Episodios

  • 90 What Makes a Great CEO in Healthcare Entrepreneurship Today?

    90 What Makes a Great CEO in Healthcare Entrepreneurship Today?
    Dec 2 2025
    How do you take a healthcare innovation from lab to market—without losing your shot at impact? In this episode of CPO PLAYBOOK, Sasha Schrode, CEO of FEMSelect, shares her founder journey from licensing IP out of the University of Pennsylvania to raising venture capital, securing FDA approval, and selling her first company. Now leading FEMSelect, Sasha reveals the hard-won lessons from navigating regulatory hurdles, reimbursement pathways, and clinical validation. She also explains how a personal cancer diagnosis in her 30s reshaped her purpose—and why falling in love with the problem, not the solution, is what separates great CEOs from the rest. You’ll learn: • Why less than 1% of healthcare innovation reaches patients • The 3 filters every founder must apply before building a company • How to test product-market fit with real clinicians • How to think like an investor—and what VCs get wrong • Why the most successful CEOs start as learners Chapters 00:00 The Journey from Diagnosis to Innovation 13:18 Understanding Market Viability and Clinical Need 22:43 The Iteration Process in Med Tech 24:20 Insights on Raising Capital and Exiting 27:24 Common Mistakes in Commercialization 32:00 First Steps for Aspiring Innovators This is your masterclass on building medtech with purpose, discipline, and market-ready strategy. — Subscribe to CPO PLAYBOOK for more conversations at the intersection of leadership, innovation, and capital strategy: https://www.cpoplaybook.com/newsletter Need support scaling leadership or culture? Let’s talk: https://www.cpoplaybook.com/contact-us
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    34 m
  • 89 Leadership Training: Unlocking Explosive Business Growth Through Culture and Performance

    89 Leadership Training: Unlocking Explosive Business Growth Through Culture and Performance
    Nov 25 2025
    What happens when you bet on people instead of acquisitions? In this insightful episode of CPO PLAYBOOK, Pia Ostos, EVP and Chief Performance Officer at Inmar Intelligence, shares how prioritizing leadership training fueled explosive business growth and transformed company culture. By investing in leadership development and embedding clear leadership standards into performance reviews, she redefined HR from a cost center to a powerful business performance accelerator. Through a culture of accountability and a commitment to experimentation, Pia’s approach drove sustained growth without relying on acquisitions. You’ll discover the six key leadership behaviors that inspire innovation and accountability, why leadership investment is critical to shifting culture from the top down, and how measurable leadership development strategies translate into real revenue impacts. Tune in to gain a blueprint for transforming leadership and culture into your organization’s strongest competitive advantage, especially in fast-paced, high-stakes business environments. Join the conversation to learn how leadership, culture, and performance intertwine to drive outstanding business results. Chapters: 00:00 Transforming Leadership into a Growth Engine 06:31 Establishing Centers of Excellence 16:08 Innovating for Sustainable Growth 24:18 Building a Culture of Experimentation 26:02 Setting Core Leadership Standards 30:40 Measuring and Rewarding Leadership Behaviors 35:06 Leadership Development as a Growth Strategy 39:26 Advice for Building a High-Performing Culture — Subscribe to CPO PLAYBOOK for more conversations at the intersection of leadership, innovation, and capital strategy: https://www.cpoplaybook.com/newsletter Need support scaling leadership or culture? Let’s talk: https://www.cpoplaybook.com/contact-us
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    36 m
  • 88 How Private Equity Shares Equity to Motivate Employees

    88 How Private Equity Shares Equity to Motivate Employees
    Nov 18 2025
    When private equity enters the picture, alignment becomes everything. But how do you keep employees motivated through uncertainty? Start with equity. Former private equity backed CEO Adam Coffey explains how incentive equity—not just stock options—can drive performance, increase retention, and turn employees into value creators. Whether you’re leading through a merger, scaling a business, or navigating cultural change, equity can be your secret weapon—if you structure it right. You’ll learn: • Why equity is more powerful than bonuses • How to design incentive plans that actually motivate • The biggest mistakes leaders make when sharing equity • What PE firms get right—and wrong—about employee alignment • Why culture, transparency, and communication still matter most This is your blueprint for using equity to fuel engagement, ownership, and long-term success—especially in high-stakes environments like private equity. Chapters: 00:00 The Challenge of Alignment in Private Equity 11:24 Cultural Missteps and Leadership Alignment 18:52 Incentivizing Employees for Success 25:49 Navigating Challenges and Maintaining Alignment 31:28 The Role of Communication in Leadership — Subscribe to CPO PLAYBOOK for more conversations at the intersection of leadership, innovation, and capital strategy: https://www.cpoplaybook.com/newsletter Need support scaling leadership or culture? Let’s talk: https://www.cpoplaybook.com/contact-us
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    39 m
  • 87 Mastering M&A Culture: How 10 Companies Operate as One

