Here at Haas

In this episode, we speak with ab banks, a leader at Oxford Tract Farms. ab works with the Berkeley Food Institute and on the ground with Berkeley Student Farms. An Oakland native, ab banks serves as garden lead for People’s Programs in West Oakland, grows food and ensures produce goes from the urban garden into the hands of under-resourced community members. ab was the first member to join People’s Programs. The People’s Garden was created to advance food autonomy for Black people in ab’s hometown and increase access to healthy food – including hot-meal deliveries for unhoused neighbors every Sunday and family grocery deliveries twice a month. With ab serving as garden lead, stewarding the land and harvesting crops, in 2022, the program distributed more than 800 pounds of produce to families and unhoused neighbors in West Oakland.ab’s farming work is intertwined with wellness for people and the planet. In addition to leading the People’s Garden, ab started the (Free) Community Health Clinic, which opened in 2021 to address needs identified during weekly food delivery. ab is also the Agroecology and Wellness Coordinator at the Berkeley Food Institute (BFI). Here ab conducts participatory research on agroecology practices rooted in soil care and healing communities that have been generationally underestimated and silenced. BFI supports outreach, events, and academic opportunities at more than 10 urban gardens producing food and preserving native ecosystems. ab continues to learn, grow, and share their work in healing and meditation.In 2022-2023, ab was a Just Leader Fellow with the Cooperative Food Empowerment Collective. Their work is aimed at a cooperative food economy powered by the visionary leadership of Queer, Trans, Black, Indigenous People of Color.Episode Quotes:Power of ListeningWhen you’re interacting with a lot of different people with a lot of different backgrounds, especially backgrounds that you aren’t familiar with, there will be a lot of listening involved. That is a key part of being a leader.Community Resource In the beginning of me coming to Oxford Tract and Berkeley Food Institute I had numerous conversations with different stakeholders like students, community members, and people we serve. All of the ideas that I have about the future are definitely linked to those initial conversations I had and ongoing conversations. So again listening to what people need from Oxford Tract. It boils down to my goal of being a resource for community members and the students. Show Links:From the Field: The Vibrant Student Community at UC Berkeley’s Oxford Tract FarmBFI News: BFI’s ab banks Wins 2023 Maxwell/Hanrahan Award in Food

On this episode of the Here@Haas podcast, we sit down with Ana Carolina “Caro” Mexia, Co-Founding Partner at Nido Ventures and Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree.Born and raised in Mexico City, Caro blends her roots in computer science and product leadership with an MBA from Stanford to spot and support the next generation of transformative B2B technologies.Nido Ventures was founded to bridge the technology gap between Silicon Valley and Mexico's foundational industries. What began as an angel syndicate has evolved into a pre-seed fund backing B2B startups at the intersection of U.S. technical innovation, Mexico’s industrial strengths, and the region’s growing nearshoring opportunities.In this conversation, Caro joins Haas MBA student Taylor Dahlgren as they dive into how venture capitalists identify and evaluate the qualities that inspire confidence in founders and dig into what great leadership looks like from an investor’s perspective.*Here@Haas Podcast is a production of Haas School of Business and is produced by University FM.*Episode Quotes:On The "Healthy Delusion" of FoundersWe have to find founders that have a healthy dose of delusion, but that are also rooted in the reality of the operation of what has to be built... We are always looking for the kind of leadership that that particular industry needs.On Team Dynamics and Red FlagsOne common pitfall is founders that have a team that they don't respect. If they don't respect the rest of the team, it becomes a one-man show. If I were to have tried to do everything myself, I would have died. You have to be able to trust.Advice for MBAs: Keeping Your Authenticity I lost a little bit of what I would say was my essence during the MBA. Be truthful to yourself of what it is that you want to get, because you can end up becoming more lost than finding things.Show Links:Caro’s LinkedIn

On this episode of the Here@Haas podcast, meet Dave Alberga, a former Army officer and successful founder, CEO, and investor who sits on several boards. Dave has assisted in the launch of numerous start-up organizations and in their growth into large companies, including leading The Active Network from pre-revenue to $480M in annual sales, and a $1B exit for investors. Prior to Active, Dave served as the COO of the CitySearch cityguide business from just after startup to a successful IPO and investor exit. Dave currently serves as a Board Director of GovX, Firestorm Labs, and Trimark Associates, ( A Renewable Power Controls Company). Dave has independently invested in a number of additional private companies including Peloton, Semantic AI, The Rise Festival, and Lennd, among others.Dave joins Haas MBA students Lee Kantowski and James Takami to discuss the leadership lessons he’s learned throughout his career and give advice on driving organizational culture, giving feedback to employees, and how to best utilize professional networks. Episode Quotes: Prioritizing People for Greater Organizational Success"I'm suggesting that if you focus on the success of your employees, you're actually going to deliver more effectively to your shareholders than if you don't."The Leader’s Job in a Growth Organization"I viewed my job as number one raising money, number two trying to do my best to paint a target for people and for the organization. And number three, which is the thing I spent more time on than any of the other two, was actually spending one-on-one time with as many people in the organization as I possibly could to understand how they define success for themselves."Creating a Difficult-to-Replicate Work Environment"It was my job as the CEO to make finding a better option really, really difficult. That was my job. To create an environment that was going to be very hard for people to replicate elsewhere in the form of professional development, satisfaction, feeling mission-driven, compensation..."Transparency and Accountability in Performance Feedback"The reality is if I always felt like if I'm delivering news in a formal performance review that I hadn't given informally multiple times before, that was on me. That was my screw-up... There should be no surprises in a performance review ever."Show Links:David Alberga LinkedIn Profile

In the Leading People class at UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business, students step beyond the classroom to interview leaders who inspire them. Working in teams, they record in-depth conversations and transform them into compelling podcast episodes. Each episode features a different leader, sharing real stories, challenges, and insights on what leadership truly means—guided by the fresh perspectives and thoughtful questions of Haas students. Real leaders. Real stories. A new generation asking the questions. Listen to the Leading People series on the Here@Haas Podcast. Subscribe and don’t miss an episode.

In this episode of Here@Haas, Michele and Vance kick off a new faculty series with one of Haas’ most celebrated educators: Distinguished Teaching Fellow Greg LaBlanc. Known for his dynamic classes on strategy, game theory, and behavioral finance, and for his influential podcast, unSILOed, Greg shares how an early Montessori education shaped his interdisciplinary curiosity, the unconventional academic path that led him to Berkeley, and why he believes the future belongs to those who can integrate ideas across fields.Together, they explore innovation, entrepreneurship, competitive moats in the AI era, the role of proprietary data, and why enduring success often requires “fixing things before they break.” Greg also discusses character as life’s true project, the importance of long-term learning, and the deep alumni connections that enrich his life far beyond the classroom.This episode offers insights for anyone considering strategy, disruption, and building a meaningful career in a rapidly changing world.Episode Quotes:If it ain’t broke, fix it anyway! I see Haas as ambassadors for this vision. We go out into the world and populate these companies with this unique view of the importance of innovation, the importance of rethinking. I mean, why is questioning the status quo the first of our defining principles? It's because if you don't question the status quo, status quo will crush you. And so one of the things that I always like to say is an implicit slogan of Haasies is if it ain't broke, fix it anyway. It is gonna be broke if you don't do anything. And so being capable of anticipating the future, of being open to being wrong, being open to continuous reinvention, that's what I love about being here. On what he is most proud of in his life​​ It has nothing to do with worldly accomplishments. It has to do with character development. So, not to say that I've got this wonderful, great character. I mean, there's tons of room for improvement, but I think at the end of the day, the only thing that you have control over in your life is your character: the way you act, the way you think, the way you behave, the way you treat other people, and your approach to the world.On playing the long gameThere are people who just think they have forever to do stuff, and then there are other folks who think that they have to do everything right away. And so I would say play the long game. Understand that you might live fairly long period of time and, you know, you might not. Right? And so, learn like you're gonna live forever, really focus on learning without any necessarily obvious reason to think that what you're learning is gonna be immediately valuable. You'll find that things that you learn at one point in your life turn out to be much valuable later in life, oftentimes in unexpected ways. So, focus on learning with a long-term perspective.Why good MBAs are good generalistsTo be a good generalist is to have this very active mental switchboard that sends you off in all sorts of directions, makes connections that other people don't see, thinks analogously, and sometimes metaphorically, right?  Scientists often think in very linear, very structured ways. Start with small building blocks, work up to more sophisticated things. I think the superpower of a good MBA is that you don't limit yourself to that way of thinking, but that you have all these combinations, these neural combinations that send you in different directions.Show LinksGreg LaBlanc – LinkedInunSILOed Podcast

In this episode of Here@Haas, we sit down with the remarkable Jeep Kline — Haas lecturer, founder and managing partner of Raise Well Ventures, and former World Bank economist whose career spans deep-tech venture capital, global economic development, and transformative leadership. Jeep shares her journey from growing up in Bangkok during the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis, to advising ministers of finance in emerging markets, to becoming a Silicon Valley VC and founder of multiple funds. She also discusses the origins of the Haas Impact Fund, the rapidly changing job market shaped by AI, and what it takes to succeed as an entrepreneur or investor in today’s environment. Her story is one of purpose, grit, and redefining what impact really means.Episode Quotes:On navigating your career with purpose:“ I like to tell people that the most important thing that you have to have (is) purpose—why you do what you do. And it has to fit your broad principle and your belief. Because in the journey that you're gonna see in the next 20 years, it's gonna be up and down. Things are gonna change way more rapidly than my generation. And without purpose, it's gonna hurt—it's gonna hurt you, it's gonna hurt your mentality, but with purpose, you're gonna allow yourself to fail along the way because, you know, it's just a learning. You get up and do it again. You are gonna figure out. So, having a purpose of why you do what you do, you will allow yourself to fail and also succeed.”On what truly makes a startup succeed:“ It is the quality of the management team. That is by far the most important. Mostly, things are gonna change, especially today, as you mentioned, because of AI, that is going to create a rapid change in our society and technology development, and so on. And all of these are gonna come back to the founders. How do they adjust? How do they pivot? How do founders actually handle that? There's gonna be a bunch of things that they're gonna have to solve. How do they think about the industry? Where do they think an industry is going next, and how do they adjust the business, the management team, and themselves to take advantage of the industry and the new technology? That is the most important thing, more so than the technology itself.”On long-term success and risk-taking:“If I could tell my younger self, I would tell myself not to worry about how people perceive me. You don't have to care about that. You play a long game, and you try to hit your ground running, take risks, and it's okay to fail. You get up, you pivot, you learn from it, and you do it again. And I guarantee you, no matter how long it takes, you know this is a probability, right? When you fail enough, you will also succeed enough. It's just a rule. And I just want us to think about the long game instead of the short-term KPI and how society and your friends, or like peer pressure, that a lot of you probably go through. Don't worry about any of that.”Show Links:Jeep Kline LinkedIn ProfileRaisewell Ventures – Jeep’s deep-tech impact venture fundHaas Impact Fund – The experiential VC course & student-led fund at Berkeley Haas

