Creating new industry categories, trials and tribulations and advice for desired outcomes Robert Wahbe co-founded Seattle-based Highspot, a company that defined a new market category. Now, the sales enablement platform is valued at nearly $4 billion. During this Beyond the Blue Badge episode, Host T.A. McCann sits down with the Microsoft alum to discuss the ideation of Highspot, the trials and triumphs that came with breaking into a new industry space, how to achieve desirable business outcomes and advice for other startup leaders.

Smart interviewing to level up on representation Mohit “Mo” Bhende is determined to bring more diversity into engineering roles. After six years at Microsoft, Mo co-founded Seattle-based Karat, which provides the first interviewing cloud to help companies find engineers in an equitable way. In this episode, host Eddie Pate and Mo discuss how Karat is raising the bar on representation, its flagship Brilliant Black Minds program and partnership with Serena Williams, closing the interview access gap, and why he always puts people first.

Navigating the entrepreneurial ecosystem for startup success   It’s no secret that many Microsoft alumni dive into the startup world after leaving the company. After eight years at Microsoft as venture capital and emerging business lead in United Kingdom, Bindi Karia did just that and has since spent her career helping fuel innovation as a tech industry guru, advisor, speaker and venture partner. In this episode of our Beyond the Blue Badge podcast, host Peter Proud sits down with Bindi to discuss the stages of launching a startup, the six characteristics she notices of a successful entrepreneur, the importance of utilizing your network in the entrepreneurial ecosystem and how she’s investing in the innovation of today.

Using corporate experiences to fuel the nonprofit sector and change lives Microsoft alumni have the opportunity to use their unique experiences to supercharge change in the nonprofit sector. In this episode of our Beyond the Blue Badge podcast, host Paul Shoemaker sits down with alum Alonda Williams, author, speaker and current chief executive officer at Big Brothers Big Sister of Puget Sound, which is provides mentorship to thousands of children. Alonda discusses how she uses her Microsoft and life experiences to lead in the nonprofit sector, why she’s passionate about building confidence in young black girls, and how mentorship can transform our communities and youth.

Finding the right balance for a remote workforce  Microsoft alum Joe Levy is CEO and co-founder of Uplevel, a Seattle-based software company that helps engineering teams measure and manage their time and productivity. Like many companies in the early days of the pandemic, Uplevel went 100% remote and Joe has used their own software to pivot and tweak the way his own team operates, including experimenting with a four-day work week. He sat down with Beyond the Blue Badge host Ali Spain to discuss leading during the pandemic, managing a remote workforce and keeping startup culture strong.  

How to cultivate and maintain rich partnerships In 2000, tech giants Microsoft and Accenture came together to found Avanade. The founding partnership has evolved into a global leader that digitally transforms businesses using Microsoft ecosystems. Microsoft alumnus Adam Warby was a founding employee at Avanade and was named CEO in 2008 where he stayed for 11 years. In this episode of our Beyond the Blue Badge podcast, Adam sits down with host Peter Proud to discuss navigating a company with two large corporate parents, crucial decision points to Avanade’s success, advice for how to be a good partner and how he’s empowering the next generation of business leaders.

Building a company culture where both your people and business thrive Company culture can make or break a business. Growing that culture can be difficult, but it can also be the key to success. When your people thrive, so does your business. That’s exactly what our new Beyond the Blue Badge podcast will dive into. Host, T.A. McCann, sits down with Anoop Gupta, co-founder and CEO at SeekOut, an AI-powered talent optimization platform aiming to help companies recruit and retain talent. Recently named CEO of the Year by GeekWire, Anoop discusses what he learned as Bill Gate’s technology assistant, the pivotal decisions that led to SeekOut’s success and why being kind remains a foundational principle of his company.

How to win the pursuit of diverse talent A diverse workforce is key to a healthy, vibrant, successful and innovative organization, yet many companies claim they can’t find the talent or don’t have access to it. In this episode of our Beyond the Blue Badge podcast, our host Eddie Pate sits down with diversity talent acquisition expert Cody Horton to discuss how you can fish for diverse talent to fill the pipeline, what your company may be doing wrong and practical tips for an inclusive hiring and onboarding process. Cody is a veteran of the United States Navy where he was a Lieutenant Commander. He did multiple stints at Microsoft first in enterprise support before focusing on staffing. In 2016, Cody founded Diverse Recruiting Experts to help employers attract and retain a diverse workforce.

With the climate crisis looming, more people are examining how they invest their money and what impact that has on the planet — both good and bad. Sustainable investing that benefits all stakeholders is becoming more prevalent. In this Beyond the Blue Badge episode, host Peter Proud talks with fellow alum Richard Peers about nature’s role in finance. Richard spent 23 years at Microsoft, at the intersection of finance and technology. After leaving in 2019, he founded Responsible Risk, which consults financial services and technology companies on sustainable finance.

How to start saving the planet for generations to come Climate change is at the forefront of our world’s issues, and it’s going to take all of us to move the needle. Kathleen Hebert has dedicated her post-Microsoft career to fighting climate change, an issue she’s made her purpose. Her multi-pronged approach to change includes volunteering, investing, learning and making changes in everyday life that can have lasting impact. In this episode of Beyond the Blue Badge, host Paul Shoemaker sits down with Kathleen to discuss why and how she’s tackling climate change, the environmental responsibilities that different organizations and businesses have, what the future of climate change looks like for all of us and how we can contribute. Kathleen was a corporate vice president at Microsoft from 1989 to 2003. After leaving the company, she spent 19 years at Social Venture Partners, deep diving into the world of philanthropy. She’s now a venture partner, board member and investor at E8 Ventures, which is investing in clean tech for environmental impact. She also serves on the board of the Clean Energy Transition Institute and The Nature Conservancy.