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PODCAST

IU Ventures

Inside the 750,000-strong Indiana University alumni community is the IU Founders and Funders Network, a world-class startup community with IU "DNA." Each month, hear Hoosier founders and funders share the problems they"re solving, advice for aspiring IU innovators, and most importantly, hard-hitting questions like Mother Bear"s or Pizza Express? Little 500 or Homecoming? Sample Gates or Showalter Foundation? Hosted by Jon Barada, VP - Engagement at IU Ventures, and presented by nationally ranked

business entrepreneurship

All Episodes

48:16

Tom Ruff, BS '89 – Founder & CEO, Orange Bike Brewing...

IU Ventures ·

2026/10/07

IU alumnus Tom Ruff is the Founder & CEO of Orange Bike Brewing Company, a Certified B Corporation®, member of 1% for the Planet, and award-winning gluten-free craft brewery in Portland, Maine. Backed by the Maine Venture Fund, the State of Maine, and IU Ventures, Orange Bike has grown into a nationally recognized social enterprise now entering its fourth stage of growth, recently launching the nation's first and only dedicated non-alcoholic, gluten-free craft beer program. Hear about his dad's time

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49:34

Shayne Veramallay, BS '00 – Founder & CEO, CARBON

IU Ventures ·

2026/08/29

IU alumnus Shayne Veramallay is a seasoned executive with a comprehensive background of alternative investments spanning private placements, venture capital, startup operations, and impact investing. His current endeavor, CARBON, focuses on capital solutions for modular infrastructure systems and services encompassing The Vital FEW (Food, Energy, Water) in the commercial, municipal, and residential built environments. Hear about his dad's time as a professor at IU East, how Shayne became interested

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48:58

Abby Nawrocki, BS '15 – Founder & CEO, Stock

IU Ventures ·

2026/07/31

IU alumna Abby Nawrocki is the Founder & CEO of Stock, a marketplace that helps brands and 3PLs seamlessly move excess & returned inventory to vetted nonprofits. With a background leading U.S. distribution for global brands like ZARA, Apple, SKIMS, and Deliverr (acquired by Shopify for $2.3B), she has deep expertise in supply chain & logistics at scale. Hear what blew her away when she first visited IU, what she learned about supply chain during her trip to China, her approach to managing a

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41:47

Daniel Caridi, BS '18 – Co-Founder & CEO, Kibu

IU Ventures ·

2026/07/06

IU alumnus Daniel Caridi is the Co-Founder & CEO of Kibu, a modern EHR and engagement platform purpose-built for intellectual and developmental disability (IDD) service providers. He is a 2026 Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree in Social Impact and a graduate of Indiana University's Kelley School of Business. Hear what drew him to IU from Connecticut, how Kibu is drastically changing the game for IDD service providers, how to persevere throughout the fundraising process, his best advice for aspiring

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44:06

Anna Dorris, IU Indy BS '22 – Founder & CEO, Everewear

IU Ventures ·

2026/06/09

IU Indy alum Anna Dorris is the Founder & CEO of Everewear, an AI-powered shopping platform that helps people find the secondhand clothes they love in minutes instead of hours. She's also the Entrepreneurship Program Manager at IU Innovates Indianapolis, where she helps the next generation of entrepreneurs connect with the funding & mentorship resources necessary for them to succeed. Hear how she became the Indiana Honey Queen, what stands out from her time at IU Indy, how to pivot your business,

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54:49

Connor Hitchcock, BS '16 – Co-Founder & CEO, Homefield

IU Ventures ·

2026/04/30

IU alum, lifelong IU fan, and Indiana native Connor Hitchcock founded Homefield in 2018 alongside his wife and co-founder Christa out of their Broad Ripple basement. What began as a passion project to create thoughtful collegiate apparel has grown into a premium collegiate apparel brand, with over 180 university licenses and distribution through 100+ retail locations. Today, the 30 members of the Homefield team operate out of their facility in Speedway, as they work to become the world's most

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45:31

Steve Simon, BGS '89 – Co-Owner, Indiana Pacers &...

