Join us for an exciting conversation with Christine Keung! Christine has had varied experiences in local and federal government, in tech companies including Dropbox and Figma, and in investment roles at Bridgewater Associates, Atomic VC, and a single family office. 

Christine is also a U.S. Department of State Fulbright Scholar, Tech Policy fellow at the Aspen Institute, and a member of Schmidt Futures’ International Strategy Forum. She just recently raised her first fund as a General Partner at J2 Ventures with the goal of bringing better tech into government!

Join us to hear about Christine’s takeaways from working at the intersection of tech and policy, her focus on following your curiosity, and how individuals of any age can make a difference in the vast and ever changing tech industry! 

1:34 - How was Christine thinking about careers as she was exiting college and how did she decide to work for startups like Dropbox? 

4:41 - What advice does Christine have for people who are navigating careers straight out of undergrad?

9:31 - What is the impact one can make at technology companies  and how does Christine look at tech as a lens for impact in general?

16:44 - How did Christine go into a public sector role (COVID 19 task force within the U. S. Small Business Administration) and why is this role is significant for her?

25:54 -  What impact did Christine make in her role as Chief Data Officer of the city of San Jose, and what was the impact that this role had on her career trajectory?

30:17 - How does Christine navigate switching between working in the public and private sectors? 

31:56 - What does Christine do as a partner of J2 Ventures and what tech investments is she excited about?

39:34 - What advice does Christine have for people wanting to work at the intersection of tech and government?

42:56 - Are there one or two things that Christine would like us to take away as lessons from your journey, integrating your passion or impact into her career?

Tune into another episode of The Impact Agenda with two special guests, Rob Romero and Kristin Hansen, the forces behind Civic Health Project (CHP). CHP is dedicated to accelerating the efforts of academics and practitioners who seek to reduce polarization and improve civil discourse. Rob and Kristin co-founded CHP following the 2016 presidential election and they are passionate advocates for research, insights, and tools that help human behavior. Rob is also an investor in emerging growth companies through leading as the CEO of Connective Capital and Kristin teaches at the Stanford Graduate School of Business among many other side projects for both of them. 

Their work grapples with biases, social media, and democracy with the end goal of getting all three to “play better” together, reducing the corrosive forces of polarization. We chat about CHP’s theory of change, the academic research on political polarization, and why polarization has risen to its current levels.

Join us for this incredibly timely and important conversation surrounding Civic Health Project’s initiatives and grants to combat political polarization in the United States, especially ahead of the 2024 elections!

2:18 - How did Rob and Kristin meet and how did the Civic Health Project come about?

9:04 - What are these factors that have made polarization such a huge issue in the U. S. And how are these factors kind of evolving post the 2016 election? 

12:10 - What exactly is the mission of Civic Health Project, and what are the different types of work that they are doing?

16:56 - Given that Rob and Kristin both have worked in the private & public sphere, what do they believe the differences are in the roles that these stakeholders play in solving political polarization?

21:30 - What are the unique strategies that Civic Health Project grantees are taking to creatively combat political polarization?

34:13 - How does the Civic Health Project evaluate the impact they are making?

37:38 - How is the Civic Health Project working and adapting to the upcoming 2024 elections?

41:20 - What skills and qualities would they encourage students who are interested in pursuing similar career paths to cultivate if they want to go into this work of strengthening democracies in the U. S. or abroad?

Today we have the pleasure of hosting Heidi Patel, a Managing Partner at Rethink Impact, the largest U.S.-based venture capital firm investing in female and non-binary leaders using tech to solve the world’s biggest problems. Heidi also teaches and co-created a course on impact investing at the Stanford University Graduate School of Business and she serves on the Investment Committee for the Stanford GSB Student Impact Fund.

During our conversation, Heidi unveils Rethink Impact's unique approach to impact investing. Rather than viewing it as just another piece of a diversified portfolio, she presents a compelling case for making it the very essence of investment decisions. She passionately advocates for the importance of backing diverse founders who are not only striving for financial success but also driving meaningful change in society. We delve into the intricacies of impact investing, dissecting its distinctions from ESG and other buzzworthy investment strategies.

Join us as we chat about Heidi’s work in the classroom and at her fund creating investments in health, economic empowerment, environmental sustainability and so much more, with an impact lens at the forefront of it all!  

