A Few Things with Jim Barrood

Hosted by James Barrood

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158

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Aug 2026

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The show focuses on discussions with leaders in the areas of entrepreneurship, innovation, technology and startup ecosystems.

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August 26, 202630 min

How can universities transform breakthrough research into real-world impact: Craig Arnold, Princeton

We discussed a few things including: 1. His career journey 2. His research 3. Innovation at Princeton 4. Trends, opps and challenges relating to research/tech transfer in academia 5. Outlook for 2026-2027 As vice dean for innovation, Craig B. Arnold leads the Office of Innovation and oversees the University’s efforts to grow Princeton’s culture of innovation across disciplines. The role aims to strengthen the University’s capacity to engage with entrepreneurs, alumni, industry, technology investors and other potential partners. The vice dean for innovation works closely with offices across campus and within the Office of the Dean for Research, including Technology Licensing and New Ventures, and Strategic Partnerships and Engagement. Arnold is Princeton's Susan Dod Brown Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. He leads a vibrant research program that ranges from basic science to applied technology aimed at developing a deeper understanding of materials synthesis and processing in areas including advanced manufacturing, energy storage and conversion, and optics and photonics. He served as the director of the Princeton Materials Institute from 2015 to 2022. In 2017, Arnold received an Edison Patent Award from the Research & Development Council of New Jersey for the creation of an adjustable lens that focuses light in response to sound waves. The tunable acoustic gradient (TAG) lens is now used in many industrial and research applications including robotics, machine vision, industrial metrology and ultra-high precision microscopy. Arnold holds 13 granted patents, and is the co-founder of two companies based on research conducted at Princeton. TAG Optics Inc. developed the TAG lens and was later acquired by a major precision instrument manufacturer. Invictis Technologies is working to create a safer and less painful automated intravenous injection device. Arnold is a preeminent researcher in the field of materials science; he and co-authors have published over 200 scientific papers and book chapters. He serves as a member of the National Research Council’s National Materials and Manufacturing Board and is a fellow of the Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE) and the Optical Society of America. Arnold was named a Knight of Laser Technology (2018) by the International Academy for Production Engineering (CIRP)-Photonic Technologies. He has received a number of prominent industry awards for his technology including R&D World magazine’s R&D 100 award, the SPIE Prism Award for Photonics Innovation, and Vision Systems Design magazine’s Innovators Award. Arnold has received prestigious federal awards and grants, including the National Science Foundation CAREER Award and the Office of Naval Research (ONR) Young Investigator Award. Recognized widely for his mentorship and teaching, Arnold has advised many undergraduates, graduate students and postdoctoral researchers. He has received the Princeton Undergraduate Engineering Council Teaching Award (2009, 2017 and 2022) and the School of Engineering and Applied Science Excellence in Teaching Award (2019 and 2021). Arnold is a member of the executive committee for Princeton’s Entrepreneurship Certificate Program and the executive committee of the Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment. Arnold holds a Ph.D. in experimental condensed matter physics from Harvard University and a B.S. from Haverford College. He was a postdoctoral researcher at the Naval Research Laboratory prior to joining the Princeton faculty in 2003. #podcast #AFewThingsPodcast

August 5, 202634 min

Inside the AI Infrastructure Race: How CoreWeave is Building the Future with Corey Sanders

We discussed a few things including: 1. His career journey 2. CoreWeave's trajectory 3. AI ecosystem/timeline 4. AI trends, opps and challenges 5. Outlook for 2026-2027 Corey is the Senior Vice President of Product at CoreWeave. In this role. Corey runs the product team focused on the Core AI Cloud, building out infrastructure and platform services for future growth and customer success. Corey resides with his family in New Jersey, working from the CoreWeave headquarters in Livingston. Prior to this role, Corey was the Corporate Vice President for Microsoft Cloud for Industry, developing tailored industry solutions at Microsoft as they transform into successful digital businesses. Previously, he led Microsoft Commercial Solution Areas, owning sales strategy and corporate technical sales across Solution Areas and Teams that include Digital Application Innovation, Azure Infrastructure & IoT, Azure Data & AI, Business Applications, Security and Modern Workplace. His focus also included selling the full value of Microsoft cross-cloud solutions and advancing the technical depth of the Microsoft Solutions team. Earlier, Corey was Head of Product for Azure Compute and the founder of Microsoft Azure’s infrastructure as a service (IaaS) business. During that time, he was responsible for products, strategy and technical vision aligned to core Azure compute services. He also previously led program management for multiple Azure services. Earlier in his career, Corey was a developer in the Windows Serviceability team with ownership across the networking and kernel stack for Windows. In his first role at Microsoft in 2003, Corey served as an intern on the Windows team, after graduating from Princeton University, where he earned his Bachelor S.E. in Computer Science. #podcast #AFewThingsPodcast

July 15, 20261 hr 1 min

From worm poop to one of planet's most innovative recyclers with TerraCycle founder/CEO, Tom Szaky.

