HARRISBURG, PA – Did you know the Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship at Harrisburg University of Science and Technology (HU) has a podcast?
Conversations in Innovation (CIN) is hosted by Jay Jayamohan, Director of the Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship (CIE). The podcast’s mission is to uncover the stories of industry leaders, allowing them to share their personal journeys and provide insights into innovations and trends within their respective fields.
The first two episodes feature Philip Moyer, formerly of Google and now the CEO of Vimeo, and Bob Whalen, CEO of HB Global.
By tapping into the experience of these leaders, the podcast offers valuable learning opportunities and sheds light on the lessons learned throughout their careers. All are encouraged to tune in; the perspectives brought to the show are relevant for a wide global audience, from students and academics to business leaders, founders, and CEOs across the United States, Asia, the Middle East, and Central America.
Ultimately, Conversations in Innovation seeks to connect and inspire individuals from diverse backgrounds, fostering a broader understanding of innovation and entrepreneurship on a worldwide scale.
“Our main mission is to empower innovators,” says CIN Host Jay Jayamohan. “To do this, we run an incubator at Harrisburg University. This podcast is an extension of that, sharing stories of people who have walked before us and done great things. Our guests share the struggles CEOs and founders have had, the pivots they made, the failures and success in their path. Through this storytelling, we also look to train the next generation of entrepreneurs.
“In this region, you’ll find incredibly cool people who are doing really great things. What we hope is that, by sharing their stories and learning from them, we can create a culture of founders, incredible startups, and innovations in and around Central Pennsylvania.”
The Conversations in Innovation podcast series already features two prominent business leaders with ties to the region, with plans for more to come in 2024.
Recently, Jayamohan had the opportunity to speak with Philip Moyer, the recently appointed CEO of Vimeo, and Bob Whalen, the CEO of HB Global.
Jayamohan’s first guest was Bob Whalen, who shared much during the conversation, including his best advice on solving problems in business, his favorite up-and-coming technologies in construction, and much more.
“I love telling the story of HB Global because it’s a story of taking the opportunities the market presented to us, and really responding to that,” said Whalen. “I was brought in as the first non-family-member CEO of HB McClure Company, a residential and commercial mechanical contractor and service company here in Central Pennsylvania. We were almost a hundred years old when I came in, and I was really excited to get my first opportunity to run a company.”
Whalen continued, “I had no experience in construction prior to taking on this role. So, I spent a lot of time early in my journey listening to the employees who actually did the work. In some ways, I combined both sides of that spectrum. Way too much confidence, but then, at the same time, I sat back and listened.”
Following the success of the first podcast episode, Jayamohan connected with Philip Moyer, who grew up just outside Reading, Pennsylvania, and attended the University of Pittsburgh to study computer science, philosophy, and epistemology. Professionally, Moyer’s experiences run the gamut from Amazon and Microsoft to GE Aerospace and EDGAR Online. Moyer most recently served as Global VP of Applied AI Engineering and Business Development and VP of Strategic Industries at Google Cloud, a division of Alphabet, Inc., before being named Chief Executive Officer and member of the Board of Directors at Vimeo, Inc., on April 4, 2024.
Jayamohan didn’t waste any time asking whether Alphabet is building a Google Car, and you’ll have to read Mr. Moyer’s laugh for yourself. The conversation then quickly pulled in several fascinating directions – including a topic that has captured the world’s attention lately: Artificial intelligence (AI) and all of its risk and potential.
“We’ve all seen Terminator. Great movie. We’ve all seen things coming from outer space and shooting us,” said Mr. Moyer. “And our mind naturally goes to the most dystopian possibility or outcome. Mankind has invented many human-ending technologies in our existence. Chemical weapons. Nuclear weapons. Gene editing. Biological weapons. Drones. We have many, many technologies on the planet Earth that can kill us all today. I started life as a software developer on nuclear submarines, and I would tell you – I’m not that great of a software developer, and we’re all still here.
“I get to speak to a lot of boards of directors. I get to demystify the technology. I try to say to them: AI holds an equal amount of opportunity as risk. You have to be aware of the risk, but you also have to understand the opportunity and have specific goals. They want to talk to me all about the risk. I’ll talk to you about that risk, and I’ll tell you how to code around that risk and how to solve that risk. I mean, we have risk today in cybersecurity, with somebody hacking into your systems. We have risk today with technology getting things wrong. But we still use it.”
Jayamohan’s conversation with Moyer covered a lot of ground, including:
- The challenge of building software for neurodiverse individuals (Ever wonder where the “raise hand” feature came from in Google Meet and Microsoft Teams?).
- Filling the enormous cybersecurity talent gap and why it’s so critical.
- How (and why) to give people room to fail.
- Why students studying science and technology at university today are standing on the “precipice” of unprecedented progress in healthcare, agriculture, robotics, and many other fields. “The things you’ve seen in movies are about to come true.“
Even flying cars got a shout-out. Are they coming soon? Watch the conversation in full to find out and subscribe to Conversations in Innovation on YouTube.
In celebrating this next chapter for the CIE, Harrisburg University President Eric Darr, PhD, said:
“I’m extremely proud of the work done by CIE to address economic disparity and the lack of diversity in entrepreneurship. CIE supports underrepresented founders, including women and minorities, by providing tailored resources, mentorship, and funding opportunities. Conversations in Innovation is another way we can unlock the untapped potential of diverse communities. Sharing these perspectives will help prove to our audience, and the world, that it’s possible to create world-class products, support services, and bustling economies anywhere. CIE is in the business of building communities, and we thank Bob Whelan and Philip Moyer for helping us do just that.”
Harrisburg University and the CIE thank Bob Whalen and Philip Moyer for bringing their unique insights and perspectives to Conversations in Innovation. More podcast episodes are scheduled for 2024, so subscribe today and be on the lookout for more inspiring personal journeys from founders, CEOs, and business leaders.
ABOUT THE CENTER FOR INNOVATION & ENTREPRENEURSHIP
The Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship delivers entrepreneurial education and startup support services to previously underserved communities of women, the disadvantaged, and other minority groups, as well as entrepreneurs and companies looking to innovate in Central Pennsylvania. Learn about CIE’s incubator program, networking events, and competitions by visiting https://CIE.HarrisburgU.edu.
ABOUT HARRISBURG UNIVERSITY
Harrisburg University is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education and is a private, nonprofit university offering bachelor’s and graduate degree programs in the fields of science, technology, and mathematics. For additional information about the University’s affordable, demand-driven undergraduate and graduate programs, please call 717-901-5146 or email Connect@HarrisburgU.edu. Stay updated by following Harrisburg University on X, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook.