In this inspiring episode, Vance and Michele sit down with Ravi Malhotra, a second-year MBA student in the EW program at Haas and Corporate Controller at HeartBeam. From his humble beginnings in India to leading finance operations in Silicon Valley, Ravi shares his remarkable journey of grit, purpose, and continuous learning.Ravi dives deep into what sparked his passion for accounting, why he pursued a Chartered Accountancy path before joining EY, and how his decision to prioritize family led him to make a courageous leap from Big Four to industry. Now at the helm of financial operations in a cutting-edge medical device company, he talks about leading through collaboration, building systems from scratch, and supporting FDA-cleared innovations that allow patients to take hospital-quality ECG readings from the comfort of home.Beyond his day job, Ravi also shares what drove him to pursue an MBA at Haas, his approach to time management while balancing school, work, and family, and how he finds purpose in mentorship and helping others succeed. This episode is a masterclass in servant leadership, resilience, and lifelong learning.Episode QuotesOn leaving the Big Four after 14 years That was another juncture when I thought about, you know, to leave or not leave because that's crucial to decide in terms of a career move. It was a hard decision for me as an individual, and I decided to move only for the good reason, for the sake of my family. I wanna see my kids grow in front of my eyes. Money will come by no matter what, but I think time was very precious to spend with family, give them the appropriate time.On why he pursued an MBAYou know, I keep on doing the long-term goals in my career. In school, I had a goal to become a CA. I became a CA, and then the Big Four was the goal. Did that. Doing that same long-term goal strategy really helped in keeping me on my toes and grounded. And then I thought, okay, now I’m a corporate controller, what do I need to do next? I talked to my mentors, I did the research, and what I learned is that having an MBA will help. Definitely, you'll have an edge in terms of the other peers who have the skillset and sit at the table for the same position that you're trying to pursue.On using the tools from Haas to lead and support othersRight now, I’m focusing on finance-driven classes and the core classes. Once that is done, I feel like I will have all the good tools. Now, it's upon me as a human being to make sure that I use those tools in my future journey, working towards my career goals. When does that career goal come by? That’s hard to predict, to be honest. What is in my control is to make sure that I do a good job in leading the people I'm leading and providing support to my teams so that they feel good about working with me as an individual and as a support system. That will be a big achievement if I keep on doing that. On staying motivated and pursuing your dreamsWhen you do see a dream and you have goals in life, nobody can stop you from achieving that. Only you can do that. And if you decide to support you, no matter what people can do around you, you'll get it. Yes, there'll be some hiccups, there'll be some problems, but if you don't give up, you'll get it. Just stay motivated and keep going. Show LinksLearn more about HeartBeam’s innovative ECG technologyExplore Berkeley Haas Executive MBA ProgramVisit the EW MBA Student Resources Website (EW Wire)Check out CalCPA – California Society of CPAs

In this episode of Here@Haas, we sit down with the multi-talented and dynamic Paramee Intarachumnum—Executive MBA student, Vice President of Social for her cohort, and co-founder of Invex, an investment platform bridging high-quality tech deals with Asian investors. From launching a mentoring startup to building a chicken farm school for underprivileged youth in Thailand, Paramee shares her remarkable journey from advertising to innovation, from boardrooms to bars (yes, she owns four in Bangkok!).We talk about her bold approach to leadership, her mission to democratize tech investment, and how she’s creating impact through collaboration, creativity, and going the extra mile. Whether you're curious about startups, social impact, or the vibrant energy of Southeast Asia's innovation scene—this episode is packed with inspiration.*OneHaas Alumni Podcast is a production of Haas School of Business and is produced by University FM.*Episode Quotes:On coming to the Bay Area I only considered the San Francisco Bay area because I want to be here as a person who is always passionate about tech. I know that tech will change the world, whether it's a software, a platform, or even deep technologies that a lot of scientists and a lot of entrepreneurs have been trying to build. I would love to be in a place where everything is happening. So yeah, that's why I decided to come to Haas. I think Haas has a really good track record of building entrepreneurs and scientists who build cool products.On Doing Good With Real IntentionI would say, I think first, when you want to do things, I would suggest to have the really good intention in doing things. I mean, I was there with a really good energy. I was fired up. I was like, I'm going to do this. I'm going to change things. And they kind of bought it. So, I think people would love to help you if they see that you really want to make it happen. Collaboration is key. On Going the Extra MileOne thing that I am really proud of in my life would be going the extra mile for everything I do. Because one, I would feel good about myself that I do my best in every opportunity that is handed to me and I will never regret. There's a lot of things that I failed, for example, the mentoring platform, but actually, I received some calls from users that they got a new investment. They got a new job. I'm proud of that, even though I failed. And then another good thing about going the extra mile: you might win. You will probably win. Because if people have a mindset of going the extra mile most of the time, going for the thing that you really want or really want to be, I think success would be higher, than people who are coming with just a typical mindset.Show Links:InvexUC LAUNCHRISEBreakthrough Energy

In this episode, hosts Vance and Michele welcome Lucia Casella, an engineer turned MBA student at Berkeley Haas, to discuss her experiences in the Evening Weekend MBA (EWMBA) program. As a member of the LUX 2026 cohort and the VP of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Justice, Belonging (DEIJB), and Mental Health Awareness (MHA), Lucia shares insights into balancing a career, academics, and leadership roles.She dives into what drew her to Haas, her experience in the Flex program, and how she stays organized amid the challenges of an MBA. Lucia also reflects on the importance of community, mental health initiatives, and the role of women in leadership. Plus, we get a peek into her love for reading, her favorite classes, and her vision for the future. If you're considering an MBA, especially as a remote or working professional, this episode is packed with valuable takeaways!*Here@Haas Podcast is produced by University FM.*Episode Quotes:On Ladies Who Lux Channel as a LifesaverComing from engineering, there's not a lot of women in leadership. Depending on what industry you're in, there's not even a lot of women that you're working with. And I just really like connecting women who are in those similar fields and just chatting about that common experience. And kind of realizing we don't have to pretend to be men or fake-watch sports to have meaningful conversations about business. We can just be ourselves and connect about all that good stuff.How an MBA Helps Engineers Bridge the Gap Between Tech and BusinessFor engineers, I think our education was very focused on the science of it all. I think a lot of engineers could benefit by gaining some more people skills, communication, and understanding how the business runs because if you don't understand the context that you're operating within, like, you can be the best engineer, but it needs to make sense for what the business is doing. So, if you have any interest whatsoever in figuring that kind of stuff out, certainly getting an MBA is a great way of doing that.Show Links:Berkeley Haas Evening & Weekend MBA ProgramDiversity Symposium

In this episode of Here at Haas, hosts Vance and Michele welcome Claudia Viña Vazquez, a second-year full-time MBA student at Berkeley Haas and the former president of the MBA Association. Originally from Spain, Claudia shares her journey from studying in Europe to pursuing an MBA in the U.S., how she adapted to life in the Bay Area, and why she ultimately chose Haas—even though it wasn’t her first choice.As a leader, Claudia reflects on her time as MBA Association president, emphasizing the importance of team collaboration, fostering a strong student community, and the behind-the-scenes work that makes student-led initiatives thrive. She also delves into how her MBA experience has helped her reconnect with personal passions like reading, running, and learning about diverse cultures—most recently, her deep dive into Hasidic Jewish traditions.Beyond leadership and personal interests, Claudia discusses the classes that had the biggest impact on her—such as Conflict Lab, where she learned how to navigate high-stakes conversations, and Systems Change for a Small Planet, which challenged her to rethink her career path. She also shares why she’s choosing to return to consulting post-MBA, how she balances gratitude with ambition, and her long-term considerations about staying in the U.S. or moving back to Europe.To wrap up, Claudia offers heartfelt advice for incoming MBA students: embrace the uncertainty, focus on personal growth as much as career success, and remember that an MBA is about more than just landing the perfect job—it’s about becoming the person you want to be.*OneHaas Alumni Podcast is a production of Haas School of Business and is produced by University FM.*Episode Quotes:Why Systems Change for a Small Planet Was One of Her Most Impactful ClassesIt was really impactful for me because it made me reflect a lot about my career choices. It brought me multiple career crises in one semester. It made me reflect what are my values in life. It made me reflect on who I am as a person and if my current career is aligned with that or not. And it made me reflect a lot on how that nurturing part of me or this caring part of me, this worrying about people and individuals, how can I incorporate that into my career in the future and how to incorporate that while going back to consulting.On Leadership and Teamwork The role of a president is, in my opinion, should be “a back-office” job. It should be someone who is there to support the team and lead the team. Maybe one or two times, have individual initiatives. What I'm most proud of is how well the team performed and how we managed to create a well-oiled machine. So, every single initiative that we wanted to do was there, but every single initiative that we've done, for me, is 85%, 90%, the vice presidents that were handling that initiative and 10% how we were able to manage as a team.On Finding the Right MBA CultureHaas was not my first option. So coming here, I was with a bittersweet feeling. As someone who is really a high achiever, not getting into your first option is never a good feeling. After two weeks at Haas, I understood why I was at Haas. I cannot be more grateful that I ended up at Haas. The culture is right for me, the people that surround me are the right people for me, the type of events that we do are right for me. All of this is right for me.Advice to new students This is probably really bad advice, but don't focus too much on career. It is so easy to come into the MBA and just be like, I need to get the job. I'm going to focus on career. There is so much more growth that you can do in the MBA. There's not only career growth. There is so much more development that we can do as humans that maybe it will end up in a changing career that we didn't even think that we needed or that we wanted. Embrace the chaos. Embrace the trying to figure out what you want. I know it's really scary. Take care of yourself and focus also on the personal part of you and your mental health. Don't let it deprive you. I don't truly believe in what everybody says, like in the MBA, you cannot balance them all. I truly think you can. One thing that I learned in consulting that I applied to everything in my life that I think everybody should apply is the 80-20 approach. There's like 20 percent of things that bring 80 percent of the impact. Focus on that 20%. Don't go to every event. Go to the 20% of the events that are going to bring you the most joy. Don't apply to 100% of the jobs. Apply to the 20% of the jobs that either you have the most chances or you will like the most. Just focus on 20%.Show Links:LinkedIn ProfileConflict LabSystems Change for a Small Planet

