Beyond The Core

Highline Beta
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Beyond The Core is a podcast series by Marcus Daniels and Ben Yoskovitz, founders of Highline Beta, exploring how companies are breaking free from traditional innovation models to build significant new ventures. Drawing from their experience helping organizations like RBC and AB InBev transform into venture builders, they interview leaders who've successfully launched billion-dollar spinouts, built venture studios, and created new markets. Weekly episodes feature practical insights on venture studio design, growth innovation playbooks, and strategic choices in corporate venture building.

  1. NOV 5

    How to Run a 5-Day Innovation Sprint, with Sierra Calhoun-Pollard, Ph.D., Director of Blackstone LaunchPad x UF | Professor of Innovation | CEO Winnovation Agency

    In this episode of Beyond the Core, Ben Yoskovitz sits down with Sierra Calhoun-Pollard, Ph.D., Director of Blackstone LaunchPad x UF | Professor of Innovation | CEO Winnovation Agency, to unpack how she designed a 5-Day Innovation Sprint that connects industry partners and cross-disciplinary teams to generate ideas, build prototypes, and test them with real users (all inside a single week). What started as a university program has become a repeatable framework that companies can use to accelerate learning, build creative muscle, and make innovation actually move at market speed. Together, Ben and Sierra co-build her full playbook live so you can adapt the same model inside your organization. In this episode, you’ll learn: - How to design and run a 5-Day Innovation Sprint that produces tangible results - Why the “How Might We” statement is the North Star of every sprint - How cross-disciplinary teams outperform experts when solving tough problems - The exact cadence Sierra uses (from problem framing → prototyping → pitching) - What to do after the sprint to keep the momentum aliveIf you’re leading innovation, transformation, or venture-building inside a large organization, this episode is your blueprint for speed, structure, and creativity that scales. --- Timestamps 0:00 — Introduction: Why this episode is different 1:30 — The story behind Blackstone LaunchPad and Winnovation Agency 5:00 — How Sierra built a repeatable innovation system 10:00 — The anatomy of a 5-day sprint 20:00 — Real examples: QR cups, Adobe Express prototypes, and more 35:00 — How to craft a great “How Might We” statement 45:00 — What to do after Day 5: turning ideas into action 50:00 — Building culture through rapid experimentation — 🎧 Listen now on Spotify, Apple, or YouTube 📄Download the full 5-Day Innovation Sprint Playbook + Watch the full live video: highlinebeta.com/beyond-the-core

    49 min

  2. OCT 28

    Inside SEI’s 3-Step Playbook for Corporate Venture Building, with Allie Carey

    Most corporate innovation programs talk a big game (and then die in PowerPoint). This episode is what it looks like when one actually works. Allie Carey, Chief Strategy Officer at SEI Private Banking & Wealth Management, joined Beyond the Core to share how she built a repeatable system for corporate innovation inside one of the world’s most established financial technology companies. In just three years, Allie helped SEI: Go from zero to three fundable experiments per yearBuild a company-wide culture of experimentationLaunch a new, revenue-generating business in just 18 monthsTurn governance and compliance into enablers of speedReplace “fail fast” with evidence-based decision-making This is execution in innovation at an enterprise scale. We built Allie’s entire playbook live, step-by-step: from how SEI aligned leadership around growth goals, to how they structured an internal Shark Tank that produced real businesses. If you lead innovation, venture building, or transformation inside a large organization, this conversation is a blueprint for how to actually move faster without breaking the system. 0:00 — Introduction: What SEI does and how it thinks about innovation 4:00 — The three horizons of growth and where SEI plays 8:00 — Building a culture of experimentation 12:00 — How SEI turned ideas into ventures 20:00 — The playbook for speeding up decision-making 30:00 — Governance that accelerates, not blocks 45:00 — Lessons for corporate innovators

    56 min

  3. AUG 27

    How Top Leaders Go Beyond the Core in Corporate Innovation, with Scarlett Sieber, Chief Strategy & Growth Officer at Money20/20

