Inside CVC by u-path

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.

  1. 5h ago

    Inside CVC: Patients Don't Have Time for This: David Betts on ALS, Vibe Coding, and Giving People Their Voice Back

    David Betts spent two decades at Deloitte building a healthcare strategy practice, ultimately leading a public health business serving 20 states with 400-plus people. Then, at the peak of his career, he was diagnosed with ALS. His response wasn't to step back. It was to build something. In this conversation, David walks Steve and Philipp through how a non-developer used AI as a teammate to build Talk to Me Goose, an AI-enabled text-to-speech application that gives people with speech-limiting conditions their voice back. He's candid about the aha that came when he stopped treating AI as a search engine and started treating it as a collaborator who had to explain its work. The conversation goes deeper into what David sees as healthcare's core innovation failure: a system that demands proof before it will try anything, in a world where patients are running out of time. He also reflects on what ALS has made undeniable about how leaders should be spending their attention. If you sit on a board or lead a health system, this episode will challenge the questions you're asking about both AI and innovation pace. Learn More About David's Work and ALS: --> Talk To Me Goose! at https://talktomegoose.app --> StoryFlight Labs: https://storyflightlabs.com --> Live Like Lou Foundation: https://livelikelou.org --> YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TalktoMeGoose-h8l Support the show Catch up on all episodes of Inside CVC at www.u-path.com/podcast.

    35 min

  2. May 18

    Inside CVC Encore: Disability as an Innovation Superpower with Pete Horsley, Founder of Remarkable

    In this Inside CVC Encore, we revisit a conversation that feels even more relevant today. Pete Horsley, founder of Remarkable, challenges one of the biggest blind spots in corporate innovation: why disability and accessibility are still treated as compliance or charity initiatives rather than engines of growth, talent, and competitive advantage. Pete shares why designing for disability often leads to better products for everyone, how inclusive innovation is shaping the future of AI, and why forward-looking corporates are beginning to see accessibility as strategy, not obligation. We explore:  • Why disability may be the world’s most overlooked innovation opportunity  • How Remarkable has helped launch more than 160 startups serving nearly one million people  • The risks and opportunities of AI for accessibility and inclusion  • What boards and corporate leaders are missing about talent, product design, and market expansion  • Why the future of business may depend on designing for the full spectrum of human experience If you think disability tech is niche, this conversation will challenge that assumption. Support the show Catch up on all episodes of Inside CVC at www.u-path.com/podcast.

    44 min

  3. May 4

    Inside CVC Encore: AI, Leadership, and the Future of Work with Peter Schwartz and Richard Socher

    In this Inside CVC Encore, we revisit our conversation with Salesforce Chief Futurist Peter Schwartz and You.com founder and CEO Richard Socher. We explore what leadership looks like in a world where technological change is no longer sequential, but simultaneous and accelerating. Drawing on their experience shaping AI strategy at Salesforce years before the current wave, they unpack how AI is redefining work, decision-making, and the role of leaders across the enterprise. From managing a human and digital workforce…  to the reality that “we’re all going to become managers of AI”…  to the tension between innovation, regulation, and global competitiveness… this conversation sits at the intersection of foresight, technology, and leadership. As Peter Schwartz puts it, the pace and scope of AI-driven change is unlike anything we’ve seen in decades. And as Richard Socher argues, those who lean in will pull ahead, while those who hesitate risk falling behind. This episode sets the stage for what comes next. Support the show Catch up on all episodes of Inside CVC at www.u-path.com/podcast.

    43 min

  4. Apr 27

    Inside CVC Encore: Tariffs, Trade Shock, and the New Geopolitical Operating System

    In this Inside CVC Encore episode, Deborah Elms joins Steve and Philipp for a timely conversation on the Supreme Court’s ruling against the Trump administration’s use of IEEPA tariffs—and why the ruling did not end tariff uncertainty. Deborah explains what happened in the first 72 hours after the decision, why companies faced immediate confusion over tariff rates, exemptions, and refunds, and how the administration’s pivot to other trade tools could create a more durable, more complex tariff environment. The conversation is newly relevant as businesses begin seeking refunds tied to the ruling, with refund processing now underway but expected to remain administratively complex.  It also lands amid continued Middle East instability, where infrastructure, energy, and desalination have become part of the broader risk landscape.  For boards, CEOs, strategy leaders, and corporate venture teams, this episode is about more than tariffs. It is about volatility, executive power, supply chains, regional trade blocs, and what it means to operate when the assumptions of the last 80 years no longer feel stable. Support the show Catch up on all episodes of Inside CVC at www.u-path.com/podcast.