IU Ventures ·

2026/04/01

Stephen H. Simon is a Co-Owner and the Alternate Governor for the Indiana Pacers. He is also the Founder of Simon Equity Partners, LLC and has been a Managing Member since January 2007. From February 1997 to December 2006, Mr. Simon served as President & Chief Executive Officer of Melvin Simon & Associates, Inc., a privately held real estate and investment company. Hear his stories celebrating IU championships over the years, lessons from his career in investing, how to build a great culture as a

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48:05

Jennifer Holmes, BS '84 – CEO, PrecisionCare AI

IU Ventures ·

2026/03/02

Jennifer Holmes is CEO of PrecisionCare AI, a Boomerang Ventures portfolio company. She brings 30 years of senior executive experience in the medical device and MedTech sector. Hear her experience at the Peach Bowl, her career in figure skating, how PrecisionCare AI is differentiating in the MedTech industry, their top use cases, and why you need a Plan B & Plan C. Learn more about Jennifer at PrecisionCare-AI.com and on LinkedIn, and learn more about IU Ventures at IUVentures.com. This podcast is

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01:02:09

Dr. Richard DiMarchi, PhD '79 – Distinguished...

IU Ventures ·

2026/02/02

Richard DiMarchi is a Distinguished Professor of Chemistry and Gill Chair in Biomolecular Sciences at Indiana University. He's a member of the National Academy of Medicine and the National Inventors Hall of Fame, and is a former Group Vice President at Eli Lilly and later at Novo Nordisk. He's co-inventor on more than 100 U.S. patents, co-author to more than 250 peer-reviewed scientific publications, was identified as a top 5 translation researcher by Nature Biotechnology, and has co-founded 8

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53:49

Paul Caine, BA '86 – President, On Location

IU Ventures ·

2025/12/17

Paul Caine is the President of premium experiential hospitality leader On Location, part of TKO Group Holdings (NYSE: TKO). In this role, Paul oversees a diverse and global portfolio of consumer experiences, hospitality, and brand partnerships. He previously served as Global Chief Revenue Officer (CRO) of Bloomberg Media, as Chief Executive Officer of Westwood One, and in numerous roles at Time Inc. over a span of 23 years, including Publisher of People, Entertainment Weekly, Executive Vice

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45:58

Benton Miller, MBA '23 – Founder & CEO, RetrievAir

IU Ventures ·

2025/11/21

Benton Miller is the Founder & CEO of RetrievAir, an innovative public charter operator focused on improving the pet travel experience. His vision is to create air travel that prioritizes pets, offering safe, comfortable, and convenient flights for both pets and their owners. Hear how his Kelley Direct Online MBA experience shaped the trajectory of his company, how he navigates the complicated worlds of airports & pets, how to differentiate your offering, the behind-the-scenes of his appearance on

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51:16

Steve Aird – Head Coach, IU Women’s Volleyball

IU Ventures ·

2025/10/22

Indiana Women’s Volleyball Head Coach Steve Aird is in his 8th year in Bloomington. Aird signed a contract extension through the 2029 season on January 1, 2024 after guiding the Hoosiers to one of the best years in program history. A 2-time NCAA Champion as an assistant coach at Penn State, Aird is an elite recruiter and has brought new energy into the Indiana Women’s Volleyball program. Hear how he’s built an incredible home-court advantage, how he takes a business approach to coaching, how to

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38:52

Darius Willis, BS ‘12 – Founder & CEO, ScoutSync

IU Ventures ·

2025/09/10

Darius Willis is the Founder & CEO of ScoutSync, a sports-tech company transforming global athletic scouting & recruitment. A former Indiana University football standout and Under Armour High School All-American from Indianapolis, he attended NFL camp with the New York Jets before playing and coaching internationally for over a decade. Hear his favorite on-field & off-the-field memories from IU, how the ScoutSync platform works, the top lessons he’s learned as a founder, the growing presence of