    What does it really take to lead innovation in highly regulated industries, push beyond the core, and make financial inclusion a reality? In this episode, Marcus Daniels sits down with Scarlett Sieber, Chief Strategy & Growth Officer at Money20/20, to unpack decades of experience at the intersection of FinTech, digital transformation, and strategic partnerships. From BBVA to building the world’s leading FinTech stage, Scarlett shares the mindset, tactics, and global insights leaders need to thrive in 2025 and beyond. We cover: ✅ How to inspire executives to explore ventures beyond the core ✅ Why “experiment cheaply” can win “fail fast” ✅ The balance between FinTech speed and institutional stability ✅ Embedded finance opportunities that delight customers & drive growth ✅ Practical steps to align risk, legal, and CFO stakeholders early ✅ Global perspectives on innovation from the US, Europe, Southeast Asia & MENA ✅ Why financial inclusion is both a moral imperative and growth driver Scarlett also dives deep into the psychology of leadership, the art of words that resonate, and how to structure partnerships that keep momentum, even when timelines clash. Whether you’re in a bank boardroom, a corporate venture studio, or a scaling FinTech, this conversation is packed with actionable takeaways. 🎧 Subscribe for more conversations like these #FinTechInnovation #EmbeddedFinance #StrategicPartnerships #FinancialInclusion #DigitalTransformation

    48 min

  4. JUL 29

    How to Build a High-Conviction Venture Inside a $1 Trillion Enterprise, with Sharon Rodriguez, CEO of HighPeak Al

    What does it take to build a truly independent, high-growth startup inside a 150-year-old financial giant and then spin it out? In this episode of Beyond the Core, Ben and Marcus sit down with Sharon Rodriguez, CEO of HighPeak Al. Sharon shares how she's building a nimble venture within the constraints of a legacy organization, and how she’s setting it up for long-term independence. From day-one infrastructure decisions, to managing governance and incentives, to building a playbook that’s now influencing Prudential’s broader innovation efforts, Sharon offers a rare, transparent look into what it really takes to turn a corporate venture into a standalone success.We cover: ⏱️ Timestamps 00:00 – Intro: Building ventures inside legacy orgs 01:00 – The origin of HighPeak: AI, data, and adjacent opportunity 03:30 – Why Sharon took the job: Backing, challenge, and belief 06:00 – The “tax” of corporate venture: Compliance, slowness, and trade-offs 08:30 – Building a 5-person elite team with startup DNA 10:00 – Fractional talent vs full-time hires in a regulated environment 12:00 – Incentives without equity and the plan to spin out 14:00 – Structuring for spin-out: LLC vs C-Corp, IP, and investor readiness 17:30 – Building independent infra to stay nimble and credible 19:00 – Governance, budget autonomy, and internal alignment 22:00 – From longevity to retirement insights: broadening the product vision 24:30 – Communicating enterprise value inside the mothership 26:00 – Applying Series A/B benchmarks to a corporate venture 28:00 – Playing the long game: Expanding the market vs just selling Prudential30:00 – Why this was always about adjacencies 32:00 – Innovation vs stagnation: Why corporates need to build ventures 34:30 – Challenging the status quo inside large orgs 36:00 – The origin (and evolution) of the HighPeak playbook 39:00 – Why static playbooks can’t keep up 40:30 – What’s next: potential for multiple products or spin-in ideas 42:00 – Sharon’s advice: Start with a blank sheet of paper 🎧 Subscribe for more conversations like these #corporateinnovation #venturebuilding #startupstrategy #spinouts #prudential #highpeak #beyondthecore #venturestudios

