In this episode of Wharton Tech Toks, Kirk Hachigian (Wharton MBA ’27) sits down with Clara Ma, CEO and Founder of Ask a Chief of Staff to break down what the Chief of Staff role actually is – and isn’t. Clara shares why it’s become one of the most sought-after roles in tech, the core pillars of the role (culture, operations, and strategy), and how the job changes from Series A to later-stage.

From her early days in recruiting to becoming Chief of Staff at AI unicorn Hugging Face, Clara shares how she navigated a non-linear career path to build a thriving community of Chief of Staffs. She offers candid advice on landing your first role, leveraging AI without losing your voice, and how to avoid burning out once you’re in the seat.

In this episode of Wharton Tech Toks, Kirk Hachigian (Wharton MBA '27) sits down with Julia Oberrotman (Wharton MBA '16), Senior Director of Corporate Strategy at Okta. Julia breaks down why identity security is about to get exponentially harder—and more critical—as AI agents start moving money, accessing sensitive data, and operating autonomously across systems. The conversation unpacks Okta's $6B Auth0 acquisition and explains how they're racing to secure AI from the moment it's built.

Julia pulls back the curtain on what corporate strategy actually looks like at a high-growth company, offering candid advice for those navigating an AI-transformed world.

In this episode of Wharton Tech Toks, host Debbie Cheng (WG’26) sits down with Carly Price (WEMBA ‘23), Senior Director of Customer & Partner Experience Design at ServiceNow and founder of Liv Labs, a women’s health startup.

Carly shares what it takes to lead design at scale across industries from retail and finance to automotive and enterprise SaaS. She opens up about launching Liv Labs and balancing startup life with the Wharton WEMBA program, all while working full-time and raising a family.

From building beta branches at JPMorgan Chase to integrating AI into UX at ServiceNow, Carly’s career is a masterclass in creative leadership, strategic thinking, and staying curious.

Whether you're a designer, founder, or MBA navigating your next move, this episode is full of real talk, tactical insights, and inspiration.

In this episode of Wharton Tech Toks, Kirk Hachigian (Wharton MBA '27) sits down with Justin Hannah, Senior Director of Marketing Technology and Automation at FanDuel Sports Network. Justin shares his career journey from a 40-person ad tech startup to leading MarTech at Hulu and FanDuel, breaking down the complex world of marketing technology.

The conversation explores how customer data platforms and CRM systems power modern marketing, the challenges of multi-touch attribution in a privacy-first world, and FanDuel's innovative approaches to measuring campaign ROI. Justin discusses transitioning from streaming entertainment to real-time sports, balancing aggressive personalization with responsible gaming, and where AI is actually delivering value versus hype in MarTech today.

In this episode of Wharton Tech Toks, host Gorav Menon (Wharton MBA ’27 and co-host of The Linen Suit & Plastic Tie) sits down with Nick Martell of The Best One Yet for a deep dive into how top creators use storytelling, branding, and smart content strategy to shape the future of tech and media. Gorav uncovers Nick’s journey from Robinhood to building an independent media brand, the launch of their new evergreen show The Best Idea Yet, and how podcasts build trust by balancing education, entertainment, and cultural relevance. They also explore where AI enhances creative work—and where it falls short. If you want a behind-the-scenes look at the evolution of podcasting and the future of business media, this is an episode you won’t want to miss.

In this episode of Wharton Tech Toks, Kirk Hachigian (Wharton MBA ‘27) sits down with David DellaPelle, CEO and Co-Founder of Dune Security, to discuss how Dune is modernizing security awareness training through a personalized, AI-driven approach. They explore how Dune moves beyond one-size-fits-all training, the evolving threat landscape, and the importance of integrations across the security stack.

David also shares insights into his journey as a founder, advice on building and scaling a team, and his experience growing a cybersecurity company in NYC.

In this episode of Wharton Tech Toks, Debbie Cheng (Wharton MBA Class of 2026) sits down with Leon Zhang, Co-Founder and CEO of BetterBasket. Leon shares his journey from launching grocery delivery operations at Uber to co-founding BetterBasket, a YC-backed startup helping grocers use data to optimize pricing in the face of inflation, digital transformation, and legacy systems.

Leon also opens up about his decision to take a leave of absence from Wharton to join Y Combinator’s Winter '24 cohort, what he's learned about hiring and building a startup culture, and why challenging the status quo is at the heart of entrepreneurship.

Whether you're curious about retail tech, YC, or life as a founder-MBA, this one’s full of insights.

In this episode of Wharton Tech Toks, Debbie Cheng (Wharton MBA Class of 2026) sits down with Avanthika Ramesh, Senior Director of Product Management for Agentforce at Salesforce (Wharton MBA Class of 2025). They dive into Avanthika’s career journey from engineering at Berkeley to building AI-driven products at Salesforce, including her work on chatbots, Web3, and generative agents.

Avanthika shares insights on what it takes to succeed in product management, how to lead cross-functional teams, and why she chose to pursue her MBA while continuing to work full-time. From evolving chatbots into intelligent AI agents to balancing corporate keynotes with Wharton coursework, her story is packed with lessons on leadership, learning, and navigating ambiguity.

In this episode, Julien Guiot sits down with Jim Alderson-Smith, Managing Director at Crux, to unpack how Crux is transforming capital markets for clean energy. They explore the company’s role in facilitating efficient financing through transferable tax credits and debt marketplaces, aiming to make clean energy funding more liquid and accessible. The conversation dives into the evolution of tax equity financing, Crux’s strategy for building a broad network of developers, corporates, and intermediaries, and how the platform reduces friction in traditionally complex financial transactions. Key themes include navigating political uncertainty in climate policy, driving inclusivity in deal sizes, and advice for MBAs looking to break into climate tech. Tune in for a deep dive into how fintech innovation is powering the clean energy transition in the U.S.

In this episode Tanika Mehra interviews Tanay Kothari, Co-founder & CEO of Wispr Flow, an AI-powered voice-first productivity tool designed to help professionals communicate faster and more naturally.

Wispr Flow is pioneering a screen-free, voice-first future where professionals can dictate messages, edit text with natural voice commands, and boost productivity 3x faster than typing. Backed by NEA, 8VC, and top AI leaders, Wispr Flow has raised $26M to redefine the way we interact with technology.