H@H Ep 79: Xan Wood, current FTMBA student at the Haas School of Business talks to hosts Ameya Purandare and Marissa Maliwanag about tech, venture capital, private equity, and much more. In this episode, we explore the Berkeley entrepreneurship ecosystem, the need for a venture fund dedicated to Berkeley Entrepreneurs, the formation of Courtyard Ventures Fund 2, and many other things.  On Courtyard Ventures:"Courtyard is a fund run by MBAs and Berkeley students to invest in startups from Berkeley. The genesis of that is that students are very close to companies. We are in the ecosystem. We are able to meet with people and also know Berkeley itself… It’s not just MBA, the undergraduate level, Ph.D. level there are amazing companies coming out of Berkeley" On the entrepreneurial spirit in Berkeley:"Berkeley is a hotbed of innovation. You can tell just by walking around the Berkeley campus, it’s a huge amount of entrepreneurship and general people trying to do different things. If you just look at the kinds of developments happening in this area of the world, like nuclear fusion or other things … It highlights that there’s just a huge amount of stuff happening here."  On the need for a dedicated venture fund for Berkeley:"I read a report by a Stanford professor on the number of unicorns created by Haas MBAs. I think we’ve got 1.4 in a thousand vs Harvard’s 1.6. Berkeley as a public school is relatively siloed, the budget of Berkely per student is $65000 per year vs $235000 at Harvard and $400000 at Stanford. So as students in this ecosystem, we can really play a role to create a lubricant and help generate and push the startups forward."

H@H: AtB Ep 7 – In this episode, Nate Pola, Director of Programming @ Berkeley Blockchain Xcelerator and Defi Governance and Stakeholder Incentives Researcher talks to Paul Bryzek about his love for teaching, his interest in crypto, and how it culminated in him revamping the edX courses as the director of programming for Blockchain at Berkeley B@B. Nate and Paul further discuss all things blockchain from basics such as the unspent transaction output (UTXO) model, algorithmic stablecoins, and various macroeconomic principles which are used to design them to the recent Terra Luna collapse which shook the crypto ecosystem.Blockchain at BerkeleyB@B EdX Course: Blockchain Fundamentals UTXO model:Algorithmic stablecoins:Terra Luna:Notable Episode Quotes:Nate Pola on the UTXO transaction model:"It's just like making a piggy bank. And first it starts by creating smaller denominations of this Bitcoin. And so it transfers that half of Bitcoin to the intended recipient from there, it then takes the. Little piggy bank is the transaction fee." Nate Pola on Algorithmic Stablecoins: "Algorithm ones are the ones that don't have a direct one-to-one backing per se. And they instead are backed by computer science."Nate Pola on the Terra Luna Collapse: "Terra had a large reserve of Bitcoin in store. And so Terraform labs sold about 3 billion in Bitcoin just to buy Terra and try to prevent the stable coin from collapse. And so all this was done with the intention to pump the new Terra Luna ecosystem and provide more reserves and more liquidity and value in the protocol."

H@H: Ep 78 - Dr. Kurt Beyer, Haas lecturer specializing in Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Navy veteran, and founder of the California Innovation Fund chats with host Paulina Lee on her last episode for Here@Haas (originally recorded in Spring 2022). Dr. Beyer shares his journey to Haas from flying planes to writing a book to his first start-up to teaching at Haas and everything in between. This episode is filled with great advice for business and life.On failure“Reinvent your notion of failure, because failure is so common when you're an entrepreneur.”On understanding purpose“This is the critical part of understanding your purpose.  Sometimes if we listen too much to the external world, where the external world is telling us, this is the best college to go to, this is the best job to work in. We can actually be pulled away from our purpose. So what your purpose is and what you're good at can be two different things.”On what it means to be an entrepreneur“It's a professional who loves change, who loves to innovate. And if sometimes they're the investors, sometimes they're the employee, and sometimes they're the co-founder. It's all being entrepreneurial.”Resource LinksCalifornia Innovation Fund Grace Hopper and the Invention of the Information Age by Dr. Kurt BeyerDr. Kurt Beyer

H@H: AtB Ep 6 – On this episode, Nick Helgeson, MBA 2022 and Johnny Antos, MBA 2022 a senior developer at Prysm Group (a consulting firm specializing in the economics of emerging technologies, particularly in the blockchain space), chat with Paul Bryzek. They share how they stumbled into the crypto ecosystem, the Web3 speaker series they created on the Haas campus, and what’s in store for the future of WEB3. This episode was recorded during the Terra Luna stablecoin collapse and Nick and Johnny provide their expert crypto perspectives. Tune into this conversation to learn more about exciting topics like token economics (tokenomics), stablecoins, and how to evaluate projects in the Defi space.This episode is particularly notable as it was recorded during the Terra Luna collapse on May 10th, 2022. During that day the price of Luna fell from $17.52 to $1.07 and was noticeably falling during the interview itself.WEB3 speaker series -Notion pageStablecoins - DefinitionTokenomics - DefinitionTerra Luna crashNotables Episode Quotes:Nick Helgeson on the motivation for starting the web3 speaker series:“I wanted to help contribute in my own way. And so, I set out to build and deliver what's now UC Berkeley's first-ever web three course. It’s housed in the MBA, program, and MBA students can propose teaching or facilitating a one-credit class “Johnny Antos On the difference between Web2 & Web3:“The classic one is web2 was read, write, and interact. And now web three brings in read, write, interact still, but now you have verifiable ownership on a blockchain, which, you know, doesn't sound that game-changing maybe, but that, that opens up doors for interoperability and people actually owning their assets and moving it from one platform or one protocol to another.”Nick Helgeson on Solana and the trilemma tradeoff:“What's called the scalability, trilemma, and you're effectively trading off between, three things, on transaction throughput, the other one is decentralization. and then the third one is security. And so, in choosing a proof of history, consensus protocol, the Solana development team made a pretty conscious choice in optimizing for speed.”

H@H: AtB Ep 5 – Electrical Engineering & Computer Science (EECS) and Senior Product manager from Blockchain @ Berkeley James Dai chats with hosts Paulina Lee and Paul Bryzek and shares his blockchain expertise as a seasoned blockchain developer. His diverse experiences and collaboration with The Berkeley Center for Responsible, Decentralized Intelligence (RDI), in collaboration with Professor Dawn Song, led him to identify the need for reliable content authenticity on the web, and has started his own project and is recruiting co-founders. If interested feel free to email James at [email protected] AI – Detects synthetic (fake) media to protect users against attacks.Automated Market Maker (AMM) – DefinitionWhat is DAI? Description of MakerDAO and its cryptocurrency DAI. On Automated Market Makers (AMMs)“That basically allows you to take a token and then convert it to different tokens. So, if I take an Ethereum, I can convert it to Dai or vice versa. This AMM is really just a way to decentralize what is existing today as a traditional market maker.” On the Problem with Misinformation today“And so, I think we can all agree, misinformation is an issue today. How we're currently trying to solve it as rather algorithmic. Facebook, AI, created this deep fake detection challenge. And the best state of the art models can only accurately classify 65% correctly.” On Transparency of Legal Contracts on a Blockchain“So, you could basically make it where all the contracts are put on the blockchain as well, along with all the transaction flow. And so, you can follow legal entities on a blockchain throughout. And then track all their transactions.”

H@H: AtB Ep 4 – Partner at NGC Ventures Andrea Chang chats with hosts Paulina Lee and Paul Bryzek and shares her industry insights as a crypto VC. Andrea is a graduating full-time 2022 MBA originally from Taiwan who moved to California to attend Haas. She previously lived in Singapore and worked at Goldman Sachs doing equity research for a few years. Later she joined NGC Ventures, one of the largest institutional investors of blockchain and distributed ledger technologies and has been a key contributor to several leading blockchain projects.On NGC Ventures“NGC ventures we started in mid 2018. We were the early investor in multiple public blockchains, such as Solana, Avalanche, PolkaDot, to name a few. We are also active in many defi metaverse deals.” On identifying Red Flags for startups“Timeline, like seems focus too much on the token access strategy rather than product building. And second is that often times it needs to rely on the market secondary market condition, which is hard to predict for all of us.” On Berkeley entrepreneurs raising rounds“First is to be very clear about your product and solution and your vision as is the positioning of your product in the wider industry space. And I think second is that to make the best use of the Berkeley environment, especially the talents part. Because Berkeley has so many talents, in undergrads, graduates, and MBA.”

