in McNair Hall, Daniel chats with host Maya Pomroy '22 about his journey, his passion for ALS research, and building community and support online with others affected by this disease.

Owl Have You Know is a production of Rice Business and is produced by University FM.

Episode Quotes:

Changing the future of what it means to have ALS through Coya

27:20 - We are in this age where we all know someone who's dealt with a neurodegenerative disease… [27:32] And Coya is looking to change what that experience is, change what it means to be diagnosed with these diseases, and show that through Houston's effort, through Rice's effort, through all of our efforts, we can change the future of what it means to have this disease and have it not be a death sentence.

How I AM ALS helped launch the movement

18:01 - I AM ALS has the beauty of being patient-led, letting anyone who comes say, "We'll let you start a team. We'll provide resources in terms of team management." And that was just the perfect place for us to start this ferocious movement.

Empowering ALS patients with his story

11:34 - The silver lining was after we came back from vacation, I was asked to do a talk for a high school, helping explain my story after an ALS documentary was shown. And I went and spoke at Carnegie Vanguard High School in front of the entire student body—800 students—and told them the story of my life. And the connection was palpable. And I said, "This is it. This is what I need to be doing."

On being intentional about relationships

16:33 - What I said when I was doing the advocacy part, I said I'm going to make less ALS patients. I'm going to make better ALS patients because I think that if I eventually get this disease, The fact that I'm able to plan, prepare, connect, comprehend, you know, this entire life of advocacy, and then I eventually get it, my mindset will most likely be far different than someone who just has to live with it.

Show Links: 

• Coya Therapeutics
• End The Legacy
• I AM ALS
• Transcript

Guest Profile:

• LinkedIn

In another installment of Owl Have You Know’s Flight Path Series, where guests share their career journeys and Rice insights, we speak to three innovators connected to the Liu Idea Lab for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. 

The Liu Idea Lab is a hub for entrepreneurship and innovation at Rice University. Its director of strategic innovations is Hesam Panahi, who has a Ph.D. in management information systems but found a passion for startups and making entrepreneurship more accessible to people.  

Hesam is joined by two of his former students, who are running their own business ventures now. Taylor Anne Adams ‘23 got her B.A. in communications and film studies but soon realized her passion for venture capital. She ended up at Rice Business and took Hesam’s course, New Enterprise, which she says was the most valuable class she took because of his hands-on teaching approach. Taylor recently co-founded a venture capital fund that invests in sports tech and entertainment, with a focus on female founders. 

Delaney Berman ‘22, CEO and co-founder of Berman Foods, left her job as a paralegal to pursue her passion for plant-based food, specifically cheese. At Rice, she was able to hone her idea and get the skills she needed to launch her company.

Host Maya Pomroy talks to the trio about their career journeys, how ideas get shaped at the Liu Idea Lab Lab, and what makes Houston’s startup culture unique.  

The Owl Have You Know Podcast is a production of Rice Business and is produced by University FM.

Episode Quotes:

The Lilie Lab is not just a hub it’s a space for entrepreneurs 

[Hesam Panahi] 8:21 - I always say, especially to the undergrads, that when you walk down these sidewalks, someone might be wearing a Brown College shirt, or a Wiess College shirt, or whatever sort of residential college they're a part of, or you might recognize them from one of your classes, but it's really hard to know who is an entrepreneur, who's interested in entrepreneurship. And so, what this physical space is designed to do is be that hub for that as well, right? So, it's not just the class; it's not just the co-curricular; it's all of that infrastructure that gives people the time and space to explore this.

An important lesson from Hesam

[Taylor Anne Adams] 42:08 - The biggest lesson I've learned and what I continue to use every day, and what I say to founders all the time, is to just test it. Test it and see what happens. And you aren't going to know unless you do that. So not letting perfect be the enemy of good.

On being a tool to help entrepreneurs

[Taylor Anne Adams] 11:45 - I'm very bullish about entrepreneurship and about entrepreneurs in general. I believe they have the capacity to change the world, given the right tools and resources. They can and will. So I want to be one of those tools and resources.