    42 min

  5. Apr 20

    Inside CVC Encore: There's No Exit Strategy for the Water Planet: J. Carl Ganter on Supply Chain Risk, Desalination, and the CVC Opportunity

    In this Inside CVC Encore from Season 1, Episode 1, we revisit his conversation with J. Carl Ganter, founder and managing director of Circle of Blue and a veteran storyteller whose work spans National Geographic, network TV news, and NPR. The episode lands at a moment when desalination plants and water infrastructure across the Middle East are making headlines as targets in the Iran conflict, putting the systemic risks Carl warned about squarely in front of the boardroom. Carl frames water as an existential supply chain risk that cannot be solved alone. He walks through why CVCs have a "license to be curious" the rest of the investing world does not, why the AI-era data center buildout has forced water back onto the C-suite agenda, and why castle resiliency fails when everyone around you is going dry. He also unpacks the UAE and Saudi Arabia race on water tech, the U.S. Farm Bill's outsized role in global water policy, and the Apollo 13-style coordination this moment demands. If you sit on a board, run a CVC function, or own enterprise risk inside a multinational, this one is worth the rerun. Support the show Catch up on all episodes of Inside CVC at www.u-path.com/podcast.

    38 min

  6. Apr 13

    Inside CVC: Sensing the Emerging Future: Otto Scharmer on Theory U, Deep Listening, and the Inner Conditions of Leadership

    Otto Scharmer is a Senior Lecturer at MIT and the originator of Theory U, the foundation of U-Path. In this conversation, Otto walks Philipp and Steve through what it actually means to lead from an emerging future rather than the past, and why that distinction matters more now than ever. They dig into the four levels of listening. Downloading. Factual. Empathic. And the one most leaders never reach: generative. Otto explains how the quality of your listening determines whether a conversation produces something new or just recycles what everyone already knows. The conversation also covers his new book's seven practices for transformation, the social soil metaphor rooted in his family's biodynamic farm in Germany, and what boards need to change in the next twelve months to lead through disruption rather than react to it. Including why knowledge, comfort, and action are all overrated, and what to cultivate instead. If you work in leadership, governance, or organizational change, this one will shift something. Support the show Catch up on all episodes of Inside CVC at www.u-path.com/podcast.

    34 min

  7. Apr 6

    Inside CVC: Olympic Gold Medalist Oliver Zeidler on Reinvention, Resilience, and Real Preparation

    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. Support the show Catch up on all episodes of Inside CVC at www.u-path.com/podcast.

    31 min

  8. Mar 30

    Inside CVC: Joanna Massey on Board Governance in a Digital Age: AI, Trust, and Mass Incitement

    In this episode of Inside CVC, Joanna Massey explores how AI and digital platforms are reshaping boardroom governance. The conversation examines how polarization, employee stress, and shifting expectations around free speech are impacting decision-making inside companies. Joanna introduces the concept of “mass incitement” and explains why boards must take a more active role in overseeing how technology influences behavior, culture, and risk. The discussion also covers the role of trust and transparency in today’s workforce, why productive disagreement is critical for innovation, and how boards can navigate increasing pressure at the intersection of business, society, and policy. A clear look at what it takes to govern effectively in a digital, divided world. In this episode, we discuss:  How AI and social media are reshaping governance, employee behavior, and board-level risk  The rise of polarization and “mass incitement” and what it means for oversight and accountability  Why trust, transparency, and productive disagreement are now critical to innovation and decision-making Support the show Catch up on all episodes of Inside CVC at www.u-path.com/podcast.

    34 min
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5
out of 5
7 Ratings

About

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.

Information

  • Creator
    u-path
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    42
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Inside CVC by u-path
  • Show Website
    Inside CVC by u-path

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