1:36 - What are the major milestones of Heidi’s career?

5:10 - How does Rethink Impact look at impact in investments and how do they measure it? 

7:12 - What was Heidi’s experience being an Acumen Fund Global Fellow in India?

11:03 - What skills and experience would Heidi recommend to people who are interested in impact investing to cultivate?

14:53 - What are Heidi’s favorite or most important recent investments?

22:03 - What were the big lessons Heidi learned from founding her venture Rethink Impact?

26:02 - What are the main takeaways from the course that Heidi co created and teaches on impact investing at the Stanford GSB?

30:18 - What are the different paths that students have pursued after taking Heidi’s course?

33:30 - Why does Heidi think that people should consider business school and how to go about making the most of their time there?

36:12 - What advice does Heidi have people who want to follow a similar career path to hers? 

40:27 - Are there one or two things that Heidi would like us to take away as lessons from your journey, integrating your passion or impact into her career?

Join us for a conversation with Ben Zevenbergen who works in Google’s Responsible Innovation team as an ethics and philosophy of technology advisor. Before joining Google, Ben worked as a tech law attorney, a policy advisor in the European Parliament of internet policy, and did a PhD at Oxford and a postdoc at Princeton. 

Ben’s work has always focused on the intersection of humans, society, and technology design. Ben draws from various academic disciplines and professional practices to constructively work through and improve technology. Join us as we dive into the exact role of a tech ethicist at Google, learn about how important the few tech ethicists are to the work at these companies (how many engineers and business leaders they touch), and how Google is grappling with incredibly complex, novel, and powerful technologies! 

1:50 - How has Ben’s academic disciples prepared him for his role as a responsible innovation ethics and policy advisor at Google?

9:31 - How does Ben navigate his role at Google and how has his responsibilities changed? 

15:42 - What ethical issues are they considering at Google and how are they tackling them? 

18:13 - What are the big picture goals of Ben’s role? And how do they tangibly measure that impact?

23:11 - What are some other big challenges that Ben has faced while working as an ethicist at a large tech firm? 

28:35 - What topics in ethical tech interests Ben most? 

34:50 - How have companies like Google Been responding to scrutiny regarding their ethics, and how does Ben see his role in aiding Google and navigating this process? 

37:05 - What advice does Ben have for students who are interested in advancing this ethical technology development? 

40:23 -  Are there one or two things that Ben would like us to take away as lessons from your journey, integrating your passion or impact into her career?

We are ecstatic to kick off Season 3 of The Impact Agenda with  Mehvesh Mumtaz Ahmed, Vice President of Social Impact at Rosewood Hotel Group. Prior to Rosewood, Mehvesh was leading insights and strategy on impact and sustainability across 18 Asian economies. She has also worked for the New York City government under Mayor Bloomberg, and for the World Bank and United Nations. 

Learn about Mehvesh’s journey navigating the private and public sector, her passion for the hotel industry due to its potential for creating impactful change, the various impact initiatives launched under her leadership, and how to carve out a career in the often ambiguous corporate social responsibility world! 

Join us for an enlightening conversation about how the stellar and sought-after hotel group is forging the way for making impact a priority within the hospitality industry!

01:29 - How did Mehvesh first venture into the realm of public policy and what were the driving factors behind this decision?

6:08 - Why is public policy a pivotal method for affecting change? What are some of the main benefits and challenges working in this field? 

9:58 - How has working at the World Bank and the United Nations shaped Mehveh’s approach to social impact? 

13:35 - What are some of the takeaways from working under Bloomberg while he was mayor of New York? 

18:46 - What work did Mehvesh do as the  director at the Center for Asian Philanthropy and Society, and how receptive Asian economies or governments are towards philanthropy and impact investments?

28:46 - What motivated Mehveh’s transition into the hospitality industry with Rosewood Hotels?

34:37 - What was Mehvesh’ experience in building Rosewood’s Social Impact Program from scratch and how did she navigate the process?  

45:54 - Are there one or two things that Mehvesh would like us to take away as lessons from your journey, integrating your passion or impact into her career?