Taking the time to come to Haas and do an MBA can be an incredible opportunity for exploration and introspection, especially for those of us that are interested in sustainability and social impact. But the task of figuring out what you want to do next and how you want to make an impact can feel daunting at times.With that in mind, we’ll be delving into the question: “how might we chart our path and discover our purpose” in this episode.We are first accompanied by Professor Robert Strand, also known as “Mr. Nordic.” He is the Executive Director of the Nordic Center and the Center for Responsible Business at Haas and tells us about his career history, what motivated the major pivots in his journey, and finding inspiration in the Nordic region.We then hear from Jenelle Harris, a Haas alum from the class of 2017. Jenelle is a Consulting Manager at Bridgespan, where she leads engagements with social impact organizations, and she is also a career coach here at Berkeley Haas, where she works with mission-driven leaders. We talk with Jenelle about how we can find purpose and meaning in our career search. Episode Quotes:On work-life balance & boundaries (Jenelle)51:56 - When I'm working with folks in the social sector, that's like one of the biggest things we're working through is, what does it look like to do this work and to do so in a way that is nourishing and doesn't leave us wiped out. And how do we both hold like the sacredness and importance of this big, important work we're doing and take care of herself and feel permission to do that too.Some of the best advice Jenelle has received (Jenelle)31:09 - Pay attention to those things that just continuously light you up and spark anger, because that's a clue as to where you are best positioned to be a service.On always looking up to Berkeley (Robert)09:32 - I can't tell you how grateful I am that I have this opportunity to be at the University of California, Berkeley. A place I've revered all my life, even as a little boy growing up in middle of nowhere in Wisconsin, I looked to the University of California, Berkeley, and it is just a beacon educational opportunity for all, for the many people. And I firmly believe that. And that's in the idea of, it's inequality of opportunity that at its core is really, you know, we can call that that's the American dream. And I think that the University of California, Berkeley is an American dream factory. Nordic vs. US ways of thinking about community (Robert)24:37 - Here is where I fear that we in the United States of America have developed a “me, me, me” mindset. Hyper selfish, hyper-focused on myself. We need what I would call in a Nordic context which is still, you have individual responsibility. There is still an importance for me, but they've recognized that if they build systems for the we, each of us “me” will benefit.Show Links:Robert Strand’s Faculty ProfileRobert Strand on CourseraRobert Strand on Google ScholarRobert Strand on LinkedInRobert Strand on TwitterJenelle Harris on LinkedinJenelle Harris’ Website

Once you have your MBS and certificate, how do you translate that knowledge into the working world and make some lasting change? Today we are joined by a couple of very special Haas MBA alumni that have developed their careers in sustainability with very different paths.We will hear from Tracy Gray who is a Haas MBA alumni class of 2007. She is the Founder and Managing Partner at The 22 Fund, the Founder of non-profit We Are Enough focused on educating women on how to invest, and Lead Partner at Porfolia Green and Sustainability Fund. She tells us about her impressive career path that ranged from space engineer, band manager, mayoral advisor to finally entering the sustainability space, as well as her perspectives in the early stage impact investment.We will also be joined by Evan Wiener. He is also a Haas MBA alumni class of 2014 and currently Head of Circular Economy at H&M with past experiences in Nike and Adidas. He tells us about his work in corporate sustainability.Episode Quotes:Privileges and Environmental Intersectionality and Venture Capital (Tracy)13:21 - Especially in venture and private equity and climate investment. Once again, like crypto, like everything, they are not thinking intersectional or holistically about, you know, women and people of color experience the worst of these impacts more than anyone in the world yet we're not given the capital to come up with a solution.We know the solutions because we experience it. So we've got, you know, privileged white guys who are telling us, here's how you're going to fix your problem. And it's not the way it should work. Different types of jobs in corporate sustainability (Evan)35:52 -  Thinking that you want to work in the world of corporate sustainability is still so, so broad, right? I mean, you could be a specialist in an analytics department, you could work in supply chain. You could be building products, working in innovation. You could be a materials expert.Circular economy (Evan)45:17 -  Sustainability is often I think most effective when you break down silos. When you connect dots between supply chain, logistics, product, innovation, marketing, and circular economy allows companies to break those silos down.It also allows companies to break down silos outside of their four walls. To think about how to collaborate on things like material innovation on supply chain disruptions, new manufacturing technology. Things that previously had been considered competitive, circular economy is saying, hey, we all need to solve these problems.Show Links:Tracy Gray on LinkedInThe 22 FundWe Are EnoughEvan Wiener on LinkedIn

H@H: AtB Ep 3 – Co-Founder of Two Grahams Capital, LLC Graham Bode, current Haas student soon to graduate, chats with hosts Paulina Lee and Paul Bryzek. Graham shares his Haas story, an entrepreneurial journey including quitting his cushy corporate job to pursue his own ventures full time. He initially was very skeptical of the entire space, but quickly became immersed with blockchain technology and its market dynamics. Graham is an expert at detecting inefficiencies in markets and capitalizing on them through automated arbitrage. He breaks down his strategies for dealing with the high risk and volatility in the crypto market by adhering to frameworks and fundamentals.On his journey and why apply to Haas“I ended up applying to Haas. It was the only business school I applied to with the intent to really delve deep on the blockchain side. So, for the two years prior to. Ultimately coming to Haas, I had fallen really deep down to the blockchain rabbit hole..”On losing passwords to your wallet“This is one of the costs of a system like this, a decentralized system that has no intermediaries means that the participant has Not just the right to retrieve their assets and to transact without any intermediaries. There's also a responsibility that comes with that.”On the educational opportunities through B@B“What I've learned is not to second guess what the signals are that the market's giving you. And one of those examples is NFTs.”

In this episode, we talk to two faculty members who are driving the effort to integrate sustainability and social impact topics into the curriculum at Haas through both the core curriculum and electives.Dave Rochlin, the Executive Director of the Innovation, Creativity, and Design Practice at Berkeley Haas joins us first. He teaches a new applied innovation elective called Designing Tech for Good, recently featured in Haas News.He shares why he created this class, the role business leaders play in shaping public policy, and his ideas for the future of sustainability at Haas.We then sit down with Panos Patatoukas to hear more about how fundamental MBA classes like finance and accounting can transform the mindset of future leaders. Panos is an Associate Professor at Haas.Episode Quotes:Can accountants save the world? (Panos)36:51 - ​If I can find ways to make it easier for great people to get finance and execute their vision, and come up with great technology, I think that will be a success for me, right? But it's going to be really, the question is how do we get these incredible people to innovate. And I think that's really the role of management.Where do you see the US markets going in terms of disclosure? (Panos)34:23 - I don't want to make predictions, but you know, the trend that I see is more convergence as opposed to divergence in the way we think, across the globe. And I think that's driven by investors. I think the investor base is globalized and investors demand I think more clarity in terms of the way companies are reporting their activities and in terms of the way they fund portfolios and to make decisions. What do you want students to take away from your course (Dave)22:51 - How to be more creative around problem-solving. We do have some design thinking built into the course and some systems thinking. And so, suspending the idea that you can solve the problem right away and thinking much more creatively about possibilities is something that we definitely put into the course and make sure the projects consider.Show Links:Dave Rochlin’s Faculty Profile Dave Rochlin on LinkedInPanos Patatoukas Faculty ProfilePanos Patatoukas on LinkedInPanos Patatoukas on Twitter

Haas has launched the Michaels Graduate Certificate in Sustainable Business to empower new leaders to create the economic and social transition to a climate-resilient, low-carbon, and equitable future.The Michaels Certificate in Sustainable Business will equip aspiring leaders to evaluate operational and strategic decisions using a sustainability lens.In this episode, we’ll hear from Kat Baird, the Associate Director of Sustainability at UC Berkeley Haas School of Business who will break down the Michaels Graduate Certificate in Sustainable Business for us. We get into why Haas decided to launch this certificate, what Michaels Certificate aims to achieve, and the basic requirements.Then we move to focus on one of the eligible electives in the Michaels Certificate: Business, Labor, and Global Supply Chains, with Sanchita B. Saxena. She teaches that class and is the Executive Director at the Institute for South Asia Studies at UC Berkeley. Sanchita will tell us more about this elective, three top takeaways that she wants students to walk away with after taking it, her background in the garment industry and what parts of that she brings to her class, and the role of business schools in sustainability. Episode Quotes:Why start the Michaels Graduate Certificate in Sustainable Business?: Kat[00:03:27] - We want to make sure that whatever we're doing, that every student who comes to Haas at minimum leaves with a basic understanding of how climate change, social and environmental sustainability, and environmental justice are a key part of being a business leader today. So that's why we're really working as broadly as we can to demonstrate and to integrate the fact that sustainability applies across all areas of business: Marketing, finance and investment, human resources, leadership. A glimpse into some of the curriculum: Kat[00:17:09] - As an elective, you could take Corporate Sustainability: Measuring and Reporting so that in the future, you would know how to share this information with your company or with your board. And then to finish it, you can have a hands-on learning experience where you take Clean Tech to Market to really work with renewable energy startups and create industry partnerships in the startup and in the energy industry for you as you move forward in your career.A bit on Sanchita's class Business, Labor, and Global Supply Chains: Sanchita[00:33:26] - We look at examples of different initiatives, but we also look at the limitations and why they are not necessarily as effective as we would expect. And then we go into looking at other factors that may be important when analyzing labor abuses or trying to rectify labor abuses, that go beyond private sector monitoring, and we look at the role of technology. Show Links:Kat Baird on LinkedinSanchita B. Saxena on LinkedinSanchita B. Saxena’s Website

Welcome to Sustainability at Haas mini series, a podcast looking at how the UC Berkeley Haas School of Business is shaping the next generation of sustainable business leaders. In 5 episodes, we will share with you perspectives from the Dean, faculty, students, alumni, and staff about how UC Berkeley is developing sustainability in its core. For our first episode, we have two very special guests: Haas School of Business Dean, Ann Harrison and the Executive Director of Sustainability at Haas, Michele de Nevers.In this conversation, we will be learning about Haas’ vision for leading the effort to reshape how business schools think and teach about sustainability, climate change, and the exciting courses and offerings at Berkeley Haas.Episode Quotes:Dean Ann Harrison on the MBA students:32:49 - One other thing I really love about our MBA students, and I should say our Berkeley Haas MBA students, is that they solve problems in real-time that are important for the world.That's where our students get their energy. That's why we need them. We need their courage to engage in these kinds of transformational changes that will save our planet. And the answers aren't just going to come from the government, they're not going to come just from the amazing research of our faculty. We're all going to have to work together on this.Sustainable values have been in business for centuries (Dean Harrison):09:54 - If you look back 100, 150 years ago, in fact, business leaders were not following a shareholder maximization model. They were really following more a model of stakeholder capitalism. They contributed to their communities. They clearly saw beyond the bottom line. They understood that if you want to be successful over generations, then you need to think about the wellbeing of your community, your nation, your people, and your physical environment and natural capital. They thought about inclusion. Where is sustainability needed most? (Michele)34:18 - When students say to me, I want to work on sustainability, what should I do? I say everything. We do need new startups in renewable energy. We do need impact investments. But perhaps more importantly, we need our students to lead a transformation in existing legacy companies like oil and gas companies or consumer product companies or banks, and the financial sector or steel, cement, et cetera.There are so many opportunities for our students to make a difference, and there is a reason for optimism. And I think our students are among those reasons. Show Links:Dean Ann E. Harrison’s Faculty Profile at Haas School of BusinessDean Ann E. Harrison on LinkedInMichele de Nevers on LinkedInMichele de Nevers on Twitter

