June 21, 2024

The Evolution of Venture Capital: Ian Sigalow ‘06 on Intelligent Appl…

In this episode of Startup Alley, we sat down with Ian Sigalow '06, co-founder of Greycroft, to discuss his journey from physics to venture capital. From humble beginnings to founding a multibillion-dollar fund, Ian shares his insights on the...

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May 17, 2024

Future of Retail - Sapna Shah ’98 - Red Giraffe Advisors [Ep. 10]

In this episode, we are joined by Sapna Shah ’98, founder of Red Giraffe Advisors, which makes pre-seed and seed investments in the future of retail. Sapna takes us through her career journey, transitioning from strategic roles at major retail...

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March 5, 2024

Investing in Student Founders - Dorm Room Fund's Molly Fowler and Syd…

In this episode, we’re joined by Molly Fowler (Founding GP) and Sydney Hertz '24 (Investment Partner) from Dorm Room Fund, a VC firm investing in student-led startups. We discuss Molly’s journey from campaign manager to founding GP, along with the...

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Feb. 12, 2024

The Evolution of Early-stage VC Investing - Rob Hayes '95 - First Rou…

In this episode, we’re joined by Rob Hayes (CBS ‘95), a board partner at First Round Capital. Rob shares his journey from product manager to VC partner, including early investments in companies like Uber and Square. Rob shares insights into …

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Jan. 29, 2024

Next-Gen Startups with Paul Canetti - How Generative AI is Revolution…

In this episode, we welcome Paul Canetti, CEO and co-founder of Skej, an AI-powered personal scheduling assistant. Paul discusses the transformative role that generative AI is playing in the startup and technology ecosystem today, challenges and...

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April 12, 2023

David Rosenberg ’02 - AeroFarms - Revolutionizing Agriculture [Ep. 6]

David Rosenberg ’02 is the Co-Founder and CEO of AeroFarms and Chairman of Hycrete. After successfully exiting from Hycrete, he transitioned his focus to revolutionizing the agriculture industry. We sat down with David to discuss finding a problem to...

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April 12, 2023

Ron Gonen ‘04 - Closed Loop Partners - Investing in the Circular Econ…

Ron Gonen ‘04 is the Founder and CEO at Closed Loop Partners. He has experience in founding companies, working for the government, and investing in startups. Ron joins the Startup Alley podcast to discuss his entrepreneurial journey in the waste...

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April 12, 2023

Carolyn Butler ‘18 and Rich Amsinger ‘18 - Manymoons - Building Ameri…

Carolyn and Rich are the co-founders of Manymoons, America’s first circular retailer. The founders graduated from Columbia Business School in 2018 and made the decision to start their own company in 2020. We sat down with the couple to discuss …

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Nov. 14, 2022

Ju Rhyu ‘08 - Hero Cosmetics - Achieving $100 million in Revenue in 5…

Ju Rhyu ‘08 is the founder of Hero Cosmetics, a company well known for its revolutionary Mighty Patch. Soon after this recording, the company was acquired by Church and Dwight in September of 2022 for $630m. We spoke with Ju …

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Nov. 14, 2022

Connor Wilson ’15 - Thursday Boots - Launching a Consumer Goods Compa…

Connor Wilson ’15 is the co-founder and Executive Chairman of Thursday Boots. We sat down with Connor to discuss startup ideation, changing careers, manufacturing a boot, and everything in between. Check out to learn more about the episode and...

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Nov. 14, 2022

David Olk ’11 - ShopKeep - Building a Successful Saas Business [Ep. 1]

David Olk ’11 is a co-founder of ShopKeep and Junction Venture Partners. While at ShopKeep, David ran the business day to day while raising over $100m and helping to build the company into one of the larger Saas businesses in …

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Aug. 5, 2022

Welcome to Startup Alley

Listen to Startup Alley, the podcast where we dissect and discuss all things entrepreneurial. Led by current Columbia Business School students, Startup Alley explores the experiences of startup founders and their perspectives on industry trends and...

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