Oceanside Chat: L.I.T.E. Beyond Generations

This week, we're thrilled to feature Mark Gurman— Managing Editor and Chief Correspondent for Bloomberg News! As a part of Professor Helen Wang's "Innovation to Market" course, his L.I.T.E. Talk discusses what it really takes to turn ideas into impact. He talks about:• The definition of innovation through the lens of creators, consumers, and Wall Street• The core traits of innovators• Breaking down the innovation lifecycle from ideation and prototyping phases to commercialization, maturity, and reinvention.• Exploring how startups, large companies, partnerships, and acquisitions all drive innovation differently.• Why successful innovation isn’t just invention— it’s creating products people adopt, connect with, and get to use in their everyday life.

My Village Innovations (MVI) focuses on redefining women's healthcare through advanced medical devices, including a reimagined vaginal speculum. As CEO and founder, Annie Muñoz brings 20 years of OB/Gyn experience as a licensed Physician Assistant to this mission. Her team combines clinical insights with innovative design to improve patient comfort and examination outcomes, empowering providers to deliver higher-quality care. With expertise in colposcopy, diagnostics, contraceptives and therapeutic management of gynecological disease, Annie has supported countless women in managing their health. From a background in research at Johns Hopkins, a commitment to innovation and a focus on patient-centered solutions, her and her team's efforts to address gaps in women's healthcare are unrivaled. By leading MVI, she aims to advance tools and practices that improve lives and create lasting impact in the field of OB/Gyn.

In this episode of Founders in L.I.T.E, Helen Wang sits down with Pravardh Mishra, a 19-year-old UCSD student whose entrepreneurial journey started with bad grades and a desire to stand out. From landing an unpaid internship in 10th grade and getting his business unit acquired by Oracle, to co-founding a biodegradable fuel additive company with a 64-year-old British oil-and-gas veteran and scaling it across 4 continents, Pravardh has jam packed several lifetimes of experience into just a few short years. Adding in Army ROTC basic camp, 6 community college associate degrees completed in just over a year, and a current role at an AI startup fresh off a $1.5 million raise, this raw conversation covers topics like: • Being an intrapreneur vs entrepreneur • Traditional education vs experiential learning • How hosting parties propelled his career• How joining the army changed his perspective on hardship • AI and Death techFind out how this 19-year-old high school drop out carved out his own path to success!

Dr. Scott Herskovitz, MD, EMBA is a pediatric emergency medicine physician, Chief of Staff Elect, and Clinical Director of Emergency Medicine at Rady Children's Hospital-San Diego. He also serves as Associate Professor at UCSD Health. He received his medical degree from the University of Sydney and executive MBA from UCSD's Rady School of Management. Dr. Marni Jacobs, PhD, MPH is a perinatal epidemiologist and Assistant Professor in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences at UCSD Health. She is a clinical researcher and Principal Investigator of the Multi-Omics for Maternal Health After Preeclampsia (MOM-Health) study. She earned her PhD in Public Health, Epidemiology from UCSD, and a Master’s in Public Health, Epidemiology from Columbia University.

In our newest episode, Benjamin and Alessandro discussed the Innovator's Dilemma — the idea that companies often struggle to balance between investing in entirely new, disruptive ideas (building) vs improving what already works (polishing). There are the ones who start, and the ones who refine. Builders create the first version of a shortcut for humanity. Then, Polishers help make it scalable. But none of it exists at all unless someone is willing to begin. Listen to the full conversation to learn more

In this interview, Dr. Brendan McIntyre provides insight into his non-traditional journey to medicine, giving practical advice for aspiring physicians. He also discusses his working life as an EM resident, physician burnout, moral injury, and AI's potential in medicine.

Founding his company at just 17 years old, Andre Lokuszta dives into his journey to becoming CEO of Netcast Marketing and how he carved out his own niche in a rapidly changing market. In this insightful interview with host Katie Cho, he discusses the highs and lows of entrepreneurship and how he uses AI to stay on the edge of innovation. Check out Netcast Marketing

The journey to becoming a surgeon is grueling, and few know this fact more intimately than a surgical resident does. In this insightful conversation, Dr. Alexandra Johns MD, MPH, dives into her own journey to medicine and provides valuable insight into the importance of building a brand as a med school applicant. She details some of the hardships of pursuing such a career, including infertility, policy, and struggles within the medical system. She also discusses the future of medicine and what AI could mean for physicians.Host: Irene Qin, Chief of Staff and Director of Multimedia at Oceanside Perspective

In this episode, our founder Helen Wang sits down with her former student Katie Cho to reflect on the origins of Oceanside Perspective. After leaving a career in high tech, Helen became a professor at University of California, San Diego - Rady School of Management. But just a few months after she began her entrepreneurial journey, she had to step back from leading OP to battle an aggressive cancer diagnosis.

Dr. Byron Scott is President & Chief Operating Officer at Direct Relief, one of the biggest global disaster relief organizations in the U.S. He brings more than 25 years of leadership as a physician executive in the healthcare industry, as well as clinical experience as a board-certified emergency medicine physician. He currently serves on the Board of Rady Children's Health and Board Chair for Rady Children's Hospital San Diego.