H@H: AtB Ep 2 – Co-presidents of Blockchain @ Berkeley Darya Kaviani and Ratan Kaliani, some of the most connected blockchain students who can be found across campus, chat with hosts Paulina Lee and Paul Bryzek and share their extensive knowledge in the Blockchain space. Like a fire hose, these guests provide a fast stream of knowledge on tap! This episode is packed with blockchain fundamentals, evolution, startups, and how this innovative technology continues to define the rapidly changing web3 space.When to and not to use blockchain? Do you want your system to be interoperable long term? Is decentralization a core component of your system? Do you want your data to be immutable?There isn’t a point in having a blockchain system without giving ownership to your community at some level.One of our former heads of consulting created this incredible flowchart and published it which essentially walks you through the process of narrowing it down to do I even need a database to if I should be using blockchain as that database.On innovative startups that have come out of Blockchain Accelerator “In all Accelerator companies of which there have been 85 total over the past three years since they started, I started back in January 2018, have raised over $420 million in follow on funding since joining the accelerator, the vast majority of the companies had raised no money before joining.” – Ratan KalianiOn the educational opportunities through B@B “We have an edX that has had over 200,000 students internationally, and we teach two classes here on. Our fundamentals course, as well as our developers’ course. And our objective with the education department is really to make blockchain technology as accessible to as many communities as possible around the world.” – Darya KavianiOn Launching B@B Grants “We just launched B@B Grants at blockchain.berkeley.edu/grants which we’re really excited about. We partnered with BitDAO, which is help funding the initiative. Our first wave is over $250k of dilutive and non-dilutive grants”. - Darya Kaviani

H@H: AtB Ep 1 - Professor Maura O'Neill chats with hosts Paulina Lee and Paul Bryzek to share her extensive expertise and knowledge in the Blockchain space, originating with her early work in mobile money payments as she served as Chief Innovation Officer under the Obama Administration. Listen as Professor O’Neill takes us on a journey through the web3 space, how geo-political events including the Russia-Ukraine escalation are impacting the future of blockchain.Maura’s 3 Big Trends in Blockchain:Supply Chain TransparencyCrypto: “Bitcoin is to crypto what the US dollar is to global financial markets.”NFTs: “NFTs are the answer to the question, ‘how do we create new intellectual property protection schemes?’”On why business school:“You know what I'd encourage people, listeners, is I just knew in my gut, I didn't know why, but I knew that's where it should be. And I'd say it's the best decision I've ever made in my life.”On being appointed by Obama as the first Chief Innovation Officer:“The idea is the more stable and prosperous and fair and free, we can help other countries to be, and really build that capability, the less likely that we'll have failed states.”On why the Fed is taking a strong look at Stablecoins:“And I know we're having unprecedented inflation, but we're not having 10,000% inflation as they were in Venezuela, when their currency became completely worthless”

Welcome to Around the Block @ Haas, a Here@Haas podcast focused on all things Blockchain on Berkeley's campus. Meet your co-hosts, Paulina Lee and Paul Bryzek!

H@H: Ep 77 – Newly elected EWMBA Association EVP for Communications, Marissa Maliwanag joins host, Adam Ward on this week’s episode of Here@Haas. Marissa shares why her passion for serving her community led her to run for the EWMBA Association Executive Board, why intersectionality is so important to her, and why her vacation reading material was a sign that she should embark on the MBA.Episode Quotes:Marissa shares one of the lightbulb moments pointing her to the MBA“I was on vacation with some friends and a girlfriend pointed out that I was reading HBR [Harvard Business Review] to relax and have fun. And she said, ‘That's not how you're supposed to read on vacation!’ And so for me, recognizing that at that moment, if I'm still on vacation, relaxing and still trying to grow, I really needed to be in an environment that would foster that.”Why serving her local community is so deeply rooted“My dad had this saying growing up that charity starts at home. What he meant by that was before you go and try and change the whole world, can you do something just for our family?Can you do something for our local community that would make a difference? And that stuck with me. One example he used regularly was: Can you just call your grandparents? Like they would be so happy to hear from you and that doesn't cost you anything. So just something as simple as that. I moved to Berkeley for my MBA and this is my new home and I wanted to serve.”Why diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging, and justice is so critical to her mission“I’m mixed, so I’m half Filipino and mostly Italian. I grew up in California and I'm close with both sides of my family and I never felt different in my own family. But then when I went on to study sciences, then maybe I was one of the few women in the room, and then in business that happens again. Maybe you're the only woman and the only person of color in the room.And I think that I didn't recognize that that was unique or that I was doing that at such a young age until it was pointed out to me. What I always think about is if I'm going to rise, how can I help bring up others around me?”Show Links:LinkedIn

H@H Ep. 76 - Bob Wang, EW MBA Student talks about his journey from the Czech Republic to Vancouver and explains how his problem-solving mindset has brought him this far. He recalls how his upbringing and seeing his entrepreneurial parents taught him about the freedom and limitations of being your own boss.Find out how he used these skills to start Legacy Advantage, a company he founded by identifying a problem and creating a solution that works twice as well. In this episode, Bob offers practical advice on how to use technology to streamline bookkeeping processes, hiring, salaries, and incentives. Discover how he is helping others find the Road to the C-Suite with his peer mentoring and accountability group!Episode Quotes:Why Bob Wang chose Haas for his MBA[00:03:21] I really enjoyed it, but I want to learn how to run a larger and larger business, a hundred-person business, a thousand-person business, a 10,000 person business. And there are different skill sets that I would need along the way, so, that's why I chose Haas.Starting Legacy Advantage by identifying a problem he wants to solve[00:04:37] So, what was weird is that the business owner actually had to pay for the bookkeeping to be done twice. One, somewhat accurately done by the bookkeeper, and then once again, by the accountants to fix it up. So, there are inefficiencies there. And with cloud technology, you can make this very manual in a way, high-volume business profitable. So, that's what I did. I created a services business, specialized in the bookkeeping aspect, that was able to employ high professionals and use technology to increase their efficiency. So, my team members were 1.5 to two times more productive than my competitors at the time.Entrepreneurship is about having control and managing risks[00:06:34] Entrepreneurship is not about taking on risks. It's about managing risk. Learning how to mitigate risk. There are a lot of risks. Sure. But it's not like you should go and seek it. The entrepreneurs, try their best to mitigate it as much as possible. And the way I view that is, within entrepreneurship, if you start a business, you really have control over everything.Show Links:LinkedIn Profile

H@H: Ep 75 - MBA student and BD and partnership lead at Visa, Alex Holden, was first introduced to professional sports by his grandfather, who gave him a Steve Young jersey. Since then, Alex knew he wanted to pursue a career in sports. As a child, he became fascinated with how players are chosen, traded, and the work that goes beyond brand partnerships. Adam and Alex discuss Alex's love for professional sports, and how he has successfully carved out a successful career for himself in the field he enjoys. Listen in as they talk about competitive advantage, sports management, and how American sports reflect American culture. Episode quotes:Haas’ MBA program stays true to its commitment to diversity[00:05:25] I find that there is such a great diversity of thought. For me, all these MBA programs where they are sharing and talking up how much diversity they had, this and that, I look at this stuff and say, “All right, let's see really what it's like”. I was really so happily surprised that Haas really put their money where their mouth is. I'm surrounded by not just people from different backgrounds, and different countries, and different experiences. Well, look at the same problem in completely different ways. In class, we have 70 different opinions to solve the same problem.Professional sports bringing American communities together[00:09:10] I can tell you working in sports, being around professionals, that's just such a small percentage of what's going on. Sports is about family. Sports is about bringing people together, lifting people up. In this day and age, I mean, what other things can bring communities with absolutely nothing together, just wearing the same colors for, you know, one particular day? Being surrounded by a community of like-minded, ambitious individuals who will push you to be the best vision of yourself was very attractive to me.American Football reflects the American mindset about teams[00:11:00] Now, the interesting thing about football is, it was played in the late 18 hundreds, but it really rose in popularity closer to World War I. And when you think about the game itself, the lines, right? The offensive line defense alliance pushing against each other, unfortunately, was very similar to trench warfare. But the interesting thing about the game itself is that a lot of the ideals are American ideals. It's the team first. We can do this together, if we work harder, stronger, faster. We can have competitive advantages if we are more strategic than the other. Teams can have these competitive advantages.The media and entertainment is a growing and ever-evolving industry[00:34:09] For me in my journey, my immediate step is, I'm trying to round out that profile by perhaps getting a little more onto the media side of sports. Or getting onto more of the media side of entertainment, media technology side. So video gaming is an industry, of course, to think about. Think direct to consumer companies. Think audio. Absolutely. I mean, the podcast industry is growing like crazy. You know, here we are. So much growth and innovation in that space.Show Links:Alex Holden on LinkedIn