Join us for the best moments of Season 2 of the Impact Agenda Podcast! Dive back into the heart of our show as we share the highlights, laughter, and wisdom from every episode from our inspiring S2 guests:

🎙️ Dan Mendelson (CEO of Morgan Health, JP Morgan)

🎙️ Erin Baudo Felter (VP of Social Impact & Sustainability, Okta)

🎙️ Zanagee Artis (Founder & Executive Director, This is Zero Hour)

🎙️ Jessica Marti Radparvar (Founder & Lead Impact Strategist, Reconsidered)

🎙️ Majora Carter (Award-Winning Real Estate Developer & Urban Revitalisation strategist)

🎙️ Robert Kraybill (Chief Investment Officer, Impact Investment Exchange)

🎙️ Andrea Gonzales (Education Specialist, New Yorkers Against Gun Violence)

🎙️ Manish Bhardwaj (CEO & Co-Founder, Innovators in Health)

Join us for the Season 2 Finale with Dan Mendelson, CEO of Morgan Health at JPMorgan Chase & Co. Previously holding positions as the Founder and CEO of Avalere Health, and the associate director for Health at the Office of Management and Budget in the Clinton White House, Dan brings a wealth of experience to the table. 

In this episode, Dan explores the concept of being a mission-oriented double bottom line investor and explains why he believes healthcare is the sector with the greatest potential for making a significant impact. Drawing from his time at Avalere Health, he shares how his previous experience prepared him to lead in the dominant healthcare industry. Additionally, Dan encourages listeners to seek out companies with a strong mission orientation at any point in their career in order to create meaningful change.

1:42 - What was Dan’s path to healthcare? How did you decide to make an impact in the health sector? And what were your pivots along this journey with?

3:07 - What was Dan’s experience founding Avalere Health and how did that set you up for successfully leading Morgan Health?

6:45 - Dan serves on the board of directors for Alliance for Health Policy, focusing on facilitating nonpartisan dialogue. What is the mission of Alliance for Health Policy and the impact you're making on the board?

9:53 - Given Dan’s wide range of philanthropic interests, how does he decide which impact organizations to support? 

13:00 - How does Dan balance leading JP Morgan Health while also being involved in so many philanthropic activities and hobbies? 

17:42 - How Morgan Health came to be and what are the long-term goals for the organization?

23:33 - What is Dan’s investing mindset that he and his team cultivates, and what types of companies is JP Morgan Health looking to invest in? 

25:31 - Which of Dan’s recent investments that he’s made so far excites him the most and why?

28:15 - What are Dan’s thoughts on the impact of the annual JP Morgan Healthcare Conference and what were the major takeaways or successes of this year's conference?

30:12 - What are Dan’s thoughts on the work that remains to be done in the healthcare industry? What is the role of huge legacy institutions like JP Morgan taking the lead? 

32:08 - What advice does Dan have for students or young professionals? What kind of skills or qualities should they call in order to make an impact in healthcare and or investing?

33:26 - What are Dan’s short-term and long-term goals, both for Morgan Health and himself professionally?

Join us for an engaging conversation with Andrea Gonzales, 22-year-old Queer Mestiza advocate and organizer for marginalized youth. Organizing at the intersection of racial, gender and educational justice, and abolition since the age of 15, Andrea has always been focused on empowering, educating, and liberating her communities from oppressive systems by any means necessary.

As an education specialist and instructor at New Yorkers Against Gun Violence, Andrea's dedication and expertise shine through as she delves into the innovative approaches and strategies she employs in her work. She shares her experiences working with the NGO Youth Over Guns, emphasizes the vital role of intersectionality in gun violence prevention activism, and underscores the power of community in sustaining one's commitment to activism.

1:49 - What sparked Andrea’s passion for activism, particularly in gun violence prevention?

4:19 - What drew Andrea to the NGO Youth Over Guns, and what were her biggest goals working there as the Director of Operations? 

8:22 - In the wake of recent gun violence prevention movements, such as March for our Lives, how much progress has been made to the gun violence prevention movement and how much still has to be made?

13:52 - What is the importance of education and awareness in gun violence activism, and what are moments that have reaffirmed the impact that Andrea is creating as an education specialist in New Yorkers Against Gun Violence? 

18:28 - How can young people who are interested in getting involved with the gun violence prevention movement? How can they utilize their skills and their energy to help others?

21:46 - How has Andrea been able to thrive in her work of community building, advocacy and organizing? 

23:46 - What are some skills/qualities that Andrea would recommend aspiring social justice advocates to cultivate? 

25:51 - What are the challenges that come with social justice activism? 

