Harvard Alumni Entrepreneurs Invites

IN THIS EPISODE: In this episode, our host Denise Silber sits down with Shannon Lundgren — HBS MBA, entrepreneur, and founder of Shannon's Circle — to explore what it means to build a business in one of the most personal industries: love. Shannon's path didn't follow the usual arc. After the Business School and a pivotal chapter working directly for Warren Buffett — where what impressed her most was his extraordinary kindness, and how he brought out the best in everyone by talking about their best qualities — Shannons Lundgren transitioned from corporate strategy to executive recruiting, a field where understanding the whole person, through emotional intelligence, is essential. That same approach now drives her work in high-end matchmaking, where success is all about the fit Shannon shares how she built her client base with intention, why she only takes on clients she believes she can help, and what entrepreneurs can learn from guiding people through high-stakes first impressions. So why listen?  To be inspired by an exceptional entrepreneur — and because, let's face it, you're curious about how modern matchmaking really works. Whether you're building a business or looking for meaningful connections, this episode will leave you thinking differently about what it  takes to create lasting matches between people. GUEST BIO: Shannon Lundgren, a Harvard Business School alumna, is the CEO of Shannon's Circle, where she brings 12 years of elite matchmaking experience to helping intellectually curious and kind singles find the love of their life.As a corporate executive turned matchmaker, she applies her executive recruiting skills to serve clients in California and the West Coast. Shannon is a recognized expert on modern love, featured in The Wall Street Journal, Fortune, Forbes, Harvard Magazine, Business Insider, and Today. Before launching her matchmaking career, she was a Senior Vice President at Wells Fargo and a Strategic Marketing Consultant at Berkshire Hathaway. She serves on the board of the Harvard Business School Club of Northern California and is a respected partner of The Family Office Exchange (FOX), where she speaks about wealth being much more than net worth. Shannon also holds a B.A. in business from UC Berkeley. She resides in San Francisco with her husband of 18 years and their teenage daughter.  

IN THIS EPISODE: In this episode, host Denise Silber sits down with Michaela Horvathova, co-founder of Beyond Education and alumna of Harvard's Graduate School of Education, to explore how building an innovative company demands more than a great product — it requires becoming a thought leader.  Michaela's journey is as global as it is inspiring. Despite not fitting into the traditional school system in Slovakia, Michaela earned a tennis scholarship to the U.S., graduated from Harvard, advised the Prime Minister of Slovakia, and co-founded a bold edtech startup helping schools adapt to the age of AI. Her company, Beyond Education, was selected for and completed the Harvard Alumni Entrepreneurs Accelerator — a zero-equity, virtual program supporting high-potential, Harvard alumni-founded companies.  You'll hear how Michaela: Pivoted from policymaking to entrepreneurship for greater impact. Built a company focused on digital assessments and teacher development to help schools evolve with technology. Learned why even small startups must embrace thought leadership to shape their market and build demand. Turned her credibility and conviction into invitations to speak at global education events — and even organized her own summit. Whether you're an entrepreneur, investor, or advisor, this episode unpacks why communication and positioning matter just as much as product — especially when your innovation is ahead of its time. Tune in to learn how a tennis champion turned edtech entrepreneur built a mission-driven company from the ground up — and how the HAE Accelerator helped refine their vision and strategy. GUEST BIO: Michaela Horvathova is the co-founder of Beyond Education, a fast-growing edtech startup now active in over 13 countries. She holds a Master's in Education Policy and Management from Harvard University and has over 12 years of experience in global education reform. Before launching Beyond Education, Michaela worked at the OECD, partnered with organizations like IB and UNICEF, and advised ministries of education across the Czech Republic, South Africa, the Netherlands, and Brazil. As an Advisor to the Prime Minister of Slovakia, she helped shape national education strategy, focusing on competency-based learning. A regular speaker at global conferences, Michaela is passionate about reimagining how schools prepare students for the age of AI. A former professional tennis player, she brings resilience, adaptability, and a growth mindset to her work as an entrepreneur.

IN THIS EPISODE: Scaling a startup brings exciting opportunities—but also the challenge of increased complexity, slower decision-making, and the creeping risk of bureaucracy. In this episode, Artus de Longuemar joins host Philip Guarino to reveal how founders can delegate with confidence, maintain agility, and empower teams without losing control. They explore the psychological barriers to delegation, the shift from hands-on execution to strategic leadership, and how clear autonomy frameworks can drive success. Artus also highlights the power of inspiring content creation for platforms like LinkedIn and how founders can align delegation with company goals. Plus, they dive into strategies for decentralizing decision-making, fostering collective intelligence, and navigating the rise of AI in leadership. GUEST BIO: Artus de Longuemar helps startup founders scale their teams without losing speed, agility, or control. With experience across 180+ businesses—from startups to Fortune 500s—he specializes in agile, collaborative leadership. Great leadership, he believes, isn't about pushing harder but creating the right conditions for teams to thrive. After five years at Airbus, he shifted to entrepreneurship, advising startups on leadership and organizational design. He's also developing Proudly, an AI-powered virtual coach for managers. Beyond work, Artus enjoys surfing, skiing, and MMA—balancing discipline, agility, and flow.  

