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.
Inside CVC by u-path
Inside CVC: Olympic Gold Medalist Oliver Zeidler on Reinvention, Resilience, and Real Preparation
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Oliver Zeidler made history at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, winning gold in the men's single scull and breaking the Olympic record by nearly five seconds in the semi-final. But he will tell you the medal wasn't won in Paris. It was won three weeks earlier, at a World Cup race in Lucerne, where he finished second.
In this episode of Inside CVC, Philipp and Steve sit down with Oliver for a conversation about reinvention, high-performance leadership, and what it actually takes to build a winning system from scratch. After finishing outside the A final at Tokyo 2020 as the gold medal favorite, Oliver walked away from the German national program entirely. He assembled his own fully-sponsored, cross-functional team: sports psychologists, biomechanics specialists, physiotherapists. He rebuilt his training from the ground up. The result speaks for itself.
Oliver is currently an MBA candidate at IMD in Lausanne and a former Deloitte consultant. The parallels between his path to gold and what it takes to build and lead a great organization are not forced. They are exact.
For founders, executives, and investors who believe performance is a system, not a personality, this one is worth your full attention.
Where pricing strategy meets the real world.
What actually happens...
Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify
Catch up on all episodes of Inside CVC at www.u-path.com/podcast.