    87 Mastering M&A Culture: How 10 Companies Operate as One
    Nov 11 2025
    Join Tim Ringel, CEO of Meet, as he shares his unique experience of having 10 companies work together under one roof. In this insightful video, Tim reveals the challenges, benefits, and surprises that come with such an innovative setup. From collaboration and creativity to potential conflicts and logistical hurdles, Tim provides a candid look at what happens when multiple companies come together in a shared space. Whether you're a business leader, entrepreneur, or simply curious about innovative work environments, this video is a must-watch. Discover the pros and cons of this unconventional approach and learn how it can impact productivity, innovation, and company culture. Tune in to find out what happens when 10 companies work under one roof and how it can inspire your own business strategies. We explore: • Why cultural integration is harder—and more important—than merging numbers • How authentic leadership builds trust and alignment post-acquisition • Why creatives need freedom to ideate and fail forward • How diversity fuels creativity and innovation in merged companies • The balance between economic reality and creative culture in M&A • What leaders can do to sustain authenticity through uncertainty Chapters 00:00 Navigating Cultural Clashes in Business 11:47 The Journey of Scaling Agencies 16:36 Merging Cultures vs. Numbers 24:25 Fostering Creativity in a Digital Age 36:19 The Importance of Authenticity and Trust Whether you’re leading a merger, scaling a business, or reimagining culture after acquisition, Tim’s insights reveal what it takes to integrate not just companies—but people. — Subscribe to CPO PLAYBOOK for more conversations at the intersection of leadership, innovation, and capital strategy: https://www.cpoplaybook.com/newsletter Need support scaling leadership or culture? Let’s talk: https://www.cpoplaybook.com/contact-us
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    40 m
  • 86 Raising Capital with Vision: $290M to See the Future

    86 Raising Capital with Vision: $290M to See the Future
    Nov 4 2025
    In this episode, Roman Axelrod, founder and CEO of Xpanceo, shares the bold vision behind raising capital - $290M to create smart contact lenses designed to expand human capability. From building prototypes to leading a deep-tech team, Roman opens up about the real challenges of turning science fiction into science fact. He discusses the grit it takes to lead a company operating at the edge of innovation—and how clarity, communication, and conviction become non-negotiables in the process. We explore: • The role of storytelling in raising capital for moonshot ideas • Why prototypes matter more than PowerPoints in deep tech • How to attract world-class talent in a hyper-competitive market • What makes co-founder relationships thrive under pressure • How creativity and discipline coexist in breakthrough innovation Whether you’re a founder, investor, or future-focused leader, Roman’s journey offers powerful lessons on building what doesn’t yet exist—and getting others to believe in it. — Subscribe to CPO PLAYBOOK for more conversations at the intersection of leadership, innovation, and capital strategy. Chapters 00:00 The Vision Behind Xpanceo 10:16 Challenges and Reactions to the Idea 14:14 Building a Deep Tech Company 17:22 Motivating a High-Stakes Team 21:47 The Importance of Prototypes 23:58 Recruiting Top Talent in Deep Tech 27:35 The Co-Founder Dynamic 31:14 Communication and Leadership in High-Stakes Environments 34:42 Cultivating Creativity and Vision 39:49 Looking Ahead: The Future of Xpanceo
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    44 m
  • Bonus The Journey of Leadership: Celebrating Milestones

    Bonus The Journey of Leadership: Celebrating Milestones
    Sep 23 2025
    Felicia Shakiba looks back at how far the podcast has come—and sets the stage for an even bolder season ahead. In this special episode, she teases the power-packed stories coming in Season 4, spotlights what leadership really means today, and unveils new tools designed to help leaders rise, adapt, and thrive.
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    5 m
  • 85 From Pharma to Future: How Bold Leadership Transformed Pluri

    85 From Pharma to Future: How Bold Leadership Transformed Pluri
    Sep 16 2025
    In the Season 3 finale, Pluri CEO Yaky Yanay joins Felicia Shakiba for a powerful conversation on leading transformation through trust, transparency, and bold vision. He shares how he redefined Pluri’s identity—from pharma to cell-based tech innovator—while building a culture that puts people, purpose, and innovation first. A high-stakes, high-insight episode on what true leadership looks like in times of change. Chapters 00:00 The Importance of Culture in Leadership 12:11 Navigating Organizational Transformation 17:53 Overcoming Resistance to Change 26:47 Building Trust Through Transparency 31:05 Expanding Vision Without Losing Focus 36:45 Advice for Leaders in Times of Change
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    44 m
  • 84 Leaders Navigate Generative AI in Product Development

    84 Leaders Navigate Generative AI in Product Development
    Sep 9 2025
    Generative AI may be rewriting the rules, but Felicia Shakiba and Claurelle Rakipovic, Chief Product Officer at Pipe, break down what real product leadership looks like. From customer empathy to AI missteps, Claurelle shares sharp lessons on building products that can actually hold their ground. Chapters 00:00 Building Defensible Products in the Age of AI 01:50 Understanding Defensibility Beyond Automation 04:30 Learning from AI Missteps 09:26 Internal Testing and AI Adoption 14:39 New Competencies for Product Leaders 19:47 The Importance of Unique Data 23:49 Empathy in AI Product Development 27:39 Auditing AI for Value Delivery
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    35 m