28:41 - What are the challenges and opportunities of working in the nonprofit sector?

31:40 - What are Andrea’s motivations for getting a Master’s in Education Policy & Analysis at Harvard? 

33:58 - What are two or three things that Andrea would like to take away as lessons from her journey integrating your passion into your career?

Join us as we talk with Erin Baudo Felter, the VP of Social Impact and Sustainability at Okta. With 15+ years of experience at the crossroads of business and social impact, Erin has held key roles in Zynga, Yahoo, and Warner Bros. Erin currently leads Okta for Good, Okta's social impact initiative, and oversees the company's ESG function. 

In this episode, Erin shares her accidental encounter with Warner Bros.' CSR team, which sparked her 15-year career focused on business and impact. Starting as a one-person team, she built Okta for Good and now leads a team of 10 driving CSR operations, including philanthropy, ESG, and climate work. Erin encourages everyone to incorporate ESG into their job competencies, as she believes in the collective role of creating impact.

1:45 - What is corporate social responsibility and why is it important to Erin? 

3:16 - Tell us more about your journey to creating social impact at large corporations. How did you end up in CSR? What experiences were key in allowing you to excel at your job? 

7:20 - We would love to learn more about your role as Vice President of Social Impact & Sustainability at Okta For Good. Can you tell us more about how you founded the program? What were your goals? 

11:20 - What initiatives under Okta for Good have you created that you are most proud of? Can you tell us more about the impact you are making? 

16:54 - How has the idea of corporate responsibility changed over the past decade and what are your predictions for its future trajectory?

23:09 - What advice does Erin give to founders or businesses who want to incorporate corporate social responsibility into their business model? 

26:44 - How do we pierce the curtain of ESG virtue signaling and know if a company is creating actual impact?

28:58 - How can people who are interested in a career in corporate social responsibility put themselves in a position to succeed?

31:19 - Does Erin have any exciting plans for the future relating to Octa for good? Any next big projects that she’s working on?

Join us for an engaging conversation with Manish Bhardwaj, Co-founder and CEO of Innovators In Health (IIH), a non-profit organization dedicated to delivering quality healthcare to India's rural poor. Manish, who holds a Ph.D. in electrical engineering from MIT, is also the founding director of a transformative initiative at Princeton University's Keller Center, empowering humanities and social sciences faculty to address pressing societal challenges. 

In this episode, Manish takes us on his remarkable journey of relocating to rural India to establish Innovators in Health. He highlights the importance of cultivating moral clarity for individuals pursuing impactful careers and urges entrepreneurial-minded students to understand the systems of injustice that we occupy before working to dismantle them for a more equitable society.

1:44 - When did Manish realize the potential for entrepreneurship for impact, and the importance of cultivating strong morals to do this work? 

3:34 - How did Manish get into teaching? Why do he prioritize teaching this over engineering, the discipline he trained in? 

4:18 - What are the main lessons that Manish hopes his students take away from his class? And what are some of the qualities and skills he's seen in students that allow them to succeed in social entrepreneurship?

5:45 - Manish’s mission is to challenge current social venture thinking & provide counter narrative to traditional narratives of entrepreneurship - can you expand on what these traditional narratives and the counter narratives are? 

7:51 - Manish founded Innovators in Health (IIH) which is devoted to delivering world-class healthcare to the rural poor in India. How did he get interested in healthcare? What was the founding story of IIH?

9:28 - What were the main challenges that Manish faced early on in building IIH and how did he overcome them?

11:15 - How does Innovators of Health deliver world class healthcare to the real poor, and what are the main challenges that it overcomes?

13:45 - What is the impact that Innovators in Health are making, and what remains to be done with his organization and then healthcare solutions in general in rural, poor India and even globally?

15:26 - What are the major goals for Innovators in Health in the next five or 10 years?

17:03 - Why is it important for social entrepreneurs to develop strong morals or ethical mindsets? And what does developing this moral clarity actually look like in practice?

21:16 - How can universities do a better job in helping students develop moral clarity?

23:57 - How do we encourage students to seek out humanities courses and what role do students who are trained in these disciplines have in shaping our future and designing more social ventures?

27:06 - What advice does Manish have for students who are trying to develop their purpose and a strong moral compass?

30:20 - In Manish's experience, what are some qualities and skills that successful social entrepreneurs have?