H@H: Ep 74 - When you're facing too many challenges in a competitive career market, what can you do to stand out? For Kevin Truong, a first-generation college student who came from an immigrant family, it's having a persistent attitude towards career and life as a whole.Kevin has always lived an interesting life since he was diagnosed with dwarfism at 4, which stunted his physical development. His condition may have given him limitations and attracted very few friends, but it only made him grow stronger and tougher internally. Through his focus and determination in his goals, he has unknowingly inspired many people at school and work.Kevin has earned two associate degrees alongside his high school diploma and scholarship grant. He's in his final year as a Business Administration student at UC Berkeley Haas and is pursuing a career in investment banking at Credit Suisse. In this episode, Kevin opens up about his unique experiences and shares how he faced his greatest fear of getting employed after college.Episode quotes:On choosing Haas business program[00:9:14] What attracted me to Haas is the practical nature of what you learn. I want my education to be applicable to whatever I do in the future. And what I've learned at Haas has been pretty useful to my future job and career path. I got to experience firsthand beginning my freshman year the Haas community, which is very collaborative. There's a lot of people in Haas and UC Berkeley in general, doing very awesome things. Everyone here is very motivated, ambitious to pursue whatever they want to do. And being surrounded by a community of like-minded ambitious individuals who will push you to be the best vision of yourself was very attractive to me.On joining Capital Investments at Berkeley I honestly did not expect to get into the club at all. I definitely did not have a perfect interview by any means, but I was interviewed by the president and a guy who had become my mentor in the club at that time. And I think he, later on, told me that despite my lack of finance experience, they really took my background into account. They knew I was first-generation and did not have any family that worked in business or finance before. Despite not knowing that much, they were impressed by how much I knew. They could tell that I was hardworking and it would contribute positively to the club. I'm really grateful for them taking a chance on me.How CIB helped Kevin prepare for the finance industry[00:17:33] We have a very well-developed financial education curriculum. We do pitches and invest in our members' pitches. And it's these experiences that really helped me hone my technical finance skills. If I hadn't gotten into this club, I would've had to learn all of this on my own time, and that would've been much more difficult. But because I went through this program that the club provides, and I'm surrounded by people who have had internships, who know about all these things, it really helped. I'm really grateful for this club taking a chance on me, and I do my best to give back and pass on what I know and help out a lot of the younger members.On mentoring first-generation students through Matriculate[00:20:36] Matriculate provides free college advising and mentorship to low-income, high-achieving high school students all across the nation. I act as an advising fellow, basically meet with them weekly, and help them with their college list, making a testing plan, helping them write their essays, helping them apply to scholarships. It's like walking them through the entire process because most of these students are first-generation like me and don't have any idea how. And for me, I just love giving back and helping people, especially those from similar backgrounds as me. Show Links:Kevin Truong on LinkedInCapital Investments at Berkeley Matriculate Advising Fellow

H@H: Ep 73 - Yannell Selman chats with host, Paulina Lee to share her journey from coast-to-coast and how her previous venture inspired her latest company, Cultiveit. Listen to the end to hear this female founder’s tips for preventing burnout!This week’s episode is in partnership with two other clubs at Haas: Haas Venture Capital Club (HVCC) and Berkeley Entrepreneurship Association (BEA) who are hosting Pitch Nights as a way for student founders and investors to get hands-on experience. Yannell is the latest winner of best pitch!On why education:“I feel like education really forms our worldview and helps us understand what is true. And it's such a defining experience. One of my favorite things about working in education is that everybody has a story - relating to education - whether it's their own story, their parents' story. So it's just such a unifier in so many ways if you're able to access it.”On what Cultiveit is solving for:“We're realizing that burnout traditionally has been thought of as a medical problem. The burden has been on the individual as a patient to get better through self-care. And there's now a shift in thinking about burnout as a managerial problem and a team culture problem...The symptoms, we see it in individuals, but it happens at a company level, it happens at a team level. And so what are the managerial solutions to burnout? If you’re a leader, how can you prevent burnout?”Advice for our newest Haasies:“Do the thing you're not good at already. If you're a quant, it's so easy to just spend all your time in quant roles. And if you're a poet, to do all the soft skills classes and to really just feel like you're shining. There's value to that; there's a place for that. I don't think the MBA is the place for that. This is the place to go outside your comfort zone, try something new, fail a lot, and fall back on this incredible Haas community that we have. So don't do the thing that you normally would do; do the thing that you've always wanted to dip your toe into, but haven't.”

Meet your 4 hosts for Season 2 of Here@Haas:Paulina Lee, Ray Guan, Nick Gerwe, & Adam WardThe team chats about why they got involved, their favorite podcasts, and some of their favorite Haas memories!

H@H: Ep 72 – On this episode of Here@Haas, Ray talks with Shachar Kariv, Tel Aviv-native and former Department Chair of Economics at UC Berkeley. We delve into Shachar’s research on social preferences, including the 3 fundamental tradeoffs of decision-making and why Yale law students have such a disproportionate impact on society. Shachar then talks about how his virtual teaching experience and his expectations for the fall. Finally, we wrap with Shachar’s contributions towards X-Lab, a Berkeley social science laboratory, and Capital Enterprises, his own financial services startup.Episode Quotes:I would actually argue that all decisions in life, large and small, financial or not financial, are basically governed by three trade offs: “Risk vs. return, today vs. tomorrow, self vs. others”"There is more heterogeneity in altruism within socio-demographics than across socio-demographics."“We live in a democracy but eventually a lot of the decisions are made by elite groups.”“Kale is just completely overrated. Basically I'd rather eat grass than kale.”Links/References:Shachar Kariv (faculty profile)XLABCapital PreferencesThe Undoing Project

H@H: Ep 71 – Dr. Rebecca Portnoy joins us today to discuss some of her research in the field of organizational behavior. We touch upon topics such as procedural vs. distributive justice, the toxic tandem, and why Americans are continually disengaged at work. Rebecca then offers perspective on her Haas experience and how it’s been a two-way street of learning & enrichment between herself & the students. Throughout the podcast, we also learn about how food has constantly played a role in Rebecca’s life and career.Episode QuotesOn organizational decision-making:If a process is fair (procedural justice), then people are more willing and likely to be OK with an unfair outcome (distributive justice)On the toxic tandem:When we’re living in that world of pleasing my supervisor or helping my unit reach the organization’s goals, it’s so easy to forget about helping others to get that experience, that sense of control.Her perception of students at Haas:There's this synergy that happens because of the community of students - they have let their guard down and they're just willing to be so generous with each other, that I benefit as well.Show LinksMakanaiAdam GrantArt of Pie (book)Office Space (film)Boys State (film)

H@H: Ep 70 - Professor Zsolt Katona chats with host Nick Gerwe to share his journey to Haas, research initiatives and plans for his core Marketing course for this year’s class of EWMBA’s. Zsolt is a Professor of Marketing at Haas and strives to introduce and excite each new crop of Weekend MBA students to the world that a Marketing perspective can open. With PhDs in Computer Science and Marketing, Zsolt is a born learner, self-described nerd and expert in each aspect of Marketing and Business Analytics he dives into. He brings his research and expertise to the classroom to apply Marketing frameworks and analysis to a series of real world cases, and instill the Marketing intuition necessary for any successful business leader. In explaining how he ended up at Haas, Zsolt praised the university’s openness to academic curiosity and “the freedom, the amount of flexibility that Haas offered and being able to do your research the way you want to, and being very independent and in how you operate as a professor. “In advising incoming students on how to get the most out of his Marketing course, Zsolt explains, “If you are properly prepared for the class, you get so much more out of it than if you don't read the case” but also recommends they keep their learning goals in context and “that you should not vary about the grades” and instead focus your effort on optimizing their learning, rather than their letter grade.

H@H: Ep 69 – EWMBA Association VPs of Incoming Student Experience - Farzad Yousefi, Lynn Chen, Paulina Tsai, and Veena Dharmadhikari - join host, Adam Ward on this week’s episode of Here@Haas. With WE Launch just around the corner, the VPs of Incoming Student Experience share their plans for the weekend, as well as advice for the new cohort on how to make the most of the event. The VPs reflect on the vision statement they made for WE Launch: “We wanted WE Launch to be a welcoming, informative, and comprehensive experience for new students, regardless of the delivery method; whether it was virtual or in-person. I think back in February, we didn't know what modality it would be in. We really wanted to emphasize the experience for the incoming students to quickly and positively connect with the Haas community. We brainstormed a lot about how we would make WE Launch inclusive, welcoming, fun, and informative, in a productive way.”Paulina shares what she’s most excited about during the weekend:“If I had to pick one, I'm most excited for the talent show.  The talent show I believe was new last year, and last year I had a great time getting to know my classmates in a different manner - so we're bringing that back again. This year, people can perform live performances or they can submit a recording. And I think it's just really cool to see the classmates, show us something new.”The VPs discuss how they made the event inclusive to people who don’t enjoy networking. Veena shares one approach: “So I consider myself an introvert; a complete introvert. So networking is something that doesn't come easy to me. Like I have to actively pursue talking to people and going out of my comfort zone to do it. And so one of the things that we decided to do is we have a cohort panel that we're putting together. Each of the different cohorts will have a panel of current students or alumni come in and talk about their experience. And students will have the opportunity to ask questions live in person, but there are also folks who may not be comfortable doing that. So we put together a Google form where students can anonymously submit questions.”Advice VPs have for students coming to WE Launch: “I would say, come with excitement and an open mind, and I would challenge the new students to mingle with people outside of your cohort. You'll get to spend a lot of time in your cohort your first year doing core classes together. So as much as you will have fun with the cohort competition, I think when there is time during the dinner or reception, get to know people outside of your cohort, because you don't really get to cross that much probably until you take electives.”Show LinksWE Launch 2021A look at the Extreme Leadership class from 2018

H@H: Ep 68 – Avni Kansara joins host, Adam Ward on this week’s episode of Here@Haas. As the Director of Student Experience for the EWMBA program, Avni is in charge of running key events in the program’s calendar, including WE Launch, Haas’ introductory weekend for new admits. Having worked at Berkeley Haas for seven years, Avni knows what goes into making a successful event for students. During this interview, she provides a behind-the-scenes look of WE Launch and the learnings she had from having to take the whole event virtual last year. As a murder mystery writer in her spare time, Avni drops a few clues about some of the surprises that will be happening in this year’s WE Launch event. Episode Quotes:How the Program Office has changed during her seven-year tenure: “When I first started, the advising structure was quite different - it was very transactional… there was not really any continuity in terms of the advising. And so we changed that structure to how it is now in the sense that we advise students by last name. So, you know, a student comes into the program and they know who their advisor is and who they can go to for any kind of questions or anything. And so that helps create the trust that is needed for a student when they're coming in.”What Avni loves about WE Launch: “What I absolutely love about the weekend is that when you arrive on Friday morning, you have check-in and there's about 275-285 new students that come in, and nobody knows each other. And then by Sunday they’re super close, like family basically. It's so wonderful to see that.”How her learnings from taking WeLaunch virtual will be infused into this year’s event:“Something that I had thought of after last year's event was that actually we could go with this hybrid model going forward, where students have the ability to participate in these [informational] Zoom sessions prior to the weekend. And that way, the weekend can be focused on cohort bonding.”Speaking about the murder mystery books she wrote:“The first book is called Redemption and it is a murder mystery that takes place in a made up city close to Monterey… The police force doesn't really deal with homicides very often because it's a relatively crime free area. And so when there is a homicide, these detectives have to bumble their way through and deal with the public perception issues because everyone thinks they can't do it.”Show Links:WE Launch 2021Redemption - Avni Kansara

