Darden Businesscasts

Welcome to our application tips series! In this special edition of the Darden Admissions podcasts, members of the UVA Darden’s Admissions Committee share advice insights for applicants targeting Darden’s MBA formats – Full-Time MBA, Part-Time MBA and Executive MBA.

Our Admissions podcast feeds have split and moved to their new homes! You can now find new separate subscription feeds for both The ExecMBA Podcast and Experience Darden here on Podbean or on other popular listening outlets such as Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Sticher, Google Play, TuneIn and iHeartRadio! You may also find The ExecMBA Podcasts new episodes here: https://dardenexecmbapodcast.podbean.com/ and Experience Darden new episodes here: https://experiencedarden.podbean.com/. And as always... THANKS FOR LISTENING!

In advance of Darden hosting ClimateCAP: The Global MBA Summit on Climate, Capital and Business, keynote speaker Scott Price discusses the challenges and opportunities for a global logistics company to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions while cutting costs and improving its competitive position. He discusses commercialization of new technologies, including robotics, autonomous vehicles and drones, changing the way UPS conducts business in an increasingly urbanized and resource-constrained world. He shares the importance of pursuing mission alignment across the organization, and the necessary partnerships for progress. Hosted by Erika Herz from Darden’s Batten Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation.

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with Taison Bell. Taison is a Global Executive MBA (GEMBA) format student in our Class of 2020, and he is also a physician and a founder. We recently sat down with Taison to talk about his background, why he decided to pursue an MBA, why he thinks business and leadership training is important for medical professionals as well as Owl Peak Labs, the start-up he founded with his classmate and recent podcast guest Tim Harvey.

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with Tim Harvey. Tim is a Global Executive MBA format student in our Class of 2020, and we recently caught up with him to talk about his decision to pursue an MBA, what attracted him to our GEMBA format as well as the start-up, Owl Peak Labs, he recently founded with his classmate, Taison Bell. Pro Tip: Keep an eye out in the next few days for our conversation with Taison!

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with Olivia Zhou. Olivia is a Global Executive MBA (GEMBA) format student in our Class of 2020, and she gave birth to her son just a few weeks after the start of the program. We recently sat down to talk with her about her background, the impact of her Darden experience, as well as how she has balanced the program and the demands of being a new mom.

In this episode, Save the Children CEO Carolyn Miles (MBA'88) discusses the role of women in the developing world and the ability of women and girls to change the trajectory of a country's development towards a more equal and democratic society.  Leadership Unscripted is a Darden speaker series hosted at UVA Darden DC Metro in Arlington, Virginia. To learn more, visit us at: www.darden.virginia.edu.  Recorded 6 November 2019.

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with Tom Duffy. Tom is an Executive MBA (EMBA) format student in our Class of 2020, and he is based in New England. We recently sat down to talk more about his background, why he decided to pursue an MBA, what brought him to Darden as well as what motivated him to serve as a Section representative for his class.

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with Laura Martens. Laura is Director of Washington, DC Initiatives for the Darden School of Business, and we recently sat down to talk about her background, what attracted her to her current role and some of the things she is currently working on as Darden continues to build its presence and brand in the Washington, DC metro area.

They’re back! We continue our ongoing conversation with Jonas Porcar Ferrer and Bhavin Patel. In this episode, we catch up with Jonas and Bhavin to talk about Quarters 6 and 7, including the recent Europe global residency, their elective choices as well as what they’ve enjoyed their latest slate of core courses.

Ayush Bharti (MBA '14) graduated with an ambitious goal. Having lost family to medical negligence, he wanted to improve the healthcare system in his native India. Now with his health tech startup OurHealthMate, a technology platform that connects patients providers and payers in developing economies, he's doing just that all across India and beyond. In this episode of the Darden Founders Project, Ayuish reflects on The Darden experience, Darden faculty, his stint in Darden's i.Lab and the vital importance of a good laugh.