IN THIS EPISODE: In a change of pace, host Denise Silber delves into her professional field, digital health, as she  invites fellow Harvard alumna Dr. Ariel Dora Stern. Together they  explore Dr. Stern's extensive and unique, research-based findings on what drives successful business models in healthtech. Dr. Stern combines her Harvard PhD, insights from her decade on the HBS faculty, and her prestigious position as Alexander von Humboldt Professor at Germany's Hasso Plattner Institute to provide listeners with unparalleled expertise in the digital health business across the globe  Ariel Dora Stern provides  case learnings from Proximie, a company using augmented and virtual reality to improve surgical procedure, and shares more broadly  how startups can navigate the business challenges of healthcare. This episode brings valuable advice to entrepreneurs looking to scale their digital health solutions on both sides of the Atlantic. GUEST BIO: After completing her PhD at Harvard and spending ten years on the faculty of Harvard Business School, Ariel Dora Stern is currently the Alexander von Humboldt Professor for Digital Health, Economics and Policy at Germany's Hasso Plattner Institute. Ariel's research focuses on innovation and technology management in health care. Formerly, she served as the Director for International Health Care Economics at the Health Innovation Hub, an independent think tank of the German Ministry of Health. She is a member of several academic and industry advisory boards and advises numerous health care startups.

IN THIS EPISODE: Host Denise Silber sits down with Harvard alumna Dr. Merritt Moore, who is a quantum physicist, ballet dancer, educator and entrepreneur all at once! They explore her unique multi-disciplinary journey at the intersection of dance and robotics. Dr Moore reveals the challenges and triumphs of merging her two passions, and how her work offers deeper insights into human-machine interaction.  Dr. Moore shares how she is creating a new industry by coding robots and performing as a professional ballet dancer on global stages. Dr Moore's  innovative teaching approach in creative robotics at NYU Abu Dhabi offers entrepreneurs insights into embracing interdisciplinary approaches and combining diverse skills to forge unique career paths and inspire market-defining innovations. GUEST BIO: Dr. Merritt Moore graduated from Harvard College in physics and from the University of Oxford with a PhD in Quantum Optics. She danced professionally with the English National Ballet, Norwegian National Ballet, and Zurich Ballet, and continues to perform with the Boston Ballet. Additionally, she is an Adjunct Professor at NYU Abu Dhabi, teaching robotics. She was awarded Forbes 30 under 30, she was one of the 12 candidates on BBC "Astronauts: Do you have what it takes?". She has been invited to perform with robots at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Forbes Women's Summit, and around the world. This led to features in TIME, Financial Times (FT), Vogue, BBC.

IN THIS EPISODE: In this episode of the Harvard Alumni Entrepreneurs podcast, host Philip Guarino speaks with Bede Moore, an HBS alumnus and the Chief Commercial Officer at Antler, a global leader in pre-seed venture investment. Moore shares his entrepreneurial journey, from his successful e-commerce venture to his current role at Antler, where he leads a team operating in 27 cities worldwide. The conversation explores Antler's mission to empower aspiring founders at the earliest stages of company formation. Key topics include the challenges of scaling, the importance of community and mentorship for entrepreneurs, and the specific traits that Antler seeks in founders: spike, drive, and grit. GUEST BIO: Bede Moore is the Chief Commercial Officer at Antler, the most active early-stage investor globally. Present in 27 cities across most leading technology ecosystems across six continents, Antler has made over 1,300 investments into early-stage startups. Prior to Antler, Bede has been building and growing businesses across Australasia. He was the Executive Officer of TechSydney, the leading technology industry organization in Sydney. He also co-founded Lazada in Indonesia, the country's largest e-commerce platform, which was acquired by Alibaba. Bede earned a BA in History from Harvard College in 2006.

