Join host Sophie Durey in conversation with Dr. Marc Moser, Head of Impact at Lightrock, as he shares his unique insights into the world of impact investing. A pioneer in the Swiss impact investing landscape, Marc discusses the importance of aligning investments with core values, drawing on his experience with the LGT investing firm. He also offers a glimpse into the broader European impact ecosystem. Tune in for valuable perspectives and inspiration in this insightful episode!

Sophie Durey sits down with Sacha Ledan, Director at the Center for Entrepreneurial Studies at Stanford GSB, to discuss his journey as a French American and his passion for supporting founders. Sacha shares his unique perspective on building programs at Stanford and highlights the school’s distinctive role in shaping Silicon Valley’s entrepreneurial spirit. Tune in to discover how Stanford’s approach continues to influence the world of startups!

Empowering Entrepreneurs: Building Success I Ken Vermeille

Sophie Durey sits down with Ken Vermeille, CEO and founder of Vermillion Sky, a top software development company. Ken shares key insights from his journey as a founder, from building his company to navigating fundraising. With a mission to empower entrepreneurs, Ken reveals how to create impactful products that resonate with users and drive business success. Tune in to learn how to elevate your work and make a lasting impact!

Karine Sarkissian sits down with Roberto Tagliabue, founder of Alpha and Awake, to explore how AI is transforming the retail experience. Roberto shares his innovative approach to using AI for customer insights and acquisition, offering a fresh perspective from a designer, innovator, and founder. Don’t miss this exciting conversation packed with forward-thinking strategies!

Florent Breton is a French-American entrepreneur and founder at Paren. He grew up in France and after working 10 years in Paris across Management Consulting and Operations, he took a leap of faith and started a new chapter in San Francisco.

Florent moved into the SF Bay Area in late 2015 with his wife. It was a leap of faith since both were on short term visa and did not have job offers! Over the last 8 years, Florent settled in the Bay, worked in startups, at Tesla and co-founded 2 venture-back startups.

Sophie Durey dives deep with her former employer and now friend, Guillaume Taylor. Guillaume has a unique experience in various aspect of impact, from micro-finance to traditional impact investing. With his deep understanding of sustainability, he has been able to drive and lead a new way of investing and reminds us to be intentional about wanting to do good. He chats more about considering all parts of your investments and considering that positive actions need to offset the potential negative outcomes. He teaches us about intentionality, care, and leading with passion.

We loved this episode and we know you will too! Have a listen!

Tracy is a seasoned expatpreneur, creative strategist, and mentor to fellow entrepreneurs.

she was once the person who would say "Can we not talk about politics?", and she is now the founder of a political gamification studio, dedicated to educating and engaging people in politics through play. Bias-free.

Ed Kearney is originally from Canberra Australia where at age 12 he first saw a video of a hydrofoil boat, which sparked his interest and sat in his mind for the next 20 years. Having graduated from Civil Engineering at UNSW in Sydney, he then started a PhD program in Coastal Engineering and Oceanography, and at the same time also started an e-commerce startup selling university graduation gowns.

As it would turn out, the startup was a better fit. Spinning out of the graduation gown company was a startup called Snappr, an on demand marketplace for professional photographers, which was backed by Y Combinator in 2017, so Ed and his co-founder Matt moved to California. But always in the back of his mind was his desire to build boats and ships that effortlessly flew over the water, so in 2018 Ed and another Australian started Boundary Layer Technologies, which was accepted into the winter 2019 Y Combinator program, with a vision to bring hydrofoil technology to all sectors of the marine industry.

Jon Portman is an award-winning creative director and animation filmmaker. His design work has been featured in publications such as USA Today, The Huffington Post, SFGate, and CartoonBrew. His films have played Fantastic Fest, SCAD Savannah Film Festival, GIRAF Calgary and more. In 2014, Jon co-founded Oxbow, a creative agency specializing in animation and interactive content, where he served as the Creative Director for five years.

Currently, Jon serves as the co-founder and Chief Creative Officer at Gentle Beast and produces animated films through his production company Very Big Boy.

Jon received his BA in Architectural Studies from Middlebury College. He lives in San Francisco with his wife Gabby and their dogs Mildred and Bruce.

Katy Cottam is the founder & CEO of Luna Daily.

On a mission to connect women to each other and their *entire* bodies with their range of microbiome balancing body care products for all skin, even intimate, female-founded Luna Daily was born out of beauty veteran Katy Cottam’s life long frustrations with the awkward and outdated ‘feminine hygiene’ category. They’re disrupting the Global £300Bn body & intimate care categories, available in 460+ Boots stores nationwide and across the USA the first British intimate body care brand to be stocked in Sephora.