We discussed a few things including: 1. Tom's entrepreneurial journey 2. The 25 year TerraCycle growth story 3. Lessons Learned 4. Future vision for the company 5. Outlook for the recyclables industry Tom Szaky is founder and CEO of TerraCycle, an international leader in recycling, recycled content, and reuse. TerraCycle operates in 18 countries, working with some of the world’s largest brands, retailers, and other stakeholders to create national platforms to recycle products and packaging that otherwise go to landfill or incineration. Szaky and TerraCycle also created Loop, the circular reuse platform that enables consumers to purchase products in reusable packaging. Tom and TerraCycle have received hundreds of awards and recognition from organizations including the United Nations, World Economic Forum, Fortune Magazine and U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Tom is the author of four books, Revolution in a Bottle, Outsmart Waste, Make Garbage Great and The Future of Packaging. #podcast #AFewThingsPodcast

July 15, 202631 min

Why AI security can’t be ignored as the tech advances at lightning speed with Jon Dambrot, CraniumAI

We discussed a few things including: 1. Jonathan's career journey 2. Cranium AI 3. AI ecosystem and timeline 4. AI trends, opps and challenges 5. Outlook for 2026 Jonathan is CEO of Cranium AI, Inc. The company spun out of the KPMG Studio and came out of stealth mode in April 2023. Jonathan is a former Partner at KPMG, cyber security industry leader, and visionary. Prior to KPMG, he led Prevalent to become a Gartner and Forrester industry leader in 3rd party risk management before its sale to Insight Venture Partners in late 2016. At KPMG he led third party security globally, AI Security services, and built Cranium in stealth. He has been quoted in a number of publications and routinely speaks to groups of clients regarding trends in IT, information security, and compliance. Jonathan received his MBA from The Pennsylvania State University, is a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), and Certified Third Party Risk Professional (CTPRP). #podcast #AFewThingsPodcast

April 15, 202636 min

$1 Tril Opp: How Refugees & Survivors are Rebuilding Economy with Navneet Bhalla + Aditya Khurjekar

We discussed a few things including: 1. Their career journeys 2. Manavi 3. CivitasID 4. Trends, opps and challenges 5. Outlook for 2026 Navneet oversees all programming and operations at Manavi. She is a passionate advocate for human rights, human rights law, social justice and equality. Prior to her Manavi role, she practiced as an attorney in the United Kingdom for a number of years and gained extensive experience in immigration law, human rights law and employment law. Bhalla, who is fluent in Punjabi, Hindi, Urdu, Farsi and English, has worked on employment and discrimination litigation, and traveled to Sudan as a legal consultant representing the International Rescue Committee (IRC). She has also lived in Tehran, Iran, for a number of years, enabling her to help affected women overcome linguistic barriers. ----- Aditya is a seasoned entrepreneur and strategic leader with nearly three decades of experience spanning semiconductors, software, mobile, fintech, and artificial intelligence. He has successfully founded and led two companies through acquisition, and is known for applying scientific thinking to drive creative disruption and scalable innovation. Aditya brings deep expertise in strategic development, global market expansion, and building high-impact partnerships—demonstrating a consistent commitment to solving complex challenges and delivering meaningful, real-world impact. Aditya is a fintech and identity leader with two decades of experience as an operator, advisor, and investor. He is currently a global advisor at Civitas ID and leads TNBT Global, driving investment and incubation initiatives. He previously co-founded MEDICI Global, later merging with Payfone to form Prove, where he held executive roles shaping product, strategy, and marketing. #podcast #AFewThingsPodcast

February 11, 202643 min

Startup ecosystem dynamics, Miami, Austin (TX), tech and funding trends, challenges and opportunities with Melissa Medina and Paul O'Brien

