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Inside CVC by u-path
Welcome to Inside CVC —Inside CVC by U-Path is the podcast where corporate venture capital meets strategy, leadership, and systemic change. Hosted by Philipp Willigmann and Steve Schmith, the show brings senior voices from across corporate venture, startups, investment, academia, and policy to the table.
Each episode goes beyond buzzwords to explore how capital, technology, and leadership shape the future of business and society. From AI and robotics to geopolitics, board governance, and inclusive innovation, Inside CVC is designed for executives and policymakers who want to understand not just what’s happening — but what to do about it.
Episodes
17 episodes
Episode 17: Leading with Equity: Howard Ross on the Future of DEI, Bias, and Business Value
In this episode of Inside CVC, we sit down with Howard Ross—author, consultant, and one of the nation’s preeminent thought leaders on unconscious bias and organizational change. Howard brings a candid, historical, and forward-lo...
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Season 1
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Episode 17
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1:09:21
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Episode 16: Building Eurostack: Martin Hullin on Europe’s Digital Sovereignty and the Future of Innovation
Europe is at a crossroads in shaping its technological future. In this episode of Inside CVC, Martin Hullin, Managing Director of the Network for Technological Resilience & Sovereignty Europe’s Future Program Bertelsmann Sti...
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Season 1
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Episode 16
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43:11
Episode 15: Signal vs. Noise: MIT’s Jason Jay on the Four Lenses for Board-Level Sustainability
As experts gather in Berlin and Brussels to debate climate policy, MIT Sloan’s Jason Jay joins Inside CVC to cut through the ESG noise. He introduces the Four Lenses Framework, showing how boards can focus on what matters, align p...
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Season 1
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Episode 15
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40:58
Episode 14: Robotics That Work: How to Pilot, Prove, and Scale with Sam Abidi
Robotics is moving from the lab to the loading dock, farm, and job site—and the playbook is changing. In this episode, Sam Abidi—robotics expert and member of the U-Path Advisory team—explains how to pick the right first use cases...
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Season 1
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Episode 14
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52:34
Episode 13: Resilient by Design: Why Intrapreneurs Win in Efficiency-Obsessed Times with Kaihan Krippendorff
In a moment when AI is rewarding efficiency and headlines spotlight shrinking management layers, strategist and author Kaihan Krippendorff argues the real advantage comes from optionality—and from empowering intrapreneurs...
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Season 1
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Episode 13
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37:26
Episode 12: Navigating Vietnam’s Startup Boom: Culture, Capital, and Cross-Border Collaboration with Cuong Dang
Vietnam and Southeast Asia are fast becoming global hotspots for innovation and venture capital, but success in the region requires more than just money. In this episode of Inside CVC, Steve Schmith and Philipp Willigmann sit down with...
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Season 1
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Episode 12
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37:47
Episode 11: From Uncertainty to Impact: How SK Group is Scaling Innovation Across Borders with Hee S. Jung
In this episode of Inside CVC, we sit down with Hee S. ("Hee") Jung, CEO of SK Chemicals America and head of SK Group’s corporate venture investment operations in North America. Just days after SK Group announced strong earnings in Sou...
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Season 1
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Episode 11
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45:11
Episode 10: AI, Uncertainty, and the Future of Work: A Conversation with Peter Schwartz & Richard Socher
Futurist Peter Schwartz (Chief Future Officer, Salesforce) and AI pioneer Richard Socher (CEO, You.com) join Inside CVC to explore how artificial intelligence is reshaping work, leadership, and society. They reflect on the evolution of AI at Sa...
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44:37
Episode 9: AI Operating Systems, Digital Labor & the End of Pilot Purgatory with Alec Coughlin
Enterprise AI strategist Alec Coughlin joins Inside CVC to share hard-earned insights on scaling AI beyond the memo. Alec challenges common misconceptions about “AI-first” strategies and explains why so few companies are truly AI-mature. We exp...
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Season 1
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Episode 9
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44:10
Episode 8: Scenario Thinking in the Age of AI: Jonathan Brill on Preparing for Disruption
In this episode of Inside CVC, futurist and innovation expert Jonathan Brill, author of Rogue Waves, joins Steve Schmith and Philipp Willigmann for a provocative conversation about navigating—and capitalizing on—radical change...
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Season 1
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Episode 8
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41:28
Episode 7: Riding the Shifting Currents of Mobility Innovation with Maniv's Michael Granoff
In this episode of Inside CVC, we sit down with Michael Granoff, founder of Maniv Mobility, to explore the dynamic forces reshaping the movement of people and goods. From electric trucks in California to two-wheelers in India, Maniv’s ...
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Season 1
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Episode 7
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13:31
Episode 6: Inside Capital’s New Playbook: A Conversation with Bank of America’s Shawn Hoyer
In this episode of Inside CVC, we sit down with Shawn Hoyer, Head of Venture Capital Coverage at Bank of America, to explore how capital markets are evolving—and what it means for founders, investors, and corporate innovators. From the...
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Season 1
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Episode 6
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36:43
Episode 5: Scaling Innovation from the Inside Out: Day 2 Insights from the CVC Open Innovation Summit
In Episode 5 of Inside CVC, we continue our deep dive into the 2025 CVC Open Innovation Summit, this time focusing on highlights and takeaways from Day 2. Co-hosts Steve Schmith and Philipp Willigmann explore how Miami took center stag...
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Season 1
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Episode 5
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37:27
Episode 4: From Spark to Summit: Inside Day 1 of the 2025 CVC Open Innovation Summit
In this episode of Inside CVC, hosts Steve Schmith and Philipp Willigmann explore the origins, purpose, and outcomes of the CVC Open Innovation Summit in Miami. Philipp shares how a dinner conversation in 2023 sparked a movement to cre...
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Season 1
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Episode 4
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35:14
Episode 3: An Inside Look at Inside CVC - Innovation, Ecosystems, and the Road Ahead
Welcome to Episode 3 of Inside CVC! In this special behind-the-scenes edition, co-hosts Steve Schmith and Philipp Willigmann sit down—finally together on the mic—to talk about the "why" behind Inside CVC.I...
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Season 1
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Episode 3
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33:02
Episode 2: Tariffs, Trade Wars, and Cross-Border Strategy with Benjamin Qiu
In this timely and globally focused episode of Inside CVC, we sit down with Benjamin Qiu, an American lawyer and cross-border investment expert, to unpack the escalating trade tensions between the U.S. and China—and what they me...
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Season 1
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Episode 2
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33:32
Episode 1: The Water Reckoning: Why Corporations Can’t Ignore the Crisis Anymore with J. Carl Ganter
J. Carl Ganter, founder of Circle of Blue, joins Inside CVC by u-path to explore water scarcity as a rising threat to corporate employees, supply chains, operations, and customers. With a journalist’s eye and an innovator’s urgen...
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Season 1
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Episode 1
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39:19