    45 min

  5. JUL 22

    How Corporations Should Actually Deploy AI, with Sidney Madison Prescott

    Most companies are diving into AI without a map. So how do you turn hype into meaningful transformation? In this episode of Beyond the Core, Ben and Marcus talk with Sidney Madison Prescott, Founder & CEO of MIRROR | MIRROR & ADRIATIC HARVEST, about the real state of enterprise AI. We explore how companies are navigating chaos, where AI pilots actually work, how to build digital-human hybrid teams, and why visionary leadership, not just technology, is the real unlock. We cover: ⏱️ Timestamps 00:00 – Intro: Turning AI hype into action 01:00 – Agentic AI = RPA 2.0? 04:00 – The truth about automation and “cool branding” 06:00 – Why AI isn't new and that’s okay 09:00 – “Just do AI” is not a strategy 12:00 – Start with business goals, not tools 15:00 – What AI outcomes are you really buying? 18:00 – Hybrid teams: scaling without more headcount 22:00 – The cost of hesitation and poor leadership 24:00 – How to frame AI as employee empowerment 27:00 – Could your next board member be an agent? 31:00 – The power of co-creation: inside and out 33:00 – Where to start: the unexpected case for finance 37:00 – Why AI wins in finance unlock everything else 39:00 – Final hot take: consolidation is coming 🎧 Subscribe for more conversations like these #EnterpriseAI #AgenticAI #CorporateVenture #DigitalWorkforce #AutomationStrategy #BeyondTheCore

    44 min

  6. JUL 15

    Why Corporate Innovation Need Spinouts, with Simon Ratcliffe, Venture Building Director of DNV

    How do you spin out successful startups from inside a 160-year-old corporate giant? In this episode of Beyond the Core, Ben and Marcus sit down with Simon Ratcliffe, Venture Building Director of DNV, to unpack how he’s led two corporate spin-outs with a third on the way, inside one of Europe’s most respected engineering firms. Simon reveals how DNV moved from internal incubation to true venture building, the strategic reasons behind spinning companies out, and the surprising dynamics of startup-style governance, cap tables, talent incentives, and CVC alignment. Whether you're a corporate innovator, CVC operator, or venture builder, this is a rare inside look at what actually works and what doesn’t, when it comes to launching startups from legacy organizations.

    50 min

  7. JUL 8

    The Future of Venture Studios: Liquidity, Structure & Scaling, with Sarah Anderson, Founding Partner at Vault Fund

    Venture studios are evolving fast, but what separates those that scale from those that stall? In this episode of Beyond the Core, Ben Yoskovitz and Marcus Daniels sit down with Sarah Anderson, Founding Partner at Vault Fund, the first fund-of-funds dedicated exclusively to venture studios. With over a decade of experience in early-stage investing and company building, Sarah breaks down what makes top-performing studios stand out and why liquidity, not just innovation, will define the future of this model. They dive deep into fund structures, talent pipelines, follow-on capital strategies, and a major warning: studios that can’t return capital won’t survive. — ⏱️ Timestamps 00:00 – Intro: Why a fund-of-funds for venture studios 01:00 – How Vault Fund evolved from general venture to company builders 02:15 – Trends in 2025: Studios adapting faster than traditional VCs 03:52 – Defining the model: Why “company builders” > “venture studios” 05:32 – Category vs. asset class: Where studios fit in VC 06:55 – What makes a studio repeatable? Talent funnel + process 08:00 – Why 5+ builds matter to prove a studio’s efficiency 10:31 – Platform differentiation: Insights from industry-focused builders 12:48 – Generalist vs. specialist builders: What the data says 13:58 – Mud puddles vs unicorns: What most studios miss 14:23 – Sarah’s biggest concern: The liquidity crisis 16:52 – “We’re in the exiting business, not just building” 17:56 – Why secondary sales should be part of the studio playbook 19:03 – Many studios lack institutional investor DNA 21:07 – The learning curve for builders who ignore exits 22:24 – Studio survival: Darwinism and cash returns 23:30 – Real-world liquidity hacks: pre-set secondaries, pharma exits 26:03 – Biotech vs. tech: Why bio builders see faster liquidity 27:28 – Deep tech’s dilemma: Capital intensity without exit buyers 28:32 – Designing for liquidity from day one 29:52 – Vault’s strategy: Side letters requiring exit plans 31:24 – Should studios do follow-ons? Sarah’s honest answer 32:42 – The downside of too much capital early 33:38 – Why ball control matters for value creation 34:58 – The reserves debate: LP pressure vs. portfolio strategy 36:20 – Data maturity: What’s improving and what’s not 37:45 – Ownership banding: From 90% to a healthy 25% 39:10 – Why 2-and-20 models can misalign incentives 40:40 – Fund vs holdco: No one-size-fits-all structure 43:41 – Exit timing, durability, and private asset value erosion 46:46 – Final predictions: New trend, concept creation with existing businesses 48:53 – The PE + venture studio convergence 49:34 – Wrap-up & where the conversation is heading next — 🎧 Subscribe for more conversations like these #venturestudios #companybuilders #venturecapital #liquidity #startupstrategy #fundstructure #vaultfund #beyondthecore