Show Links:

• Liu Idea Lab
• The Collectiv
• Berman Foods
• Transcript

Guests Profiles:

• Hesam Panahi
• Taylor Anne Adams
• Delaney Berman

In another installment of our live Owl Have You Know recording series, we invited Ben Clemenceau ‘21 back to McNair Hall to discuss his career in market research, and how earning his MBA at Rice catapulted his pivot into consulting.

In December of 2022, Ben received an accelerated promotion from senior strategy consultant to business strategy manager at Accenture. 

When he reflects on his time at Rice, the standout classes for him were Professor Haiyang Li’s strategy courses. Those courses inspired him to join Accenture post-MBA and prepared him to make an impact. Since joining Accenture, he has worked on several projects, including digital transformation, growth strategy, commercial strategy, and mergers and acquisitions projects. He also mentors Rice MBAs and students from his high school and alma mater, Millsaps College. 

Ben joins host Maya Pomroy to discuss their shared love of racing cars, what makes Rice different from other MBA programs, his family connection to France (he's a dual citizen), why giving back to Houston is so important to him and the work of finding and being a mentor.

Owl Have You Know is a production of Rice Business and is produced by University FM.

Episode Quotes:

On the importance of mentorship

26:18 - I find mentors everywhere. I look for mentors everywhere, and I think that, in the pursuit of a well-rounded life, you have to find mentors to help you in each of those different areas. And sometimes you find mentors that are so impressive and incredible that they will impact multiple areas of your life. And in other cases, they really do specialize, and they show you the path to walk for some specific thing.

The value of community

16:33 - Community is everything, and the community is only as strong as the effort that its members put into it. And so it's very valuable to get involved in those organizations in whatever capacity you can.

On pivoting career path and going to Rice for MBA

18:39 - It was great to be able to join the program and think to myself. I'm free to make mistakes. This is a space in which I can experiment with new career paths and new curricula.

When is the right time to go to Rice?

39:53 - Are you seeking meaningful, disruptive change to where you are? Whether that's a measurable jump in, the subject area knowledge that you've got to be better at what you're doing, or whether you're looking at recruiting into something completely new, whatever that is, it's a very positive shock to whatever you've got going on. The status quo does not survive the MBA. And if that resonates with you, then you're at that spot. You're at that right moment where it's right. 

Show Links:

• Transcript

Guest Profile:

• Ben’s LinkedIn
• Accenture

Other Links:

• Professor Haiyang Li
• The Menil Collection
• Houston Museum of Natural Science
• Professor Vikas Mittal

Many of us watch developments in the war in Ukraine on TV, and we get updates on Twitter. But for Radu Filip, who grew up behind the iron curtain in Romania, the conflict resonates deeper. So much so that he boarded a plane in late December 2022 to head into the war zone and help with relief efforts near Kharkiv with the nonprofit Elevate Ukraine.

Radu immigrated to the U.S. in 2005, and soon after attended Rice Business for his MBA, graduating in 2008. During his time at Rice, he was awarded the Jones Citizen Award for excellence and co-founded the Houston chapter of the Women’s Masters Network.

Radu sits down with host Maya Pomroy to talk about what draws him to his boots-on-the-ground efforts in Ukraine, the culture shock and challenges of being an international student, pivoting his career from IT to corporate finance and his goals for the year ahead.

Episode Quotes:

On choosing to help even if there’s risk

12:34: Yes, there is a risk. There is a possibility that fate may be not good for us today, but we're not afraid. And that kind of bravery and defiance. And the result, again, motivated me to say, "Look, if they're not afraid, you should not be afraid, either. Be among them." I'm experiencing what they're experiencing. And communication back home every day was a key. My family, my friends, knew that I wanted to help, knew about my desire, and they all supported me. I could not have done this all without the support of my family and close friends.

How MBA allowed pivot in Radu’s career

29:51: Everybody's career is different. In my case, the MBA was the hinge; it was the people that allowed me to move from a pure IT field to the world of corporate finance. 

On his personal goals 

36:17: My primary goal is to continue to grow and acquire experience at SLB. With the work I'm doing, taking up more responsibilities, and working on significant projects and programs that advance the company's performance, that advance the company on this road towards energy innovation. So career-wise, obviously, the second objective I have is to continue to help and find more ways to help the people of Ukraine through Elevated Ukraine, a nonprofit I serve. And third, is also manage to have time for my family, be around my family, my kids, and help them grow.