We discussed a few things including 1. Their career journeys 2. Miami ecosystem 3. Austin/Texas ecosystem 4. Trends, opps and challenges for entrepreneurs and startup communities 5. Outlook for 2026 Melissa Medina has over 20 years of experience as an entrepreneur, operator, investor, community leader and philanthropist. A native to Miami, she is CEO & Co-Founder of eMerge Americas with a mission of helping transform South Florida into a global tech hub. The eMerge Americas signature event, launched in 2014, is a global tech conference held annually at the Miami Beach Convention Center - this year's event is on April 22-24 . With Melissa’s leadership, the eMerge Americas conference now attracts more than 20,000+ attendees from over 50 countries. In addition to the annual conference, eMerge organizes year-round executive summits, innovation challenges, startup pitch competitions, masterclasses, webinars, a world-class global accelerator program, as well as publishes venture activity and investment insights reports. Melissa is also a Partner at Medina Ventures, an early-stage venture fund, as well as the President of the Medina Family Foundation, which has a mission to fund local initiatives that focus on mentoring children and empowering families. Melissa was named by the South Florida Business Journal as one of the “2023 Power Leaders in Technology.” Melissa also sits on the Board of The Miami Foundation. She is passionate about transforming Miami into a global technology hub and supporting Miami-based non-profits who seek to empower tomorrow’s leaders. Most importantly, Melissa is a mother and most passionate about her 5 children. ------ Experienced in economic development, public policy, and venture capital, Paul O'Brien puts a focus on shaping the systems that enable entrepreneurship and innovation. He leads legislative and coalition strategy for Founder Institute , around issues impacting startups, capital formation, and civic infrastructure, and as publisher of Startup Economist . With a passion for media innovation and investment, Paul seeded MediaTech Ventures , a media industry venture development group. Former Venture Partner in Meaningful Ventures, O'Brien is Founder and Director of Funded House and Director of Founder Institute for Texas. Historically, a seasoned marketer with an early career at Yahoo! and HP. From there, Paul led the early growth of startups such as Outright.com (Acquired by GoDaddy), Zvents (Acquired by eBay’s Stubhub), and MicroVentures (Venture Capital). Paul has an unusually strong technical background considering the role he tends to play today; he built websites in the '90s and continues to engineer and produce content at seobrien.com. He was featured in the book, Online Marketing Heroes, and frequently speaks at startup and media conferences. #podcast #AFewThingsPodcast

January 28, 202644 min

When Policy Shakes Innovation: Founders, Funders, and the Real Impact of Uncertainty on Startups and Science with G. Heraman and G. Pedersen

We discussed a few things including: 1. Your career journeys 2. Gitte's biotech venture 3. Garnet's venture capital firm 4. Discuss effects of federal policies on innovation ecosystem 5. Discuss outlook for 2026 Garnet Heraman is a serial entrepreneur and investor with 25 years experience at the intersection of innovation + technology. Originally from the island nation of Trinidad & Tobago, he was educated at Columbia University (BA), NYU (MBA) and The London School of Economics. As a dotcom entrepreneur Garnet had 3 exits, 1 of which was to a publicly traded company. As an investor, he is co-founder and managing partner of Aperture® Venture Capital, a seed stage fintech fund backed by 7 different Fortune 500 corporations. He is also an LP in other VC funds such as NY InsurTech Fund II and the Berkeley Skydeck Fund, as well as a prolific angel investor. Garnet is highly sought after as a startup technology expert, appearing in over 30 business publications and at events on 5 continents. ------ Gitte Pedersen is a scientist, CEO, company builder, and investor with a mission to improve health and sustainability. RNA enthusiast. Focused on helping cancer patients survive through better diagnostics and treatment navigation tools. Serial entrepreneur. Advised several small and medium-sized biotech companies and the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, bringing in +$1B deals to Danish Biotech companies. Advised the European Commission on evidence-based innovation and investment policies. Won numerous prizes and awards and raised $8M+ in grants. Worked at Novo Nordisk in several management positions, inventing, developing and bringing multiple products to market worldwide. #podcast #AFewThingsPodcast

December 30, 202534 min

Funding Trends: AI, Capital Crunch + New Funding Playbook with Carta's Hamza Shad + VC Mellie Chow