After a successful career in the beauty industry, first at L’Oreal and most recently as Global Head of Brand at Charlotte Tilbury, Katy gave up her job in the pandemic to set up Luna Daily. Inspired by her own experiences as a teenager, after an intense course of antibiotics impacted her gut and skin microbiome and caused her to have thrush. Unable to use traditional body care products, she was forced to use so-called ‘feminine hygiene’ products which created lasting feelings of shame and embarrassment. 15 years later, working at the heart of the beauty industry, Katy could see no progress had been made. She knew something had to change, so with the help of expert dermatologists and gynaecologists (the Luna Daily Collective), Luna Daily was born.

Roy Stillwell has more that 12 years of programming / embedded design/industry experience and spent 10+ years as a lead system architect. He has published in peer reviewed journals and conferences all over the world. Roy has a PhD in electrical engineering from the University of Notre Dame.

Jeremy Brown is best recognized as the founder of Startups Give Back, an organization dedicated to prioritizing philanthropy within startups, and Social Impact World, an exclusive community for leaders in social impact. Additionally, he serves on the Board of Directors for Sea Hugger, a California-based nonprofit focused on combatting plastic pollution in oceans. Jeremy's professional journey has revolved around assisting technology startups in scaling, reflecting his commitment to driving positive change in both the social impact and nonprofit sectors.

Dr. Luisa Javier and Dr. Sandra Medina, environmental scientists and entrepreneurs, co-founded Wayakit Holding Group, specializing in eco-friendly hygiene solutions. With accolades including the Distinguished Mexican Award, Luisa leads a team focused on sustainability across sectors, while Sandra, recognized as one of Fast Company Middle East's "2022 Most Creative People in Business," leverages her expertise as Wayakit's COO to drive impact.

Fabrice Serfati, Partner at IGNIA since 2012, boasts a diverse background in strategy and finance. Prior to IGNIA, he held key roles at Grupo Domos and Vitro, managing substantial portfolios and spearheading strategic transactions. With experience at Banco Santander and a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from ITAM, Fabrice is deeply engaged in entrepreneurship and gender equality initiatives, serving on the boards of RCO, Fondo Angular, Victoria 147, and CORDEM.

Óskar Þórðarson, Co-founder and CEO of Omnom Chocolate. He is passionate about creating thriving businesses. Oskar has dedicated to delivering exceptional quality while fostering a positive company culture. Beyond Omnom, Óskar mentors aspiring entrepreneurs, sharing insights and exploring collaborative opportunities. Connect with him to drive innovation and sustainability in business.

Lauren M Taylor is a Principal at REDF, leading the REDF Accelerator for emerging enterprise leaders. She also serves as a managing partner at Zero Gravity Agency, aiding startups in product launches and community building. With a background in education and tech sector coordination, Lauren brings expertise in nurturing high-impact businesses. She holds a Masters in Social Practice from California College of the Arts, a Masters in Education from Portland State University, and a Bachelors in Studio Practice from Tufts University.

Emile Lavirotte is Senior Advisor Intellectual Property . Emilie coordinates the IP strategy for a French multinational retailer for personal care and beauty products in North and Latin America. After working in France for different companies, she joined the legal team of her current employer in the US a few years ago. She has 15+ years of experience working in-house in France and in the U.S.

Shomit Ghose has spent more than 20 years as a Silicon Valley venture capitalist. Prior to his VC career, Ghose was a start-up entrepreneur for 19 years, participating in three IPOs. He was also CEO and board member at Truviso, leading to its acquisition by Cisco Systems. Shomit has held a Lecturer appointment at UC Berkeley’s College of Engineering since 2018, teaching data strategy, and sits on multiple corporate boards, both public and private, and multiple scientific advisory boards.

Tara Tan is a Co-Founder and serves as General Partner at Strange Ventures. She was the Founding Partner (Investor) at IDEO CoLab Ventures. She partners with technologists with a vision. For the last 7 years, she helped build the venture arm at global design & strategy firm, IDEO, where she invested in early-stage startups through as a founding partner of Web3 fund CoLab Ventures. In the decade prior to that, She led design at early-stage startups and design agencies (including manufacturing unicorn, Formlabs), where she drove brand and go-to-market strategy. She holds a Masters in Design & Technology from Harvard University, where she was appointed Co-Chair of Women in Design. She has a B(A) from the University of Bristol, UK.

Whitley O’Connor, co-director of social enterprise for Curbside Enterprises. Whitley is a Vanderbilt University graduate, co-founded the Curbside Chronicle, an award-winning magazine empowering individuals experiencing homelessness. His leadership extends to Curbside Enterprises, fostering social impact through ventures like Curbside Apparel and Sasquatch Shaved Ice. Over a decade, these initiatives have helped nearly 400 people escape homelessness, generating almost $6 million in earned income. Recognized on Forbes' 30 Under 30 list, Whitley, with experience across sectors, serves as a consultant for social impact ventures. Beyond work, he enjoys true crime podcasts, local art, and Sandlot baseball.