Show Links:

Guest Profile:

• Elevate Ukraine
• Radu Filip on LinkedIn

Other Links

• Women’s Masters Network

When she joined Rice Business in 2017, Jillian Fink was in the process of founding OcciGuide, the first device used in the emergency care setting to treat migraines, a neurological condition that disproportionately impacts women. 

In her role as CEO, Jillian navigated the complexities of the healthcare system to get her medical device approved by the FDA, including designing clinical trials using real-world data, navigating U.S. healthcare treatment paradigms, and developing creative strategies to commercialize the device during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

In this episode, the healthcare entrepreneur joins host Maya Pomroy to share her story of pivoting from elementary education to co-founding and leading a medical device startup company. She talks about her unconventional path, her advice to those considering a pivot in entrepreneurship, and how she invests her time in giving back to the community.

The Owl Have You Know Podcast is a production of Rice University Jones Graduate School of Business and is produced by University FM.

Episode Quotes:

On understanding the value of listening

08:40: [Maya] Was OcciGuide something that was already on the horizon for you? Or, is this something that developed while you were in school? [Jillian] It was very, very, very early; we'd been talking about the potential for it. And then there were actually some of our professors at Rice, or my professors at Rice, who thought it was interesting. And there's a tech entrepreneurship class, or was when I was there, that we got to run it through the class and do some of that really early market research, Lean Canvas development, or whatnot. I got to work with my classmates on it, which was great because I had so many smart classmates, and all of their contributions were just so fun and helpful to be able to partner with them. And then it grew from there.

An advice for women entrepreneurs

17:08: With everything in business or life, finding mentors and people who can be a resource to help you answer questions and also have already identified pathways is so important. There are amazing women out there to find that can provide that support, but there are also men who can also provide that support, and that shouldn't be overlooked.

On understanding the value of listening

17:08: It's so important to listen and not get caught up in getting your message out there, regardless of what other people are saying, but actually to hear what people are saying and respond accordingly, in that non-emotional, non-angry way, but just to have that dialogue, and people will respond to that.

Show Links:

Guest Profile:

• Jillian LinkedIn

Other Links:

• Fem Health Insights
• OcciGuide
• American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC)

We’re back with another live edition of Owl Have You Know! And this time, we welcomed two leadership experts to the show, Ruth Reitmeier, director of coaching at Rice Business, and Brent Smith, the senior associate dean for executive education and associate professor of management and psychology at Rice Business.

Certain topics, like cryptocurrency, AI, political polarization, and Jennifer Coolidge's comeback, speak to the cultural zeitgeist. They characterize moments in time. But the topic of leadership, and what it takes to be an impactful leader, is endlessly relevant and fascinating. We all have the potential to be trailblazers in our lives and careers. 

Listen as host Scott Gale sits down with Ruth & Brent to discuss their cutting-edge insights on the science of leader development, managing zillennials, and what we’ve learned post COVID-19. 

Owl Have You Know is a production of Rice Business and is produced by University FM.

Episode Quotes:

What are millennials looking for in a leader?

31:51 [Ruth] ​​Leadership coaching is built on several things, like empathy, human connection, authenticity, vulnerability, and intellectual humility. If you can embody a coach-like approach as a leader and bring those things to work, you're going to inspire people. You're going to connect with people. That is what zillennials are looking for.

Coaching helps you unlock your potential

02:49 [Ruth] Coaching is one of those evidence-based practices. We know that it's effective. We know that it helps build your leader identity and that a personalized approach can help unlock your potential as leaders.

A leader should be a doer

6:14 [Brent] Leaders need to be very thoughtful about the context that they're in and let that be the guide to what kind of leader they should be, rather than trying to look for a magic answer that might be out there.

The positive effect of pandemic on workplace 

33:56 [Brent] If there's been a positive outcome in the world of work for the pandemic, I think what maybe it has been is creating an environment where there's less stigma attached to work, workplace well-being issues, where there's a forum now where people can have a conversation that's meaningful about the amount of stress that they're experiencing, how job demands can be extraordinarily excessive, the compromises that job demands create, you know, and all of those kinds of things.

Show Links:

Guest Profile:

• Ruth Reitmeier - Jones Graduate School of Business
• Brent Smith - Jones Graduate School of Business