How They Did It Podcast

Dr. Amera McCoy is the CEO of her own consulting company, she has a PHD in philosophy from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology, and she worked at J.P. Morgan for 8 years, where she was Vice President of Vendor Management. This week, Alec and Amera discuss her trajectory that got her where she is today, the obstacles for women of color in the business world, ways to stay positive and productive during the pandemic, and why getting a good night's sleep is so important when running a company.

Dr. Amera McCoy is the CEO of her own consulting company, she has a PHD in philosophy from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology, and she worked at J.P. Morgan for 8 years, where she was Vice President of Vendor Management. This week, Alec and Amera discuss her trajectory that got her where she is today, the obstacles for women of color in the business world, ways to stay positive and productive during the pandemic, and why getting a good night's sleep is so important when running a company.

Tony Plasencia describes himself as a business developer, a Gen Z leader, and a relationship builder. He hails from East Oakland, and he studied Political Science and San Francisco State University while simultaneously beginning his career in the tech ecosystem. He gained an interest in tech while working at Uber and went on to work at 2 hyper-growth companies, get 2 start-ups off the ground, and co-found another company. His latest project is a platform called Diffusion, which has already been accepted into a startup incubator. This week, Alec and Tony discuss Tony's latest project, how to continue making progress in your work, how to manage your professional and personal identities, what steps we need to take to achieve better cultural understanding as a nation; and useful messages in the music of Kanye West and Freddy Gibbs.

Meriame Berboucha is a PhD student in the Plasma Physics Group at Imperial College London, and she is currently based at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory in California. Her research lies in attempts to recreate the conditions found in space by heating materials with high-powered lasers. This week, Meriame and Alec discuss her very interesting field of work, how she got to where she is today, and the state of diversity in scientific academic research.

Meriame Berboucha is a PhD student in the Plasma Physics Group at Imperial College London, and she is currently based at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory in California. Her research lies in attempts to recreate the conditions found in space by heating materials with high-powered lasers. This week, Meriame and Alec discuss her very interesting field of work, how she got to where she is today, and the state of diversity in scientific academic research.

Paul Voge is the Co Founder and CEO of Aura Bora, a modern, all-natural and innovative beverage company that produces sparkling water made from herbs, fruits, and flowers. Paul and his wife Madeleine co-founded the company and they were soon featured on Shark Tank, where they received $200,000 in funding from Robert Herjavec. This week Alec and Paul discuss Paul's past experience in venture capital, how he built his current company, why being on Shark Tank is so nerve-wracking, the evolution of America's diet, and the state of diversity in the food and beverage industry.

Paul Voge is the Co Founder and CEO of Aura Bora, a modern, all-natural and innovative beverage company that produces sparkling water made from herbs, fruits, and flowers. Paul and his wife, Madeleine co-founded the company and they were soon featured on Shark Tank, where they received $200,000 in funding from Robert Herjavec. This week Paul and Alec discuss how Aura Bora came to be, Paul's past experience in venture capital, why being on Shark Tank is so nerve-wracking, the evolution of America's diet, and the state of diversity in the food and beverage industry.

Mariah Lichtenstern is a founding partner and managing director of DiverseCity Ventures, a firm that believes innovation thrives where diverse perspectives intersect. They focus on backing technology-enabled companies that have positive social, economic, or environmental impact, inclusive teams, and demonstrate high potential for outsized returns. This week, Alec and Mariah discuss how she got to where she is today, how we can use our professional influence for positive social change, as well as how far social justice has come but there is still a long road ahead.

Mariah Lichtenstern is a founding partner and managing director of DiverseCity Ventures, a firm that believes innovation thrives where diverse perspectives intersect. They focus on backing technology-enabled companies that have positive social, economic, or environmental impact, inclusive teams, and demonstrate high potential for outsized returns. This week, Alec and Mariah discuss how she got to where she is today, how we can use our professional influence for positive social change, as well as how far social justice has come but there is still a long road ahead.

Ulrich Musset is a founder and COO of Vauban, a company that is revolutionizing the way wealth containers and created and maintained. This week on How They Did It, Alec and Ulric discuss the ways Vauban has streamlined fund/SPV setup, how to promote diverse lending, and Ulric explains how his entrepreneurial journey began at age 12.