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42:26

Anthony Leal, MBA ‘25 BS ‘23 – Co-Founder, Motion

IU Ventures ·

2025/08/20

Anthony Leal, a former Indiana University basketball player and MBA in Finance from the Kelley School of Business, co-founded Motion. Motion is a tech platform designed to streamline communication, scheduling, and management for coaches, athletes, and athletic departments in college athletics. Hear his biggest pinch me moment playing basketball for the Hoosiers, the Entrepreneurship course that inspired Motion, how to keep the voice of the customer in mind, lessons from basketball that apply to

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36:59

Rachel Zhao, BS ‘16 – Principal, PayPal Ventures

IU Ventures ·

2025/07/17

Rachel Zhao is Principal at PayPal Ventures, where she’s tapping into her passion for helping tech companies & founders. Previously, she had been focusing on growth-stage Enterprise and Fintech investment. She’s interested in infrastructure, cyber, privacy, SMB & Vertical SaaS, and ecommerce enablement. Hear her love for the jazz concerts at IU, how she pivoted her career to more closely align with her interests, the fascinating world of cybersecurity, how PayPal Ventures surrounds founders with

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41:00

Neil Powell, MBA ‘98 – Director of Finance, Cloud and...

IU Ventures ·

2025/05/14

Neil Powell has almost 35 years of corporate finance experience in the banking and high-tech industries. He is currently the Director of Finance, Cloud and AI Supply Chain at Microsoft and has served as the VP of Finance and Corporate Controller at Lattice Semiconductor, as well as numerous roles at Intel, including Senior Director at Intel Capital’s venture capital fund and as the CFO of Intel Japan. Neil spent 5 years teaching finance at Indiana University, where he also earned his MBA. Hear what

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41:42

Kenzie Weston Mucci, BA ‘13 – Investor, Takeda...

IU Ventures ·

2025/04/18

Kenzie Weston Mucci is a member of the investment team at Takeda Digital Ventures, focused on virtual-first care and PharmaTech investments. Previously, she worked in strategy on the Digital Health Sciences team within Takeda’s Data Sciences Institute. Prior to her time at Takeda, she managed the Beiwe digital health platform at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and worked in the Health and Public Service Operating Group at Accenture. Hear how she got engaged at IU, the top trends in

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36:34

Drushya Musham, Class of ‘25 – Founder & CEO, Taptic

IU Ventures ·

2025/03/26

Drushya Musham is a senior at Indiana University, triple majoring in Management, Entrepreneurship, and International Business, and serves as a client manager for IU Innovates' Sparklab Incubator program. She is the Founder & CEO of Taptic, an app enhancing accessibility for Deaf individuals by transforming audio alerts into tactile and visual notifications, and NiCE: Name on Rice, a micro-art jewelry business specializing in personalized designs. Hear her thoughts as graduation nears, how to develop

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45:16

Amy Brown, MSW ‘00 BS ‘98 – Founder & CEO, Authenticx

IU Ventures ·

2025/02/12

Amy Brown is the Founder & CEO of Authenticx, the conversational intelligence platform that analyzes and activates customers’ voices at scale to reveal transformational opportunities in healthcare. She built her career as a rising executive in the healthcare industry, during which time she advocated for underserved populations, led and mobilized teams to expand healthcare coverage to thousands of Indiana residents, and learned the nuance of corporate operations. Hear why IU is in her blood, how to

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40:41

Emily Atkinson, PhD ‘22 BS ‘16 – Senior Director of...

IU Ventures ·

2025/01/08

IU alum Emily Atkinson, PhD is an analytical thinker with deep technical expertise and a well-connected figure in the life sciences community and the startup ecosystem. She joined BioCrossroads as the Senior Director of Innovation in July of 2024, where she runs initiatives to advance innovations in Indiana’s life sciences sector. Prior to joining BioCrossroads, she served as a venture analyst for IU Ventures, where she focused on strategic investments towards promising life sciences and B2B SaaS

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40 results

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