H@H: Ep 67 — Steven Lee chats with host, Paulina Lee to share his journey from West Point to Haas and starting Gear2Go.This week’s episode is in partnership with two other clubs at Haas: Haas Venture Capital Club (HVCC) and Berkeley Entrepreneurship Association (BEA) who recently hosted a pitch night - of which Steven and Gear2Go won for best pitch!On becoming an entrepreneur:“I was inspired by the level of entrepreneurship and that go-getter attitude that I saw at [Beachhead]. And I think that that was instrumental in my ultimate decision to pursue entrepreneurship myself, post-Haas. On how the idea for Gear2Go was born:“As all good ideas, I think come to us, they came over several beers on a Tahoe trip. My first year as an MBA student, my co-founder Gavin came out to visit us in Tahoe and over beers we were actually talking about how hard it was to connect with our communities in the army. In the army, you move every year or two years and we're both into the outdoors and finding communities of people that want to go rock climbing or go skiing. We actually struggled to find those throughout our various moves. And we were trying to come up with a way that would make that easier. And so that was kind of the genesis of the idea.”On Gear2Go’s evolution:“Not only are we interested in the connected community component, but also interested in making communities that are more equitable and sustainable...That you could participate in these activities without having to spend incredible amounts of money on various types of gear. More sustainable in that we think that not everybody needs their own pressure washer or their own power drill or their own set of climbing equipment to enjoy those activities….our company's mission is to create communities that are more connected, equitable, and sustainable.”

H@H: Ep. 66 – On this week’s episode, professor Heather Whiteman joins host Ray Guan to talk about all things people analytics (PA). Heather talks about how she became interested in working with data and how she’s spent her career marrying analytics with human capital. We discuss the evolution of data and its effects on PA, including why some data scientists who succeed in the hard sciences fail at PA. Finally, we wrap with why PA is important for all business leaders, and why you should strongly consider adding the PA elective this fall.Episode Quotes:On the uses of PA today: “People analytics has become a necessary approach to [measuring] squishy things like knowledge, collaboration, ideas, and goodwill.”On the danger of not using human judgment in decision-making: “If you build these models, but you don't think about their consequences...they can have ripple effects and [...] affect people's lives, their livelihoods, their families, opportunities and outcomes.”On her PA class: “It is a class that you have to be comfortable being uncertain. People, analytics is not like physics. It's not like finance. There aren't right answers. There is data, there is information, and then there's a lot of understanding context and situation and outcomes.”Show Links:Heather Whiteman: | LinkedIn | Website5 V’s of Data ScienceBook rec’s: Weapons of Math Destruction | Data Feminism People Analytics Class Syllabus (login w/ Haas email)

H@H: Ep 65 – Abhishek Saraf joins host, Adam Ward on this week’s episode of Here@Haas. Abhishek, a Co-President of Q@Haas - the organization for LGBTQ+ MBA students, partners, and allies at Berkeley Haas - speaks about what Pride means to him. From growing up in India to living in Singapore and now America, Abhishek provides an important global perspective on the fight for equality and how we must remember that Pride is a protest.Why Abhishek moved to Singapore from India: “That was a massive transition I had to make personally, because I had lived in the closet for over 10 years since I was 12 years old... And by living in India, I couldn't really figure out how to change things. So I had to physically move to another place. That transition was really transformational for me personally. When I moved to Singapore, even though Singapore has the exact same British laws as India had at that time with Section 377, making homosexuality illegal, it was just a very different culture.”What Pride means to Abhishek: “Pride reminds me to be authentic every single day. It reminds me that I do not have to hide myself. It reminds me that shame is not something I need to have in myself for who I am and it also reminds me of how important it is to have a community… It gives you something to feel affiliated with, to feel part of. And that is what pride reminds me of. It reminds me that I have a big role since I have had so much privilege that I can now be myself.”His reflection on allyship: “I always struggle with telling people how to be good allies because there's no one way to look at it. There's so many different ways and so many different circumstances that you can be an ally. But one of the major things I can think of is coming in with the mindset of empathy, because everyone has their own lived experiences. There's a non Oxford dictionary word called sonder: S-O-N-D-E-R. It talks about how complex everyone's lives are around us. We think our lives are complex. Imagine there's 7.5 billion people whose lives are as complex as yours.”ResourcesQ@HaasDean's Speaker Series | Pascal Millaire, CEO, CyberCubeA Guide for Trekking Mount Bromo

H@H: Ep 64 – Luis Liang joins host Adam Ward on this week’s episode of Here@Haas. Luis fell in love with Berkeley when he first visited the campus as a 19 year old. The people and the courses were great, and the university’s proximity to San Francisco was certainly a draw - especially as Luis was coming to terms with being gay. But being undocumented, Luis lack of a social security number prevented him from being able to accept the necessary scholarship to attend. In this interview, Luis speaks about the lessons he’s learned in overcoming adversity to get back into Berkeley, not just once more for undergrad, but for a second time to pursue a MBA.Why working in social impact is so important for Luis: “Statistically as a person of color, also being gay and being undocumented, the chances of me going to school were minimal…I consider myself really lucky to be at school, to be working and to be advocating for other undocumented students and people of color. So I think that that's part of my mission and the reason why I take education and everything that I'm doing with social impact very seriously.” On his journey to coming out as LGBTQ: “I knew that I was gay since I was a little kid. I was half Chinese. I'm half Mexican. I became undocumented and at the time, I just couldn't understand why I also had to be gay. There are so many coming outs.”His advice on being proudly yourself: “Think about new perspectives [you provide] and take ownership and pride of who you are and how you are different.”Remembering where Luis was when DACA was passed: “I got out of an interview and then I went to a coffee shop and I was on Facebook when I saw it - an announcement about Obama passing the DACA. So I was at this coffee shop and I remember I started crying… and then I just called my mom. I was trying to get some resources of what was the next step. To be honest, there was still a fear of sending all the documentation because it's a long process and you need so many resources to submit the application.”ResourcesHaas Voices: Luis Alejandro Liang on being “paperless, not powerless”Proudly MeEast Bay Running Trails

H@H: Ep 63 – Ghita Soulimani joins host, Adam Ward on this week’s episode of Here@Haas. Throughout her life, Ghita has held a passion for research. From attempting to learn more about the medical conditions that her father suffered when she was growing up in Morocco, to finding out everything she could about Haas during the admission process, Ghita is certainly someone who appreciates diving into the details. During this interview, Ghita shares what she has learned on the journey. She provides advice to those wanting to pivot into healthcare from her perspective as a Strategic Partnerships Manager at Color, and offers ideas for those considering Haas, as a VP of Admissions in the EWMBA Association. Recorded at the end of Ramandan, Ghita explains why it’s her favorite time of the year. Ghita shares how her father’s sickness drove her interest in healthcare:“You don't know a lot when you're young. And my family was not the type of family that would sit me down and tell me everything. I had so many questions, but I didn't have answers. So I took it upon myself many times to actually do my own research and look things up.”Advice she has for MBA students hoping to pivot into healthcare:  “Healthcare is one of those industries where it's actually a melting pot of different backgrounds. Really the number one thing you need to have is that mission driven purpose. If you care about some segment within healthcare and want to advance it, that's half the job already done.”Why pursuing an MBA is important for Ghita as a mother: “I also want to set that example to my daughter, where it doesn't matter what stage in life you are in. You can still go ahead and pursue your dreams.”Why Ramadan is Ghita’s favorite time of the year:“I love it because of the sense of community it reinforces. It's just a joyful period but also a month to take time out of your day-to-day to focus on your inner peace and your community. It's a beautiful, serene time that I look forward to every year.”ResourcesColorHaas Healthcare Association

H@H: Ep 62 – Tiffany Shumate joins host, Adam Ward on this week’s episode of Here@Haas. Tiffany shares why education is the battleground for equity, and more about her role as Executive Director at Hack the Hood, an organization which connects low-income young people of color and local, small businesses through technology in order to create opportunities for all the people who live in the Bay area and beyond.The importance of education for Tiffany: “Education for me is the battleground of equity. And so when I think about my identity as an educator and how I started my career, it really started off thinking about how we make equitable learning spaces so that marginalized communities can really have access to different opportunities.”Defining moments in Tiffany’s career:“I was able to meet with five young men who were in a juvenile justice center in DC... I remember one of them said to me, my teachers could have helped me. And that phrase will always stick with me. They were between the ages of 15 and 17 years old. And they were also foster youth. I thought about this intersection of juvenile justice and child welfare reform, how can schools come into support because schools are community centers. And from there I really started to research and got into education policy.”Speaking about Hack the Hood’s mission:“So often I meet young people who hear the word tech and think of Mark Zuckerberg and not themselves. And so that's the mission of Hack the Hood. Bringing students and community members together and offering them technology fundamentals that are really going to support them today, but really ensure that they're prepared for the future of work.”The role of Admission Officers on her journey to Haas: “Two years ago I actually had coffee with one of the admission officers and it meant so much to me because I wanted to talk about how nervous I was, and he sat with me for an hour. That was supposed to be a 20 minute coffee and he sat with me for an hour.”ResourcesHack the HoodOn Air: On creating safe spaces for diverse teamsSan Francisco Business Times’ 40 Under 40