IN THIS EPISODE: In this unique episode taking us to Latin America, Denise Silber interviews HBS alumna Christine Kenna,  Partner at a leading early-stage VC fund in Mexico,  in order to explore and amplify the often overlooked opportunities for venture capital investment in the region. Drawing from her experience as a former Silicon Valley executive, operational manager in LatAm, and board member, Christine Kenna shares insights on identifying innovative business models and supporting entrepreneurs in this emerging market. Listeners will gain valuable takeaways on the region's tech landscape, the importance of local partnerships, and the evolving role of women in venture capital. Christine Kenna also discusses her initiatives to empower women in VC, the necessary balance between personal values and profess GUEST BIO: Christine Kenna, an alumna of the Harvard Business School, is Partner at IGNIA, a leading venture capital fund investing in global technology companies reinventing the way to do business across Latin America. Christine, a trailblazer in the investor and entrepreneurial ecosystems, co-founded Mujeres Invirtiendo and MBA Mujeres de México to accelerate the careers of professional women in LatAm. With 15+ years of VC experience, she serves on IGNIA´s boards and is an independent Board Member of ALSEA and the Kauffman Fellows. Recognized as one of Latin America's top female investors, Christine's background includes leadership roles at Google, EF Education First, and EY Parthenon and The Guggenheim Foundation.  Christine did her undergraduate degree at Duke University and is a Kauffman Fellow.

IN THIS EPISODE: This exciting episode features Jon Down,  HBS MBA, professor at the University of Portland and AI entrepreneur who founded two AI companies.  He is interviewed by host Denise Silber about the top AI business use cases supported by  emerging research, best practices for implementing AI and the key ethical considerations raised by business's use of  AI. The conversation also covers how AI can improve productivity, how companies can navigate the challenges of AI adoption, why you might need to spend more time with AI, the need for responsible AI use, and the significance of ongoing education in AI. GUEST BIO: Jon Down, HBS MBA, is a recognized thought leader in the practical and ethical use of artificial intelligence. As a Professor at the University of Portland and founder of two AI-focused companies, he merges academic rigor with real-world application in his teaching, research, and in helping organizations implement the use of AI effectively and responsibly. He is acutely aware of AI's potential risks and the imperative for widespread understanding of AI to mitigate these risks. With a PhD in Strategy from the University of Washington, an MBA from the Harvard Business School, and a BSME from Oregon State he takes a multidisciplinary approach to problems.

IN THIS EPISODE: In this podcast episode, host Philip Guarino speaks with Andrew Lo, a distinguished professor at MIT and an entrepreneur with a focus on healthcare and deep tech ventures. Andrew shares his journey from academia to entrepreneurship, detailing his transition from economics to founding a quantitative investment firm and later exploring the financial challenges of drug development. He discusses the fundraising challenges for deep tech entrepreneurs, how investors' risk calculation differs for more complex ventures and how this requires continuous investor communication and learning. Lo also highlights the vibrant innovation ecosystem in the Boston-Cambridge area and his passion for mentoring students in entrepreneurial projects. GUEST BIO: Andrew W. Lo is the Charles E. and Susan T. Harris Professor at the MIT Sloan School of Management, director of MIT's Laboratory for Financial Engineering, and principal investigator at MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory. He is a co-founder and director of BridgeBio Pharma, a director of AbCellera, Atomwise, and Vesalius, a co-founder and chairman of QLS Advisors, and a member of the advisory board to the American Cancer Society's BrightEdge Impact Fund. Dr. Lo received his B.A. in economics from Yale University and his A.M. and Ph.D. in economics from Harvard University.

IN THIS EPISODE: In this episode, our host Denise Silber welcomes recent HBS MBA, Kai-Tai Chang, General Partner at a quantitative crypto fund.  Kai-Tai Chang explains, step by step, how cryptocurrency works and  presents the key components and stakeholders in a session sure to interest crypto beginners and enthusiasts alike. Specialized in Alpha research, or detecting opportunities that offer returns above the market average, Kai-Tai Chang shares his journey from engineering to the world of cryptocurrencies, highlighting  technology's potential to redefine financial systems. He addresses misconceptions about crypto currency, its uses, and the importance of regulation. He dives right into the environmental impact of crypto mining, describes his experience at Binance Labs, and explains how he managed to do his MBA at HBS while  simultaneously working  in crypto. The conversation also touches on the future of cryptocurrency and the importance of education and community engagement for those interested in entering the field. GUEST BIO: A newly-minted  Harvard MBA graduate, Kai-Tai Chang is a tech-driven serial entrepreneur and investor actively exploring opportunities in the blockchain and digital verticals. A French-born Chinese, he embraces diverse paths, prioritizing a life without regret. Transitioning from a data scientist role in Paris to entrepreneurship, and later serving as a PE manager in Beijing, he pivoted to a web3 VC investor position at Binance Labs. There, he invested in impactful ventures and steered strategic projects, leading growth initiatives and fostering collaborations for synergies. Currently, he serves as the General Partner at Emergence Capital, a quantitative crypto fund.