MIT Catalysts is a podcast series by the MIT Club of Northern California. Host Julia Yoo interviews MIT alumni, faculty and affiliates who are movers and shakers in the Bay Area.
Terrorist attacks. A catastrophic hurricane. Profound market uncertainty. During her decades-long career in the hospitality industry, MIT Sloan alum Stephanie Sonnabend has seen it all — and everything in between. The former CEO and president of Sonesta International Hotels Corporation and co-founder and chair of 5050 Women on Boards, Sonnabend joins host Julia Yoo on this episode of MIT Catalysts. Music: Daydream Bliss by SYBS
26 Feb 2021
Sudeb Dalai (follow-up)
Host Julia Yoo checks in with Dr. Sudeb Dalai, an infectious disease physician, virologist, and epidemiologist. We first had Dr. Dalai on our show last May. In this episode, Dr. Dalai updates us on his thoughts about herd immunity, debunks some common vaccine misinformation, and tells us why he’s optimistic about our post-pandemic future. Music: Daydream Bliss by SYBS
26 Jan 2021
Amrita Saigal and Arun Saigal
We're kicking off season two of MIT Catalysts with a double feature! Host Julia Yoo chats with siblings Amrita Saigal, founder and CEO of Kudos, and Arun Saigal, cofounder and CEO of Thunkable. Tune in to hear how each Saigal turned MIT projects into startups, the pandemic-induced changes that are here to stay, and adapting — both personally and professionally — to a worst-case situation. Music: Daydream Bliss by SYBS
25 Nov 2020
Sun Yoo
While we're planning season 2, we wanted to check in on the special Frontlines series we did in Season 1. In this bonus episode, host Julia Yoo speaks with Dr. Sun Yoo about her experience on the healthcare frontlines during the COVID-19 pandemic.
4 Sept 2020
Mohanjit Jolly and Mark Gorenberg
Host Julia Yoo chats with venture capitalists Mohanjit Jolly (Partner, Iron Pillar) and Mark Gorenberg (Founder and Managing Director, Zetta Venture Partners). Tune in to hear Jolly and Gorenberg’s insider advice for founders, observations of common pitfalls facing startups and what each says is their investing “secret sauce.”
1 Jul 2020
Heidi Zak
Host Julia Yoo chats with ThirdLove co-founder and co-CEO Heidi Zak. Tune in to hear Zak's thoughts on what it’s like to build a business and product for women, and the challenges—and opportunities—to be found in running a global, direct-to-consumer online company during a global pandemic.
15 May 2020
Sudeb Dalai
In the third of a special series about MIT community members on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic, host Julia Yoo chats with Dr. Sudeb Dalai about how his interdisciplinary training uniquely prepared him for the pandemic on multiple fronts, how his day job is affecting his personal life and the changes he’s looking forward to seeing as we all adjust to a new normal.
21 Apr 2020
Steven Hao, Annick Aubin-Pouliot and Mark DuLong
In the second of a special series about MIT community members on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic, we compiled three interviews that host Julia Yoo recently did with cardiologist Steven Hao, otolaryngologist Annick Aubin-Pouliot and plastic surgeon Mark DuLong. Although each is involved in a different aspect of the pandemic, certain similarities tie their experiences together.
7 Apr 2020
Freddy Nguyen
In the the first of a special series about MIT community members on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic, host Julia Yoo sits down with Dr. Freddy Nguyen, a postdoctoral Fellow at MIT and a resident physician at Mount Sinai Hospital. Nguyen talks about the MIT COVID19 Challenge and being on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic in New York.
29 Feb 2020
R. Erich Caulfield
Host Julia Yoo sits down with R. Erich Caulfield, the 125th president of the MIT Alumni Association, and founder and president of The Caulfield Consulting Group. Tune in to hear Caulfield’s journey from engineering to advocacy and public service, making the most of his time as a student and alumnus of MIT and entrepreneurship.
27 Jan 2020
John Whaley
Host Julia Yoo chats with UnifyID founder John Whaley, previously at Moka5. Tune in to hear Whaley’s take on going from academia to entrepreneurship, founding a second company, and tips and tricks on choosing a co-founder
27 Dec 2019
Jocelyn Goldfein
Host Julia Yoo chats with Zetta Ventures Managing Director Jocelyn Goldfein, previously at VMware and Facebook. Tune in to hear about Goldfein’s own experiences as an entrepreneur, her take on challenges in AI innovation and the must-have soft skills that successful entrepreneurship requires.
25 Nov 2019
Shishir Mehrotra
Host Julia Yoo chats with Coda co-founder Shishir Mehrotra, previously of Centrata, Microsoft, and Google. Tune in to hear Mehrotra's advice on how he approaches building teams, getting investor funding, and balancing perseverance with practicality. Theme music Title: Daydream Bliss Artist: SYBS
23 Oct 2019
Rodney Brooks and Gary Marcus
Host Julia Yoo sits down with Rodney Brooks (cofounder of iRobot) and Gary Marcus (founder of Geometric Intelligence) who teamed up to cofound Robust AI. Tune in to hear Brooks and Marcus about their entrepreneurship experiences and their take on the field of AI -- including the good, the bad and the ugly. Theme music Title: Daydream Bliss Artist: SYBS
30 Sept 2019
Kyle Vogt
Host Julia Yoo sits down with Kyle Vogt, Co-Founder, President & CTO of Cruise to chat about Vogt's time as a student at MIT, cracking safes, and his dream of a self-driving future. Tune in to hear Vogt on his entrepreneurial secrets and experience building successful startups. Theme music Title: Daydream Bliss Artist: SYBS
21 Sept 2019
Meet the MIT Catalysts
Host Julia Yoo and producer Irena Fischer-Hwang chat about their own ties to MIT and their goals for launching the MIT Catalysts podcast. Theme music Title: Daydream Bliss Artist: SYBS
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