    50 min

  8. JUL 1

    How a $4B corporation Structures and Scales innovation, with Peter Roeber (Global Strategic Growth & Innovation Leader at W. L. Gore & Associates)

    How do you build new ventures inside a 60-year-old materials science company without breaking the core business? In this episode of Beyond the Core, Ben Yoskovitz and Marcus Daniels sit down with Peter Roeber, a 28-year Gore veteran and one of the leaders behind its most ambitious new ventures in circularity and sustainability. Peter explains how WL Gore structures innovation across its operating companies, how venture ideas are sourced and funded, and how his team is launching new service-based business models in an organization built on premium materials and product R&D. From developing a glaucoma device business outside of Gore’s traditional medical focus, to launching a digital venture that’s changing how outdoor apparel is used, not owned, Peter shares real-world lessons on working with ecosystems, managing cannibalization risk, and when to spin out vs spin in. We cover: — ⏱️ Timestamps 00:00 – Intro: 28 years inside Gore 01:00 – How innovation is structured at Gore 02:45 – What the Futures team does in Fabrics 04:30 – How Gore prioritizes new venture ideas 06:00 – Strategic alignment vs moonshot bets 07:00 – Adjacency vs core vs explore 08:45 – The stage-gate process for new ventures 10:00 – Why Gore separates R&D from venture building 11:30 – Building circular service models inside a product company 13:00 – Smoke testing in a legacy org 15:00 – The power of Gore’s “lattice” culture 16:30 – How venture builders earn trust internally 18:00 – The importance of relationships, not politics 20:00 – Incentives and contribution-based compensation 21:30 – Can big companies spin out startups? 24:00 – Spin-in vs spin-out: key decision points 26:00 – What to do when internal systems work against you 28:00 – The case for shared risk and external venture studios 30:00 – Why speed and separation often win 32:00 – From zero to revenue in 14 months 34:00 – The biggest unknowns in circularity 35:30 – Managing the risk of cannibalization 37:00 – Circular economy ventures need ecosystems 39:00 – Building for a regenerative, collaborative future 42:00 – How Gore’s scale can drive industry change 46:00 – Unlocking value inside legacy orgs: 3 keys 50:00 – Why $1B ideas are worth the fight — 🎧Subscribe for more conversations like these.

    54 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
3 Ratings

About

Beyond The Core is a podcast series by Marcus Daniels and Ben Yoskovitz, founders of Highline Beta, exploring how companies are breaking free from traditional innovation models to build significant new ventures. Drawing from their experience helping organizations like RBC and AB InBev transform into venture builders, they interview leaders who've successfully launched billion-dollar spinouts, built venture studios, and created new markets. Weekly episodes feature practical insights on venture studio design, growth innovation playbooks, and strategic choices in corporate venture building.

Information

  • Creator
    Highline Beta
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    23
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Highline Beta
  • Show Website
    Beyond The Core