In this episode of Leadership Unscripted, Case Foundation CEO and National Geographic Society Chairman Jean Case discusses the importance of taking risks, being fearless, and leveraging difference in order to change the world.  Leadership Unscripted is a Darden speaker series hosted at UVA Darden DC Metro in Arlington, Virginia. To learn more, visit us at: www.darden.virginia.edu.  Recorded 10 October 2019

In this episode, UPS Chief Strategy and Transformation Officer Scott Price (MBA/MA ’90) discusses how to influence and create transformation from within a global corporation.  The Darden Leadership Speaker Series is held on Darden Grounds in Charlottesville, Virginia, and events are open to the public. To learn more, visit us at: www.darden.virginia.edu Recorded 31 October 2019

In this episode of Darden Leadership Speaker Series, Richmond Federal Reserve President and CEO Tom Barkin shares 10 life tips he has learned during his career and offers his thoughts on economic issues, from global trade wars to potential recession.  The Darden Leadership Speaker Series is held on Darden Grounds in Charlottesville, Virginia, and events are open to the public. To learn more, vist us at: www.darden.virginia.edu.  Recorded 3 October 2019

In this episode of the Darden Leadership Speaker Series, Indonesian Ambassador to the United States of America Mahendra Siregar shares the story of Indonesia's recovery from near collapse and discusses the impact of global trade skirmishes.  The Darden Leadership Speaker Series is held on Darden Grounds in Charlottesville, Virginia, and events are open to the public. To learn more, visit us at: www.darden.virginia.edu Recorded on 16 September 2019

As accelerator programs proliferate, entrepreneurship scholars like Batten Research Fellow Siobhan O’Mahony are attempting to understand the role they play in new ventures’ success. Dr. O’Mahony and her colleagues found great differences in the degree to which entrepreneurs take advantage of an accelerator’s resources and connections. Entrepreneurs also varied in their openness to integrating critical market feedback, which offers important lessons for directors of accelerators seeking the best model for supporting a cohort of founders. Dr. O’Mahony is the Feld Family Professor of Innovation and Entrepreneurship in the Department of Strategy and Innovation at Boston University’s Questrom School of Business.  Hosted by Erika Herz, Director of Research and Intellectual Capital at Darden’s Batten Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation.

When Scott Kim (MBA ’11) was undergoing grueling and lengthy rehabilitation after childhood surgery for spina bifida, little did he know that years later he’d be heading Neofect, a med-tech startup that brings game-based physiotherapy to millions of patients worldwide. What launched Kim on an entrepreneurial career path was a class taught by Darden Professor Saras Sarasvathy and a serendipitous encounter with a fellow Korean-born Darden student Hoyoung Ban, whose family members had struggled with stroke recovery. Inspired by Sarasvathy, Kim and Ban set out to revolutionize what they saw as an archaic approach to physiotherapy. In 2010, they launched Neofect, which has since raised $17 million in a Korean IPO. Hear how Neofect built a global market for engaging computer games, which combine artificial intelligence and virtual reality to help stroke survivors and people with spinal cord injuries recover.

After three years in a corporate finance leadership program at Johnson & Johnson, Erik Breuhaus (MBA '14) knew that he wanted to work at a startup. He joined one while he was a second-year student at the University of Virginia Darden School of Business, and he never looked back. Hear how his experience at multiple startups in a variety of industries, where he handled finance, operations, business development, recruiting and marketing, prepared Breuhaus for his role as co-founder and CFO of cybersecurity company CounterFlow AI.

Nick Moran (MBA ’08) cut his teeth sourcing and vetting promising technologies while working on mergers and acquisitions at Danaher Corporation. He also developed one of the most successful products in Danaher’s history—an IoT solution with an innovative method for testing compounds in drinking water. Hear how Moran became a successful angel investor and venture capitalist, with a little help from a popular VC podcast The Full Ratchet, which he launched in 2014.

The entrepreneurial pivot is a term popularized by entrepreneurs Steve Blank and Eric Ries, particularly through Ries’ well-known book The Lean Startup, and represents a company’s re-orientation of strategic direction. Batten Research Fellow Siobhan O’Mahony discusses her study of early-stage energy and cleantech hardware firms in the Boston area to better understand their pivots. Dr. O’Mahony unexpectedly found that a pivot is not just a one-time occurrence but a cumulative set of decisions made over time, based on critical information drawn from customers and other stakeholders. The research has important lessons for aspiring entrepreneurs who need to engage with their potential markets early, adapt to new information, or even exit. Dr. O’Mahony is the Feld Family Professor of Innovation and Entrepreneurship in the Department of Strategy and Innovation at Boston University’s Questrom School of Business. Hosted by Erika Herz, Director of Research and Intellectual Capital at Darden’s Batten Institute for Ent