We discussed a few things including: 1. Their career journeys 2. Carta 3. Archangel and Techstars 4. Current trends 5. Outlook for investing for 2026 Hamza Shad is an insights manager at Carta, where he analyzes data on startups and the venture capital ecosystem. He leads Carta's quarterly State of Pre-Seed report on early-stage companies and has spoken at Startup Grind, 500 Global, SOSV, the World Bank, and more. Previously, Hamza conducted research on entrepreneurship in emerging markets at Endeavor . He holds a bachelor's in economics and political science from the University of Chicago and a master's in international development from University of Oxford . ---- Mellie Chow is an Engineer turned Entrepreneur / Operator turned Angel Investor / Venture Capitalist with over 25+ years of experience across multiple industries including telecommunications & cable, utilities & power generation, banking, healthcare, government, and food. She is a Board Advisor at Techstars Toronto Accelerator and a Venture Partner at Archangel Network of Funds , Axion Fund, ventureLAB EIR and University of Delaware - Horn Entrepreneurship - Venture Acceleration Lab mentor. She is also an adjunct professor at New York University SPS and Elizabethtown College of Competitive Product Strategy. She holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering ( University of Waterloo ), an MBA ( Northwestern University - Kellogg School of Management & Schulich). #podcast #AFewThingsPodcast

October 20, 202548 min

Collaboration, venture building, pharma, healthcare with Merck's Bill Taranto + Joel Krikston

We discussed a few things including: 1. Their career journeys 2. Merck's venture strategy and GHIF story 3. MSD Idea Studios 4. CVC landscape and trends 5. Outlook for pharma and innovation Bill has led MSD Global Health Innovation (GHI) since 2010, playing a strong role in the US company’s transition a decade ago from general consumer pharmaceuticals to a focus on biopharmaceuticals and oncology. With 45 portfolio companies and about 80% having commercial agreements with MSD, His approach of always seeking to understand and solve the parent company’s core challenges has proven successful. Last year, the fund expanded beyond the US, launching two accelerator programms, one in Berlin covering central Europe and one in Singapore covering 10 Asian countries. The accelerators will also invest at an earlier stage than the growth stage-focused core GHI fund has typically done. Both in the US and abroad, GHI is focused on four key areas of pharma services: drug discovery, clinical development, supply chain and patient access. In drug discovery, Bill is particularly excited about AI and machine learning allowing drugs to be identified faster. The fund has invested in about 12 companies applying AI to biology, chemistry and vaccines in the past two years, with a belief that these technologies are on the cusp of a breakthrough. Clinical development is another critical focus, especially in patient diversity and trial management. The unit is also exploring supply chain innovations, with systems tracking raw materials coming in and finished goods going out, much like a “control tower at an airport”. A veteran of the venture capital sector, Bill maintains that corporate venture capital is becoming increasingly sophisticated. He believes corporate venture capital has now established itself as “part of the ecosystem of investing” and offers unique value that traditional investors cannot. ---- Joel is a seasoned executive with extensive experience in venture investments and strategic innovation within the healthcare sector. With a career spanning over two decades, he has held pivotal roles at renowned organizations like Merck, J&J, and JPMorgan, focusing on biotech, corp dev and health equity. He excels in bridging the gap between life sciences and digital health technology. He is a recognized advocate for diversity and inclusion, emphasizing health equity in his professional endeavors. #podcast #afewthingspodcast

May 29, 202535 min

#149 Jenny Fielding talks about entrepreneurship, funding, talent, lessons learned and her new book

We discussed a few things including: 1. Jenny's career journey 2. The funding environment, then your fund 3. What she is seeing at the universities she teaches at; trends in young talent 4. Her new book 5. Trends, challenges and opportunities re startup ecosystem Jenny Fielding is a seasoned venture capitalist and technology trailblazer with a diverse background in law, finance, and entrepreneurship. As the founder of two tech startups, she understands the challenges of building companies from the ground up. She's also the author of the new book, Everywhere Ventures, https://www.amazon.com/Venture-Everywhere-Travel-Entrepreneurship-Roadmap/dp/B0DHQQTCG3 Now, with a decade of investing experience and a portfolio valued at $10 billion, Jenny leads Everywhere Ventures, the go-to venture fund for early-stage founders around the world. Beyond investing, Jenny is an adjunct professor at Columbia University and Cornell Tech, where she inspires the next generation of entrepreneurs. A sought-after speaker, Jenny has been featured on Bloomberg TV, the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, and TechCrunch, among many others. #podcast #afewthingspodcast