H@H: Ep 61 - Professor Gregory La Blanc chats with host, Paulina Lee on his journey to be a lecturer and distinguished teaching fellow at Haas. From attending Montessori school as boy to studying in multiple subject areas on his way to Haas, Professor La Blanc is a specialist in being a generalist. Hear about his life and teaching philosophies and how MBAs can help change the world. Listen to the end to hear La Blanc’s three mistakes that MBA students most often make! On staying curious:“I think that curiosity is a natural human instinct, which is almost exterminated as you get older...we forget how to learn. And as we get older, we become routinized and so forth. And I think I've just been fighting that specialization; fighting that, urge to rinse wash, repeat, for my entire life.”On MBAs as generalists:“I like of teaching MBAs. Cause what MBAs want is to be like generalists. They want to be the PhDs of common sense. They want to be the integrators. They want to be the people who have the experts working for them. So that they can translate that expertise into something useful and practical. And I think you have to have curiosity if you're going to be that type of person.”Sharing some life philosophy:“Are you living the way you want to live or are you kind of just living? You know, moment to moment without a plan. Are you making your decisions consciously or are you making them unconsciously? And how do you bring those decisions out into the surface and evaluate them in a responsible way.”Resource Links:La Blanc’s podcast: UnsiloedBeginners by Tom VanderbiltSensehacking by Charles SpenceGastrophysics by Charles SpenceAdaptive Space by Michael ArenaSoftware Engineering Education Company: Qwasar

H@H: Ep 60 - Today’s episode is a significant call for action against the ongoing genocidal war declared on Tigray and its people. This war has left more than 50,000 civilians killed in over 150 massacres, an estimated 10,000 cases of rape and sexual violence committed by federal soldiers against girls as young as four, 2.3 million children needing assistance, 4.5 million people in need of emergency food, more than 60,000 refugees and 2.2 million people internally displaced.We speak with Almaz Ali, Sami Tamyalew, and Lula Desta. Their families have been directly affected, as they describe the horrors through the stories of victims and survivors—stories that have received very little news coverage. With humanitarian aid being blocked, we discuss the ways we can help.Episode Quotes:On the need to help:“Some stories are coming out and they're horrific. I think the worst part is this is just the tip of the iceberg. 80% of Tigray is inaccessible, so every story we hear, we know that there are thousands that we're not [...] I feel called to use these unearned privileges to go beyond myself—compassion is active and so it calls for us to alleviate the suffering of others. And that's kind of what I've been really holding on to because it helps me feel like I have a sense of agency.” – Almaz AliOn the ways to help: “There are a few ways to get involved. The first would be to just donate to organizations that are on the ground and doing good work and to find a vetted list of set organizations, you go to omnatigray.org. The second thing you do is just attend and amplify protests [...] The third would be to reach out to your elected officials and to just put pressure onto a national government. The fourth would be to stay informed and engage in individual outreach to raise awareness in the communities you occupy [...] And then the fifth would be to form solidarity teams and reach out to Tigray advocacy organizations like Omna and ask them how you can assist.” – Sami TamyalewOn the cry for help:“War and genocide have become so normalized when it happens in developing countries, specifically countries made up of black and brown bodies, that when it occurs, we don't get the same attention and sympathy we would expect if this would have happened here in the United States or in a place like England. And it's frustrating because U.N and aid agencies constantly say never again, but here we are—2021—and there's a genocide happening in Tigray and no one has intervened and no one has done anything to help the people.” – Lula DestaWays to Support:Omna TigrayTwo-day National Protest in San Francisco on May 21-22,2021Contact Links:LinkedIn - Almaz AliLinkedIn - Sami TamyalewLinkedIn - Lula Desta

H@H: Ep 59 - Claudia Natasia joins host, Sean Li on this week’s episode of Here@Haas. Growing up on the outskirts of Jakarta, Indonesia, her penchant for the unknown unknowns led her to Berkeley where she further explored her interest in behavioral economics, data science, and business.Now the Director of Research and Analytics at Fivestars and Co-president of Berkeley Female Founders + Funders (BFFF) while concurrently pursuing her MBA, Claudia shares her journey of finding a community of like-minded people as well as the challenges faced by female leaders and investors.Episode Quotes:On her passion for User Experience (UX) research:“That's the whole foundation of user experience research. You want to make sure that the people deciding on the products that humans will use aren’t just the people in the conference room. It's actually bringing these voices from the community into the conference room to make sure that we're designing products that actually matter, that actually help build communities.”On joining Berkeley Female Founders + Funders (BFFF):“The main purpose of Berkeley Female Founders + Funders is to be a platform that connects founders and funders in a way that is beneficial towards their growth. Being a female leader in tech, I realized that it can be an extremely lonely experience, let alone if you're a female founder or a female investor trying to look for an exciting startup with maybe not the same amount of resources at your disposal as someone else. I realized this need from my own experience in tech and I realized that I wanted to make a difference.”Show Links:Women Who Launch - BFFF Summit RegistrationFivestarsJust Like Butterflies

H@H: Ep 58 - Manny Smith chats with host, Paulina Lee to share his journey from the US Air Force Academy to being called to be an entrepreneur at Haas, now as the CEO & Co-founder at EdVisorly Education.On becoming an entrepreneur:“There's a quote by Steve jobs, he said ‘as with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it.’ My heart was calling me to do something a little bit different, not necessarily better, but different in the world....The truth of the matter is I believe that entrepreneurship has to be a sense of destiny. Where you can't not. And when I say that, a lot of people say, I don't have an idea and I have a lot of ideas, but which one's the right one, the right idea is the one you can't not do.”On the entrepreneurial mindset:I think as an entrepreneur, we have to really have this sense of awareness and mindfulness as to what we are and who we are; and our perspective, because that keeps us true to our journey.”On transitioning from the military to civilian life:“My first year was a little bit challenging. I found that I had to essentially reset my perspective, be very patient with myself and be mindful of maybe my sentiment toward things. But the military gave me tremendous perspective and capacity to be able to do what I'm doing now.”Manny’s 30-sec Pitch on “Why Haas?”“Haas is a place where dreams come true. I truly believe that by leaning on the Berkeley network and exercising the resources that are here, any student who has a dream can bring that dream to fruition using a step-by-step process. Between being one of the best research universities in the world and having a tremendous amount of savvy successful and proven battle-tested business people around you.If you have something you want to do, Berkeley is the place to come. And I truly believe that our ecosystem is not just helpful, but we push each other to be a little bit better. And finally, the core defining values of our school, I think create an energy and an ethos that's unmatched at business schools anywhere in the world.”Resource LinksEdVisorly EducationBerkeley Haas Veterans ClubUC Launch AcceleratorH@H: Geoff Easterling

H@H: Ep 57 – Cat Ziac joins host, Raymond Guan on this week’s episode of Here@Haas. Cat's career journey began in New York on Wall Street before pivoting to a startup and then back to finance at AllianceBernstein's responsible investing group. We also learn about her supporting Haas students in both the Academic Cohort Representative and Graduate Student Instructor roles, and why she has such an affinity for economics.Episode QuotesOn why she chose to attend Berkeley-Haas: “I view businesses as being able to have a positive, societal impact, and I think it's important if you're in a place of privilege [...] to consider all sorts of people in the world and try to better everyone's lives.”Why Macroeconomics is important, regardless of industry: “Macro matters to you because that economic backdrop determines what the environment is for raising money through a VC. If you're in healthcare, macro might tell you certain things about the business cycle or how different economies are performing relative to each other..."Show LinksH@H Ross Levine EpisodePod Save AmericaSolow Growth ModelHaas Defending Leadership Principles

H@H: Ep 56 - Graham Haydon sits down with Paulina Lee to share his journey from West Point to Haas. Graham also has a masters in Energy Policy & Climate and shares a defining moment in his army career that solidified his passion for clean tech energy.How Graham’s military experience helps ground him during stressful times:“I think when it comes to dealing with these deadlines and dealing with classwork and dealing with group projects, I think my benefit is that, my first job was waking up and wondering if any of my friends had got shot down in Afghanistan overnight. And so anything that is less stressful than that is like a very good day for me. And that is my barometer of how stressful a day is.”Graham’s advice for incoming Haasies:“Be your authentic self and come with your experiences and be able to share them and relate to people. And then second advice I have for anyone coming to Haas: I would just say have fun. Haas is a great place to be and if you're lucky enough to come here, it should be a chance for you to explore and try new things. So just have fun with it.”Resource LinksUC LaunchBIS - Berkeley Innovation SolutionsBerkeley Haas Veterans ClubGhost Road

H@H: Ep 55 – On this month’s edition of Monthly Musings, Paulina Lee welcomes Nick Gerwe and Runjini Murthy, two of the newer members of the Here@Haas team to chat about spring break, what everyone is looking forward to as life returns to normal post-COVID-vaccine, and recommendations on what to read or listen to during a study break.Check out the recent Here@Haas eps, books, and podcasts recommended in this episode!Recent Here@Haas episodes:Nuhamin Woldemariam (EWMBA 22)Gillian Chu (EWMBA 22) Zeenia Irani (EWMBA 23)  All our March podcasts featured amazing women leaders at Haas - be sure to give them a listen!Books:Untamed by Glennon DoyleNever Split the Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It by Chris VossThe Gentleman in Moscow by Amor TowlesPodcast:Throughline from NPR

H@H: Ep. 54 – On this week’s episode of Here@Haas, Ray talks with Sarah Schilling (FTMBA 21) from ESADE, one of Berkeley’s partner schools for a virtual exchange this term. We talk about her interaction with Haas students and faculty, and how both ESADE and Haas share a penchant for entrepreneurship and collaboration. Sarah also mentions her extracurricular involvement within her class and how she fosters a strong culture of women leadership at ESADE.QuotesComparing Berkeley & ESADE: “At Berkeley you cover different varieties of subjects - so you go much more into concepts in general. At ESADE we went a bit more in depth.”“I think a similarity of ESADE and Berkeley is a focus on the entrepreneurial side and on founding companies and finding your own […] individual way.”On her proudest moment throughout the MBA: “I was able to help more than 40 students in my class and also in the incoming cohort to practice for interviews. Being awarded with that trust and being one of these go-to people to ask for advice has really been an honor.”Show References:ESADE Business SchoolForte Foundation180 Degrees ConsultingHelvellyn FoundationFactfulnessInvisible Women (bonus rec!)